Best Travel Bass Guitar (2024 Update)

this bass requires batteries even if you only want to use the 1/4 out to an external amp. tech support confirmed that it does have passive pickups, but active electronics. messing with 3 AAA batteries is a pain. i would prefer that it have a bypass switch to route the pickups straight to the 1/4 output. just a caveat if you’re thinking of buying this. it was a deal breaker for me. cheers!inland b.

My TB-4P is better than 7 years old when writing this review in 2022. Mine is black with a white pick guard, which they do not offer anymore. I have better than 50k miles traveling with my TB-4P bass in the small trailer I tow behind my Honda Gold Wing motorcycle and equally as many traveling by car. This bass has also been on close to 20 flights with no issues by TSA or the airlines. There are several positive features about the TB-4P bass. First and most importantly is its' small size and light weight making it easy when on the road. Next is the full size scale and neck. The TB-4P bass plays just like any regular size bass. So practicing in this Traveler Bass is just like practicing on a full size P, J or other bass. I didn't realize until I started traveling with this TB-4P how important the built in headphone output, 1/8 inch or 3.5 mm plug input and internal amplifier are. All I need to practice with the TB-4P is headphones and my music player with a cable to connect to the bass and I'm ready to play along with my practice audio materials. I play silently using headphones or plug into a small powered speaker (a bluetooth speaker with a 3.5mm input is my go to amp on the road) or any regular amp input and I can play along with others hearing both my bass and music player audio. As an example how many trips my TB-4P has been on, I wore out the original travel case ordering a replacement earlier this year. Because this bass is so easy to carry, and plays and sounds like a regular bass, I usually bring the TB-4P to setups prior to a gig for basic rig and sound check purposes, as well as many rehearsals or practice sessions. The craftsmanship and workmanship of the TB-4P is outstanding. The setup is spot on and the frets are smooth. The TB-4P is ready to be played and enjoyed right out of the box! I recently purchased a Redlands Acoustic Bass for acoustic sessions with equal level of satisfaction!zutltd

I was a little unsure and thought this purchase over for a while. There was none available at the nearest big name Guitar shop (over 90 miles away) to try out so I made a leap of faith. I already own a Traveler Electruc (old style with piezio pickup in the bridge) and it has by now accumulated enough airline miles and hotel points to take an extended vacation in Fiji! I am glad I did. A fullsize bass takes up a fair amount of room and since i travel a lot, a small footprint fullscale instrument is preferable – I've had too many bad exeriences with airlines and instruments. The playability is great – action feels good, and even for a bass is light. The only weak points I have found so far is the pickups sound a little thready and the built in headphone amp is weak. If only I could find a portable bass amp comparable to my Honeytone…..Mad Uncle Dave

Had a little trouble tuning at first , user error, never had tuning on board ,once i figured it out everything sounds good,just wish I could get more out of e- string, just not as deep as my j-bass,but1/3 of price also All in All Really Nice little guitarH2O

I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR A BASS THAT I CAN TAKE ON A PLANE, AND I HAVE FOUND IT! THIS THING PLAYS UNBELIEVABLY WELL, AND SOUNDS JUST AS GOOD. THE UNPLUGGED VOLUME IS ASTONISHING. THE SOUND PORT ON THE UPPER BOUT HELPS TREMENDOUSLY. THE FISHMAN PICKUP SOUNDS GREAT. THE INCLUDED GIG BAG IS MUCH NICER THAN EXPECTED FOR THE PRICE. WHAT A COOL BASS!JCOFFEY

I took to this bass right away. Short scale is fun to play. I grab this bass when I have a few extra minutes and don't make my way to my studio. Otherwise I play J bass full scale. Only issue I found is the bridge nuts inside all came loose, one fell off. Easy fix once I got my hand inside, but not anything you'd expect on a new bass played for a week and a half. All said tho, I recommend!FergyBass

Absolutely belting and beautiful acoustic bass, lovely to play, great sound and lovely to look at. Acoustic basses are great if you’re time and space limited and just need something to pick up and play without the faff of plugging in and finding headphones etc (which i find a bit anti social for my partner and kids). I’ve tried a few acoustic basses and this is the best and it has a surprisingly good slap sound, which I hadn’t expected from an acoustic bass! All in all if you want something to play at home this is the best. I can’t comment on the electric sound (this has a preamp) as I haven’t used it yet and it’s not what I bought it for.D R. M.

