• Hardware
  • Good cheapo basses? brands? (p.2)
2014/11/26 20:43:49
michaelhanson
Your friend probably picked up one of the Vintage Modified Squiers, they are pretty well built. Change out pickups and hardware upgrades later if you feel it is needed, but to my ears,they sounded and played very nicely.

Jazz Bass would give you a little bit of that growl when you dig in.
2014/11/26 21:27:42
dstrenz
My brother worked at a pawn shop and they had some very good basses that they paid practically nothing for. If you go to one, don't be afraid to bargain. If you can, bring someone along that plays bass to help you assess what they've got. I can't think of another way to find a good playing and sounding bass for anywhere near $100. Most basses can produce a smooth backing sound. A bass with a good slap sound and is fun to play is much harder to find for that price.
 
2014/11/26 21:48:21
johnnyV
Samick , When I had the music store they were my # 1 cheapo guitars and basses. Back in the 90's they were still made in Korea. But they blew away all other low end brands. The finishes and necks were first class.  I sold ton of them and everyone was happy. Plain ( Black/Red or White)  finishes sold for $199 back then. 
 
 Of course you must realize that no matter which brand, including low end Fenders, the Pick ups will be sub standard. But that is super easy to upgrade if it is a standard Fender type PU. Weird PU are sometimes hard to find upgrades for. But thankfully most el cheapo brands use Fender type PU's. The common configuration is the P/ Jazz combo. P Bass PU are split so there is 2 offset, Jazz PU are narrow and one piece. My Hondo has a standard P bass so I bought a Dmarzio for $70 that made a huge difference. 
 
Bass guitars puts a lot of tension on a neck, that is why I said to be careful about twisted or warped necks. Pick it up and look from the bridge along the strings towards the nut. It should be nice and level with no side to side variation. And look for frets that are all level and not looking like ties on  an abandoned railway line. 
 
There should be no string buzzes and it should be easy to play. You don't want too low an action on a bass but it should not buzz if played a little aggressively. 
 
I don't recommend buying a short scale bass , sometimes called 3/4,  unless you want a dull thud kinda sound. Short scale basses do not have the same tension on the strings so have very little twang. They are the opposite of the sound of a Jazz bass or Ricky.  I used to own a Gibson EB0 which was short scale. I used it for Bluegrass. 
 
Another thing to think about- The biggest problem with shopping used is people who play and are knowledgeable about this stuff, only sell instruments they don't like. So look for used among people who don't have a clue and bought it but never learned to play. Pawn shops always charge double the going price.  
 
2014/11/26 22:10:09
davdud101
I figured it'd be a chore to find one with nice slap. Although for some reason (given that I haven't done any mods personally) I get the feeling most of that sound is attributed to the pickups and strings?
johnnyV, conveniently the guy who has the Samick has no clue about. it whatsoever- he apparently bought it for his daughter. Hopefully I can talk him down to around $80, and I mean, at that price I don't think it'll even be any sort of a loss if it can do slap!
I'll keep your inspection in a safe place. I'm sure you guys can see there's a high chance I 'll just end up settling on the Samick, mostly because I own an instrument by them and so I KNOW the quality of these instruments can't be too far off. (I'm playing y Greg Bennett right now!) plus, I feel if I buy new, I'll get less for the money. johnnyV's statement there pushes me a little further, even.
Pawn shops feel a little out-of-reach in my case... there is a local one, but it's pretty dumpy,  I think (LOADS of ultra-cheap acoustics and cheesy keyboards)
2014/11/27 08:30:11
Sidroe
While I have some very nice high end guitars and basses, I do have an affection for cheap guitars as well. I was born during the time of Silvertone, Harmony, Trutone, and Danelectro was relatively new to the market.
In the last few months I found myself buying and using Fender Squiers and Epiphones. When I say that I mean the $100 line. The workmanship and sound of the Squiers has vastly improved for as cheap a guitar as it is.
As far as basses, you would have to go a long way to beat my Fender Squier Modified fretless Jazz Bass. I did replace the Seymour Duncan Designed pick ups with some better Seymours.
Ibanez is a very good guitar for the money. There are a lot of good quality basses listed on Ebay if you trust buying a guitar before trying it out.
Bottom line, there is no written law that a very expensive bass is any better than a cheap one these days. The lines seem to blur now between big money instruments and what I call mongrels.
2014/11/27 21:44:36
Kev999
davdud101
Kev, I'll make sure to look at Ibanez. Any particular ones you recommend?...



Not sure. The ones that I have tried didn't have any model number evident and don't seem to be in the current catalogue.
2014/11/28 02:13:23
Jim Roseberry
In addition to Squier VM series (which are pretty decent), checkout the import line from Music Man.
"Sterling By Music Man" has some pretty decent low-cost basses...
2014/12/12 20:44:17
townstra
I've had a few cheap basses over the years.  I had a Washburn from a pawn shop that had a great neck and just needed the pickups upgraded.  I had a Hondo that I used for years and it was dirt cheap and durable.  One of the basses I have now is an LTD and it was fairly cheap, but it plays and sounds pretty good considering what it cost.
2014/12/15 15:45:08
FastBikerBoy
I bought a cheap and cheerful Peavey Milestone which does everything I need it to do in the studio. I've never gigged it though. 
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