Misdee Posted October 12, 2020 Posted October 12, 2020 I want to buy a relatively inexpensive but decent new bass as a gift for someone and I want to make the right choice. I am a bit out of touch with that end of the market nowadays . On my shortlist so far are an Ibanez Talman and a Harley Benton PJ-74. Any other suggestions very gratefully received. Quote
Burns-bass Posted October 12, 2020 Posted October 12, 2020 I recently picked up a Talman bass for a great price (£80 Unused) and it’s wonderful for the price point. It’s a full-size bass and sounds just brilliant. Quote
Misdee Posted October 12, 2020 Author Posted October 12, 2020 2 minutes ago, Burns-bass said: I recently picked up a Talman bass for a great price (£80 Unused) and it’s wonderful for the price point. It’s a full-size bass and sounds just brilliant. Cheers, very good to know that. It looks like a strong contender. Quote
Burns-bass Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 10 hours ago, Misdee said: Cheers, very good to know that. It looks like a strong contender. It’s a little heavier than other basses, but it’s very well made. My suggestion would be to keep an eye on the Thomann bargains section. They recently had a Talman for £130 (including delivery). That’s a steal. Quote
PaulThePlug Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 (edited) That '74 looks classic n' classy ... Edited October 13, 2020 by PaulThePlug Quote
Misdee Posted October 13, 2020 Author Posted October 13, 2020 3 hours ago, PaulThePlug said: That '74 looks classic n' classy ... Yes, it does seem to tick a lot of the right boxes ie Fender style, decent materials ect. Can basses this kind of price be acceptable quality, that is the question I keep asking myself. I've looked at some YT vids and it seems that yes, they can . Quote
Paul S Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 My nomination goes to the Harley Benton Shorty P bass. A nothing-short-of-miraculous £80 new. Stick on a blindfold and I'd be hard pushed to think a bass of this quality didn't cost £4-500. I've had just the one gig since Covid and I used it for this, sounded brilliant. Just like how an old school P bass should sound. Short scale, weighs next to nothing. I fully intended to change hardware/pickup etc but, actually, I don't need to. The tuners aren't the best but they do the job. The only thing I am changing is the scratch plate as I don't like white ones on black basses, but that is me. Quote
Misdee Posted October 13, 2020 Author Posted October 13, 2020 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Paul S said: My nomination goes to the Harley Benton Shorty P bass. A nothing-short-of-miraculous £80 new. Stick on a blindfold and I'd be hard pushed to think a bass of this quality didn't cost £4-500. I've had just the one gig since Covid and I used it for this, sounded brilliant. Just like how an old school P bass should sound. Short scale, weighs next to nothing. I fully intended to change hardware/pickup etc but, actually, I don't need to. The tuners aren't the best but they do the job. The only thing I am changing is the scratch plate as I don't like white ones on black basses, but that is me. Cheers, I'm having a look right now! Edited October 13, 2020 by Misdee Quote
ezbass Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 4 hours ago, PaulThePlug said: That '74 looks classic n' classy ... Agreed. A decent set up probably needed, but still a good looking bass for very little money. Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 22 hours ago, Misdee said: I want to buy a relatively inexpensive but decent new bass as a gift for someone and I want to make the right choice. I am a bit out of touch with that end of the market nowadays . On my shortlist so far are an Ibanez Talman and a Harley Benton PJ-74. Any other suggestions very gratefully received. If a Squier is out of reach, I don't think you can go far wrong with either of those. Quote
Misdee Posted October 13, 2020 Author Posted October 13, 2020 11 hours ago, lownote12 said: Revelation? I've had a look , but they re a bit on the heavy side, apparently. Quote
Misdee Posted October 13, 2020 Author Posted October 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said: If a Squier is out of reach, I don't think you can go far wrong with either of those. I am finding it a bit hard to get my head round the idea that you can get a decent instrument in the sub-£200 range ( let alone sub-£100!). I came up in a time when cheap basses were truly awful. Funnily enough( ironically enough...) , the last bass I bought that cost less than £200 was a Squier JV Series Jazz Bass, which cost me the princely sum of £185 in 1983. Should have kept it, I know, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. 🙁 No one ever suspected at the time that they would become so sought-after. " Quote
