Best bass for under £500?

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strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2356
I've never really played bass much before and am looking to get something fairly decent to learn on.

I guess I should keep things simple (and keep the neck similar in width to my 6 string guitars) and go for a 4 string, but that's really my only requirement I think, other than the budget is £500 absolute maximum, ideally more like £400.

I want something fairly decent that will play and sound well, and not leave me wanting to upgrade in a year.

I've been looking at a used Lakland  Skyline 44-01.

Any other suggestions/advice?

Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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Comments

  • littlethoughtslittlethoughts Frets: 639
    edited October 2014
    I'm really happy with my Fender Cabronita bass, having had a squier PJ. You can get one for £399 used at Coda at the moment. I think both the squier and fender cabronitas are good quality, and sufficiently interesting that you should be able to flip it without losing any money if its not for you. Plus they are spot on just as they are without wanting to upgrade anything in particular (good pickup, tuners, bridge).

    Of course, I'll probably be shot down for saying that :)

    One great piece of advice I can give you is to go to Basschat. Their classifieds are well managed and the prices are normally very decent.



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  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    Being a guitarist, I had the same dilemma and went with an Ibanez GSR180 because it was cheap, playable (slim neck) and sounded ok.
    18mths later and I needed to upgrade and looked at the Squier Classic Vibes, the Fender Moderns and MIMs but by chance, a mate found me a Jazz bass style bass that's fab and it's an Overwater by Tanglewood. These are £400 basses but can probably be picked up for much less- mine was £155 and there's one on Bass Chat for £240. Solidly built with great tones from both the P & J pickups.
    Worth a look although the Laklands are nice
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  • IanSavageIanSavage Frets: 1319
    This looks good for the money: http://www.coda-music.com/fender-modern-player-dimension-bass-trans-charcoal-secondhand-p-20191.html

    Otherwise I'm almost obliged to say Vintage, but my VJ74MR is genuinely the best Jazz-type I've ever played. Be worth playing a few different styles and brands before buying though, basses (IMO) vary even more than guitars in terms of neck profile and body size/shape/balance so what suits one person might be anathema to another. 

    If the chunkier Stingray-style 'fits' you, keep an eye out for a US-made Musicman SUB; they often go within your budget when they do come up and they're on a par with the four-figure 'fancy' Stingrays in terms of sound and general quality. 
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  • IanSavage said:
    This looks good for the money: http://www.coda-music.com/fender-modern-player-dimension-bass-trans-charcoal-secondhand-p-20191.html

    Otherwise I'm almost obliged to say Vintage, but my VJ74MR is genuinely the best Jazz-type I've ever played. Be worth playing a few different styles and brands before buying though, basses (IMO) vary even more than guitars in terms of neck profile and body size/shape/balance so what suits one person might be anathema to another. 

    If the chunkier Stingray-style 'fits' you, keep an eye out for a US-made Musicman SUB; they often go within your budget when they do come up and they're on a par with the four-figure 'fancy' Stingrays in terms of sound and general quality. 
    Oh yeah, that dimension bass is a good deal. Cracking piece of kit for the money, and the rotary tone selector is a lovely thing.
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    Warwicks seem to go for beans secondhand these days. 

    You might pick up a used Corvette for that sort of money. 

    Check out the classifieds on Basschat.
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  • equalsqlequalsql Frets: 6084
    edited October 2014
    The Ibanez ATK range of basses are excellent value for the money. The CAP double-humbucker on them and the EQ system give an excellent frequency range that goes from deep growl to snappy top.

    The bridge assemblies are massive, lots of thick metal for added sustain.

    I've played and owned quite a few top-end  basses over the years and I can confirm that these ATKs punch well above their weight.  
    (pronounced: equal-sequel)   "I suffered for my art.. now it's your turn"
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  • BucketBucket Frets: 7751
    The Ibanez SRs are good too - you could probably get an SR500 for that price and they're killer.

    The 5-string model (SR505) blew me away when I tried it.
    - "I'm going to write a very stiff letter. A VERY stiff letter. On cardboard."
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  • strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2356
    Thanks for the advice, was checking out the basschat classifieds, and it looks like I probably could get a corvette for that price, so might go down that line
    Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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  • Musicman sub will be well under used (get the USA made version with textured finish).

    You're welcome ;)

    Warwick basses seem to be a bit out of fashion at the moment and can go quite cheaply, too.
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  • For that kind of money top of my list would be a used G&L, L2000 tributes are fairly easy to come by second hand. The fender / squier classic vibe series are good and any the cheaper end of the market Vintage do some great stuff. Yamaha aren't to everyone's taste but they make fantastic instruments at every price point. Also, check out ibanez, they don't do it for me but things like the sr300 and the sr500 represent great value for money.

    One thing I would say though is that bass necks vary a lot more than guitar necks do. It would be worth your while to go to a shop and try a few - jazz, precision, for sure and whatever else takes your fancy. I'm not very fussy when it comes to guitar necks but some basses I find almost unplayable.
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  • teletele Frets: 0
    Another vote for the Ibanez sr500 from. Outstanding spec for the money with Bartolini pickups and one of the nicest necks out there.

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  • You could always get a used Fender MIJ Jaguar bass for that kind of money Active/passive with series/parallel switching too. I just picked up a sunburst one the other week and it's becoming a fave rave of mine.
    Great build quality and a modern classic imo

    The same kind of switching is on the G&L tribute L-2000 as well. Wonderfully versatile basses those.
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  • strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2356
    Hopefully (providing the bass is in decent condition) I'll be picking up a used Warwick Thumb Bolt-on neck (German made) today.
    It's a 5 string, which I wasn't looking for but it's at a price that's too good to refuse.

    I'll post pics if it all turns out OK.
    Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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  • strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2356
    Deal went smoothly, in better condition than expected, just some tarnishing on some metalwork, and the just-a-nut II had fallen apart so a bone nut had been fitted. Seems well done, I'll probably leave it.

    Not bad for £500:

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    Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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  • strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2356
    It's a 2004, the neck and body are Ovankol, fretboard is Wenge.
    New ones seem to have a Bubinga body and go for about £2300. The older Ovankol ones were about £2000-2100 new.
    I thought electric guitars were bad for losing value!
    Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2328
    Nice :D
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  • martmart Frets: 5205
    Warwicks are atrocious for losing value from new (i.e. For having incredibly high new prices), but at £500 that's a good buy. Well done! Welcome to the Warwick growl club.

    The JAN2s broke really easily, albeit just a cosmetic failure of the side clips, but buying a new JAN is extortionate, so replacing it with bone seems a fair move.
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  • ManoMano Frets: 3
    I'm looking into this on a Semi Hollow tip! Ibanez AFB 200/ Allen Woody / Chowny CB1 are all tickling my fancy....http://chownybass.com
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  • Good score.

    Warwick are seriously untrendy at the moment so resale is ludicrous. Fantastic if you're a buyer though. They don't do it for me aesthetically but I bet that's an incredible instrument.
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  • John_PJohn_P Frets: 2744
    I missed this when you bought it but have a belated wow from me.     A 5 string thumb is high on my list of cool basses!    If you get bored of it let me know ;-)      Looks lovely!
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