Question:

I’ve found that the inexpensive Fernandes basses (the Jazz copy and Vertigo I’ve owned) have great feel and tone to them. Plus, they take a lot of road abuse Jason

Response:

    Buy whatever you like that’s in your budget, and remember to looked at used basses.  You can get a 4-500 dollar bass for less than $200 if it’s got a little wear and tear on it.  Another thing you should know is that the vast majority of basses in your price range are made overseas in a few factories.  Samick is a company that reports making over half of the guitars in the world each year.  Manufacturers design their low end instruments, but they don’t actually have their own Korean factory pumping out their stuff. Most likely they contract it out to any one of these factories overseas. Sometimes you can get a decent bass with an unrecognizable name in this price range.  I bought a Rogue five string a few years ago from musician’s friend.  It’s a cheap bass, but it’s superior to Ibanez’s lowest 5 string model (305?) in my opinion.  Cheaper too.  There are a lot of REALLY lousy basses out there (rogue makes quite a few) so beware. Joe.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> First off, I apologize because I know this question has > been asked a million times before. I am a guitarist and > I know very little about what’s available in the way of > basses. I am considering buying a bass for a relative > and I only have a budget of under 200 dollars. I know > this isn’t much. What would be the best deal for this > kind of money? > BTW, in case it matters, he is into heavy music like > Metallica and The Misfits. > Thanks, > CR

Response:

Squier P-Bass Special 5. A much better bass then believed and expected. And it looks good in Galactic Purple! $249.00

David A.Walmsley-Bassist

Response:

> First off, I apologize because I know this question has > been asked a million times before. I am a guitarist and > I know very little about what’s available in the way of > basses. I am considering buying a bass for a relative > and I only have a budget of under 200 dollars. I know > this isn’t much. What would be the best deal for this > kind of money? > BTW, in case it matters, he is into heavy music like > Metallica and The Misfits. > Thanks,

Hi CR, I’m floating in the same boat.  I’ve played bass a little but own several guitars, some high-end and a low-end Squier ProTone Fat Tele that plays super.  I did replace the Fender humbucker with a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover. I’ve been looking for an inexpensive bass under $200 to fool around with, that sounds good enough to play live with and sounds OK to make simple recordings with…and to learn on.  I found one that plays well and has a decent sound.  It is the Fender Squier P-Bass Special.  It has a P-Bass body, J-bass neck, a P-bass split neck pickup and a J-bass bridge pickup. Most dealers sell them for a buck or two under $200 with no case or gig bag. The only problem I’ve found is that when you turn the J-bass pickup up and the P-bass pickup way down, there is a noisy hum.  I’ll probably buy one of these basses and if it works out playing wise, I’ll replace the J-pickup with something from Seymour Duncan. I’ve been playing guitar for over 30 years and play rock instrumentals, surf music, and have been known to hit the metal now and then. Good Luck!

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I too am a guitarist. The Mexican Fender Precision seems to be a good value >for less than 200 used although it may not be best for your music. >Chip >First off, I apologize because I know this question has >been asked a million times before. I am a guitarist and >I know very little about what’s available in the way of >basses. I am considering buying a bass for a relative >and I only have a budget of under 200 dollars. I know >this isn’t much. What would be the best deal for this >kind of money? >BTW, in case it matters, he is into heavy music like >Metallica and The Misfits. >Thanks, >CR

CORTs are nice for the $$$. fred

Response:

First off, I apologize because I know this question has been asked a million times before. I am a guitarist and I know very little about what’s available in the way of basses. I am considering buying a bass for a relative and I only have a budget of under 200 dollars. I know this isn’t much. What would be the best deal for this kind of money? BTW, in case it matters, he is into heavy music like Metallica and The Misfits. Thanks, CR

Response:

I too am a guitarist. The Mexican Fender Precision seems to be a good value for less than 200 used although it may not be best for your music. Chip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >First off, I apologize because I know this question has >been asked a million times before. I am a guitarist and >I know very little about what’s available in the way of >basses. I am considering buying a bass for a relative >and I only have a budget of under 200 dollars. I know >this isn’t much. What would be the best deal for this >kind of money? >BTW, in case it matters, he is into heavy music like >Metallica and The Misfits. >Thanks, >CR

Response: