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No matter whichever music we like, we are all fond of the guitar in some way or other – be it a bass or a regular.
If you’re a musician then you’re no doubt aware of the vast array of bass electric guitars available, but if you’re a beginner, the sheer amount of choice can be overwhelming.
Bass guitars are a little bit tricky to play due to the difference in the neck, strings, pattern, and usability than other guitars.
If you’re a band member or would like to be, then your job as a bass player is to complete the gap between the drums and other instruments.
You are the person who keeps everything together.
So selecting a good bass guitar should be your first step into this exciting world.
Don’t worry we have got your back. Here, in this article, we will be discussing every fret, string and model of the best beginner bass guitars that’s going to make you a true legendary bass player.
So, if you’re ready to get on board, plugin, tune-up, and start jamming, let’s jump into the list of best beginner bass guitars.
To begin the list of best beginner bass guitars we have the Yamaha TRBX304 4-string model topping the chart. This can go with any music style easily, be it funk, rock or pop.
Sporting a double-cutaway design on a solid mahogany body is the most noticeable feature of the TRBX304. It’s also attached with a five-piece maple-mahogany neck for maximum tonal bass and two humbucker pickups to go with it.
So you can easily choose a music style like a slap, pick, flat or solo to play on it. Moreover, many active electronics adjustments are there to improve your style. Nonetheless, you get to choose the most awesome looking bass guitar from multiple color options like mist green, red metallic, and many more.
This 300 Series bass guitar from Yamaha is a favorite of many band musicians out there. If you too want to possess this versatile instrument, then you should surely go for it.
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We will never be able to forgive ourselves if we don’t include the greatest and the oldest bass guitar manufacturer on the list. It’s the Fender guys. No bassist is out there who has not heard of the classic Fender bass guitars. The Mustang PJ bass from this brand is our favorite.
The Mustang PJ has a solid maple neck and a rosewood fretboard. Along with a ‘C’ shaped neck profile and a hardtail four-saddle bridge system, this instrument features the Pau Ferro fingerboard and a short scale length. This design allows for lower reaches, greater stability, and precise intonations. As the name suggests, it is enabled with both P-Bass and J-Bass pickups.
The Fender Mustang PJ bass is a perfect choice for beginners and learners..
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Next on the list, we have a real bang for the buck option in best beginner bass guitars. This is none other than Ibanez. Their GSR200 Electric Bass is a wonderful piece of art to behold.
The instrument sports a bold solid look with a one-piece maple neck and decent cutaway design. It also adorns a rosewood fretboard with pearl dot inlays. As the Fender Mustang has dual PJ pickups, so does the Ibanez GSR200. Just under $200, you get a decent instrument with satisfactory tonal quality.
Ibanez is a trustworthy brand among modern rock band instrument production companies. Even the GSR200 electric bass model from the same brand speaks for that trust. Do give it a try.
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Another widely known Fender Bass guitar for beginners is the CB-60SCE model. This is a classic acoustic-electric bass guitar built with high-quality material.
Being a semi-acoustic guitar, this Fender model has a concert bass body made up of solid mahogany with a scalloped ‘x’ bracing spruce top. The instrument is designed with rolled fingerboard edges and an easy-to-hold neck that offers more comfort while playing. The famous Fishman classic design preamp helps in warm and smooth lower tone production.
The CB-60SCE is an elegant acoustic-electric beginner bass that will make you a star in front of your audience, be it in a band performance or a solo one.
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Next, we have the bass guitar from Master Play. this is a solid choice for beginners who are left-handed.
Built with a natural all-wood construction, this is an ideal choice for children who are just starting out. As said already, this is designed specifically for left-handed players. Besides a smooth and glossy finish, the instrument also gives out nice and warm sounds because of the wooden construction. Moreover, it comes with a shoulder strap, spare strings, guitar pickups, and a carrying case.
Due to the attractive features of the Master Play bass guitar, we have included it in the list of best beginner bass guitar. This is perfectly suitable for kids and teenagers.
