9 Best Bass Guitars of 2024

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When rock bands ruled the world, bassists were often the least popular members of the iconic bands.

But in the past decade, the bass has made a comeback as a popular instrument for all age groups and genders. From flashy slap bass to iconic bass lines, bass guitars are a crucial part of the music we listen to.

Just like guitars, basses are available in a wide range of price ranges and models, and we are going to go over the best option for each category.

Our #1 pick is Squier Classic Vibe '70s Jazz Bass due to its incredible versatility while being reasonably priced.

Now let's get into our list of best bass guitars!

Best Bass Guitars

1. Overall Best Bass – Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazz Bass

SPECS

• Number of Strings: 4
• Body Material: Poplar
• Scale Length: 34"
• Pickups: Fender Alnico Single Coil Pickups

Squier is famously known for budget versions of Fender classic models, and even though they are sold at a fraction of the original price, their quality is better than adequate.

Squier Classic Vibe '70s Jazz bass is no exception, and it proves to be an exceptional bass for its price - both for its live and studio-recording abilities.

This model is based on the legendary Fender Jazz bass, which is a bass that can be described as the most iconic and well-known bass guitar in the world. Fender Jazz basses are extremely versatile and they are do-it-all bass guitars that can be used for pop, rock, jazz, country, and anything in between.

Although the original is close to something around $2,000, the Squier Jazz bass did a close copy with a quarter of the original price. It is a well-made version of the classic '60s Jazz Bass and has the iconic J Bass body, dual single-coil pickups, and a fast-action neck.

Squier's version also sounds quite similar to the original and has that classic round Jazz Bass tone that we all recognize. Whether you're a complete beginner or an experienced player who is looking for an extra bass, Squier Classic Vibe '70s Jazz Bass is definitely one of the best choices at under $500.

2. Best Budget Bass – Yamaha TRBX304 Bass

SPECS

• Number of Strings: 4
• Body Material: Mahogany
• Scale Length: 34"
• Pickups: M3 Ceramic Dual-coil

Here is another bass that offers an amazing bang for your buck. The Yamaha TRBX304 is under $400 and has a tone that is comparable to mid-range bass guitars. With a solid mahogany body and a 5-piece maple & mahogany neck, this bass has some serious specs for its price.

TRBX304 has a sleek single cutaway design with two powerful humbuckers, and its ergonomic design allows for easy access to the upper frets. The design also allows you to move fast up and down the neck.

The M3 humbucking pickups are versatile powerhouses that provide a punchy sound, and they are great for modern styles of bass playing like slap, fingerstyle, picking, and even solo bass playing.

Compared to the Jazz Bass, the TRBX304 is definitely more suitable for a modern style of bass playing, and it is especially impressive in rock, metal, and hardcore styles of music.

The Yamaha TRBX304 is perfect as your first bass guitar, especially if you're mainly into the modern style of bass playing. It is rare to come across a bass guitar at this price that you can solo and shred all the way to the 24th fret!

3. Best Premium Bass – Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special 4 HH

SPECS

• Number of Strings: 4
• Body Material: Ash
• Scale Length: 34"
• Pickups: Music Man Humbucker

Music Man StingRay is another iconic bass guitar that has dominated the music world since the 1970s. StingRays are famous for their super fat and punchy tone, loved by bass guitarists like Flea, Pino Palladino, and Chic's Bernard Edwards.

There is still a cult following that swears by their StingRay and nothing else.

This bass is different in that it has active electronics instead of passive electronics, and the extra battery power makes way for a more powerful and versatile bass tone. The 18-volt active preamp and the built-in 3-band EQ work like magic and give you so much freedom in shaping your bass tone.

StingRay's unique details like the stainless steel frets, comfy maple neck, compensated nut, creative finish, and body wood choices are reasons why this bass has been one of the go-to high-end bass guitars for so many years.

It is also one of the only bass guitars that can excel in both funky slap style and hardcore metal playing styles.

But keep in mind, while all these fancy specs might sound wonderful, the price tag is not too friendly. This bass is the premium choice of this list, and the Music Man Stingray Special 4HH is only recommended for experienced or professional bass players.

4. Best Precision Bass – Fender American Performer Precision Bass

SPECS

• Number of Strings: 4
• Body Material: Alder
• Scale Length: 34"
• Pickups: Yosemite Jazz Split-soil

Fender American Performer Precision Bass is the modern incarnation of Leo Fender's creation that started it all. This American-made Fender bass is the current gold standard of modern bass playing, and they are versatile basses that look sleek and fresh.

Performer Precision Bass has an even lighter body than its predecessors and features the Yosemite P/J pickups with a Greasebucket tone circuit. But it still has many of the classic specs like the contoured alder body and the C-shaped maple neck.

The Yosemite P/J pickups are designed to give you the best of both worlds - sounds of round J bass and fat tones of P bass. So in a way, you're able to experience two legendary bass guitars in one body. This brings so many possibilities for creativity on stage and in the studio.

Although the Fender American Performer Precision Bass is not cheap, it's a long-lasting bass for younger generations' finest bass players. For bassists who want to experience the classic Fender bass tones in a modern body, the Fender Performer Bass is for you.

