Best Starter Bass Guitar (2024 Update)

The Mikro bass plays, looks and sounds great. The extra-short scale length does not compromise the traditional bass tone it produces. I have played 6-string guitar for over 40 years, including many professional gigs and teaching. I own over a dozen topnotch guitars. But this is my first bass, and I chose Mikro on the recommendation of a trustworthy friend. I have been doing my own repair work on guitars for decades, and can say the Mikro bass is impressively well made, and arrived decently set up with new, good strings. Fret work, neck, nut, tuning machines, bridge, fingerboard, finish, electronics are all virtually flawless; and the tobacco sunburst color I chose looks really nice, with a "vintage" vibe. I replaced the stock chrome dome knobs (which are nice ones) with Gibson-style knobs so I can see numbers for volume and tone settings. I really like the tone of the Mikro, especially the "Precision" style pickup–the one closer to the neck, from which it's easy to get a classic P-bass tone in conjunction with the tone control, which also works great. Ibanez chose a great capacitor value for the tone knob. The bridge position ("Jazz" style) pickup is just OK–usable, and not bad, but nothing remarkable, and it's especially lackluster when used solo, without any of the P-style pickup dialed in. That is the only part of this bass, other than the knobs, I would consider upgrading in the near future (maybe also the potentiometers, but even those feel smooth and responsive out of the box). The satin-finish neck feels great, and is a breeze to play, even for someone like me, who is coming to the bass from years on guitar. The tuning stability of the Mikro is remarkably great. So the latest versions of the Mikro basses are a phenomenal bargain! I would not hesitate to recommend a Mikro to anyone considering moving from guitar to bass, or to someone with smaller hands. From what my bassist friends tell me, the Mikro is great for any bassist PERIOD.NYC Slide Guitarist trying bass

Overall: I've been playing for years, mostly Fenders, Tobias and a heavily modified Decca short scale from the 60s. This is my first Ibanez bass and I am blown away! I chose the brown burst finish, and took a chance on the "blemished" version. Been looking at it all day and I can't find any imperfection anywhere. Definitely wanted short scale, light weight and a fast neck, this one has all 3 and then some. Set up out of the box was close, very close, with only a slight fret buzz on the E string. A very small adjustment at the saddle took care of it. The stock pickups sound good, the tone knob has useful range, everything sounds quite good through everything I've played it through so far (Fender, Orange, antique Earth head, etc.). Overall, I couldn't be happier!Bryan

An utterly great bass overall. It's perfect for someone with a low budget, or someone who's new to learning bass. Also good for children or people with small hands since it's a short-scale. This was my first bass and I still play it a lot. Not only is it cheap, but it has a really good tone, a nice feel to it, and a beautiful orange finish (if that is the finish you chose). The only bad thing I have to say about this is that it got some fret buzz to it but in all honesty, it's not that bad. I love Ibanez basses, I own several and this one is absolutly great.Logan

This bass has the best sounding J pickup I've ever owned on a P/J bass. I always buy P/J basses as I prefer the slimmer necks that they usually have with the P pickup and never use the J pickup as they usually leave a lot to be desired for my ear. They usually sound congested with too much emphasis on the mid range. The mid range tones are present but the tone has more of a J neck pickup characteristic as opposed to a bridge J pickup. I was concerned about the fret edges when I bought this one as I saw a video review complain about how sharp they were. Are they as smooth as the higher end models I've played. No, they are not. Is the bass useable right now without a set up. Yes it is! I plan on using it a my next gig.James

Based on the BroadBass of the 70's, this is a great player without killing your budget. For an inexpensive bass it both plays and sounds extremely well. The BB's of the 70's were always nice and this one brings back that great vintage feel and sound that the original's had. I have played these in the studio before to break sounds and tone's up…it did the job and did it well.Lee @ Sam Ash CIncinnati

Other reviewers' complaints about the front veneer are specific to this color (you can see the odd 2-tone effect in the photos). This model also comes in "root beer," tobacco burst, and translucent black. Those finishes all blend the front veneer pretty seamlessly with the mahogany back, while still showing some nice front grain (very subtly in black). Yamaha's Indonesian-made 174 series mixes together fairly unbeatable features and tone in this price range. They aren't the world's fanciest basses, but they make no serious compromises. Necks are 1-piece maple (no 5-piece matchsticks). Bodies are made from real tonewoods: 3-piece mahogany (174EW) or 3-piece alder (174). The P/J pickup combination offers a wide range of tones, with solid electronics throughout. Nice touches: The neck is skinny (like a Jazz Bass') but extended to 24 frets. The downsized body is really lightweight, while substantial enough to be resonant. With the right EQ, these can really punch. Only downsides: I played 2 of these at my local GC, and noticed a real difference in tone. So I'd recommend buying from a local store where you can compare 2-3 copies. Also, the neck's satin finish feels a bit coarse to me. (I love satin finishes, but like them smoother.) While priced like a beginner's bass or impulse purchase, these are well-made, viable, giggable instruments. I've had my similar RBX270F fretless for years, and love it. (Especially since Victor Wooten signed its headstock.)Bass Desires

