You have £300 and you HAVE to buy a new bass today…..

[jezzaboy]

I would spend the money on the G&L JB 2 Tribute. They are ready to go right out of the box usually, something that can`t be said of Squiers sometimes.

 

Damm, now I have GAS for one!

[Waddo Soqable]

28 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

No contest?  A G&L Tribute will kick any sub £300 Squier up the road and back down again.  Twice.

Well you pays your 300 squid and you takes your choice! 

As per the original question if I had to schlepp down the shops reasonably available to me, and buy a bass to gig tonight, I'd still grab a Squier and crack on with it 😁

[fretmeister]

Yamaha or Ibanez.

[nilorius]

Squire jazz bass.

[Matt P]

as my main bass is a short scale 5er there isn't much choice, but the Ibanez TMB35 in green was actually what i was going to buy before i had my custom built so that's what id go for,  would either spend the change on an overdrive pedal from the secondhand cabinet or a set of spare strings.

 

Matt

[Waddo Soqable]

28 minutes ago, snorkie635 said:

I'd do a Jake Blues and head to Ray's Music, pick up a G&L 2500 and ask him to take an IOU. 😉

Assuming the shop's busy-ish..

You could always ask to try the bass of your choice, then subtly meander towards the door... And do a runner.. 

[Rayman]

49 minutes ago, Crusoe said:

I'm going to play by very strict rules here and go for something my local shop shows as being in stock, so it will probably have to be the Ibanez TMB100M in mustard yellow https://matchettsmusic.com/collections/bass-guitars/products/ibanez-tmb100-mustard-yellow-1 Although I might be tempted by the Hofner Shorty, just for the fun of it.

You’re right 😕, my LTD is out of stock, so technically it doesn’t count 

[Rayman]

7 minutes ago, Rayman said:

You’re right 😕, my LTD is out of stock, so technically it doesn’t count 

I'm ok... GAK have got one in stock.... so my imaginary self is in the car on the way to grab it....

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

On Wednesday this week I spent exactly £300 on a secondhand Squier Classic Vibe Competition Orange Mustang which had been upgraded with a Fender Vintera Mustang Pickup, so I guess that's my answer.

 

Today I have radiused the fingerboard edges with an ultrafine sanding pad and given the fingerboard some Dunlop 65. I'm currently awaiting a delivery of slug repellant copper tape to keep slugs out of the the electronics,.I also have a set of Wilkinson tuners for it and a set of ECB81M Chromes to put on.

[EBS_freak]

No brainer. Squier

 

A nice story...

 

[Woodinblack]

Easy one - I went to andertons and put in 5 string basses under £300 and there were only 5, so I would get the Ibanez TMB35, seeing as I already have one and I have already gigged it.

 

[Bassassin]

It'd be the nicest-playing Jazz or Jazz copy that was within budget. Probably end up with a Squier Affinity, or maybe a Classic Vibe if there was a sale on.

[tauzero]

Ideally, a Cort or Ibanez but it would mean talking Fair Deal down from their already cut price. There's a rather smaller selection of 5-strings than 4-strings in the bargain prices section. I've had a Squier 5-string and didn't like the neck (I think it was P-based so I would still try a Jazz 5 to see if it was better), but I do like the necks of Ibanezes and Corts.

[3below]

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

.... To paraphrase ole Winston "never before,  in the field of human bass playing, has so much been available to so many,  for so little.."

as per @TheGreek, so many good choices, however given the context of the original post, I suspect the choice will be made for me: what do the local shops have available? and how much time do I have?

[snorkie635]

41 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Assuming the shop's busy-ish..

You could always ask to try the bass of your choice, then subtly meander towards the door... And do a runner.. 

Under the long coat and walk out like Rolf Harris singing 'Jake the Peg'.

[Waddo Soqable]

Just now, snorkie635 said:

Under the long coat and walk out like Rolf Harris singing 'Jake the Peg'.

Bass sorted... Then you've still got 300 nicker to spend on "liquor & drugs" as Mr Pop would say... 😁

[LeftyJ]

Lefty here. Wish me luck. 

 

 

 

 

 

Probably a black Ibanez GSR by lack of anything else, if the local stores carry anything at all.

Edited May 5, 2023 by LeftyJ

[Waddo Soqable]

1 minute ago, LeftyJ said:

Lefty here. Wish me luck. 

Mate, change the strings over and flip it.... 

( you might have to buy a cheapo little file or hacksaw blade for the nut from Toolstation or something too...) 

[LeftyJ]

2 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Mate, change the strings over and flip it.... 

( you might have to buy a cheapo little file or hacksaw blade for the nut from Toolstation or something too...) 

That would work, in case of emergency, but would feel like throwing away 300 GBP when I could have bought a bass that I'll use more than once 

[Waddo Soqable]

On a slight tangent, doesn't the bloke from The Fortunes play an upside down bass with the strings still the "wrong way round"? 

[miles'tone]

2 hours ago, ezbass said:

£300 doesn’t get much from a physical store, otherwise Thomann and an HB of some sort would be in play. It would need to playable and reliable straight out of the box and that shouts Yamaha to me, so a TRBX of some description, probably this one…

 

 

At £259 I reckon that’d do very nicely.

This exactly the bass that came to mind!

I played one in a shop and it was a good bass. The mango wood looks nicer again in real life.

[Rich]

Probably this Ibby TMB30-MGR 4. Or if I needed a 5, the GSR205B.

[paul_c2]

"Squier Classic Vibe" would be the obvious choice, except I can't find one under about £329 NEW. Sure, secondhand is no bother, nor is getting an Affinity model. If anyone can find a Classic Vibe under £300 they're doing well.

 

I'd probably just try whatever the shop had in 4 string basses from Yamaha, Ibanez or Squier (Affinity) and go for the one which felt the best to play. I've never played a Yamaha and only once an Ibanez so I really don't know what they're like.

[thodrik]

Probably this. £229 at Andertons. Great upper fret access, lightweight and great looks. 

[SumOne]

Ibanez SR 300