5. Best Rock Bass – Epiphone Thunderbird 60s

SPECS

• Number of Strings: 4
• Body Material: Mahogany Wings
• Scale Length: 34"
• Pickups: ProBucker 760 Humbucker

Epiphone is the affordable brand under Gibson, and although they are more well-known for their electric guitar, they happen to have some well-priced bass guitars as well. Epiphone Thunderbird 60s is a remake of Gibson's famous Thunderbird bass that became popular in the 1960s.

Thunderbird is a bass used for rock and metal, and it's been played by countless rock bands like Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, U2, Nirvana, and Pixies. The popularity continues today, and the Thunderbird can be seen in action used by bands like 5 Seconds of Summer.

Epiphone's reproduction of the Thunderbird is reasonably priced, and it features the famous off-set body with a mid-'60s Tune-o-matic bridge and is complete with a 7-piece walnut/mahogany neck and mahogany body.

Epiphone also used their own ProBucker 760TM humbuckers, which were designed to get a similar sound to the original '60s Thunderbird pickups by Gibson. Epiphone nailed the classic tone and the Epiphone Thunderbird 60s Bass gives off the rumbling low that is perfectly suited for rock and metal.

For musicians who grew up with the Thunderbird bass, the Epiphone Thunderbird 60s bass offers a great chance to experience the vintage bass at a fraction of the price.

6. Best Modern Bass – Ibanez SRMS805 Multi-Scale Bass

SPECS

• Number of Strings: 5
• Body Material: Mahogany
• Scale Length: 34-35.55" Multi-scale
• Pickups: Bartolini BH2 Humbucker

Up next, we have a bass that features a modern bass guitar design with a multi-scale fretboard. Ibanez Bass Workshop SRMS805 is a unique, modern bass that is designed for maximum movement and efficiency around the instrument.

It is also one of the five-string bass guitars with a low b string that has high-end specs and is reasonably priced.

This electric bass has a beautiful walnut/mahogany body with a maple/walnut neck, which produces a warm sound with a bright top end. The multi-scale frets cause the low side of the bass to have a longer scale and the high side of the bass to have a shorter scale.

This might take some getting used to for first-timers, but this multi-scale design makes for better intonation and a much more comfortable experience moving between the high and the low frets.

Yamaha SRMS805 features two Bartolini BH2 pickups and these modern pickups produce a balanced tone full of clarity amidst the warmth. The tone control is also quite easy with a 3-band EQ control knob on the bass.

The Yamaha SRMS805 is recommended to experienced bass guitarists who seek a modern bass guitar beyond just a simple bass guitar.

7. Best Value Bass – Schecter Stiletto Extreme 5 Bass

SPECS

• Number of Strings: 5
• Body Material: Mahogany
• Scale Length: 35"
• Pickups: Humbucker

Schecter Stiletto Extreme 5 Bass is one of the best five-string basses for the price, and it's especially great for rock and metal.

Stiletto Extreme 5 has a mahogany body with a maple neck, and it features an eye-catching off-set body with rounded edges.

The neck is on the thinner side, and the C-shaped thin neck is handy for fast movements of the neck. With simple volume, blend, and 2-band EQ controls, the bass is pretty straightforward to use and control.

This bass is an active bass rather than a passive bass, and it requires an additional battery to function. The battery-powered Schecter Diamond Bass pickups are quite powerful pickups, and they provide a solid base for clean and distorted tones.

For bassists looking for an active bass with 5 strings, the Schecter Stiletto Extreme 5 is a reliable, affordable, and powerful bass.

8. Best Budget StringRay Bass – Sterling By Music Man Stingray RAY5 Dent 'n' Scratch Bass Guitar

SPECS

• Number of Strings: 5
• Body Material: Basswood
• Scale Length: 34"
• Pickups: Dual-Coil Ceramic Humbucker

The original StingRay basses by Music Man are out of most people's budget, and luckily there is a much cheaper version available. This might be one of the best bass guitar deals out there, and the Sterling by Music Man StingRay is sold for under $400.

Sterling By Music Man StingRay RAY5 has the same design as the original and has the iconic "banana" control plate with RAY5's unique finish options available. With a basswood body and hard maple neck, StingRay's quality is surprisingly good for its price.

StingRay RAY5 has its own 2-band active preamp system and has one humbucker pickup. Although the tone is definitely not up to the original StingRay's standards, RAY5 has a solid bass tone considering its bargain price.

Another difference to note is the tone and volume knobs in the RAY5 bass. The original StingRay has a total of 4 knobs, the RAY5 has a knob for toggling between two band preamps, as well as a tone knob and a master volume knob.

The StingRay RAY5 is suitable for beginner bass players who want to experience the StingRay bass guitar at a much cheaper price.

9. Best Simple Bass – G&L Tribute L-2000

SPECS

• Number of Strings: 4
• Body Material: Poplar with Swamp Ash top
• Scale Length: 34"
• Pickups: G&L MFD Bass Humbucker

G&L is not as well known as Fender or Gibson, but it is the third instrument company by legendary Leo Fender. Leo Fender dedicated a big chunk of his life to designing instruments for G&L, one of which is the G&L L-2000.