I was playing guitar, but thinking about getting a bass again. I wanted a solid bass, without investing a lot. The Yamaha was a perfect pick. The construction and finish of the bass I received was perfect. The bass I got is really good looking, in person. It plays great. I've had so much fun playing it, that I've put my guitars aside, and I am now studying bass seriously. After many months playing it daily, I think I am going to lower the action slightly. Tone wise, the two pickups, along with the tone control, cover a lot of ground. I've gone from playing this through a guitar amp, to playing it through two different 100/150W combo amps – the better of which cost 3x what the bass cost. The amps make a huge difference – more than a change of bass. I've thought about trying to mod the bass with higher end pick-ups, but frankly I'm afraid I'll mess up what is currently good about the bass' tone. As I progress, I will probably buy a much higher end bass, something on the order of 1-3K in price. But I believe this bass is decent enough to gig with, unless you are in Victor Wooten's class of player. For comparison, I bought one of those Steinberger Spirit basses (5 string) also. The Yamaha bass plays better and has much, much better tone.Kulokoo

They say this is a beginner bass well call me a beginner. I love it!! I have nothing bad to say about this bass. Light weight easy to play great feel! I love the mango look I've had many good comments on how great it looks on stage. And yes I bought a second one. And to think I bought the first one by mistake wow I guess that's how it happens. Don't get me wrong I love American made basses, but they are killer on my old back. LOL.Muss

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

After the initial COVID lockdown I landed a gig where I had to have a 5 string bass. So like a red blooded American I took my cash down to the local GC store to buy a fender 5 string American jazz. There wasn't any. I looked for an Ibenez. There wasn't any. I looked for anything and we'll there wasn't any. As the date grew near for our first show, I happened in and they had this one. I was disappointed that this was all there was, but out of desperation, I bought it thinking I would trade it once something I wanted became available. It took me about two months and 10 gigs later when I realized I love this thing. 9 months in and I don't know how many dates later, I wouldn't want to live without it. It plays awesome after a quick and minor setup on the action. The tone is big on the bottom and the mids and highs are as shapable as you want. It is a dream to play and guess what, when I finally got to put my hands on the fender I wanted, I didn't want it anymore. This bass is very much like the high end Ibenez basses. Probably too much for Ibenez's liking actually. I run through a 800w mark bass head with a 2×10 cab and a 1×15 cab. It sounds incredible. The big thing for me is when I run through my amp using the direct out in bypass, it sounds amazing. It is like having a sans amp in the bass. The electrics are that good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the tone and questions about how I got it. I literally just plugged it in. Also I can play it all night and even though it is a five, I am less fatigued then when I play the four fender American jazz I already own. The string spacing and scale I believe is responsible for that. If you are serious about playing a 5 string, at any level, then this bass is one you should look at. I am not super crazy about the esthetics but I get a surprising amount of complements on it. So if that is your thing then rock on I guess. I am getting over the fact that I was a fender snob. Also I believe Jackso is made by fender sooo….Chris

My one only bass for the past 20 years has been a Ibanez SR405 (2001 year model). I feel like I've purchased a big upgrade with this Jackson X Series Spectra. In comparison to the Ibanez, the Jackson's neck is fatter, lower fret sizes are slightly wider and the string spacing is slightly wider. The playability is a lot smoother for my larger fingers/hands. The pickups and active EQ systems are powerful. Need to have some amp/di box control to contain the powerful output when in smaller venues. I use the passive pickup control when in smaller venues and small churches. I feel that what sets this apart from other basses I've tried is how great it sounds to play the d and g strings as well as going above the 12th fret. The stock strings (D'Addario) sound really pretty when playing the higher octaves. The Elixir strings I'm currently using give the B string a BIG SMOOTH THUMP. For those worried about setup out of the box, I live in high altitude. Setup post manufacturer is usually a must because of that. I have been able to get fairly low action without fret buzz after casually messing with adjustments.Zach

After the initial COVID lockdown I landed a gig where I had to have a 5 string bass. So like a red blooded American I took my cash down to the local GC store to buy a fender 5 string American jazz. There wasn't any. I looked for an Ibenez. There wasn't any. I looked for anything and we'll there wasn't any. As the date grew near for our first show, I happened in and they had this one. I was disappointed that this was all there was, but out of desperation, I bought it thinking I would trade it once something I wanted became available. It took me about two months and 10 gigs later when I realized I love this thing. 9 months in and I don't know how many dates later, I wouldn't want to live without it. It plays awesome after a quick and minor setup on the action. The tone is big on the bottom and the mids and highs are as shapable as you want. It is a dream to play and guess what, when I finally got to put my hands on the fender I wanted, I didn't want it anymore. This bass is very much like the high end Ibenez basses. Probably too much for Ibenez's liking actually. I run through a 800w mark bass head with a 2×10 cab and a 1×15 cab. It sounds incredible. The big thing for me is when I run through my amp using the direct out in bypass, it sounds amazing. It is like having a sans amp in the bass. The electrics are that good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the tone and questions about how I got it. I literally just plugged it in. Also I can play it all night and even though it is a five, I am less fatigued then when I play the four fender American jazz I already own. The string spacing and scale I believe is responsible for that. If you are serious about playing a 5 string, at any level, then this bass is one you should look at. I am not super crazy about the esthetics but I get a surprising amount of complements on it. So if that is your thing then rock on I guess. I am getting over the fact that I was a fender snob. Also I believe Jackso is made by fender sooo….Chris

