Hollow Body Electric Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I bought this bass as it was my dream bass and I never spend over $500 on any instrument incase someone steels it I can afford to replace it. this bass plays like butter. Its not neck heavy at all. I use a padded leather strap and It hangs just fine. you can get multiple tones with it that are useable and sound great. I also like that I can just pick it up and play it without having to use a amp.JoBoo

I may not be an experienced player but I have heard plenty of bass' and this is one of the best and smoothest sounding guitar.Xxxxx

It arrived needing very little setup. I've been playing it for two weeks and I haven't adjusted anything. I work on my own guitars so I measured everything and it's all very close to specs. Nut height is good, relief good, really the only adjustment I might make is to lower the bridge just a hair, but it's by no means necessary. This is an instrument that inspires you to play and actually makes you a better musician. The pickup is so clear and can get so many different tones. With the impedance switch you get tones ranging from upright bass to heavy rock bass. It's also very responsive to different styles of playing and attack, or how hard you pick/pluck. It's like having three basses in one. On the impedance settings, the lowest is very open, acoustic sounding, very musical and sensitive to dynamics. The middle position is similar to a Fender bass, P or J bass etc. The high setting can add some beef to your tone and is good for distorted or heavier rock sounds. For reference, the bass can get Paul McCartney tones, 60's 70's tones, really versatile bass. My only complaint is that it is not as comfortable as something like a P-Bass. Where I rest my arm on the body has a hard edge that I am getting used to. Like an acoustic, where your right arm gets uncomfortable resting on the edge of the body. I'm looking at installing an arm rest and I made a foam cushion that I taped on the body that helps some. It's not an issue sitting down, so maybe this is more of a studio bass.Chris

I discovered this at Bass Northwest on an all day excursion playing everything they had. The JC had just been released. The first thing I noticed is that it felt broken in already even as brand new. The full scale neck was assuring I knew I was playing the real thing. The pickup and the way it interacts with this semi-hollow/hollowbody hybrid is just amazing. The woodblock under the bridge is very satisfying so I know it's going to last. The fret edges are smooth. It's like having something familiar yet different. Love it.The Nashville Texan

The Varitone-like switch lets you change the sound of the pickup and that matched with managing the gain in your amp, recording interface, or direct box/preamp, lets you get a soft more acoustic bass timbre or a more driving, aggressive sound. Combine that with picking dynamics and this bass is very versatile. Not the lightest bass in the world, but mine is not oppressively heavy. Like most basses, a wide strap is recommended. I have no issues with the quality on this model, both in the way it looks and the way it is constructed. I string mine with flats and pick with thumb or with a pick. It sounds different than the P or J model basses I've played, but in a good way, and the versatility lets it sit well in many different recording contexts for me.Frank

Really like this bass. Setup was great right out of the box, finish was flawless. Has a real nice woody thump to it. Works great in the rockabilly/classic country bands i play in. Only negative comments i might have would be it is a little neck heavy. I run it thru a Mark Bass 210 combo and it kicks butt!LARRY

Fantastic looking and sounding bass, first rate fit and finish. Set up very well straight from the box. There are a great range of tones (all good) from this bass due to Gretsch having a master volume and two separate volume controls so blending the pickups is easy and you can turn the bass down without having to try and find same setting at the start of the next set. The only negative things to say about the bass is it is neck heavy, but I’m used to playing Thunderbirds and a suede strap should put pay to that and it is prone to feedback at very high volumes being a hollow body bass, but l’d doubt you would buy this type of bass to play Heavy Metal etc . I’m very pleased with the bass, it is perfect or the music I play. it certainly is a keeper. Thanks to Tom at the Norwich store for his help.DW

This is the best investment I ever made. Put flatwounds on it or you are wasting money. Great tone. Great sound. If you love Bill Wyman and the Rolling Stones or just want a different sound pick this bad boy up today.IAMTHEREALSPENCERWHARTON

I'd been looking for an affordable but quality 4 string for a long time. I originally bought a Hofner but it was not up to par so my advisor suggested this Ibanez AFB200. I love the size and weight. The hollow body is great because you can jam unplugged if you want and it still projects. Plugged in sounds great too. Not for Metal or Heavy Rock but perfect for acoustic, funk, blues, country and just jamming. Pretty enough to have it sitting in the living room. Perfect purchase for me.TI Singer Dude

