Best Entry Level Bass Guitar (2024 Update)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This bass is excellent for the money. It comes out of the case ready to go, just requires tuning which can be easily accomplished with the provided tuner. The case and stand are of excellent quality. The case is hard and sturdy. Its fairly large but will definitely provide great protection. The stand is very sturdy and props the bass up securely. The bass itself sounds great. The only issue Ive encountered with it is some rattle on the E string which I believe can be fixed with the proper adjustments I just havent taken it in yet. Otherwise it sounds nice, full, and rich. Its also beautiful to look at. Overall a fantastic buy for someone looking to get into playing bass. Highly recommend!nicholapedraz-0

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

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

As a long time guitarist, I thought I'd dip my toe into the world of bass. This is an incredible product for the money and in no way feels or looks like an entry level product. Really usable features which lend towards a huge range of tones from a single instrument. The guys at GG set up instruments to be played straight off and this one was no different – great action on a highly playable neck.Superb!Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

I have had this beautiful five string fretless bass guitar for almost four months now. This guitar was set up just right out of the box. The only two things that I had to do differently was of course to put flatwound bass strings on this bass, and I chose to raise the strings action up a little higher. Other than that this bass is exactly what I wanted in a fretless bass guitar. I wanted a bass that could nail those "Jaco Pastorius" bright tight punchier "Jazz" bass tones. This bass also does the new age music fretless bass sounds so well. It is very well built, and has a beautiful finish. I could not ask for any more from a bass especially for the wide range of sounds to be had from a bass like this Ibanez SR375EF! Thank You American Musical Supply. Sincerely Steve N. Jr.Steven N.

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 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

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 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

I really wanted this bass for a long time it just looked so cool in the sea foam green roasted maple neck. I just couldn't get out of my bubble on a p bass. I finally said screw it and give it a try and I'm glad I did. First off i opened this it came perfectly setup and ready to go no fret buzz or anything this is my first multi scale bass and it wasn't hard to get used to once in awhile I'll mess up but I've gotten used to this bass now and it's easy. The sound. While as the pickups are very dark the pre amp cleans it up nicely I choose not to use it tho because I'm more of a passive player it's nice to add for a boost in a song tho so it's cool to have. With a lot of eq and the right cab this comes together really nice I would recommend using stainless steel strings to help give more brightness to this. The body is really nice I can play for hours standing up without problems in the shoulders. I recently bought a new fender p bass for a lot more than this bass and from putting them off together I would say this bass is different and has more benefits than a classic p bass you get a lot more sounds stainless steel frets and the roasted maple neck which I wish was a thing years ago. Which bass would I prefer we'll it be the Ibanez at this point because of all the great features it's priced well plays and sounds great for the money my number one thing about any music I've done for the last twenty years is something that cuts through the mix easily the p bass has always been my go to it's easy and you get to work right away this bass is on that level just add more mids and high end and your set I've been recording music for clients with this bass for about a month now and they are very happy with there recordings I will continue to use this bass for now on no more tuning to e eb d c since I got this I've relearn to play everything in one tuning and it's awesome it saves so much time I couldn't be happier with this bass and would recommend it to anyone out there.Anthony

I had been looking at the EHBs for some time now and finally pulled the trigger. Needless to say, I have not been disappointed. Having severely injured my left shoulder in highschool, the weight of basses caused problems over the years and was only getting worse as time went on; especially 5 and 6-string basses. Problem solved. The weight of the EHB is perfect and I no longer suffer those issues. It's ergonomic design is supremely comfortable both standing and sitting. The variety of tones from the electronics is superb. The instrument arrived in a timely fashion and the setup was spot on. The only "issue" is a slightly cosmetic one involving the top layer of the body not being perfectly aligned with the controls (less than a centimeter gap). It doesn't affect the sound nor playability so it wasn't worth a change in the rating.G. Brown

Overall: This is the nicest bass guitar I have ever owned. It is super light weight, has so many different tones that you can't possible not find what you're looking for. The back of the neck is so soft to the touch is makes for fast playing and very easy slides. The tone this guitar puts out is unbelievable. It is so clean and crisp and clear I don't think any other bass out there sounds this good. The guitar stays in TUNE!!! I use a strobe tuner and on occasion I might have to turn these monster tuners maybe 1/20th of a turn. The intonation was perfect right out of the box. The bridge is so beefy. I think this is Ibanez's best bridge they have ever made. The strap locks are sturdy and beautiful as all of the hardware is. This neck is awesome and beautiful craftsmanship. The wood used for the body is gorgeous and the dragon's eye finish is spectacular. My wife is very jealous of this instrument or should I say work of art. BUY IT!! You will not regret it.Robert