G&L Tribute L-2000 is an affordable tribute model to the famous G&L L-2000, and it's a rather simple-looking bass with minimal design. But don't judge a book by its cover, because this bass is one of the most versatile bass guitars ever and an all-around quality instrument.

G&L Tribute L-2000 comes with Magnetic Field Design humbuckers, and G&L's Tri-Tone Control system, which brings out so much versatility in tone. The basic setup has a warm and deep tone, and with a switch of a button, you can access much more output and roar from the bass.

If you're a fan of the legendary '80s bass - G&L L-2000, the G&L Tribute L-2000 is a great place to start your bass journey.

Best Bass Guitar Buyer's Guide

Price

The price of a bass guitar can range anything from $200 to $20,000, so knowing the price range of different bass guitars is crucial.

For example, a cheap bass guitar from a well-known brand usually ranges between $200 to $600, and there are plenty of great quality bass guitars that you can find within that price range. So complete beginner bass players should not have to go over $600 for their very first bass guitar.

On the other hand, experienced or professional bassists will usually have a specific type of bass they are looking for, and the price range can be anything from $800 to $3,000.

Therefore, be sure to do plenty of research on cheaper models before you commit to anything above your budget, and look out for those special bass guitar deals!

Type of Bass

The most popular type of bass guitar is the solid-body bass guitar, but there are other types to consider like the top-rated acoustic bass guitars or the semi-hollow bass guitars. Most likely, you would need the solid-body bass guitar, because solid-bodies are most commonly used in the styles that we know - pop, rock, jazz, metal, and more.

But the acoustic and the semi-hollow has very different bass sound and characteristics, and they might come in handy if you would like to play without an additional bass amplifier.

Scale Length

The standard scale length of a bass guitar is 34'', but there are basses that have slightly shorter or longer scale lengths. Scale length refers to the total length from the 1st fret to the guitar bridge, and a shorter scale length will mean that the distance between the frets will be shorter.

Although the standard scale length is recommended, kids and young adults who have small hands might be better suited to buy the best short-scale bass guitar for their hands size at first.

Neck Profile

There are a total of three different neck profiles - C-shaped, U-shaped, and V-shaped.

C-shaped necks are the most common nowadays, and it has a relatively thin oval shape. C-shaped necks are usually the go-to for beginner bass guitar players, and they are easy to move around and grab notes on.

U-shaped necks are thicker, and they are often referred to as "baseball bat" necks. This type of neck was popular in the early days of electric bass, and you can find this kind of neck profile on vintage bass guitars. This type of neck is only recommended for experienced players or players with bigger hands.

V-shaped necks have more angles out of three, and it is quite rare to find this kind of neck. But if you feel that the V-shaped neck is the most comfortable, you should be able to use some bass guitars with V-shaped necks.

Number of Strings

The bass guitar first came with 4 strings, basically the same as the guitar but without the two high strings. But now there are other options like the 5-string or the 6-string bass, or some even have more than 6 strings.

If you're looking to play bass lines and just groove, a 4-string bass will be more than enough. 5-string or 6-string bass guitars are recommended for those who want to solo in higher registers or want super low bass notes below the low E string.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What makes a good bass guitar?

The sole purpose of the bass guitar in a band is to provide a low-end, so a good bass guitar will have a full low-end with plenty of warmth. Great bass guitars can be both muddy or punchy, and so oftentimes, great bass guitars will have the ability to switch between multiple-tone colors with tone knobs.

Should I choose a 4-string or 5-string bass guitar?

The only difference between the two bass guitars is the low B string on the 5-string bass guitar. The extra string on the 5-string does offer a whole other range of low notes you can play, but for beginners, it can be pretty overwhelming and it can actually hinder your progress.

So, the 5-string bass guitar is only recommended for experienced bass guitarist who needs the extra range after they are comfortable with the 4-string.

What is the difference between active bass guitars and passive bass guitars?

Active pass guitars have active electronics that need an extra 9-volt battery for power. On the other hand, passive bass guitars don't require any additional power and can function on their own.

The most classic basses like the Fender Jazz Bass are passive bass guitars because they were first introduced in the 1950s. The first active bass came around in the mid-1970s, and the two types have different characteristics in tone.

Passive bass guitars are better for that vintage bass tone, and active bass guitars are better suited for rock and metal.

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at the best bass guitars in different price ranges, from Squier to Ernie Ball Music Man. Our overall best pick was the Squier '60s Jazz Bass, because of its versatile tone and great price.

If you're looking for the cheap best bass guitar for beginners that'll do the job, the Yamaha TRBX304 or the Sterling By Music Man StingRay RAY5 are also amazing options.

Finally, if you're looking for the best without any limitations on your budget, the Ernie Ball Music Man StringRay Special 4 HH or the Fender American Performer Precision Bass will be able to suit your needs.

Bass excellence starts here! Dive into the world of the best bass pickups for unparalleled tone.

Photo Courtesy Sweetwater