Best Cheap Bass Guitar – Top Choices for Under $300

Body Shape, Finish, and Weight

First off, bass guitars are notorious for being hefty and heavy, so it is important to set your expectations, especially if you’re getting one for a child. Even cheap basses tend to be on the heavy side. This is where body profile, size, and curvature help; the general idea is to get one that will be reasonably comfortable.

But it’s not just about being comfortable; having a bass guitar that appeals to the eyes can spell the difference between forced and inspired practice. So it is important to get the look that you, or your child, prefer right from the start. If you’re not sure which style to go for, the safest route is to get one that looks like the bass guitar of you or your student’s favorite bassists.

Playability

Regardless of the types of string instruments you play, there’s no downplaying the importance of good playability. There are multiple factors that dictate playability for bass guitars, one of which is Scale Length. It is basically the distance that your strings are stretched out, and as such it indicates the tension of the strings. The most common scale length for bass is 34″, because it has just the right balance of tension and tone. Other basses can have a scale length that is as short as 30″ or a little less, which significantly reduces string tension, ideal for young players or for those who want a musical instrument that’s smaller and easier to play.

Fingerboard Radius, which indicates the curvature or flatness of the fingerboard, is an important playability specification that you should look at. Although the fretboard may look basically flat at first glance, most of them are actually curved outward. Higher radius fingerboards are closer to being flat. Ibanez is known for their 12″ fingerboard radius, which is one of the flattest, while traditional bases have a lower radius that results in more curve. Flatter 12” and up fingerboards are ideal for beginners and younger players. The Nut Width tells you how far apart the strings are spaced, the narrower the nut width is, the easier it is for smaller hands to reach each string. The Neck Profile describes the shape of the back of the neck, the thinner and flatter, the easier it is to play, but there are some who prefer fatter necks for better grip. A bass guitar with a good cutaway at the neck joint allows for easier access to the upper frets.

String Action refers to the height of strings above the fretboard. It’s a specification that’s not always directly given by the manufacturer because it can vary for each instrument. Beginners will want those with low action but not too low to avoid “fret buzz,”  which means that the vibration of your string is hitting the frets. Some buyers report “fret buzz” in new bass guitars, and although this can be annoying, it can be fixed by raising the action (adjusting the strings to be higher off the fretboard). There are those who prefer a slightly raised action for better intonation control of each note as you press the strings, and better overall string resonance as well. Whichever string action you prefer, you have to know how to tune a bass guitar. Another important factor for string action is Bass String Gauges.

Bass Pickups

Being an electric instrument, bass pickups dictate most of the instrument’s resulting sound. As expected in the bass guitar price in this range, what you’re getting are affordable reproductions of pickups found in the best bass guitars. Single Coil pickups are the most common because of their crisp and detailed sound, which reproduces classic bass tones as heard on countless tracks from the past. Split-single coil pickups are often labeled as “P” style pickups since they were first used in the Fender Precision bass. The other popular pickup type is called the “J” style, which follows the Fender Jazz Bass pickup design. They have two magnetic poles assigned per string. Humbuckers generally sound warmer and fatter and are widely used in modern rock and metal. If you don’t have experience or a particular preference yet, then again, just go for the pickup configuration used by your favorite bassists.

Most of the basses in this price range have Passive pickups and electronics, which means they do not require a battery and have limited tone shaping options. Active basses with Active pickups and electronics allow for more tone shaping but require a 9V battery to properly function.

Bass Amps, Cables, and Other Gear

The bass guitars we feature here do not stand alone; they require at least a 1/4″ cable and a bass amp to get their sound out, so if you want to be able to use your bass, you’ll need to have at least these two items ready. There is also other gear that you can plug your bass guitar into, gear that can apply effects, improve your sound, and amplify your sound. These include bass pedals, bass preamps, PA Systems, audio interfaces, and more.