I've been playing guitar for many years. Dealing with the pandemic isolation, I decided to teach myself bass guitar. I have had standard scale basses in the past but never warmed up to them. I tried a short scale and, viola, I now enjoy the instrument. Guild has been making quality products for ages and this bass continues the tradition. I'm glad to have it in my guitar family. I would recommend this bass.Bruce D

Superb joinery, finish and fretwork. I find this bass to be very comfortable to play and especially like the neck width (narrow) and profile. Don't understand why it ships with round wound strings, because this bass cries out for flats! I put some Chromes on mine almost as soon as I got it. Do take note that many short-scale string sets are too short for this bass because even though it is, in fact, a short scale, medium-scale string sets generally fit it better due to the greater distance between the "harp" tailpiece's saddles and ball end attachment points (when compared to, say, many Fender bass bridges). The individually height-adjustability of the pickup pole pieces is nice for dialing in even string-to-string response. On many other basses, this procedure is more a matter of "splitting the difference", since it involves raising or lowering the entire pickup. In response to another reviewer's comment about limited tones: I have found that to whatever extent this may apply due to the single pickup configuration and passive circuitry, the tonal palette of this instrument can easily be expanded with careful amp selection, an outboard pre-amp and/or various pedals (not that it can't stand on it's own, unsupplemented). I run mine through 2 amps simultaneously (isolating the signals with a Lehle AB/Y pedal): adding very mild gain/distortion to one output with a Darkglass pedal and leaving the other clean to maintain fullness of the lower freqs. If you're wondering about the ergonomics, the body is almost exactly the same size as that of a Gibson ES-335. If mine got stolen or destroyed, I would immediately buy another one. I've tried several other basses since buying a Starfire, and always wind up going back to them: they just look, sound and feels "right". I also have a Starfire II, but don't like the Starfire I any less on account of that and don't plan on getting rid of either one. IMHO, Guild really "hit one out of the park" with this bass.Mr. Thunderbritches

This bass was intended to complete my small collection of bass guitars. I had considered other semi hollow body instruments such as Epiphone and Fender. However, I'm not a fan of anything made in China or Indonesia but I have owned Korean crafted instruments in the past and I can say I've never had a complaint about them whatsoever. This Guild Starfire is a very comfortable short scale bass. The neck is narrow at the nut, similar to a jazz bass, and the string spacing is not too tight for me. The sound is very familiar to anyone who follows the early days of 1960's psychedelic rock bands, Jefferson Airplane. or The Byrd are two great examples. But this Starfire definitely holds its own in any country or western music genre band. My own band mates complimented and love the sound it produces. It's definitely enough as a single pickup model, but there is also a two pickup model also available. But I prefer the original look, feel and sound of this single pickup Starfire bass.Taino Ti

I've been playing guitar for many years. Dealing with the pandemic isolation, I decided to teach myself bass guitar. I have had standard scale basses in the past but never warmed up to them. I tried a short scale and, viola, I now enjoy the instrument. Guild has been making quality products for ages and this bass continues the tradition. I'm glad to have it in my guitar family. I would recommend this bass.Bruce D

Superb joinery, finish and fretwork. I find this bass to be very comfortable to play and especially like the neck width (narrow) and profile. Don't understand why it ships with round wound strings, because this bass cries out for flats! I put some Chromes on mine almost as soon as I got it. Do take note that many short-scale string sets are too short for this bass because even though it is, in fact, a short scale, medium-scale string sets generally fit it better due to the greater distance between the "harp" tailpiece's saddles and ball end attachment points (when compared to, say, many Fender bass bridges). The individually height-adjustability of the pickup pole pieces is nice for dialing in even string-to-string response. On many other basses, this procedure is more a matter of "splitting the difference", since it involves raising or lowering the entire pickup. In response to another reviewer's comment about limited tones: I have found that to whatever extent this may apply due to the single pickup configuration and passive circuitry, the tonal palette of this instrument can easily be expanded with careful amp selection, an outboard pre-amp and/or various pedals (not that it can't stand on it's own, unsupplemented). I run mine through 2 amps simultaneously (isolating the signals with a Lehle AB/Y pedal): adding very mild gain/distortion to one output with a Darkglass pedal and leaving the other clean to maintain fullness of the lower freqs. If you're wondering about the ergonomics, the body is almost exactly the same size as that of a Gibson ES-335. If mine got stolen or destroyed, I would immediately buy another one. I've tried several other basses since buying a Starfire, and always wind up going back to them: they just look, sound and feels "right". I also have a Starfire II, but don't like the Starfire I any less on account of that and don't plan on getting rid of either one. IMHO, Guild really "hit one out of the park" with this bass.Mr. Thunderbritches

