We’ve embarked on a quest today to find the best bass guitars for beginners in 2021. Given that the market is filled with low-cost instruments, it may be a little more complex than most people would anticipate finding a decent piece of wood that can endure a bit of pounding while still sounding right.
We’ve made sure to include versions from famous brands such as Ibanez, Yamaha, Gretsch, and Jackson, so you can rest assured that there are still plenty of things to bring to the table, including the cheapest instruments we’ve covered. Let’s dive into the reviews without any more ado.
1) Ibanez MiKro GSRM20
An all-around budget bass that provides a smooth, flexible sound is our top pick of the day. It’s a broad bass made from high-quality, robust tonewoods, it sounds significant to the buck, and it looks pretty remarkable. First of all, the Ibanez MiKro GSRM20 body comprises top-shelf poplar and features a polyurethane gloss finish. While poplar is not a standout tonewood option in terms of sonic quality, it offers robustness in this price point range beyond comparable basses. This bass guitar’s neck is made of maple, while the fretboard is made of exotic jatoba; it has 22 medium frets and regular white dot fretboard inlays. Its playability is fantastic. Its playability is outstanding. It can easily handle technical-savvy jazz players as quickly as it can cater to rock bassists’ needs due to its frets’ peculiar size.
2) Squier Affinity Precision Bass PJ Pack
Next up, the Affinity Series Precision Bass PJ pack has the very best value for Squier’s money pack. In essence, this kit is suitable for beginners who want to get acquainted with the bass as an instrument, but it is also great for those who wish to shape bands and areas perform. The rig’s bare-bone are bones are for this as players’ areas are included in this package; it consists of a lightweight gig case, a couple of acoustic chords, stringed instruments, and a small 15-amp Fender Rumble. Let’s begin with the bass itself; a 4-string P bass that rocks a poplar body, a laurel-made fretboard, and a C-shaped maple neck is the Affinity Precision Bass PJ. It also holds 20 tall and narrow frets, which is very common for precision basses.
3) Gretsch G2220 Junior Jet Bass II
Our next choice is slightly more expensive than an average beginner bass, but it comes with much better features, and it typically sounds stronger than an entry-level bass, so if you can afford it, we think it’s the best model. This model features a basswood body, as well as several other cheap beginner basses. What makes it a little different is that it rocks a high-gloss layered finish that keeps the tame overtones while also significantly enhancing the instrument’s esthetic aspect. Furthermore, the G2220 Junior Jet Bass II features 20 medium-jumbo frets with a maple neck and a walnut fretboard. This bass is called ‘Junior Jet’ because it provides a scale of 30.3 inches, which is a few inches shorter than usual. The shortened scale makes it much easier to access the frets, which dramatically increases this instrument’s playability. As far as the tone goes, the G2220 Junior Jet Bass II sports two surprisingly powerful mini-humbuckers.
4) Dean Edge 09
Usually, entry-level bass guitars look pretty much the same. Typically, finishes pump up the price, and accurate cutaways are quite a factor, so we cannot blame the manufacturers for making them look as bland as they do for cheap instruments. However, there are many exceptions, and in our study, we have selected Dean’s Edge 09 as the best-looking budget bass guitars. The Edge Top 09 is essentially music production equipment for beginners; this instrument is designed and configured to resemble an actual bass guitars design and playability, ensuring that the transformation phase can go smoothly. The Edge 09 bass’s neck and body are built extraordinarily; while the ‘Edge’ body style is present in a few Dean-made guitars and basses, what makes this instrument so beautiful and elegant is the flat-top neck. These are good starter bass with a basswood body, a maple C-shaped neck, and a walnut fretboard.
5) Yamaha TRBX204
Active pickups are much hotter than passive ones. The extra roar they offer is something that Metal and rock players are highly regarded, but they can be used for live gigs and performances by even bassists who dabble in mellower music player genres. The Yamaha TRBX204 is our top pick of the day for the best active pickup bass. Let’s start with the basics; this is four-string bass guitars that rock a basswood body with a polyester gloss finish, a maple neck, and a dotted inlay rosewood fretboard. It sports 24 medium frets and a length of the scale of only slightly below the average of 34 inches. Also, it contains premium-quality hardware consisting of a 1.57-inch urea-made nut, a selection of die-cast tuners, and EXL .045 strings from D’Addario. Even for weeks at a time, the machine heads keep the tune remarkably well, and they are susceptible in the sense that you will be able to re-tune to various tunings quite quickly.