This is a great bass! I've owned and played a handful of acoustic basses from different companies in my time and i like this one the best. Let me state first, I'm not a fender guy but…I've always loved the sound of an acoustic bass and I always wanted one, so i shopped around for a while and went through a few different models to arrive at this one. I've had it for a year now and i grow to love it more all the time! The pictures on GC dont do it justice…The high gloss black finish on the body and headstock is sleek and sexy and the bold block inlays coupled with the jazz bass neck and headstock give this beauty a different attitude compared to other acoustic basses and it plays smooth and sounds great! The biggest thing I noticed with this model compared to the other acoustic basses I've had is that this one really projects well and has great tone plugged or unplugged! I travel a lot and this bass has gone a lot of places with me and it's always sure to turn heads. I live in a place where i wouldn't want to crank my amps to play electric so this has become the main bass i use to practice with and i have a lot of fun with it. It looks and sounds great, it's built and finished well, it's fun and smooth to play, it holds its tuning and the electronics don't drain batteries…what more could you ask for? I would definitely recommend this bass, especially for the price point.Ray

This is a "better than nothing" guitar that will help maintain your callouses but not do much to help your playing beyond that. It's weighted incorrectly, it doesn't stay in tune, it has an awkward playing position etc. etc. It's a great concept, but poorly executed. It's easier to play with a strap. Size-wize, it does not fit inside a carry-on luggage bag, so you'd still have to carry it on your back like a backpack. I haven't attempted to bring it on a flight yet, so we shall see. I got it on-sale for just under two hundred, and I have brought it on short weekend getaway trips several times. I probably spent more time tuning it and re-tuning it than enjoying playing it. Still, like I mentioned, it's better than nothing. And, I am still happy to have bought it- though I wish it were better. I would recommend it only marginally. Pickier players will NOT like it.Detrich

I bought this not so much as a traveler , but as a guitar that was easy to always be within reach. Take to the park, beach and backyard. Maybe muted sports on tv and Traveler Guitar in hand. And B-stock? Really? I looked and looked, found one small spot that may be reason for B stock designation. I have seen new top name guitars with more “issues”. Your quality inspections must be really tough, good for you and me! Thanks.Ted I.

While you wont get a full blown acoustic experience, the build and playable quality is pretty solid enough to warrant not being bored or frustrated with, no sharp edges, no horrible not staying in tune, or sticky frets and excessive buzz. The portability of this is astounding, and works great as a practice guitar for when you cant play a full one is a real plus. You have a full scale neck, and when you plug in, you can really put the guitar to recording or amplification use via modeling or effects. It's shipped with extra light 10s and I think heavier gauges would not be ideal for this. But in contrast the light strings make for a bit of a fast play, electric like in feel and will definitely keep you engaged. The cons are just what you sacrifice to have easy access to a guitar to play on and transport. Not comfortable back bracing, a diving neck (but then it's not heavy really), a metal attachment that digs in a bit. Get a simple strap hook up and your problems are solved. Also as a tip, it's a simple guitar, if you find a blemished one or a sale at a good price it's a stupid good deal, and are you going to really care if something like this is banged up to begin with? Makes for a lot of fun, and a chance to play/practice anywhere.GuitarJunkie

Ordered one of these (In Pearl White) because of a good experience with another one. Of course I had to do some set up to alleviate fret buzz, adjust neck, string height etc. Once it was set up to my liking and a fresh set of my gauge strings, this bass was ready for just about anything! I have used it for a couple of outdoor shows with medium and very large P.A support and the sound was very good overall. Through my stage amp, I was able to dial in a very usable sound quickly. The bass is very light weight .(Which helps those of us with back issues.) Yet is still able to get a decent tone. The bass I received was a newer model with a poplar body and a Jatoba fret board which still has the characteristics of rosewood (slightly lighter in color) with a hint of a maple type bite. Personally, I liked the overall sound with this particular fret board. Speaking of which, the fret board is very easy to play (when properly set up) with a smooth, fast neck. The electronics are decent enough although the "bass boost" knob should be used sparingly and judiciously just to add some deep flavor on occasion for certain styles. All in all, a pretty decent machine that can easily be used by beginners and seasoned pro's (ok, it won't match up with a "boutique bass" by any means but still a very usable product!) Very good value for the price!Heard the Bass