This bass was intended to complete my small collection of bass guitars. I had considered other semi hollow body instruments such as Epiphone and Fender. However, I'm not a fan of anything made in China or Indonesia but I have owned Korean crafted instruments in the past and I can say I've never had a complaint about them whatsoever. This Guild Starfire is a very comfortable short scale bass. The neck is narrow at the nut, similar to a jazz bass, and the string spacing is not too tight for me. The sound is very familiar to anyone who follows the early days of 1960's psychedelic rock bands, Jefferson Airplane. or The Byrd are two great examples. But this Starfire definitely holds its own in any country or western music genre band. My own band mates complimented and love the sound it produces. It's definitely enough as a single pickup model, but there is also a two pickup model also available. But I prefer the original look, feel and sound of this single pickup Starfire bass.Taino Ti

I bought mine new and it's everything positive others say about it. Don't know what bobz429 is talking about. Obviously he has a modified model. Hardware is first rate with a Hagstrom designed P90 single coil at the neck and classic '58C humbucker at the bridge (Hagstrom winds their own pickups). It's a joy to play, very clean factory pups, beautiful finish, very well crafted and flawless. Rivals guitars up to 3 times the cost in my opinion. The Hagstrom composite Resinator fret board is fast and has good sustain. This guitar can be used for jazz with very clean articulation and voicing, moan the blues, fit right into classic or grunge rock and growl with the best of 'em throughout it's entire range. The ringing clarity is stunning! It's a lot of bang for your buck, and lighter than you'd think for a guitar with a 28" scale. A "tad" neck-heavy balance wise, but once you play it and realize it's potential from mild to wild, this is easily overlooked and by "no means" a deal breaker. It has 5 star ratings across the board for a reason. It's simply that good! This is a players guitar and one I'll keep the rest of my life. It will surprise and please you once you plug it in. This is an amazing baritone. Plug it in, crank it up, and jam 'til the cows come home! If your in the marketfor a baritone guitar, the Hagstrom Viking Deluxe is very hard to beat! I personally don't think any others in it's price rang hold a candle to it. Highly recommended. Enjoy! Edit: Was surprised to see I wasn't listed as a verified purchaser (don't know how that works). Oh well, I assure you I own this guitar purchased from SoundsCheapMusic on eBay out of Pleasant Hill, MO on April 22, 2015… in the Cosmic Black Burst finish. All the same, you won't be disappointed. 😉honorable1-us

With more than 15yrs. of experience with various Hagstrom guitars and over 40yrs. of playing and performing, this instrument and review was an unexpected and a very pleasant surprise. I will acknowledge that I was prompted to pull the trigger on the purchase in no small part because of a couple of reviews here on MFI, one by a fellow who is an American musician living in Sweden. From what I was able to glean from a collection of YouTube videos from past NAMM shows, it looks like the Viking DLX 12 made it's debut about 2016, and has had at least one major update since, with the most notable being larger, but traditional-shaped F-holes on the top, fully creme bound, of course. I very much agree with the opinion previously expressed about there being a major advantage for Hagstrom because of their sourcing all woods(primarily Canada)and all hardware and electronics, leaving their factory contractors in China to concentrate on building the best looking/sounding instrument possible. I would place current Hagstrom product on a par with anything from the Park factories in Korea, and nearly on par with some of the older product that came from Matsumoko in Japan. IMHO, and as pointed out by a previous reviewer, the only real contenders in this narrow category of instrument are the hollowbody Ric 300 Series, and the current Gretsch Electromatic 5422-12, both of which are 2-3X the cost of a new Viking DLX 12. Pickups are clear voiced but fairly hot, and the Resonator fretboard feels great and works with the overall timbre of a maple bodied guitar. The bookmatched flame maple body sides, top, and back are a sight to behold; laminated but beautiful. The most playable and comfortable neck I have EVER put in my hand for a 12-string; a profile similar to an early 60's Gibson or modern ESP being "thin", but with a 15" radius and a 45mm black Tusq nut. Perfect for chording and rhythm, but enough room between string pairs for either finger or flatpicking with precision. Get ItArch69er

It caught my eye hanging in my local Guitar Center in Goodlettsville, TN, which has a terrific staff btw. I asked to try it and was quite impressed with the overall build quality and set-up. Simply perfect; action, intonation, fret dressing, etc. It didn't need a thing! Thought about it overnight and returned the next day to buy it.Alan