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Another entry-level bass guitar from Yamaha on our list is the TRBX174. It is an extremely cheap bass guitar with some terrific quality features.
This stylish looking Yamaha bass model is a 4-string guitar with mahogany body construction allowing for great durability. With a glossy finish, it also sports a steep cutaway design besides the attached vintage-style bridge. It enables the dual P and J pickups making it more worthy under the $200 price bracket. You have all the more reasons to buy it if you’re fond of cool colorful guitars. There are almost a ton of color variants of this model to choose from.
If you are a student in a music school or a beginner looking for a low-cost good-quality bass guitar, then you should check out this Yamaha model.
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Another stylish looking entry-level Ibanez guitar on the list is the Talman TMB100. It is a standard size guitar suitable for average to large hand players.
The instrument has a wide poplar body and a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, boasting a classic Ibanez body style. With an old-fashioned look, the instrument comes in a wide variety of colors like mustard yellow, mint green, walnut flat, and others.
Besides the definite dual P and J pickups, it allows for more tonal qualities due to the presence of custom 2-band EQ. Therefore, you can’t stop your ears from listening to the rich vintage sound produced from this bass guitar.
If you’re looking to have a retro feel captured within a solid wood body of a bass guitar, then look no further. The Ibanez Talman will just fetch you the same.
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The next right-hand 4-string bass guitar that calls for versatility on the list is none other than the Ibanez GSR200SM.
Having a solid mahogany body and a spalted maple top, the guitar boasts a rosewood fretboard consisting of 22 frets with white dot inlays. The enabled passive Dynamix P neck and J bridge pickups give you just the right tonal variations. Hence it’s a great value for money product.
If you want all the quality features of Ibanez under a budget guitar, then you must go for the GSR200SM bass model.
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Are you a fan of rock bands? Ever noticed which guitars they use generally? Some of the well-known bands have used electric and bass guitars from Epiphone. So how can we leave aside this name from the list of best beginner bass guitar? Here comes the EB-3 bass guitar from Epiphone.
This instrument has a mahogany body and neck construction with a tapered ‘D’ slim profile. It also has a classic trapezoid inlay designed rosewood fingerboard. It features a 34” scale enabled with NYT bass mini-humbucker pickups. There is a Sidewinder humbucker pickup in the neck and a bass mini-humbucker on the bridge. Hence the tonal variations are quite versatile. You get an additional lifetime warranty from Epiphone along with 24/7/365 customer service from Gibson if you buy this product.
No doubt, why the Epiphone brand is so popular among professional musicians. So the EB-3 model is a must buy if you’re eager to have your favorite band guitarist’s possession.
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The next best bass guitar for beginners on the list is another widely acclaimed model which is the StingRay Ray4 Electric bass from Sterling by Music Man. If it’s the bass guitar we are talking about then we can never forget Music Man. They are one of the best classic bass guitar manufacturers.
Donning the double-cutaway style on an attractive finished basswood body with a maple neck and fretboard is a perk of this instrument. Besides, it is enabled with the legendary StingRay ceramic pickup and 2-band active EQ. So you can tweak your tunes on the guitar however and whichever way possible.
The Sterling Ray4 electric bass guitar from Music Man will fulfill all your knicks and knacks of playing the best bass guitar as a novice.
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The next bass guitar on the list is an acoustic-electric one. It’s again from Ibanez. Their AEB5E model has some astonishing features within a semi-acoustic body.
Priced only under $300, this Ibanez guitar boasts a 32” scale AEL mahogany body and neck with a spruce top. The fretboard is an abalone rosette with 18-frets in place of 24.
Although it has an acoustic body, you can enrich your music by plugging it to an amplifier. Therefore, you can play it anywhere as an acoustic bass as well as an electric bass when connected to an amp.
Any acoustic-electric bass guitar is a great option for a beginner. But when it’s Ibanez, you don’t have to worry about the sound quality. So don’t think much before buying this AEB5E model.
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So Fender has another model present on the list of best beginner bass guitars here. It’s none other than the 6-string right-handed electric model.
