How to buy a good cheap bass guitar for starters

When you are ready to start playing the bass guitar, the first thing to look out for is a proper instrument to start learning. But with hundreds of basses to choose from and a limited your budget it may be hard for you to pick the right instrument. We bring you tips on how to get a good cheap beginner bass and show you our top picks in different price ranges.

Contents of this article:

1. How can they make a bass guitar so cheap?
2. What to expect from a cheap bass guitar
3. Can I modify a cheap bass to make it better?
4. Should I buy direct from a Chinese web store?
5. Is it wise to save more for a better bass?
6. What to look for on the secondhand market
7. Our top picks for a cheap starter bass guitar

How can they make such cheap bass guitars?

Most cheap bass guitars are made in China. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since the bigger music brands have set up very efficient production facilities which produce good quality instruments on a large scale. Because of the competition in the market most brands will try their best to get as much value for money as possible. However, this will come at a cost. Even with cheap labour cost in China it’s near impossible to build a proper instrument with good wood, quality hardware and all the required manual labor for as little as $150. So how can they make such cheap instruments and still make a profit?

The biggest saving is in cheap labour, the next cost saving is in the wood being used. Manufacturers often use local woods that are cheaper than alder, maple or ash which are usually used to build guitars. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since cheaper woods like basswood or poplar are perfectly fine to use on solid body guitars. However a proper instrument will be made of seasoned wood that has dried long enough not to shrink too much, but that takes time, and time is money for these manufacturers. So in many cases the wood used is not dried well enough, making the wood prone to shrink a bit after the build process, which can result in sharp fret edges or sometimes other stability problems.

The other cost saving is in the pickups and hardware used. Proper bridges and tuners are made out of steel, aluminium or brass. The hardware used in cheap instruments is often a mix of recycled metals that is less strong and more brittle. The pickups use lower quality magnets and are often overwound to sound really strong, but this will degrade the quality of the sound.

What can you expect from a cheap bass?

Let’s be realistic, a cheap bass guitar for around $150 is not going to be as good as a professional instrument at around $1500, no matter what people on Youtube will want to make you believe. But that doesn’t mean it will sound bad! In fact, my guess would be most of your audience will have a hard time telling the difference in a blind test between a Chinese Squier a USA made Fender bass of the same model. So what is the difference then?

The biggest difference is in the finer tonal quality, the playability, the fit and finish and feel of the bass. As mentioned above manufacturers will save cost wherever they can to keep the price low and still make a profit. That means the materials used are of much lower quality. The bass will still be usable, but a more expensive bass will mostly just feel better, look better and stay in tune better. Also better pickups will often give more tonal depth and more even frequency response.

Most cheap basses need some work in setting it up for playability. Sometimes theres a high fret that causes buzz, of the nut could be cut too low. These are issues that are easy to fix, but for most people would require a luthier or repairman, which may cost cost half as much as the original price of the bass. So when you get your first cheap bass it pays off to learn how to do your own simple setups.

Can I modify a cheap instrument to make it better?

Yes, that is very wel possible. It can be tempting to get a cheap starter bass as a platform to improve by modifying its components. After all, an electric bass guitar is a relatively easy piece of kit. This can be a fun project and does not require a lot of technical skills.

There are many ways you can improve a cheap bass yourself by experimenting with other pickups, upgrading the tuners etc. On Youtube you can find many great examples. Keep in mind however that the added cost of some modifications could have bought you a better bass to begin with, so always do the math before you begin.

Should I buy a bass from a Chinese web store?

The short answer: No, unless you want to take a gamble with your hard earned money. Webshops like Alibaba, DealExtreme, DHgate and other portals offer many instruments for a very low price. Often these instrument are exact copies of more expensive bass guitars from Fender, Gibson or boutique brands like Fodera and Ken Smith. Besides the copyright issues there are other reasons you probably should not order a bass guitar directly from China unless you know what you are getting into.

The problem with these instruments is that you will never know what you get. Most instruments are handmade in smaller workshops without the quality control larger manufacturers have. In many cases the instrument you receive will be different from the photos you saw when you bought it, or will have issues with the playability or develop issues month later after drying of the wood. Returning the instrument to china can be a hassle too, and will be expensive in most cases.

Our advice would be to stick with the well known brands or manufacturers when buying a cheap bass. The bigger brands also have a big reputation to lose, which means they will do their best not to ship bad instruments. It wont necessarily mean that working conditions for workers are better than those in smaller workshops, but larger manufacturers will have certainly have better quality control, and if there are any issues with your instrument it will be much easier to return. If you want to take the gamble, then do some research first or watch some of the videos from channels like China Guitar Sceptic.

Is it wise to save more for a better bass?

If you can, than yes you should! If you spend a little more you will get a much better bass guitar that will play better, make you happier playing it and will last you longer as you become a better player. But it depends on your situation. Most experienced players will tell you to buy the best bass guitar you can afford, and this is absolutely true. But the reality is there are many people that start learning to play bass guitar and will quit in a few months time, which makes a more expensive instrument a bad investment for them.

So if you on a really tight budget (say below 200 USD/EUR) or if you are unsure the bass guitar is for you it is still possible to get a decent low-budget starter bass knowing you wont lose too much money if it doesn’t work out. But overall our advice would be to save a hundred more for a better bass that will last you longer like one the basses featured in our top 5 affordable good bass guitars article.

Should I buy a second hand bass?

There is no doubt that a second hand bass guitar can often be a better value than a new bass. There are hundreds of used bass guitars available on local marketplaces, sites like Craigslist, Ebay etcetera. But you have to your research and know what to look for when buying second hand, or you might end up with a bad deal. For inexperienced players it might be risky without the help of someone that knows their stuff. On the upside many second hand basses really keep their value well over time, sometimes even increasing in value depending on the brand and popularity.

If you have decided to buy second hand it is best to look for popular basses from brands like Fender, Squier, Ibanez, Yamaha, Cort etc. That way you can look up prices, reviews and sound samples online before you buy. I would always recommend to bring along someone that is a more experienced bass player or that can spot common issues with older basses such as bad modifications, truss rod issues, bad fretwork and such. Also be careful with the many fake basses being sold as the real thing, this is very common with Fender instruments. The golden rule here is: If it sounds too good to be true it probably is, so If in any doubt walk away from the deal. Better safe than sorry!

Our top picks for a cheap starter bass guitar