I have been playing bass for over 55 years! I've owned hundreds of basses. Every conceivable size shape and manufacturer. This bass by far is one of my favorite basses. Flawless construction. Compares favorably to my Epiphone Jack Casady. Great pickups on this viola. It's has a darker finish than it's online picture. Absolutely beautiful! I was stunned when I fired it up. I was expecting a dark subdued thud, what I got was thick rich tastiness. I'm blown away.Ronnie

I did not buy the bass but I was trying it out not to long ago because I'm looking for my first solid bass. Or one that'll be a keeper and a step up from my Epiphone EB-0. I wasn't terribly impressed with the hofner ignition sound wise I grabbed this Epiphone bass and ran it through an Ampeg combo. I'm a smaller guy and the short scale fits naturally on me. First thing I checked was the sound. A nice trebly sound with the muddiness of short scale. I checked the tone control for each pickup. There is a noticeable difference when the knob is at 0, 5 and 10 for both pickups. This is what I look for with bass tone controls! The electronics are fine no scratch sounds. And the if you mess with the volume knobs you get a variety of tones surprisingly! If I bought it, I'd put Labella flats on it. I'm a flats guy! Compared to the mudbucker on my two Epiphones (An EB-0 and EB-3) you get much more tonal variety with these mini humbuckers. Your ears will thank you two with about 1/3 the output. I give it five stars because this is the potential Epiphone is meant to be quality wise. The only grip some people may have is there's some neck dive cause it's a hollow body. But it's child's play compared to my EB-3. I wish it had a pickguard thought.C.J.

I am enjoying the bass. I started playing it right out of the box. I assumed I would play it for a few days, then have it set up. But after playing it for a while, it may not even need a set-up. Glad I found it.whiskeyjackstudio

Amazing bass for the $$. Smooth neck and balanced lightweight body. I have the graphite black with little sparklies. Just beautiful. The pickups are super responsive and the tonal range across the board is fabulous! Love this much more than my “89” Fender Precision Plus. This is a great bass to add to your lineup!Louis218

First I should warn you that there is a quality-control issue with recent batches of the Embassy Pro – the bridge is positioned too far forward so it can't be intonated properly (the E-string 12th-fret harmonic was about a semitone flat compared to the fretted note even with the saddle as far back as it could go). This isn't Rimmers' fault as it was shipped straight from Gibson's DC and they were great about organising the return. Tuning problems notwithstanding, the bass plays smoothly and has a really rich, aggressive tone – depending on the strings you use, it can go from a hard-rock Rickenbacker clang to deep, subby reggae sounds. I found it hard to sound subtle or laid-back though, so I wouldn't recommend it for groove-oriented styles. But if you're in an avant-garde punk band, the dodgy tuning might even be an asset…Martin

Not sure if there are many minuses to this bass; its an old school 20 fret P bass kind of neck beast. The tone control works well and I like the passive pan, rather than a toggle or two volumes. Heavy duty humbucker tones but not muddy like an SG, still retins some P bass sound. (cant comment on bridge pu i dont use it) Back of neck is slick, I dont mind, some may apply sandpaper to make it matte. Overall QC seems good. Weight is decent at 8.3lbs, balance not bad if slung low, doesnt seem neck heavy. Bridge isnt great but a lot better than the fatal Gibson 3 point bridge. Lots to like at a sweet Epiphone price!Go Brady

Love this bass. I have it strung with flatwounds to give it a nice "thud". The flatties with the hollow body make this thing sound super old school. Fits into a track perfectly with a rich warm tone in the studio. Fun to play. Finish is great. Frets are great. Bartollini are great.Lwdngruvz

Hesitant to spend $1,000 for any bass since I'm only a part-time bassist. Pulled the trigger on the Lakland Bass and WOW, what a great bass to play. Great action, love the short scale, tones through my Ampeg amp…Who could ask for morehennyman21

what a great bass! It's beautiful, light, and sonically versatile. the different pickup modes have 3 radically different tones which makes this bass right for lots of situations. I've seen some reviews that mentioned so issues with some fret roughness but mine showed up in perfect condition. I couldn't be happier with the bass. I also want to mention the customer service. I used the chat feature to confirm whether this bass came with a bag or case. the agent let me know that it does not but pointed me to the bundle that includes the bag and they set me up with a price I could not pass up. once I completed the purchase the item was shipped within 90 minutes. Other music stores I've done business with are not nearly as responsive. CME killed itShaun M.

