So you’re eager to learn to play the bass guitar, but your current budget is lower than the notes you want to play? Don’t worry, even for a budget as low as 200 dollar / euro there are some really good options. Let us show you our top picks for a starter bass that won’t break the bank.
Our 2023 top picks for a low budget starter bass:
- Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass
- Harley Benton JB-75
- Jack & Danny YC-JB
- Dean Guitars Edge 09
- Ibanez GSR200
#1 Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass
Even with a very low budget, Fender will have your back with this Squier Sonic Bronco Bass. This is actually a short-scale bass, which means the neck is about 4 inches shorter than normal full scale basses. This is not only a good thing for beginners that do not have big hands or long arms, but in fact for anyone looking for a light and playable bass guitar. It has one single coil guitar-style pickup and a very simple layout with volume and tone. The bridge is simple but solid. The price in the US sits right around the $150 mark, but the European price is sadly a bit higher as with all Fender instruments.
Although the Bronco may look like a toy bass guitar to some it is definitely a serious bass. First thing you will notice when picking this bass up that it is light and has a sturdy very comfortable neck. Despite its simplicity it works well in any type of music really. The tone is bright and full, it sounds like a grown-up bass. The lower string tension of a short scale bass helps the low end to come out really well with a solid thump. Overall the Bronco has a good usable sound, and a very comfortable feel. Even long after you are not a beginner anymore this bass will serve you well if you put on some flatwound strings for that old school Motown sound. I can highly recommend this awesome little bass.
Fender Squier Bronco Bass price and availability:
USD price at Amazon: $149
EUR price at Thomann: €168
#2: Harley Benton JB-75
Modelled after a Fender Jazz bass from the seventies, this bass is not only extremely cheap, but also looks great with its blocked and bound neck and transparent glossy finish. Harley Benton is Thomann’s house-brand of affordable instruments made in China. Although its quality can’t be compared with a top of the line Squier or a real Fender Jazz Bass, it does offer great value for money and sounds surprislingly good for its very low price. The Harley Benton JB-75 is available online only from Thomann.
Harley Benton JB-75 price and availability:
EUR price at Thomann €139
USD price at Thomann $131 + $33 shipping
#3 Jack & Danny YC-JB
The large German music store that is aptly named “Musicstore” has it’s own house brand of affordable instruments called J&D or Jack & Danny. It can be compared to the house brand of its competitor Thomann, Harley Benton. The J&D brand offers entry level instruments that offer great value for money, and they can be ordered online from the USA as well. Our entry-level pick from the Jack & Danny line is the J&D YC-JB Jazz Bass. The YC-JB features a solid alder body and maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, which is uncommon at this price point. The bass has two J-type single coil pickups and a narrow sleek neck which makes it very playable.
The sound of the J&D YC-JB is typical of any Jazz Bass, well rounded and versatile. The output is a bit hot, which means the pickups could be slightly overwound, but in this case that does not affect the tone too much, it sounds even and balanced. Playability is good, although this bass needed a good setup first before it was comfortable. Only downside we could find is that our example was quite heavy, but that is nothing a good strap can’t fix. Overall the J&D YC-JB is one of the better basses we have seen at this extremely low pricepoint.
Jack & Danny YC-JB price and availability:
EUR price at Musicstore €95
USD price at Musicstore $105 + $33 shipping
#4 Dean Guitars Edge 09
Dean offers a wide range of guitars and bass guitars, which starts at the low end with the Dean Edge 09 bass. It features a light basswood body combined with a maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard. It is a passive bass with one single soap bar pickup in the neck position, a volume and tone knob. Can it get any simpler? As often simplicity is not necessarily a bad thing. With the Dean Edge 09 it works out really well. The bass feels light, balances well on a strap and has a distinct stealthy look which fits in well with the more heavy styles of music, especially in a black finish. The build quality is also good for the low price of around $200.
So how does it sound? As heavy as it looks! The soap bar pickup in the front position makes the tone deep and punchy. The sound it produces is not very subtle and a little rough, but it does have a really good punch and drive, which makes this bass very suitable for rock, blues and metal. It also works well with some added distortion without losing the low frequencies. With the right amp your bass notes will definitely be heard and felt by your guitar buddies! The Dean Edge 09 is highly recommended for everyone that wants to start to play bass in one the heavier music genres.
Dean Guitars Edge 09 price and availability:
EUR price at Thomann: €168
USD price at Amazon: $199
#5 Ibanez GSR200
This list could not be complete without mentioning the Ibanez GSR200. Ibanez has been offering basses in their Soundgear range since the eighties, in all price ranges. Despite the classic eighties design, it is no wonder to see why these basses are so popular, since they appeal to a wide audience with their sleek body style and thin comfortable necks. The GSR200 is the entry level bass in the Soundgear GIO range, and it has been the first choice for many starting bass players over the last years.
The Ibanez GSR200 has a well-rounded lightweight body made of poplar with a thin maple neck, rosewood fretboard and a set of Dynamix P+J pickups. Ibanez has a good reputation for making affordable quality instruments, and the GSR200 delivers about as much as you can expect for the low price of $200 and more. There are volume knobs for both pickups, a master tone plus an active EQ knob Ibanez calls “Phat II active bass boost” for when you need some extra oomph in the low end.
Straight out of the box the bass plays well, although a setup will be needed to get the action an intonation just right, which is easy to do with the simple but sturdy bridge. It stays in tune well, but the tuners and knobs all feel a bit flimsy, which can be expected from a cheap instrument. The sound is lively with high output, and you can get a wide range of different tones from with the PJ pickups and the active EQ knob. However it is easy to boost the bass too much, overdriving your amp and adding some noise, so it best to use this feature sparingly. Overall this bass is certainly not perfect, but still impressive for its price. If your budget is really limited and you need a flexible bass guitar to fit any music style than the Ibanez GSR200 is a great choice.
Ibanez GSR200 Bass price and availability:
USD price at Amazon: $199
Euro price at Thomann: €213
The cheapest bass guitar on Amazon?
How low can you go? This Safstar bass actually sells for way less than $100! The description on Amazon speaks of “higher performance cost ratio with better tones and feels”. The fit and finish looks a bit rough, and there’s not even a logo on the headstock, but hey, at less than $100 can you really complain about that?
Without having played this bass, we can honestly not recommend you to buy it. The only reason we mention this bass is because Youtuber Davie504 picked the Safstar bass to see how the cheapest bass he could find on Amazon actually would sound. And from the video below we can tell that it does not sound bad at all! Granted, in the hands of a good player any bass will sound good, but this would actually be an option if your budget is below $100 and do not want to leave your house to scour the second hand market for a used bass guitar. The only question you have to ask yourself is how much the Chinese worker that built this was actually being paid…
The Safstar Bass is available from Amazon
Want something even better?
If you can save a bit more than 200 dollar / euro, than there are many other options available to buy an even better bass than the basses listed here.
Please have a look at our Top 5 picks for a bass guitar under 300 dollar / euro