This bass is really amazing for the price of it. The neck is so smooth and a bit thinner than other regular bass, perfect for my small hands and the weight wow it is really light. the built quality is top notch. The sound is really good and you've got plenty of sound you can experiment with it. Overall it's an all rounder bass from beginners to pronelson c.

The Ibanez GSR 200 is one of the best "bang for your buck" basses on the market. They are made with excellent quality, lightweight wood, agathis, maple, rosewood. The onboard P/J pickups and electronics sound good. They play good out of the box but they play excellently if set up by a guitar tech. These were choice basses for many of the bass players supporting MWR tours. Musicians would take Ibanez GRS 200 basses on tour and raffle them off to service members on the last gig.matt4717

Purchased the Fender Player Jazz bass. Overall great looks and sound, but some quality issues from the Fender Mexico factory (not Andertons' fault): – First bass had very clear weird uneven blemish under the varnish on the sunburst body. Not awful, but if I was in-store I would never have chosen that particular item. Returned and swapped by Andertons, no quibbles. Second bass arrived. Overall happy, sounds great, but still a few issues with quality control and design. – Control plate was missing 2 screws and was moving around – how does that get through Fender quality control? Replacement screws sent free of charge by Andertons. – Nut has not been slotted correctly – high G must have been passed through a machine and slipped, string is clearly a couple of mm too close to fretboard edge and you can see the failed first pass. Doesn't really affect playability, but is annoying and I will get it corrected at some point. Again, points to poor quality control. – Fretboard (Pau Ferro) is really thin – on the Player series, at least. Neck fret dot markers in white are half over the mid-dark fretboard, half over the light maple neck. Very hard to see in low light levels. OK, so they're just an indicator for position, but the design isn't great. So overall, the bass sounds great and Andertons service was very good. Fender quality control loses the one star from the review.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

…and falls in love. Let me start by saying I actually have owned one other P-Bass. I had a 50s reissue Precision, but honestly the neck was just too thick for my liking after years of playing Jazz basses. Honestly, it felt thicker than the neck on my Yamaha 5-string. So, I picked this bass up after always dancing around getting what would be considered a more standard P-Bass. I have a 70s Jazz with a ton of modifications, I've had quite a few other brands of basses, but I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I ordered this a few weeks ago, and have been very pleasantly surprised. The action was pretty good out of the box. I adjusted it a bit, made a few tiny tweaks to the intonation, and now it's super smooth. And, on the pickups, let me say it's a great sounding bass. Pickups are clear, bass sounds great. I play through a little Ampeg Micro cabinet. Earlier this week, I bought some Flats to throw on it (because that's what you do with a P-bass, right?) and now it's quickly becoming one of my favorite instruments to jam with. It really cuts through the mix when playing in a group. I see why folks really love the sound of a precision. My Jazz still has it's place, but man, I really like the sound of this bass. The Player P is a great value for what you get. I've never owned an older MIM, but I research the heck out of pretty much any purchase I make, and it looks like Fender really stepped it up with this rendition of their MIM Precision basses. Good tone out of the box, no discernible pickup noise, good action, a beautiful neck, and a Tidepool Blue finish that just shines and shines.Dennis F

I bought this bass because a friend had one that worked great and played great and I loved it. When I purchased mine I had it sent to my house. 5 days later and it comes in with busted knobs and I had to take it in for a refund. They had another in stock and I took it home. Well the second is busted too. Huge disappointment considering how much I enjoy playing this bass. Absolutely unreliable and I won't be getting a third one.James