My one only bass for the past 20 years has been a Ibanez SR405 (2001 year model). I feel like I've purchased a big upgrade with this Jackson X Series Spectra. In comparison to the Ibanez, the Jackson's neck is fatter, lower fret sizes are slightly wider and the string spacing is slightly wider. The playability is a lot smoother for my larger fingers/hands. The pickups and active EQ systems are powerful. Need to have some amp/di box control to contain the powerful output when in smaller venues. I use the passive pickup control when in smaller venues and small churches. I feel that what sets this apart from other basses I've tried is how great it sounds to play the d and g strings as well as going above the 12th fret. The stock strings (D'Addario) sound really pretty when playing the higher octaves. The Elixir strings I'm currently using give the B string a BIG SMOOTH THUMP. For those worried about setup out of the box, I live in high altitude. Setup post manufacturer is usually a must because of that. I have been able to get fairly low action without fret buzz after casually messing with adjustments.Zach

Overall, this is a good guitar. I'm having a good time with it, the neck is comfortable, the pickups sound really good and handle high-ish gain surprisingly well, and the color (I got the Daphne blue) looks incredible. Taken as a whole, if you're in the market for a Jazzmaster with all the classic JM features but don't have a ton of money to spend, I'd recommend it for sure. If you're going to buy it though, just be aware of a few things… 1.) It'll need a setup. Out of the box, the tuning stability was fine but once I used the vibrato a little bit, it went way out. The action wasn't bad but could be better and the neck may need a half degree shim. I'm probably going to end up putting a Fender AVRI vibrato on it eventually but a decent setup should make the stock one perfectly usable. 2.) It needs a good cleaning. This could very well just be the specific one that I got but the neck and headstock had a lot of dust and a slightly cloudy residue on them, the fretboard was very dry, and the frets were scratchy. None of these were anything that a little lemon oil, fretboard conditioner, a microfiber cloth, and some 0000 steel wool couldn't take care of but it's still something to be aware of. Note though that, while the frets were scratchy, their weren't any sharp fret ends. 3.) It probably isn't a great first guitar. I've seen this said a few times in other reviews and I completely agree. That's not to say that it isn't a good guitar because it is. More that it's not the most user-friendly instrument right away and could be off-putting to a beginner. A pro setup will do it a world of good and make it much easier to play but if you're in the market for a first guitar, look elsewhere. Am I glad I bought it? Yes. I mean, it's a Daphne blue Jazzmaster with a comfortable neck and awesome pickups! I don't mind working on my guitars a bit though, so none of the problems I talked about above bother me in particular. However, if you're looking for a plug-in-and-play guitar right out of the box, this one might not be for you.Jackson

I waiting on this on backordered for a few months (shell pink) and started to worry after looking at a bunch of YouTube reviews. Action, fret ends and leveling were great out of the box (which I really am not up for fixing; esp on a bound fingerboard). Frets could prob use a polish, but that's a lesser concern to me. No shim needed with 09s so far. I feel like recent shipments corrected some of the common complaints of this line… YMMV. I think the the nut is pinching a bit and the trem pivot is jumping a bit so I might go in and see if I can smooth it out. Pickups are microphonic under gains and comp… and I'm not sure if they are RWRP yet. One of the reason I went with MF is that if I wasn't satisfied I could go right into GC and trade towards and CV Jazzmaster. But overall pretty satisfied and think this will be a good first offset and short scale add to the collection.David

I want to love this guitar. Unfortunately however, I will have to be taking this one to a luthier to be set-up due to the neck. Everything for the most part is beautiful, it's a Jazzmaster. Fantastic dark, spanky jazzmaster tones, beautiful tortoise-shell guard, and the very eye-catching very elusive shell pink finish. Switches all seem to be in working order, though due to the position of the neck pickup to the strings right out of the box, the rhythm circuit will be noticeably quieter. Easy fix. I am unsure about the stability of the bridge, which is a Mustang bridge- a HUGE improvement, as I've seen in other reviews that the screwposts loosen by vibration. Vibrato does not return to tune. There is a very strange, unclean grime of some sort on the metal plate of the vibrato piece. I was unfortunate enough to receive a poorly conditioned neck, with glue residue left behind surrounding the tuning pegs on the face of the headstock. The lacquer finish is beautiful and is fine to play on. The fretboard is noticeably dry as well as the frets are unfinished, both feeling scratchy, and the frets being too rough to perform clean bends on. Not sure if it's the neck, the frets, or the bridge piece, or any of the three in combination that is causing the strings to be unable to bend even a half note without losing vibration, or being pinched off. Fret markers are a dark, cheap pearl. Overall, the fretboard itself just feels like Squier Affinity line quality. My impression is that most of the cost of this guitar- to keep it in line with the technologically cheaper instruments (telecaster the same price as a jazz, etc)- went into the body finish, and electronics. However, in the end I still love this thing and cannot wait to hear it sing once I get it set-up.Tyler