This is a great short scale bass. It is a quality instrument. The finish is excellent. Playability straight out of the box was very good. Nicely set up.I love the pick-ups and the ability to blend the two with their individual volume controls. Great range of tones available. It looks good too ! Highly recommended. The only gripe is that at this price it should come in a hard case and not a bag !Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Really good guitar for nirvana type music. Only issue is that you need to set it up for it to be playable but once it's set up it's a great instrument. Pickups are pretty articulate but not to bright either just perfectly balanced. If you get one I recommend to lock the bridge down to improve its tuning stability and sustain. Note it DOES NOT sound like a kc style mustang, it has its own sort of sound to it. Fretboard is pretty nice same with the low radius which I prefer. Overall it's one of my favorite guitars I've ever bought and I cannot recommend it enough if you play grunge and nirvana music.Preston

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

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

Sound: The stock pickups sound great especially with high gain. Nice crunch and break up. Features: For me the reason that I bought this model is that it is the least expensive way to get a real Edge tremolo. I can do subtle things with the Edge that I can’t do on an Original Floyd Rose. The bar is easier to position and it stays where ever you put it. As long as the torsion bushings on the bar aren’t worn out, the pop in bar is neither too tight or too sloppy. Value: This guitar is worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: I did not use Ibanez customer service and I did order half a dozen sets of torsion bushings, but had to order them from different places. The Wow Factor: I love the color of this one, Desert Sun Yellow. Overall: In the last 2 months I’ve bought 5 different Ibanez guitars, both lower and higher price. I must say that this guitar is the most bang for the buck out of any of my 21 guitars that I own.Got more than 200 bucks off on mine as it was sold as a slight blemish. When the guitar arrived, I noticed it did have a hairline crack in the paint on the bass side at the neck pocket. That was the only flaw I could find and it probably would have happened anyway if I would have got a “new” one.This is the shreddiest guitar that I have. The only thing that I had to address is that the 6th fret was a little proud. Other than that the fret job was good. All the frets were shiny and smooth and no fret sprout.This is the guitar that is at the price point where if you spend more money, you aren’t going to get much better. And the fit and finish were top notch.Scott

Overall: This guitar was a total impulse buy and I’m so glad I bought it! It’s easily worth twice the price of it. Can’t get too many mid tier guitars that are neck thru with decent pickups and a 5-way switch that has a fast and slim neck at this price. I mostly play baritone 6 strings and 7 strings but I needed a 25.5” scale for drop C and this is perfect for it with 10-54 strings. I did upgrade the nut with a Graphtech tusq nut and Hipshot locking tuners with knurled tuner buttons and looks even more badass while staying in perfect tune! I have an Ibanez rgib6 Iron Label 28” baritone and this is up there with that as far as quality and playability. The stock pickups aren’t bad at all and definitely surprised me cuz that’s usually the first thing I’ll change in an inexpensive guitar. As you can see by the other reviews people say it’s a great guitar and they’re not lying so if you’re on the fence about getting it then go for it! You won’t be disappointed at all and if for some reason you are then zZounds has a return policy within like 30-45 days so you won’t be stuck with a guitar you don’t love.Josh

As a relative newbie to bass playing I thought I'd invest in something a bit better than my basic P bass. As soon as I picked it up it felt light and comfortable. I like compactness of the guitar and how easily could find the strings and frets when practicing . . which makes my learning process quite a bit easier. The sound quality is both good and varied with Hofners pick up set up. The bass just looks good too, which I know doesn't influence the playing experience etc but it makes you want to just pick it up and play. Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase and look forward to many an hour practicing . . . and maybe even making some progress too.Duncan S.

I got this exact bass in green here from Musician's Friend (stupid deal of the day). I have played about 20 or more live shows with it send it definitely holds up.. it has a very big sound and is extremely lightweight, which is fantastic because we move around a lot. The craftsmanship is pretty good, probably adequate to that of the Epiphone viola, but with a cooler color. I constantly get compliments on the color. The only thing I'd say I would have liked better is if they had put a little more quality or craftsmanship into the control panel. It's not horrible at all, it definitely does the trick, it just kind of looks plain Jane. I would suggest switching out the volume and tone knobs with the vintage style tea cup knobs. That's what I did, and it really helps dress the bass up.Arrow

I'm a keyboard player getting back into playing bass after decades away, so I did a fair amount of research before this purchase, and I'm glad I did. There is a very really difference in quality between the 'Contemporary' and 'Ignition' Hofners, both in terms of finish and sound – The contemporary has better sustain and more 'richness' in the bass end. If you are wanting either something approaching an 'electric upright' or a classic McCartney sound, then the Contemporary will get you nearer than the Ignition – it's not in the 'German Made' class but unless you've got 2 grand to spend… Mine arrived on time and well set up. Very pleased with it.Willow S.

