Cheap but good bass

[Mr. Air]

Thinking about getting myself a bass. Anyone who can recommend a cheap but good bass?

[gwEm]

how cheap were you thinking? is secondhand allowed?

[Nadz1lla]

Harley Benton from Thomann.de
http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbb400tbk_ebass.htm

Can't get much better for the price, especially as they have active pickups.

[WezV]

just to be pedantic  - most basses do not have active pickups.  they have passive pickups with a seperate active pre-amp in the control cavity.  

the main reason i point it out is that a bass like that with passive p/j pickups allows you easy choices for later upgrades.  A BKP P/J bass set for example... and maybe a new pre-amp

an active pre-amp also gives you a lot of tonal control onboard the instrument that active pickups do not


but i would be looking at something classic like a squier classic vibe

[Mr. Air]

how cheap were you thinking? is secondhand allowed?

Secondhand is indeed allowed  :D

By cheap I'm thinking really cheap. I'm no bass player and just want one for home use and fiddling.

[Nadz1lla]

how cheap were you thinking? is secondhand allowed?

Secondhand is indeed allowed  :D

By cheap I'm thinking really cheap. I'm no bass player and just want one for home use and fiddling.

Aye that's what I bought mine for, I got a Harley benton like the one above, but the 6 string version. Mine cost me £140 including p&p, which is insane for the quality of the bass. Never had a problem with it and it sounds awesome.

[gwEm]

maybe i would listen to nadzilla and check out harley benton.

 but actually what i would do is research a cool squier bass (classic vibe maybe as wez says) and then search ebay

[BigB]

how cheap were you thinking? is secondhand allowed?

Secondhand is indeed allowed  :D

By cheap I'm thinking really cheap. I'm no bass player and just want one for home use and fiddling.

Strungout Guitars http://www.strungoutguitars.com/ currently have a Vox Standard Bass selling for £199. These early '80s japanase (Matsumoku) Vox series (guitars and bass) are rock solid, well built with quality woods, and have great value for the money. The only downside : they weight tons.

FWIW I was considering buying this bass myself but I just can't afford it ATM :-/

[WezV]

hmm, true.  if going second hand have a look on ebay for a westone thunder 1 or 1A... another heavy matsumoku beasty... but a hell of a lot of bass for the money and they regulalry sell  for £100-£150

here is an early example with about 6 hours left
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1A-Classic-1980s-Matsumoku-Japan-Bass-/160440669680?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item255b0255f0

[AndyR]

Yeah, I'd vouch for a Thunder 1 or 1A.

I had the guitar version (1A) when they first came out, and then one of my bassists at the time had a bass (thunder II I think his was). The Westone Thunders were really solidly made, nice tone, and the bass is quite a "guitarist-friendly" bass for playing.

[froglord]

The Squier Classic Vibe Jazz is a lovely bass. If you want to go cheaper, check out the Yamaha RBX series.

[HTH AMPS]

depends HOW cheap we're talking, but Thomann have a b-stock Jazz bass for £52.98...

http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mb222t_ebass_retour.htm

[Ratrod]

I'm in the Classic Vibe camp here. If they're anything like the guitars, they'll be fantastic.

It's to early to tell for sure but I think they'll hold their value pretty well too.

[Mr. Air]

Just took a quick descision and pulled the trigger on the cheap used Harley Benton that HTH linked to. Hopefully it's an ok bass  :)