Bought this one for the kids, but it's so much fun I'll probably play it more. This has to be one of, if not the best short scales in this price range. Mine came with a great neck, good frets and no sharp ends. Weight wise, its a little heavier than I expected- maybe 7.5 lbs? Fingers, pick, slap, all sound good with no rattles. No neck dive. The only weak point I think is the cheapo bridge. Its really unstable and the E saddle could be bumped and moved too easily. I ordered a Hipshot when I ordered the bass because I hate these style bridges anyway. I'd have had to shorten the screw or maybe just cut off some spring length on the stock saddle for the E (and possibly the A) to get them to intonate. Get the bass on sale, a Hipshot for another fifty and it's a performer on par with basses that cost a grand or more, and still less than competing Squiers or Epiphones that also probably need upgraded bridges. I mainly just use the P in a PJ setup, but installed a Fender J anyway because this one was noisy at home (but not at rehearsal for some reason). I had to carve away about a millimeter of wood on top and bottom of the bridge cavity to fit the Fender, so be aware that aftermarket pups may not be a straight drop in. Upgrading the pups is not really needed though IMO. The tuners have the large posts so breaking strings is less likely. They seem to be holding pretty well. I can get through a few songs without having to re-tune, then it's only a minor tweak to the E and A.Lothar

I wanted a no-nonsence, light weight, easy to play and transport, bass for gigs and rehearsal. All these “bases” are covered and some. I can’t say or explain enough, how great this short scale guitar is to hold and play, especially for a “senior” musician looking for comfort on stage! Smooth neck, warm tone, no set-up needed, right out of the box! The price is right too! Try one for yourself!Jimbo

I got this bass for my son as he’s wanting to learn bass and music theory from myself . I’d been teaching him on one of my fleet of basses but he was complaining that it was too big for him so I decided to look into the small scale range at a reasonable cost. I seen this bass which, to me, looked perfect for an 11 year old to learn on . After receiving this bass I gave it an inspection and I was very impressed with its factory set up and the general build of this bass. I plugged it in and gave it a blast through one of my smaller rigs and I was literally left flabbergasted at the sound of this thing. It’s a little ripper! It particularly sounds best when using a pick with it but it can hold its own finger style too. I’d be quite happy using this bass on stage and I have many basses by distinguished brands ans custom built basses by luthiers . It goes to show that what’s perceived as a lower end instrument can actually prove to be a hidden gem. It’s loud, it cuts the mix and it plays like butter. What a great bit of kit.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

After reading so many glowing reviews, I was very excited to buy my own Ibanez AEB10E. The violin finish is beautiful and the fit was outstanding, for the most part. My only complaint was the frets and how sharp they were/are…Since string height is subjective, I will only say that I liked the way mine was setup-high enough that there were no fret buzzes. I like the organic tone and wish it were louder acoustically but when amped through my Fender Rumble 25 or 200, the sound still maintains the acoustic qualities I wanted it for. I'm still in the 45 day window to decide but right now, it's a keeper!Hoss

Overall: About 30 years ago, I placed an order for a custom bass. It looked absolutely beautiful but it didn't play well at all. So I sent it back for two adjustments that I knew they wouldn't be able to correct and I ended up getting my money back. I say all this to point out I vowed to never take a chance ordering instruments via mail. So I'm cautious because I've wanted an acoustic bass for quite some time and when I saw the Ibanez AEB10E and it low price, I decided to break my VOW and order that damn bass…lol. So now I'm hopeful because their were a lot of people who wrote great reviews, which nudged me to make the purchase. Now that I've had it for more than two weeks, I'm pleasantly surprised because this plays extremely well, I have a little fret buzz but I can tell that it's not going to take much effort to adjust the truss rod!!!!Joseph

I bought this bass a little over a year ago when I found a great deal on it online. I have an electric bass, but wanted something to sit on the couch with and play along with something I could potentially use to record some cool bass licks to use for some of the music I produce. I have to say, given that I didn't play the bass beforehand and just ordered it online, I got extremely lucky and landed on the exact bass I was looking for. The first thing I noticed is how easy it is to play. I feel like even though I'm not a very experience bass player it's not too much of a challenge to play the licks I'm trying to play. Just the way it is setup by default makes it easy for me and my big hands to hit the notes I want without accidentally striking or muting a string next to what I'm going for. The second thing I noticed is how great it sounds. I'm sure it would depend on the venue and type of ensemble, but I feel like this bass produces enough volume to be viable for playing unplugged next to a nice guitar that also has a good bit of volume. The tone is pretty well balanced too, I think the spruce top gives it a little more upper harmonics than you might expect, which is nice since it seems to have a little more presence as a result. I'm sure you probably don't need to hear this but the whole bass screams quality. It's gorgeous, and yes, the wood is lighter than it looks in the pic, but that's not a bad thing. There's no real imperfections anywhere in mine, every part of it looks and feels great. There are much better acoustic basses out there of course, but if you're just looking for one that plays well, looks great and is great quality, you can't go wrong with this one.Dr. Technology Man 504