Sporting the stylish colorful look on a solid-wood body and c-shaped maple neck profile, the Fender Telecaster series electric guitars are a classic possession for a passionate bassist. Moreover, it has eight different variants both for right-handed and left-handed players. When talking about sound quality, it is as versatile as its ease of playability because of the saddle bridge system.
Be it a race green color or a competition orange, you can not take your eyes off of this awesome looking Fender electric guitar.
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The next Fender model is the Affinity series Jazz bass from Squier.
The affinity series jazz bass is available in four color variants having poplar body and maple neck construction with a rosewood fretboard. It accommodates dual pickups for more versatile jazz tones. This is a nice player-friendly model from Fender Squier.
This is specifically made for beginners who have to cut corners in their purse in order to buy a good quality bass guitar. Squier series guitars provide you similar Fender qualities under budget.
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Schecter has a reputation among trustworthy low-cost entry-level instrument manufacturers. Even their Omen-4 bass guitar guarantees that.
This instrument has an ideal basswood body with a maple neck and a quilted maple top. Available in two varieties of walnut satin and polished black, this 4-string bass has an active set of pickups along with a 2-band EQ section. Therefore, the sound produced is much flexible with a room for more precision due to the two humbuckers attached to it.
This is a perfect option for beginners looking to have a good quality bass guitar under budget.
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Best choice products are mainly targeted at kids and teenagers. Their full-size 4-string acoustic-electric bass guitar is no different.
Built with durable solid-wood, the Best Choice fretted acoustic-electric guitar boasts a mahogany neck and a rosewood fretboard. You can tweak the sound delivery with the enabled 4-band preamp for a more versatile tone. The glossy finish, cutaway design with an attractive inlay deserves a special mention.
The durability and the aesthetic look of the Best Choice 4-string bass guitar that produces a complete sustainable sound, calls for special attention from the beginners.
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There’s nothing better than a complete kit if a person is just starting out as a bass guitarist. They get to know almost everything on how to start playing, maintain the durability, and pick up that desired tone on the instrument that comes in a bundle kit. Hence Davison comes to their rescue. Davison Guitars’ full-size electric bass guitar starter kit is a complete solution for all amateurs.
As said earlier, it’s a full-size electric bass guitar with a solid wood body and maple neck and head. Featuring a split-coil pickup with simple controls, the bass guitar comes with everything you need to play out just right off the box. It comes with a case strap, a small amplifier, cable, and a soft gig bag for extra protection. Overall, the sound quality that it delivers is very decent under such price range.
If you’re willing to start out as a beginner bassist with all the bells and whistles of the guitar, then you must go for this starter kit.
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Players who are planning to learn a bass guitar but couldn’t find a suitable instrument because of their shorter hands, this Squier vintage special bass is just the right thing you need.
This short-scale bass has an Agathis body with a c-shaped bolt-on maple neck and a rosewood fretboard consisting of 20 frets. It features a single-coil jazz bass pickup and a split single-coil precision bass pickup with two volume controllers and a master tone control for more sustainability of the sound produced.
This easy-to-play 30” vintage bass guitar from Squier by Fender is an ideal choice for beginners with small hands.
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You have already come across the Ibanez Talman TMB100 bass guitar on the list. This is another variation of the same model. It’s the TMB100 MGR electric bass guitar from the same series.
Boasting a broad poplar body with a maple neck and a rosewood fretboard, the bass dons a retro look and feel. The dual Dynamic P & J pickups make it more worthwhile when producing a versatile music style. It also features a custom 2-band EQ allowing for varying tonal clarities.
With a classic Ibanez design and features, if you want an iconic old-house touch, then you surely need this one.
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Fender is one brand among popular guitar manufacturers who are known for using quality materials and incorporating quality features in their instruments. You have come across many Fender bass guitars by now. The Fender bronco bass guitar calls for similar attention.