6) Yamaha TRBX174EW
We have the Yamaha TRBX174EW as our top choice with exotic tonewoods for the best cheap bass. Tonewoods typically influence how the instrument sounds, looks, and endures harm in general. There are standard tonewoods used (such as basswood, for example) in the production phase of budget basses, and then there are rarer,’ exotic’ tonewoods that make the instrument stand out from the rest. A body made of mahogany, a maple neck, a rosewood fretboard, and a mango top is featured in the Yamaha TRBX174EW. Now, in the construction of guitar center ukuleles, the mango tree is often used. It is a bit like a maple; it is ultra-sharp and ultra-sharp. Light and it gives vivid, natural support and resonance to acoustic instruments. Instruments such as caged beasts that feature this tonewood roar once electrified are not something that many budget basses can boast about. These are four-string bass that rocks a body finish of gloss polyurethane, a dotted fingerboard for more effortless playability, 24 frets, and a regular scale length of 34 inches.
7) Squier Affinity Bronco Bass
Squier and Fender are brands that were a little longer in the game than others, so it’s pretty clear they know what instrumentalists need. It does not surprise that some of the most playable is their starter basses, and the Bronco Bass is an outstanding representative. The Bronco Bass body is made of this, and it has a beautiful urethane finish; it also has a bolt-on C-shaped neck made of maple and a 9.5-inch radius fingerboard made of maple. It bears 19 medium-jumbo frets in all the regular positions with dotted inlays (third, fifth, seventh, ninth, twelfth, fifteenth, and seventeenth). The Bronco Bass’s hardware is fundamental but highly powerful, just like the rest of the features it comes equipped with. In contrast to similarly priced models, it comes with a 1.5-inch plastic nut, a two-saddle bridge, and covered mini-tuners that provide premium intonation.
8) Is Luna Tattoo 30″ Scale Bass
We have already included a few budget basses with a shorter scale duration, but the 30-inch scale bass from the Luna Tattoo takes the prime spot in this unique area. This is a cool-looking bass guitar built especially for players with smaller hands and those who like to stay close to the fretboard’s top-end while nailing down the grooves and licks of rhythm. This is a 4-string bass with a mahogany body with a beautiful satin finish, a maple C-shaped neck, and a small walnut fingerboard with pearl-moon phase inlays. The length of the scale is 30 inches, and it’s safe to say that it provides a ludicrous level of playability, regardless of whether it’s your first bass guitars or whether you’re a seasoned veteran. No matter how you put it, the pearl moon inlays are beautiful, but only those are fully visible in the center. It could take you some time to get used to this unique kind of sign of fret, but it’s satisfying in the end.
9) Jackson Spectra Bass JS2
Sound is one of the essential elements of any instrument. Unfortunately, in terms of sonic efficiency, most novice players cannot discern ‘good’ from ‘bad.’ What’s more, anything as abstract as ‘tone’ is undoubtedly subjective. Still, a few bass models boast such a massive sound that they go way beyond traditional meanings. The Jackson Spectra Bass JS2 is a perfect example of this kind of bass. Generally speaking, Jackson doesn’t have a lot of budget styles, but the ones they sell are unparalleled in terms of flexibility and tone consistency. A poplar body and a 1-piece Thin U neck in high-quality maple are included in the Spectra Bass JS2, while its fingerboard is made of sturdy laurel. It sports 24 jumbo frets with easy-to-grip dotted inlays; more leverage is provided by this particular form of neck profile, although you might find fretting notes higher than average.
10) Ibanez Gio GSR105EX
Generally speaking, 5-string basses are typically much more costly than their counterparts with four strings. However, Ibanez’s Gio series delivers a mahogany body with an oiled finish, an SR-shaped maple bolt-on neck, and a fingerboard made of jatoba with 22 medium frets and dotted inlays are rocks of the 5-string Gio. This particular tonewood combination is very diverse, and in terms of tonal flexibility, it offers a lot. Playability, particularly five-stringed basses that are inherently a bit more difficult to play, is an essential aspect of any instrument. Fortunately, the GSR105EX scale length is only 34 inches (which is a few inches shorter than average), and the medium-sized frets lend themselves nicely to the player.