Just took delivery of a used Hofner shorty bass in black. Lovely instrument. Fit and finish was fine. I had to do a little bit of intonation setting which took no time. The neck is better than expected. Frets are finished properly and the neck has a nice satin finish. Its not to wide, not too thick and feels great. The pickup delivers and even sound across the strings. There are no dead spots. Volume and tone controls work great and the knurled knobs feel very good. I was able to dial in some of my preferred sounds using the VPF control on my Markbass Blackline 250 going through a Markbass NY604 cabinet. I was also liking the sounds going through an Eden World Tour preamp. Im looking forward to rehearsal tomorrow using the Eden directly into an EV ZLX 12 powered cabinet. The bass came professionally packed and really appeared to be new. Love the padded Hofner gig bad with the logo on it. All in all a great small, inexpensive (but not cheap) bass for practice, performance and especially travel.Miguel404

First of all, this bass is just what I wanted for practicing when traveling. Compact, 24 frets, decent electronics and comes with a gig bag. Intonation was pretty good too. I did adjust the intonation, but that's really only because I'm kind of fussy about intonation. One thing I will say is I had never experienced "neck dive" until I owned this bass like. in the resting position, the bass headstock will point right down to 5 o'clock. Since this is a practice instrument, I made some modifications. I put weight in the body cavity, but the body cavity is not huge, so with extra weight, I could get the neck to hang in the resting position at about 3 o'clock. I next removed the front strap pin and drilled a 3/8" in diameter hole 2" into the body at the same angle as the strap pin screw. I purchased 3/8" aluminum round stock and cut it to 7.5". 2" would insert into the body and 5.5" would remain outside to mount the strap button while extending out to nearly the 12th fret. I painted the round stock black (primer and paint). I mounted (drilled and epoxied) the strap button on the end of the round stock. I think epoxied the extender into the body. It looks pretty darned good and now the bass balances perfectly.Kevin1014

I've played and owned many different basses over the years, but this one is hands down the most comfortable bass that I've ever played. The neck is fast and easy to play, the fret work was superb, and the sounds that you can dial in are very versatile for just about any style of music. I was also surprised that as a bass it was almost as light as my Ibanez S61AL electric guitar (and that thing is feather light). Overall, I'd gladly recommend this bass to anyone from beginners, experienced players, and especially anyone wanting a short scale bass.Brittany M.