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

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

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

got one used in good condition but discounting the minor scratches and a minor ding near the strap button the quality of the workmanship was excellent for a bass in this price range. Plays really well and only a minor bit of fret buzz which was easy to get rid of by raising the bridge a bit. Action was really low when i got it so it could easily stand to get raised a fraction. The sound is very bass heavy on the neck pickup by itself. You can dial in a bit more treble by using setting 2 and mixing the volume level and tone of the two pickups. The bridge pickup is very treble sounding – almost too thin. If you turn down the tone on the bridge pickup it sounds better. I am not using the bridge p/u by itself ever – seems to be good for maybe only a few songs. Going forward I could see routing out the cavity and putting in a MM type pickup. Other than that the sound can get very close to Jack Bruce/Cream sound along with good Hard Rock to Heavy Metal sounds. You can dial in an acceptable jazz sound or R&B sound but it's not quite there so I'm using this baby for mostly Cream, Steppenwolf, CCR, etc. Works good for old-time R&R. Nice sleek black finish and chrome hardware gives it a nice dark appeal. Pots and controls work well and are smooth. Tuners are good but make the neck a little heavy so maybe replace with ultralights at some point. The neck does tend to dive so I'm moving the strap button nearer to the neck – almost at the end and move the strap button at the end of the body up an inch. I would also recommend a thick strap with rough leather on your shoulder to keep it from slipping – don't use a web strap as this will just let it neck dive when you let go. I'm hoping once i get lighter tuners and move the strap buttons the issue goes away but i can live with it for now. Well worth the asking price but if you can get one in good condition used it will still be a good deal even with minor cosmetic flaws.Bones

The Epiphone EB-3 cherry Bass is one beautiful guitar, but has cosmetic quality issues: The mahogany laminate on the face of the body, was glued on at a very "VERY" slight perpendicular angle, and not parallel with the neckline. (the back laminate IS straight). The fret markers are beautiful pearl, but the ninth fret marker is "blatantly" FLAT WHITE, and stands out like a neon light among the other markers. I can't understand how the person installing them, fail's to do a simple "match" of the inlays (either make them ALL white, or else ALL pearl!)(or REJECT a mismatched one!). (in comparison, my Epiphone Les Paul, has excellent matching pearl fret markers). I ordered a second EB-3, to see if I could get a better one, and had the chance to compare the two within the 45 day grace return period. The second one was worse, and had "TWO" mismatched white fret markers, with the other ones being "pearl". The mahogany laminate of the second guitar was not at all as deep and hypnotically mesmerizing as the first one they had sent, with the second guitar's mahogany appearing very flat, or dead/dull looking. (even though both guitars have polished clear gloss finish).(mahogany wood grain usually looks like a "natural mile deep 3D hologram iridescence", and the grain "dances and changes shapes" in the light as you move it around). Also the red tint on the sides of the second guitar appeared to be a shade lighter, and slightly mismatched appearing to the tint of the laminate tint to me. The first guitar's sides were slightly darker, and matched the laminate beautifully. On the second guitar, the bridge pickup holes were all half misaligned upon the poles with the cover tightened down anyways, right upon the poles permanently crimping each hole distorted over up on the pickup cover. The cover holes are half covering the poles. I kept the first guitar. It had a bit of fret buzz, but my technician fixed it in about 15 minutes. It plays perfect, sounds great!, and looks beautiful!Sir Ripstring

Overall: First of let me say this- the photos on zZounds website, while perfectly fine and acceptable, do not do this bass justice. It is absolutely gorgeous. The quality is high and there are no sharp frets or concerns anywhere. The first thing I did was fiddle with the pickup selector, and the volume and tone knobs to see what I could get out of it. There is a wide spectrum of sound. At it's brightest, it's not super bright, but then again, the first thing I did was put flatwounds on it, so that was expected. But let me tell you- this is one fat bottomed girl! The lows are expressive and the sustain on every string is amazing. There have always been the old Squier vs Fender and Epiphone vs Gibson debates. Epiphone, with this bass, has made the differences a lot harder to spot.Bruce