I brought this for a signature book for our wedding, we wanted a playable momento, but didn't want to spend a lot of money. It's a great $88 guitar, we have guitars upwards of $500 so of course it would not be as good. Well built, tunes easily, buy needs frequent tuning. I think if we replace with high quality strings we would definitely take this guitar up a notch. Good for beginners and will definitely teach them tuning skills.Tasha S.

I purchase this bass being motivated by its price and rave reviews. Let me just say that when I received my bass today I was blown over at the fit and finish on this bass. It looks like a $500.00+ guitar! I've been playing it for hours and the deep bass is so sweet. The action is a tad high but I kind of like it that way. The great sound projection from this bass made me chuckle while I was playing because the bass made a silver cup I have on a wall mounted shelf rattle! Now that's impressive sound projection! I can't wait to plug in this bass to my friend's Ampeg that's a 1X15 ported bass amp. It should be wild! For the money this Best Choice acoustic had got to be the deal of a lifetime if you're in the market for an acoustic bass guitar.Jason

This is a great acoustic-electric bass. I originally purchased it to use as an alternative to plugging in my electric bass. I instantly fell in love with it. It stays in tune. The nut is of appropriate measurements and the frets are greatly positioned. I changed the factory installed strings with some acoustic bass strings and it sounded so nice! For the price, I didn't expect to get a good value, but I was surprised once I immediately opened the box. Good job Best Choice products!consumer

Overall: I wandered into a national Music store chain one day in Oct 2016 and went straight to the used guitars that were hanging on the wall in the used section. I'm always trying to keep an eye out on a good used Music Man electric as I try to collect these fine instruments. That particular day there was pretty slim pickings so I wandered through amps, effects and I ended in the pass guitar section. (I do play bass but usually when I write my own tunes) and this 6 string bass caught my eye. It didn't look cheap so I asked one of the vultures hovering there ( employees, just doing their gig) what he could tell me about this bass. It was pretty light-weight, first impression, so he gave me the run-down on the thing and I asked him if I could put it through the paces that I knew and we plugged it into an Ampeg mini brute what ever it was called and began a 45 minute of exploration where I passed this through an extensive test regarding tone, intonation,ease of reaching pots, tome control, The bass boost, I checked out the spec's which were pretty tight on with what was written. The balance was great, ease of use overall in case I plan to take a 6 string bass to a gig and perform for 3 hours was good weight-wise. I was particularly impressed with the bright tome. I was impressed in the selection of pickups that were available with this instrument. I've been performing on stage since I was 8 years old but mostly on guitar. I understood first you are usually someone and I was tithe whoweEric

Overall: I bought this simply to see if I want to pursue playing a 6 string. Beyond a few brief encounters in music stores, I have not played one and opted to try the tried-and-true Ibanez brand. The price point had me a little scared but this was a great purchase. I don't expect to have this long being I will either continue on the 6 string, or it will be flipped into something else. This is my first Ibanez and I will likely give the higher end SR models a closer look regardless of string count. The Good: Price, the setup was perfectly playable out of the box, tone is decent, weight is good for a 6 string, the fret ends a dressed. The Bad: doesn't balance well (Raw leather strap helped), finish is thin and wood not worth keeping natural (wanted the black model but, out of stock), Odd EQC.j.

I had no trouble setting up this bass. I was able set the intonation perfectly. Even the low strings sustain pitch very well and were easy to tune. I added a slight relief to the neck, because there was a lot of string buzz. After this slight adjustment to the truss rods, there is only a buzz when playing hard on the bottom 3 frets of the lowest string. The action is still low and it is very easy to play (though I do have long fingers). The stock strings are very cheap. As someone else stated, I feel upgrading to higher quality strings may resolve the low B buzz issue. The tone is amazing thanks to the built in EQ bass boost. I found it easier to play harmonics than my other basses. Walking bass lines sound smooth and percussive playing sounds pro. This is my new favorite bass. I can't wait to play it with the band.Michael O