Sound: I was impressed by the sounds I could get from this little beast. I'm a pretty heavy handed finger style player (I've always had a heavy attack), but I could hear the differences every time I alternated pickups, adjusted the EQ, and flipped the "Power Tap" switch. This thing offers a lot of sound for very little money! Features: As stated, the thin fast neck of this bass is amazing. I have smaller than average sized hands, so the slimmer design is really comfortable for me. The PowerSpan dual coil pickups are really decent sounding for what they are. The "Power Tap" switch is what sold me on it. After some knob twiddling, trial and error, I found a really nice warm, but heavy sound that I enjoy. Also, the ease of access to the battery compartment is a nice feature as well – no screwdriver needed! Ease of Use: Ease of use is great! Plug it in and play 😉 Seriously though, my stepfather is a guitarist by nature, and even he's remarked at how nice it plays and how nicely the knobs freely turn to dial in the sound you are looking for. Quality: I was impressed by the overall quality of this instrument for the price. I own and play "higher end" basses (Warwick's, Ibanez SR Premium's, etc.), and the quality of this is bass is almost as nice as my SR Premium at a fraction of the cost. Of course it had a few things that needed some tweaking out of the box, but overall I am very pleased with the product. You could spend a lot more and get a lot less (I have anyways…). I guess there's a reason I keep coming back to Ibanez basses. Value: The Ibanez SR300E is considered by most to be a beginner bass. I get that. Yet, for the price, you will be hard pressed to find something with better quality and features. If you are new to bass, or need a backup for your regular player, I would highly recommend the SR300E. I see it becoming my regular player because of it's features and sound. And hey… If something were to ever happen to it at a gig in one of those "seedy" venues, I could easily replace it and not be too upset about the price. Manufacturer Support: I've never had to deal with Ibanez directly, but I have dealt with zZounds a few times and their customer service is wonderful! Friendly, knowledgeable, and courteous. Those are the things that make me a repeat offender to this site! The Wow Factor: This bass is a lot of bang for the buck! I love the look of the black hardware on the weathered black finish. When my girlfriend gave me the "Oh no. Did you buy another bass?" look – even she had to admit the weathered black finish was sexy looking. Ha! Overall: I originally bought an Ibanez SR300E Iron Pewter as a gift for a member of my family who took an interest in playing the bass. When it arrived I took it out of the box to tune it and give the action a little tweaking. Of course, being a bass player myself, I had to give it a try to see how well it played. I was in shock and awe by how well it played and sounded. The neck was extremely comfortable; very thin and fast! It felt like this thing could play itself. After playing it for a few days, (and a few times since), I was so amazed by it that I had to come back to order one for myself (Weathered black – that black hardware on black bass just looks so good).Jason

I'm a 40+ year working bass player. Previously I had owned an Ibanez BtB and loved it, then traded it for a Warwick, which was cool, and definitely fashionable too. Ended up having several shoulder surgeries and a major spinal surgery in my neck, (I set off metal detectors now), also gathered a pile of some rather large medical bills in the process, so the Warwick had to go to pay the bills, so I decided to retire in order to heal up for awhile. Lately, sitting at home doing nothing and waiting for the pandemic to end. I decided it was time to get another bass, and decided to start playing again. Since I had worked at a local music store for years as a guitar tech I was familiar with the Ibanez SR Series, so when I found this here I knew this had to be the "one" because of the price and me being familiar with the SR Series, (we were an Ibanez dealer). I love the color, the feel of the thin neck and the active electronics. With the 3 way tap switch, volume/tone/pickup splitter knobs you can get an amazing number of sounds out of this instrument, from floor shaking lows to twinkling clear highs. The color was nice, the neck felt good and the price was definitely right. It also arrived with a decent set up, not great, but better than many others I have seen, so as a retired guitar tech I lowered the strings a bit, tweaked the truss rod, worked on the intonation and it was ready set go! If only my callouses would come back that easy everything would be golden.I would definitely recommend this as a great beginner instrument, and also as capable of being a suitable gigging instrument.Sonny

I am Loving my new Ibanez SR300E Bass. As a female Rock bassist, I needed to find a lightweight, slim bass that still packed a punch, and this baby does all that I've asked of her. Lovely deep tone, well balanced and responsive, the active electronics are on point, the lead stays put, and as for the colour… WOW! My husband, the drummer, is also really impressed at how well she locks in with the groove. Excellent delivery times from PMT, ordered on line and it arrived within 3 days. Very happy.Sammy T.

I bought this guitar after a long time away from playing. I was looking for a reasonably-priced, full-featured instrument that would serve as a good re-entry to my music practice, and this fits the bill. It's compact, has an onboard tuner, sounds great acoustically with the option to plug in an amp whenever I decide to go that route. I'm going to enjoy getting back up to speed with this mini bass.Stephen

Long-time guitar player, first-time buying a bass. I purchased the Cordoba after contemplating another brand with rubber strings. I never could get my hands on one to try. Guitarcenter in my area stocks the Cordoba. I like the more traditional wound strings on the Cordoba, the scale length and the overall construction. This Cordoba stays in tune really well. It sounds good acoustic but sounds great amplified. I love this little bass – a blast to play. The onboard tuner is a big plus. Cons – action was a big high, but no string buzz, a fair trade off – and I would expect the higher action with a bass with a short scale. I will adjust the truss rod with the included tool. Bridge saddles feel plastic, but at this price it isn't an issue.Matt J