After the initial COVID lockdown I landed a gig where I had to have a 5 string bass. So like a red blooded American I took my cash down to the local GC store to buy a fender 5 string American jazz. There wasn't any. I looked for an Ibenez. There wasn't any. I looked for anything and we'll there wasn't any. As the date grew near for our first show, I happened in and they had this one. I was disappointed that this was all there was, but out of desperation, I bought it thinking I would trade it once something I wanted became available. It took me about two months and 10 gigs later when I realized I love this thing. 9 months in and I don't know how many dates later, I wouldn't want to live without it. It plays awesome after a quick and minor setup on the action. The tone is big on the bottom and the mids and highs are as shapable as you want. It is a dream to play and guess what, when I finally got to put my hands on the fender I wanted, I didn't want it anymore. This bass is very much like the high end Ibenez basses. Probably too much for Ibenez's liking actually. I run through a 800w mark bass head with a 2×10 cab and a 1×15 cab. It sounds incredible. The big thing for me is when I run through my amp using the direct out in bypass, it sounds amazing. It is like having a sans amp in the bass. The electrics are that good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the tone and questions about how I got it. I literally just plugged it in. Also I can play it all night and even though it is a five, I am less fatigued then when I play the four fender American jazz I already own. The string spacing and scale I believe is responsible for that. If you are serious about playing a 5 string, at any level, then this bass is one you should look at. I am not super crazy about the esthetics but I get a surprising amount of complements on it. So if that is your thing then rock on I guess. I am getting over the fact that I was a fender snob. Also I believe Jackso is made by fender sooo….Chris

My one only bass for the past 20 years has been a Ibanez SR405 (2001 year model). I feel like I've purchased a big upgrade with this Jackson X Series Spectra. In comparison to the Ibanez, the Jackson's neck is fatter, lower fret sizes are slightly wider and the string spacing is slightly wider. The playability is a lot smoother for my larger fingers/hands. The pickups and active EQ systems are powerful. Need to have some amp/di box control to contain the powerful output when in smaller venues. I use the passive pickup control when in smaller venues and small churches. I feel that what sets this apart from other basses I've tried is how great it sounds to play the d and g strings as well as going above the 12th fret. The stock strings (D'Addario) sound really pretty when playing the higher octaves. The Elixir strings I'm currently using give the B string a BIG SMOOTH THUMP. For those worried about setup out of the box, I live in high altitude. Setup post manufacturer is usually a must because of that. I have been able to get fairly low action without fret buzz after casually messing with adjustments.Zach

Should you be in the market for a decent, inexpensive bass, you really should consider this model. Having just arrived home from jamming with six friends, three of whom (including myself) are gigging pros, I felt obligated to congratulate Yamaha Corp for creating such a marvelous bass for the price. I brought my favorite jamming bass–a Squier VM 70's jazz bass–to the jam yet ended up playing this TRBX for four hours. (The guy who owns the studio remarked that he just bought it (used), and he wanted me to try it out.) I'll admit that the controls for the pots are cheap plastic, but everything else about the bass was top notch. It's a passive bass, but the EQ is very responsive with a wide range of voicings from its P/J style pups. Beautifully finished neck, a fretboard with a generous slab of rosewood–it sure looked and felt like rosewood, despite what it's being called in the GC write-up–a really smooth fret-edge finish, solid body wood, but not too heavy. Tuners worked great, and the sunburst stain under the urethane finish was masterfully done. The studio owner bought the bass with flatwound strings, but the pups made them sound clear, with a nice degree of sustain. This TRBX will serve a bassist well as a back-up, but I wouldn't be surprised if some would use it as a main axe (maybe after ditching the plastic knobs for better-quality ones). btw, I had it input to a Tech-21 bass Sansamp (which I use all the time), and into a GK MB210-ii. Even with the Sansamp bypassed, it performed quite well. In summary: Nice surprise!BassesRBetter

After building myself an in home studio, I quickly realized the only thing i was missing was a bass. Swung over to a local store (sorry MF, i was in a rush!) and checked out their large selection. Being that i'm a drummer, I was looking for apparent quality as I didn't much know the specifics or traits that i should be mindful of. The price tag, finish, weight and balance of this thing caught my eye. I toyed around with it for a moment and purchased it about 15 minutes later. I would be lying if i said this was the most played piece in my studio – BUT whenever i do pick it up i am always impressed. Plugging it directly in to a preamp and hitting record with this thing is a dream. You can go from a very washy sound to some solid attack with the knobs. Contrary to one of the previous comments, it does have a volume knob. As i have developed my skills in the studio and on a guitar/bass I have never felt beyond or limited by this guitar. Exceptional piece, I can say with confidence that if bass was my main instrument, i would love to have this guitar as a backup. But for someone like me?…..perfect.Chris

