Buying a Cheap Bass Guitar

A cheap bass guitar may not be your dream guitar, but when you are first starting out, starting cheap may be your only option. More often than not, aspiring musicians have a small budget to start with, and since you will need other equipment—equipment you will not have the money for if you spend it all on your axe—you will probably have to hold off on your dream bass.

You might be wondering, “Can I really buy a cheap bass guitar and still get a good sound? What about quality?” Well, if you know how to shop for the right cheap bass guitar, you can easily find a bass guitar that has a decent sound and good quality without breaking the bank.

Where You Shouldn’t Shop for a Cheap Bass Guitar

Many new musicians choose to purchase a used bass guitar. While there is really nothing wrong with buying a good, quality bass guitar used, there are certain purchasing venues you should be wary of, especially on-line.

Purchasing a used bass guitar from an individual seller can be a dangerous decision, as can purchasing a used cheap bass guitar on-line from a shoddy retailer. It can be a risky decision simply because you cannot try out the instrument before you buy it. So, buying a cheap used bass guitar from an individual seller or an on-line retailer with no track record can turn out to be a big mistake.

You have no guarantee that the claims of the seller are true, and if you find out that they were lying or had failed to mention an issue with the bass, then you have just lost out on a lot of money. Individual sellers rarely have a guarantee on the items they sell, so you probably won’t even get your money back after the transaction is complete.

You should also avoid purchasing a cheap bass guitar from any on-line sites that don’t specialize in musical instruments or that don’t offer any guarantees. These sites often sell a variety of items and have a bass guitar or two sitting in their product catalog. There are plenty of great on-line stores that offer valuable deals, but it’s important to purchase a cheap bass guitar from a reputable on-line retailer that offers a full guarantee or warranty.

What’s Important in a Cheap Bass Guitar?

Before you set out to look for your cheap bass guitar, it is important that you know what you are looking for if you want to avoid buying something that you don’t want in the first place. One thing you don’t want is to simply buy a brand name or great design just because it’s been recommended to you. While a great design can be fun to show off, it won’t have any impact on the sound of your bass. What will affect the sound of a cheap bass guitar is the craftsmanship.

Craftsmanship can determine the sound that your cheap bass guitar produces. It can also determine the life of your cheap bass guitar. To find quality without simply buying a name, you can choose a no name bass guitar. These are often manufactured by little-known instrument manufacturers. However, if you still want to go for a name you can trust, then there are definitely some manufacturers out there that make quality-crafted cheap bass guitars.

SX Bass Guitars

SX is not a well-known name, but they make a good quality, cheap bass guitar. Because they don’t put a lot of money into advertising, they are able to put what money they do earn into manufacturing quality instruments. If you aren’t concerned with the name and are just looking for a good cheap bass guitar to start out with, SX is a really good option.

Yamaha

As you might be aware, Yamaha has been making musical instruments for a long time. They are well-known and very widely trusted by musicians all around the globe. It also just so happens that Yamaha has a pretty good cheap bass guitar—the Yamaha RBX374. It isn’t the cheapest bass guitar on the market, but it does provide you with quality at a decent price.

Squier

The Squier bass guitar line is made by Fender, another well-known bass manufacturing company. The Squier line doesn’t offer the best electronics and the pickups are sometimes lacking, but for the price, you still get a decent quality instrument. This could be a good beginner instrument for a child or teenager that may or may not lose interest in their musical pursuits.

Epiphone

Do you enjoy the classic Gibson bass look? Epiphone makes a cheap bass guitar that can deliver a classic Gibson look, along with great quality for an affordable price. Constructed of a solid mahogany bass, the Epiphone Les Paul Special Bass can withstand quite a bit of abuse, making it a great first bass for serious young musicians that might not be so gentle on their first instrument.

Ibanez

Ibanez makes one of the most unique cheap bass guitars on the market. The body is constructed from Athagis wood, the fingerboard is made from rosewood, and the neck is made from maple. New players are likely to find the thin neck easier to learn on and, while the electronics aren’t the best around, Ibanez still offers some pretty good features for a cheap bass guitar.