I have been a bass player for 30 years. I was happy that my 13 year old daughter wanted to take up the instrument. She learned Ukelele well enough that I was willing to listen but no way was she using my basses because I see how she takes care of her room. Her arms were too small anyway so I researched this Ibanez mikrobass. What a delight! The walnut finish is fantastic and the tone when unplugged is tremendous. Plugged in, it was a little clackety-clack and the tone knob is almost literally nothing so I put daddario XL Flatwounds 50-100 (a recent discovery from which I will never return) and took care of that problem. The tuners seem a little slack when Im tuning it up. If I were to make a change, it would be the tuners. But theyre fine enough. It is exactly the size of my six string guitars so I was able to devote a quality gig bag that I dont use much for the cause. My daughter is encouraged by it although she hasnt quite dug in yet. However if she decides not to play after all, this will remain in my collection. Its just SO FUNboredofthisalready

I play in my home studio and record my bass along with mp3's of my favoritie songs, I make videos for self critique and to share with other bass players in my FaceBook bassists group. I recently sold my Ibanez SR755 5 string because I was not thrilled with the B string sound. Now I find the B sounds better to my ear with this bass that costs one third of the SR755…Amazing. I prefer passive electronics and the GSR205SM with it's Phat EQ give me the best of both worlds or active or passive. With the EQ turned counter clockwise the bass sounds like a passive and as you turn up the EQ the bass responds well and gives me an edge on the sound. Best of all there is no Floppy B string farty tone. the B sounds more musical. I want to address the weight of this bass. It is light as a feather especially after playing my Warwick. I can play for extended periods of time without having back pain issues. As to the statement of other reviewers about this being a great beginner's bass, let me add that in the hands of a seasoned player it sounds and feels as good as you'd want it to sound as well. This bass sounds totally different than my Fenders and Warwick and I find that to be advantageous.Preston

Overall: I bought this without playing it, but was very pleased right out of the box. My fingers were black after a few minutes of playing due to the dirty strings, but that didn't dampen my opinion by any means (but good idea to purchase a new set of strings along with the bass). Bought the Walnut Finish (looks more expensive) for use with my SC-300 Boss Looper (also purchased from zZounds). It sounds great! I'm not onstage playing head banger metal, so don't need that rumbling low end anyway. But the pickup configuration def gives you a lot of low end. Even though I've been playing guitar and bass for over 30 years, I would use this bass onstage, AND more importantly, if you are introducing anyone to playing bass – this will be a much easier learning bass due to the size. It still feels like a 'bass' and it's not tiny or anything, but it doesn't feel clunky like a bigger bass does. I'm looking forward to using this for a long while, and assuming it holds up over the next few months I'll likely grab another one just to have a backup. Don't hesitate if you need for a recording bass, or onstage. And def great for a beginner to keep them from losing interest due to most basses being too large for them.Jason

The Squier Bronco Bass delivers exactly what I expected. It's a 30" scale bass with a body shaped like the Fender Mustang bass; it has a single pickup (I believe it's a strat pickup), is fairly light weight (mine weighs in a 7 pounds 10 ounces), and it's a fun little axe. It's also the lowest-priced bass by an actual musical instrument company. How do they keep the price down? One way is that this is the only bass I've owned that has no fingerboard. It doesn't affect anything, but the front of the neck IS the fingerboard. The hardware is okay quality. But here's the thing – it sounds decent, feels great, plays well. There's going to be a little luck of the draw in a lower priced instrument, but my tuners stay in tune, intonation was on, everything is good. There was a little too much neck relief, but that was easy to adjust. If you're realistic about your expectations, the Squier Bronco Bass is an awesome value, looks good, and it gets you playing. It's not going to sound like a Stingray or a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, but it doesn't sound bad, either – I would do a show with one without worrying about it. I have other basses, but wanted to add an inexpensive short scale to my stable, and this bass was exactly what I wanted. I may upgrade the pickup later – I may not. For now, it falls between my 34" scale and 28.6" scale basses, and it's fun to play. I'm very happy with it.Pcake