I'm a guitar player who bought this to use for recording (and because I think bass is a cool instrument!). This is very playable, sounds great with my Spark Amp and through my Scarlett 2i2. Though this is low priced, it does not in any way feel like a compromise. I highly recommend it.SHANNON

Should you be in the market for a decent, inexpensive bass, you really should consider this model. Having just arrived home from jamming with six friends, three of whom (including myself) are gigging pros, I felt obligated to congratulate Yamaha Corp for creating such a marvelous bass for the price. I brought my favorite jamming bass–a Squier VM 70's jazz bass–to the jam yet ended up playing this TRBX for four hours. (The guy who owns the studio remarked that he just bought it (used), and he wanted me to try it out.) I'll admit that the controls for the pots are cheap plastic, but everything else about the bass was top notch. It's a passive bass, but the EQ is very responsive with a wide range of voicings from its P/J style pups. Beautifully finished neck, a fretboard with a generous slab of rosewood–it sure looked and felt like rosewood, despite what it's being called in the GC write-up–a really smooth fret-edge finish, solid body wood, but not too heavy. Tuners worked great, and the sunburst stain under the urethane finish was masterfully done. The studio owner bought the bass with flatwound strings, but the pups made them sound clear, with a nice degree of sustain. This TRBX will serve a bassist well as a back-up, but I wouldn't be surprised if some would use it as a main axe (maybe after ditching the plastic knobs for better-quality ones). btw, I had it input to a Tech-21 bass Sansamp (which I use all the time), and into a GK MB210-ii. Even with the Sansamp bypassed, it performed quite well. In summary: Nice surprise!BassesRBetter

After building myself an in home studio, I quickly realized the only thing i was missing was a bass. Swung over to a local store (sorry MF, i was in a rush!) and checked out their large selection. Being that i'm a drummer, I was looking for apparent quality as I didn't much know the specifics or traits that i should be mindful of. The price tag, finish, weight and balance of this thing caught my eye. I toyed around with it for a moment and purchased it about 15 minutes later. I would be lying if i said this was the most played piece in my studio – BUT whenever i do pick it up i am always impressed. Plugging it directly in to a preamp and hitting record with this thing is a dream. You can go from a very washy sound to some solid attack with the knobs. Contrary to one of the previous comments, it does have a volume knob. As i have developed my skills in the studio and on a guitar/bass I have never felt beyond or limited by this guitar. Exceptional piece, I can say with confidence that if bass was my main instrument, i would love to have this guitar as a backup. But for someone like me?…..perfect.Chris

I'm a guitar player who bought this to use for recording (and because I think bass is a cool instrument!). This is very playable, sounds great with my Spark Amp and through my Scarlett 2i2. Though this is low priced, it does not in any way feel like a compromise. I highly recommend it.SHANNON

As the headline says…it's very enjoyable to play. I've even made several recordings using it instead of my Fender USA Pro 2 Precision. It does a decent job on the P pickup; the J has lower output. To my surprise I'm really digging the "raw" feel of the neck; it's bare, tho sanded well. Another surprise: neck profile width and taper is like a J bass, yet the depth/shape feels more like a P! Huh!? Hey, works for me! With its black body and pickguard and the maple fingerboard it looks like it means BUSINESS! Point removed for the too-stiff tuner action. And then…I've managed to get the action very low, just where I like it. (FWIW, even on my USA Pro 2 I had to shim the neck to be able to get the level of low action that I prefer.) Yes, ladies n gentleman, I really appreciate this Affinity PJ. I am considering using it for punk and classic rock parts of the band's gigs; not out of the question at all!Leo

This bass looks, feels, and sounds great! Did they nail the bodywork and neck lines? No, not completely. But that's about as much as I've got for negatives. This is one of the best 5 string necks I've felt. Less pizza shaped than the EHB but almost that good. Could have been nice to see a heavier finish on the fretboard but the edges are rolled with no sharp frets at all – unlike my cv 70s P. Sound on this Destroys the EHB and my sr505. Can't say how road worthy the pots and tuners are but I don't want to change anything and mess with this mojo. Unless you need silent pickups and can live with the tradeoffs. I don't know what you would need other than maybe a beefier jack. Setup was mind blowing. Literally took it out of the box in store. Got home, string height was dialed, haven't checked intonation yet but sounds fine. Was hardly even out of tune. Strings feel quality, I will probably even hold off changing those. This bass is making a lot of basses look and sound like questionable decisions. If you are worried about durability, honesty, get a good hard case. This thing feels plenty solid. Make sure the tuners and string trees are greased up and jam away.Arturo

I got mine in Black body, black pickguard, maple neck with maple fingerboard, It came with good setup right out of the box, I like the headstock's face with large "Precision Bass" 70's style logo, with gloss tint on it. The maple neck is one piece neck. I have other Affinities basses but this one sounds terrific, a lot of growl sound on P pickups , I like the P sound but also the J pickup is welcome. I always like this combination: black on black with maple fingerboard. I recommend this bass, Squier is getting better and better with the years. The only complain with this is that the Jazz Pickup is less sounding than the P bass pickup, I needed to rise the Jazz pickup to get better output but not the same output than the Precision pickup.Garedot

