[Ricktoberfest]

For a lead player. I know very little about Bass guitars but my son wants to transition from a walmart type bass to something more "professional". Kijiji is our friend but we're not sure what constitutes a good bass.

I've recommended anything fender brand and he's seen an ibanez sr400 in his price.

I've told him to go to L&M to talk to them and try out different types/brands to see how they feel to him. (He's 19 btw) and plays guitar, but bass is what we needed at church and so he's been playing this "Rocker" brand bass for the last year

Ideas?


-Tapatalk

 

[cboutilier]

I would check out any and all of the Squire Classic Vibe series. They are around 550 new, and 300-350 used. They are on par, or better than the Mexican Standard Fenders.

I just played my CV50'S P back to back with a 70's Fender P Bass and neither was better than the other.

 

[Bubb]

Check out any used Yamaha you can find .
I paid $100 for mine,it was a no-brainer.

Simple P Bass layout.
Good solid guitar.

 

[bw66]

Check out any used Yamaha you can find .
I paid $100 for mine,it was a no-brainer.

Simple P Bass layout.
Good solid guitar.

+1
I picked up a used Yamaha RBX-170 for $120 (I think), which is the entry level Yamaha, a few years ago. The tuners were damaged, so I eventually upgraded them, but it has been a rock solid and great sounding bass.

Yamaha enjoys an excellent reputation for good value in basses. Ibanez are reputed to be good value too, but I have no personal experience.

 

[cboutilier]

+1
I picked up a used Yamaha RBX-170 for $120 (I think), which is the entry level Yamaha, a few years ago. The tuners were damaged, so I eventually upgraded them, but it has been a rock solid and great sounding bass.

Yamaha enjoys an excellent reputation for good value in basses. Ibanez are reputed to be good value too, but I have no personal experience.

Ive had its guitar equivalent for almost 15 years. Zero maintenance, zero issues.

 

[Brett Pearson]

I would check out any and all of the Squire Classic Vibe series. They are around 550 new, and 300-350 used. They are on par, or better than the Mexican Standard Fenders

I have a Squier CV 60's re-issue Precision bass and they are an incredible guitar for the money. My brother has the CV jazz bass and has gigged it for years with no issues. The yamaha's are also good value for the money. I don't think you would go wrong with either brand, its just a matter of what feels good in his hands.

 

[Budda]

P or J bass - pick one you like, get it set up, rock it.

 

[jayoldschool]

I paid 180 CDN for my Classic Vibe Jazz and it's awesome. Deals are out there.

 

[Ricktoberfest]

So consensus so far seems to be Yamaha or squire classic vibe. Good to know. Thanks. Anybody have any experience with the ibanez?


-Tapatalk

 

[Kerry Brown]

I bought an Ibanez Gio bass to learn bass on. I got it used for $100. The action was so high it was unplayable. New strings, truss rod adjustment, and lower the saddles it was decent to play. I started taking it to a local jam. The guy that ran the jam liked it so much he bought it to use as the jam bass. A lot of players played it, always sounded good, no one that played it complained. It was played twice a week in open mics and jams for over a year with no problems.

 

[cboutilier]

I paid 180 CDN for my Classic Vibe Jazz and it's awesome. Deals are out there.

That's a stupid good deal. I paid 250 for my 50's P and that was a good deal

 

[keto]

Ibanez 400 and higher have a good rep but will have a very skinny neck, some like some don't.

Among the Fenders, a P will be fatter and more middy, a onevtrick pony but what a trick. A J will give more diversity, neck solo is close but not all the way to a P, both full up yields a scooped tone that I love, bridge solo is brighter thinner. Cool thing is you can blend just how much you want of each, for a variety of sounds. Potential downside to J is that they are single coils, subject to the same hum as, for example, a Strat

 

[StratCat]

That's a stupid good deal. I paid 250 for my 50's P and that was a good deal

I paid 375 for my (I mean my son's) Classic Vibe Tele and still feel like I got a good deal because it plays so nice.

 

[sulphur]

I have an Ibanez SDGR, super light and sounds great.

Good bang for the buck used.

 

[Budda]

So consensus so far seems to be Yamaha or squire classic vibe. Good to know. Thanks. Anybody have any experience with the ibanez?

I had an SR-something, and while the bass was nice (great for metal) it was a very modern look, feel and sound. The feel of it was great - I could play *way* too fast, which was useless in the group I bought it for. When I switched to an upgraded classic vibe jazz, the look and tone were much more what the band required.

 

[Ronbeast]

As others have said, a squier jazz or precision will fit the bill nicely. I'm more partial to p-basses; it's nigh on impossible to make a p-bass sound bad at a gig.

Beyond that, look for any American made Peavey between 1978 and 1999. The T series basses, patriots, foundations, furys, and a whole lot more are excellent basses. You'd be hard pressed to out grow any of those basses.

With ibanez, buy used or on sale. They are great instruments, but at sticker price in Canada they aren't incredible deals. I would start at the sr500 and go up from there, the sr500 has the bartolini mk1 pickups stock and those are a step above the ibanez proprietary stuff (which aren't too bad in their own rites).

A few other brands worth a mention are Cort; the gb75 is within your price range and will give any bass in the $1000 range a run for its money.

Gibson. The sg basses from 2012 and on were very well made instruments and you might get lucky and find one in your price range.

Yamaha are great basses. The BB series are very popular, and you might even be able to find an mij bass in your price range.

Used mim fenders still pop up in the $300-$400 range from time to time, but even that seems to be more and more unlikely these days.

L&M is a good place to try things out before you buy. $500 will go a lot farther when buying used, but these days you'll still end up with a kick ass bass in that price range. Happy hunting.

 

[Hamstrung]

As a guitar player who occasionally plays bass I find the Ibanez SGR series' narrow necks an easy transition. They sound great too!
Like others have said you can find good deals on used.

 

[keto]

Ronbeast post is excellent, I agree on every point.

 

[Rollin Hand]

I have tried a couple of inexpensive LTD and Aria basses that were quite nice.

A used Peavey Grind could be a winner too.