I ended up using this bass for songs where long scale can be a bit difficult. My main bass is an imported '54 P Bass copy, Alder body and maple neck/fingerboard. It had to go into a local shop for some major nut repair, and I needed something to play around with. Off the rack, it was a pretty great bass for the price. The neck is very well crafted, no sharp fret edges like some imported instruments. It's an agathis body, so the tone can be kind of bland, but compared to older Squier Broncos, it seems that all of the bridge and neck contact one piece of wood on the multi-piece construction, so sustain isn't too bad. The bad: The tuners are pretty sorry and are an oddball size, which makes replacement with good tuners very difficult. My E and A tuners rattle some, but all four do hold tune pretty well for cheap tuners. Also, the stock pickup is a six-pole ceramic Strat pickup, so it can sound…odd when bending strings. The other bad is the bridge: although it intonates pretty well, two saddles can make proper intonation difficult to achieve along with proper radius. Also, the bridge mounting pattern is almost impossible to replace with another bridge–four hole lock-down and quick-release style bridges DO work, but the bridge is mounted a little too far forward, and intonation is almost always sharp on the upper end of the fingerboard. Gotoh 201's are also very difficult to adapt to fit. But for its price point, some of these cons are easily fixed. I have a Mojotone Alnico V lipstick Strat pickup in mine with CTS 500K pots. It sounds excellent–it fools some of my buddies about how cheap it is. This bass could probably also benefit from a bar retainer near the nut. It went from an around the house beater to a mainstay for certain songs.Isher

my dad, a professional and extremely experienced bass guitarist, bought me this for christmas last year, and i love it. this is the first bass i've ever picked up and it's easy to play, is well built, has a nice feel to it, etc. i highly recommend it for beginners. i play it in my school band class and it fits in very well with the rest of the instruments. however it can fall out of tune easily and the pickup isn't the best, but ultimately it's the most perfect beginner bassout there, especially for the low price, it's high qualityace

Sound: Sound wise, it is great. Very good for soft rock to all genres of metal. Haven't played any other types of music with it yet but the pickups seem very versatile. Features: The active pickups are a plus and sound great. Has all the basic bass controls. Manufacturer Support: Only dealt with schecter in regards to questions a few times in the past. Never had an issue with any of their instruments. Overall: I am a guitar player who needed a bass for my home recording.I'll admit, I am a Shecter fanboy. I have been playing and collecting schecter guitars for a long time. The quality of their instruments are great and for the price they can't be beat.Purchased this for some home recording and I am amazed at the playability and sound.Not being a native bass player I was not sure what to expect. I have played bass before for my home recordings and let me say this bass sounds amazing.Using it with a motu m4 and a 24 volt mod for the active pickups.It has a lot of gain so I have to turn down the input volume on my m4 quite a bit but the sound come through great in my daw.J

The materials are good. Fit and finish are good. Sound is good – I can get the P bass sound I was after in a 5 string. The fretwork is ok – for the price. Probably could use a good polishing. No hig frets or fret ends sticking out. The action on mine was high and the intonation was off. I lowered the strings a bit and adjusted the intonation. If you can't do this yourself, you will most likely need to have the tech at the store do it. Most Maple neck guitars in this price range shrink a tiny bit in their first Minnesota winter from the dry air. This causes the "fret bloom". I most likely will heed to file and reshape the fret ends when this happens. For the price, it seems to be a solid value.Merle

I was very surprised when I received this instrument. It was packed well and thought I was receiving the same quality instrument that I have received from musicians friend in the past. This right out of the box was not set up properly and would not play since the pickups were not soldered properly or at all. Had to do a full set up on the instrument and solder the pickups to get it to play. Now it sounds like the other instruments I have always received from Musicians Friend. I know this is not an expensive unit but the quality from ibanez was terrible. I am really disappointed to say the least. I should have sent it back, but thought I could fix myself and no what I had ,rather than have another sent to me in the same way the 1st one was sent. Very disappointed!!!!starfire 64

Overall this is a very nice bass for the money. Mine was made in Indonesia. Quality and finish were very good. Setup was fine right out of the box. Hardware and electronics seem to be of good quality. You can get a lot of tonal variation as well. One minor complaint is the body is lightweight and the neck is heavy so be sure and buy a comfortable strap that won't slip.Steve