As the headline says…it's very enjoyable to play. I've even made several recordings using it instead of my Fender USA Pro 2 Precision. It does a decent job on the P pickup; the J has lower output. To my surprise I'm really digging the "raw" feel of the neck; it's bare, tho sanded well. Another surprise: neck profile width and taper is like a J bass, yet the depth/shape feels more like a P! Huh!? Hey, works for me! With its black body and pickguard and the maple fingerboard it looks like it means BUSINESS! Point removed for the too-stiff tuner action. And then…I've managed to get the action very low, just where I like it. (FWIW, even on my USA Pro 2 I had to shim the neck to be able to get the level of low action that I prefer.) Yes, ladies n gentleman, I really appreciate this Affinity PJ. I am considering using it for punk and classic rock parts of the band's gigs; not out of the question at all!Leo

This bass looks, feels, and sounds great! Did they nail the bodywork and neck lines? No, not completely. But that's about as much as I've got for negatives. This is one of the best 5 string necks I've felt. Less pizza shaped than the EHB but almost that good. Could have been nice to see a heavier finish on the fretboard but the edges are rolled with no sharp frets at all – unlike my cv 70s P. Sound on this Destroys the EHB and my sr505. Can't say how road worthy the pots and tuners are but I don't want to change anything and mess with this mojo. Unless you need silent pickups and can live with the tradeoffs. I don't know what you would need other than maybe a beefier jack. Setup was mind blowing. Literally took it out of the box in store. Got home, string height was dialed, haven't checked intonation yet but sounds fine. Was hardly even out of tune. Strings feel quality, I will probably even hold off changing those. This bass is making a lot of basses look and sound like questionable decisions. If you are worried about durability, honesty, get a good hard case. This thing feels plenty solid. Make sure the tuners and string trees are greased up and jam away.Arturo

I got mine in Black body, black pickguard, maple neck with maple fingerboard, It came with good setup right out of the box, I like the headstock's face with large "Precision Bass" 70's style logo, with gloss tint on it. The maple neck is one piece neck. I have other Affinities basses but this one sounds terrific, a lot of growl sound on P pickups , I like the P sound but also the J pickup is welcome. I always like this combination: black on black with maple fingerboard. I recommend this bass, Squier is getting better and better with the years. The only complain with this is that the Jazz Pickup is less sounding than the P bass pickup, I needed to rise the Jazz pickup to get better output but not the same output than the Precision pickup.Garedot

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

Almost 40 years of playing experience and this bass is by far the best value that I've experienced. I've had my share of Precisions, Jazz basses, etc. over the years up to the $1500 range. When the pandemic kicked in I had sold most of my equipment but decided I had to have one bass. The neck is solid and similar to a P-bass thickness which I prefer and I don't need a 24-fret, 2 octave one anymore based on playing blues, jam, reggae, and rock. The tonal landscape is phenomenal rolling off the treble or bass dependent upon what I'm playing. Bright highs and deep lows are easily accomplished. I've never written a review before, but this was worthy of the time. Enjoy!Steve

Sound: when you own a sterling bass you do know, what your getting in quality . this bass is heavier then my sterling sub music man. same bass just diff color .the pick up of course is still amazing ,from my sub to this bass today. Ease of Use: i pulled out the box, was not in tune from shipping of course. used my d,addario head stock tuner on it, was only off a little from shipping. easy to retune and play out of the box. Quality: i love these bass., i have small hands. witha full scale to the get the best of the tone possible, long scale is the only way for me. small hand will use the neck as a whole. Value: would buy this for any one starting. would also buy another my self lol i have two lol Manufacturer Support: never had an issue Overall: awesome for the money, get great workmenship right out of the box, a small tune . after shipping of course. love the balance and small necks for my small hands. does not take away sustain. bass talks if you listen. so this is the second one i owned and would own another.Mickey

I'm a long time guitarist with some really fine instruments who decided to pick up a "value" bass just to learn for fun. Knowing what to look for in guitars, I translated that over to basses and went to GC to try some out, see what appealed to me, and how far I could stretch the dollars I was willing to spend on an instrument to start out and, maybe, stick with. I found this Sterling by Music Man Ray4 in mint green that filled the bill on all fronts. As usual, the guys at GC let me try several instruments and test to my hearts content. I do all my own guitar set-ups and would never buy a guitar sight unseen, being worried about how much adjustment might be needed. The Ray4 wasn't too bad out of the box (quite literally because I didn't like the display instrument and they had another in stock for me to try). Once home, I did adjust neck relief, string height, intonation, and pickup to a point that I liked best. The pickup required the most adjustment actually because it had gotten stuck in an odd and very high position, perhaps from being jostled in shipping. There is some fret sprout on the higher frets, but nothing that would bother my hand. Bottom line: Everything could easily be adjusted to where I really like it and has been stable now over several days. It's comfortable to play and is, in my opinion, a real "looker." The satin finished neck is great and, although I usually don't go for maple fret boards, I do like this one. I'm very pleased with my purchase decision and would buy it again. Now onto attack that fret sprout . . .AARP Rocker

I have played Fender guitars before, but cannot justify owning one. I’m a “bedroom” player; they deserve to be in professional hands, on a stage. Hence, I defer to the Squier brand. But honestly, I can hardly tell the difference! (as I’ve said, I am certainly no expert) Astonishing value for the price!!! I just love it…Mr S. R.