karrlander Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 I just bought a PJ74. Amazing bass for the money. The neck feels great and the setup was really good. I probably change the pickups, they are not bad, I just want a different tone. Found a set of half rounds that worked really well on it. I can really recommend it! Quote
Geek99 Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 8 hours ago, Misdee said: Yes, it does seem to tick a lot of the right boxes ie Fender style, decent materials ect. Can basses this kind of price be acceptable quality, that is the question I keep asking myself. I've looked at some YT vids and it seems that yes, they can . Emphatically yes Quote
Misdee Posted October 13, 2020 Author Posted October 13, 2020 1 minute ago, karrlander said: I just bought a PJ74. Amazing bass for the money. The neck feels great and the setup was really good. I probably change the pickups, they are not bad, I just want a different tone. Found a set of half rounds that worked really well on it. I can really recommend it! As far as HB are concerned, I really fancy both the PJ-74 and the Shorty. 1 Quote
karrlander Posted October 14, 2020 Posted October 14, 2020 8 hours ago, Misdee said: As far as HB are concerned, I really fancy both the PJ-74 and the Shorty. I was thinking about getting a Fender Aerodyne, wanted a PJ configuration with a jazz-like neck. But there are nowhere to try one in Sweden so I bought this to see If the PJ really was what I wanted. Change the pups and maybe change to a jazz neck as well. But I really like the feel as it is. New pups are in the mail but the neck will stay. Have started to do some relic work on it and the plans of an Aerodyne is slowly fading away. This will be a perfect compliment to my Fender Mustang for a lot less money. Quote
Drax Posted October 14, 2020 Posted October 14, 2020 11 hours ago, Misdee said: I am finding it a bit hard to get my head round the idea that you can get a decent instrument in the sub-£200 range ( let alone sub-£100!). I came up in a time when cheap basses were truly awful. That's globalisation and CNC for you... Can't go wrong with a Harley Benton. 1 Quote
hooky_lowdown Posted October 14, 2020 Posted October 14, 2020 Get any Yamaha, the cheapest right through to the most expensive are superbly made, necks are lovely to play. Simply put, you can't go wrong with a Yamaha. 😀 1 Quote
TheGreek Posted October 14, 2020 Posted October 14, 2020 The choice of "good basses" in your price range is a probably the best it's ever been. As mention above, in "the good old days", "cheap" meant poorly made. Now you can pick up good basses for virtually nothing - the list is extensive - Revelation, HB, Yamaha, Sire, Squier, ad infinitum. If I was starting over again I too would be overwhelmed with what to buy - lots of recommendations for most of this gear - just a case of choosing one and jumping in. Quote
Misdee Posted October 14, 2020 Author Posted October 14, 2020 5 hours ago, hooky_lowdown said: Get any Yamaha, the cheapest right through to the most expensive are superbly made, necks are lovely to play. Simply put, you can't go wrong with a Yamaha. 😀 I'm a big fan of Yamaha BB basses, in fact I would say they are just about my favourite. The sub-£200 Yamaha basses are not that attractive to me, but I take your point. Quote
Misdee Posted October 14, 2020 Author Posted October 14, 2020 5 hours ago, TheGreek said: The choice of "good basses" in your price range is a probably the best it's ever been. As mention above, in "the good old days", "cheap" meant poorly made. Now you can pick up good basses for virtually nothing - the list is extensive - Revelation, HB, Yamaha, Sire, Squier, ad infinitum. If I was starting over again I too would be overwhelmed with what to buy - lots of recommendations for most of this gear - just a case of choosing one and jumping in. Yes , back in the day ,cheap basses used to be a waste of money. Now it seems you can get something very worthwhile for not a lot of dough. Just another example of where the snowflake generation really don't know how well-off they are .😄 Quote
P-Belly Evans Posted October 14, 2020 Posted October 14, 2020 (edited) 22 hours ago, Misdee said: As far as HB are concerned, I really fancy both the PJ-74 and the Shorty. There is also the Harley Benton MB4 SB deluxe, if you fancy a passive Ray a like. Yours for 107 english pounds Edited October 14, 2020 by P-Belly Evans 1 Quote
Misdee Posted October 15, 2020 Author Posted October 15, 2020 On 14/10/2020 at 18:54, P-Belly Evans said: There is also the Harley Benton MB4 SB deluxe, if you fancy a passive Ray a like. Yours for 107 english pounds I had a look at them on YT , amazing value and great sound, but they are meant to be a bit on the heavy side according to some folks. Quote
Little Dragon Posted October 15, 2020 Posted October 15, 2020 On 14/10/2020 at 18:54, P-Belly Evans said: There is also the Harley Benton MB4 SB deluxe, if you fancy a passive Ray a like. Yours for 107 english pounds If they were available in a plain colour, I would! Quote
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