This Bronco bass features a short scale 30” structure on a solid-wood body. It has a slim c-shaped maple neck profile and a maple fretboard. This construction is so thin and lightweight that players won’t feel uncomfortable for a single moment while jamming. Moreover, you get volume and tone controllers besides the specially designed single-coil pickup on a 2-saddle chrome bridge for richer and enhanced sound delivery.
This is a great choice for beginners with smaller hands who are fond of Fender products.
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Finally, we have come to the end of the list where we are including another starter kit for bass guitarists. This is the GoPlus electric bass guitar kit.
Having a solid-wood body construction, the Goplus bass model features a rosewood fretboard and neck. It also adorns the tremolo bridge system besides the piezoelectric pickups with double tone controls for a smooth and warm sound. The most noticeable feature is that it includes a shoulder strap, one bass pick, an amp cord, and a bag for traveling.
It’s an affordable choice for beginners who want that all-in-one solution for an entry-level bass guitar.
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Speaking of different bass guitars, its string is the main thing you should know about. Bass guitars are either 4-string or 5-string with relative thickness. The thickness of the strings in a bass guitar defines how much lower sounds it can produce. As a beginner, you should pick up a 4-string bass guitar if you don’t want any complications in learning.
Then comes the neck length. Some bass guitars have a longer neck with the fretboard while some are fretless. The longer neck is there to stretch the thick strings attached to the instrument. Hence it results in more versatility.
So, whether you want to play a funk style or a slap-bass, you are definitely going to need a bass guitar. For that, you might need help in selecting the best beginner bass guitar from the market. The next section just takes that job for you.
Whether you’re a child, a teenager, or an adult, who simply wants to learn how to play the bass guitar, then you must look for a durable one that’s also affordable and easy to play. Starting out as a bass guitarist is not a difficult job. Although you don’t want sore fingers due to excessive practice. So, let’s start the checklist of what to keep in mind while you are going to select that cool awesome instrument.
First, you need to have passion and eagerness to play bass guitar and for that, you must get inspiration. And we are humans, guys. If the instrument is not good looking, we won’t get inspired, right? So, the look and feel of the instrument must allure you to possess it. Next comes the affordability. You don’t want to make a hole in your pocket while buying your first bass guitar. It must fall within your budget.
The next big thing is if the instrument comes with all necessary accessories in a bundle kit. If you’re just starting out, it’s normal that you have no idea about what’s needed in order to have a finished musical piece. The bundle kit of an instrument comes with an instructional guide, polishing cloth, pick up and tuners. This helps a beginner to learn and maintain the instrument easily.
Above all, you need to test the sound quality of the bass guitar. The sound produced from a bass guitar must be deep and rich in tone. The more versatile the sound produced the better your playing sessions will be.
Therefore, a bass guitar that looks good, feels comfortable, plays well, has a sturdier body, sounds deep, and comes handy in a bundle kit, should be your ideal choice as a beginner.
Bass guitars are a no-brainer for a novice player. The lightweight and compact body of such a guitar help to play out the instrument comfortably while the shorter scale allows for fewer complications when practicing as a beginner. Moreover, the neck and body length of a bass guitar is ideal for a musician who is just starting out.
You might think about using a second-hand bass if you are just starting out, but chances are you won’t be able to detect the damages or the faults in a used bass. Besides, you may have to repair it every now and then if you don’t really know what the actual problem is. So, spending a few bucks in a new bass guitar will do less harm than getting a used one. There are many beginner-friendly budget bass guitar kits available in the market right for you.
Do note, as the bass guitar is a stringed instrument, it will be difficult to play at first. You might hurt your fingers initially, but with time, you will taste perfection. Nonetheless, bass guitars are a perfect choice for beginners. You will just need an amplifier to develop your practice next.
We hope the read was useful in helping you out to pick up the right bass guitar. Considering the type of musical genre you want to play or the style you want to pick with the bass, the function it’s going to serve in your band or the price you’ll have to pay for it without dropping your heads down, we have got you all covered in the list of best beginner bass guitar. Now it’s time for you to go out and choose the one that perfectly suits your needs.