Great bass guitar, I had a copy of a P bass from 'G4M' & was'nt that happy with it. I have a Squire Telecaster which is very well made & sounds excellent so I went for the Squire Jass bass & I hav'nt been disappointed, again well made & no setting up require, stays in tune & is a pleasure to play. Being part of Fender certainly sets the bar high for these Squire guitars & I recommend them, so do lots of more experienced musicians than me, just have a look on YouTube.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Although this bass is at the bargain basement end of the price range, I am very happy with it. It replaces my other Sunburst J Bass that had a truss rod issue and thus would never hold a tune for long even with ultra light weight strings. I love the colour, shame rosewood fretboards are not available on cheap guitars. The Laurel fretboard did come up nicely, and darker, after a clean and an oiling. Looks really great. There was a little scuff mark on one of the horns, a transit issue I guess, but came out with a little buffing. It is now fitted with D'Addario flats which look, feel and sound great. Thanks Guys.Pat

After the initial COVID lockdown I landed a gig where I had to have a 5 string bass. So like a red blooded American I took my cash down to the local GC store to buy a fender 5 string American jazz. There wasn't any. I looked for an Ibenez. There wasn't any. I looked for anything and we'll there wasn't any. As the date grew near for our first show, I happened in and they had this one. I was disappointed that this was all there was, but out of desperation, I bought it thinking I would trade it once something I wanted became available. It took me about two months and 10 gigs later when I realized I love this thing. 9 months in and I don't know how many dates later, I wouldn't want to live without it. It plays awesome after a quick and minor setup on the action. The tone is big on the bottom and the mids and highs are as shapable as you want. It is a dream to play and guess what, when I finally got to put my hands on the fender I wanted, I didn't want it anymore. This bass is very much like the high end Ibenez basses. Probably too much for Ibenez's liking actually. I run through a 800w mark bass head with a 2×10 cab and a 1×15 cab. It sounds incredible. The big thing for me is when I run through my amp using the direct out in bypass, it sounds amazing. It is like having a sans amp in the bass. The electrics are that good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the tone and questions about how I got it. I literally just plugged it in. Also I can play it all night and even though it is a five, I am less fatigued then when I play the four fender American jazz I already own. The string spacing and scale I believe is responsible for that. If you are serious about playing a 5 string, at any level, then this bass is one you should look at. I am not super crazy about the esthetics but I get a surprising amount of complements on it. So if that is your thing then rock on I guess. I am getting over the fact that I was a fender snob. Also I believe Jackso is made by fender sooo….Chris

My one only bass for the past 20 years has been a Ibanez SR405 (2001 year model). I feel like I've purchased a big upgrade with this Jackson X Series Spectra. In comparison to the Ibanez, the Jackson's neck is fatter, lower fret sizes are slightly wider and the string spacing is slightly wider. The playability is a lot smoother for my larger fingers/hands. The pickups and active EQ systems are powerful. Need to have some amp/di box control to contain the powerful output when in smaller venues. I use the passive pickup control when in smaller venues and small churches. I feel that what sets this apart from other basses I've tried is how great it sounds to play the d and g strings as well as going above the 12th fret. The stock strings (D'Addario) sound really pretty when playing the higher octaves. The Elixir strings I'm currently using give the B string a BIG SMOOTH THUMP. For those worried about setup out of the box, I live in high altitude. Setup post manufacturer is usually a must because of that. I have been able to get fairly low action without fret buzz after casually messing with adjustments.Zach

After the initial COVID lockdown I landed a gig where I had to have a 5 string bass. So like a red blooded American I took my cash down to the local GC store to buy a fender 5 string American jazz. There wasn't any. I looked for an Ibenez. There wasn't any. I looked for anything and we'll there wasn't any. As the date grew near for our first show, I happened in and they had this one. I was disappointed that this was all there was, but out of desperation, I bought it thinking I would trade it once something I wanted became available. It took me about two months and 10 gigs later when I realized I love this thing. 9 months in and I don't know how many dates later, I wouldn't want to live without it. It plays awesome after a quick and minor setup on the action. The tone is big on the bottom and the mids and highs are as shapable as you want. It is a dream to play and guess what, when I finally got to put my hands on the fender I wanted, I didn't want it anymore. This bass is very much like the high end Ibenez basses. Probably too much for Ibenez's liking actually. I run through a 800w mark bass head with a 2×10 cab and a 1×15 cab. It sounds incredible. The big thing for me is when I run through my amp using the direct out in bypass, it sounds amazing. It is like having a sans amp in the bass. The electrics are that good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the tone and questions about how I got it. I literally just plugged it in. Also I can play it all night and even though it is a five, I am less fatigued then when I play the four fender American jazz I already own. The string spacing and scale I believe is responsible for that. If you are serious about playing a 5 string, at any level, then this bass is one you should look at. I am not super crazy about the esthetics but I get a surprising amount of complements on it. So if that is your thing then rock on I guess. I am getting over the fact that I was a fender snob. Also I believe Jackso is made by fender sooo….Chris

My one only bass for the past 20 years has been a Ibanez SR405 (2001 year model). I feel like I've purchased a big upgrade with this Jackson X Series Spectra. In comparison to the Ibanez, the Jackson's neck is fatter, lower fret sizes are slightly wider and the string spacing is slightly wider. The playability is a lot smoother for my larger fingers/hands. The pickups and active EQ systems are powerful. Need to have some amp/di box control to contain the powerful output when in smaller venues. I use the passive pickup control when in smaller venues and small churches. I feel that what sets this apart from other basses I've tried is how great it sounds to play the d and g strings as well as going above the 12th fret. The stock strings (D'Addario) sound really pretty when playing the higher octaves. The Elixir strings I'm currently using give the B string a BIG SMOOTH THUMP. For those worried about setup out of the box, I live in high altitude. Setup post manufacturer is usually a must because of that. I have been able to get fairly low action without fret buzz after casually messing with adjustments.Zach

I had wanted to learn how to play bass guitar since my early 20's so I finally decided to make it happen at age 46. After doing quite a bit of online and in-store research I landed on the Yahama TRBX 304. Rather than explain all the reasons I didn't select a different brand or model I'll tell you why I picked this one. To put it simply, it just felt and sounded right. The neck is smooth and somewhat narrow which is great for my small hands. The frets are mellow with no sharp or jagged edges and the ergonomic pick-ups with the thumb/finger contours fit like a glove. The electronics are amazing as well. Aside from my poor finger placement on the frets I don't get a lot of annoying buzz. The five EQ settings are great for allowing me to find the sounds I'm looking for without investing in a higher end accessories. My only complaint about this guitar would be the aesthetics. While I like the feel and contouring of the base, I wish they had a better color selection. Would love to see this in the old violin sunburst color the 204 comes in but I have no complaints otherwise. Having never really played a guitar of any kind I'm happy to say I've already been able to learn a few easy songs like Seven Nation Army. Yesterday I learned Tool's "46 and 2" and have a basic understanding of The Beatles "Come Together". Overall I couldn't have made a better choice within my $300 – $400 budget.JASON

I've owned this instrument for going on seven months. Possibly the most beautiful bass I've ever owned; wherever I play I'm complimented on its jewel-like stunning candy apple red finish. Combined with a superior active EQ system, it's a beauty AND a beast. Great variety of styles through a 5-way switch that actually works! Nicely finished, high-quality rosewood fretboard with a satin neck, a bit on the thin side. Currently it's suffering the dreaded winter season's sharp fret ends, but it's only slight. A feature I appreciate (especially after 4-hour gigs) is the body wood, which is substantial enough, but somehow made lighter, I guess by "chamfering" which is what I call tapering, because it's not chambered. Somewhat beefier bridge than a Fender Std American J-Bass, perfectly aligned to center strings directly over the pole pieces. Easy access to the truss rod. The bass could have benefited from a better nut, but it's serviceable. Pups are designed with a scooped out slot as a thumb rest, which I notice other musicians find beneficial (but I don't, depends on how you prefer to rest your thumb). I often use this for practice/rehearsing and sometimes for gigs when I don't want to risk losing or damaging my G&L Kiloton. This really is the only bass I'd consider gigging with full-time at the price–it's that good.MetroPlexBass

My experience- The fit and finish is great. I didn’t have any setup issues as I’ve read here. Sounds great. Everything was set up perfectly even matched the fender setup guidelines I looked up. I didn’t have to do anything other than some lemon oil on the fretboard, and I run flats so I put new strings on. Really impressed with the bass. The necks the same as a jazz but medium scale. Rolling off the tones and bridge pickup volume I’m in Motown mode, or crank the jazz bridge and you can get close to Jaco tone. Very versatile bass. I will probably put a hi mass bridge on and I like the stacked knobs but they have some rough feeling spots when turning them, I’ll probably upgrade those at some point with fender parts. Happy with the purchase and definitely recommend the bass and AMS to anyone.Chris

Very happy with my purchase only regretting that I haven't bought it earlier! Straight out of box was perfect. Well set up and playable. Packaged very well every detail is on spot! Sound-amazing punchy heavy sound even too many options for me. Variety of the sound is up on you cause knobs are fantastic (tone, volume controls) Feel / external – looks fantastic and any time can change pickguard to upgrade. The body and the neck not too heavy just acceptable and the neck smooth very confortable to play. Overall 5 stars from me!Arpad K.

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