Favourite budget p bass

[Schnozzalee]

I used to hang around with JJs son at university, who was an excellent drummer (and great on a night out). 

 

If you really wanted that sound, I'd be looking for an ash body. I can't remember if the pickup was made for Jon Shuker, or if Jon wound them himself, but there's plenty of aggressive options.

[rushbo]

I'm a huge fan of Squier PJ basses. The Indonesian models are absolutely superb and (IMHO) are as good as any Mexi Fender equivalent. They're also great modding platforms, too.

[Paddy777]

I haven’t read the whole thread but Sire P5 and P5R’s (rosewood board instead of

roasted maple and slightly improved pickup on the P5R) are astoundingly good value for money second hand. Better than a lot of much more expensive stuff, and the 5 string version is great too if it’s your thing - great B especially for a passive. 

[Bassassin]

Not really a P player but I'm a sucker for black/black/maple, with a cream DiMarzio Model P for preference. Proper 70s rock machine look, & I'd definitely concede a JJ influence in there. Doubt I'd have picked up a bass without his influence.

 

My one's a pretty rare 70s Japanese copy (Daion performer) which I paid about £100 for. It did need a bit of tidying.

 

[Rayman]

Sunn Mustang

 

[diskwave]

My old Sq VM P bass. Kinda about the most boring instrument ever made. Perfectly put together, basswood body, feels  like a toy, doesn't really have the Fender vibe but, with those Duncan factory PU's its all the bass I need. Nothings ever failed, fallen off or gone south. 

[Ed_S]

On 29/08/2024 at 09:49, Ed_S said:

I really want a white one that's just a single P, and I keep looking at the Fazley equivalent and wondering whether to do it all again. I know I'd probably be miles better off just buying a Sire P5R-5 and leaving it alone, but that's not as interesting.

 

Well, I decided that for the sake of £165 I'd give the Fazley a try. Have to admit my first impression was mostly confusion that they'd sent two of them instead of just the one I ordered, but I took the opportunity to choose the one I wanted to keep - call it compensation for having to mess about sending the other back. One had a more interesting grain pattern in the neck and fingerboard, but also a few finish glitches. Most importantly, though, that one was a full half-kilo heavier than the other (4.3kg vs 3.8kg) so I've kept the light one with the boring neck, and will now set about bolting bits and pieces to it. All looks pretty decent for the price anyway, in the spirit of the thread.

[zonular]

Love it !  Sending it back must have been a pain. Did they realise or had you been charged twice?

[Ed_S]

24 minutes ago, zonular said:

Love it !  Sending it back must have been a pain. Did they realise or had you been charged twice?

Nah, only charged me once. Don’t know whether or not they would have realised eventually, but right’s right so I just rang them and told them - asked for a return label to send one back. The post office isn’t far away, but for some reason the staff aren’t fond of boxes that size. 🙂 

[neepheid]

5 minutes ago, Ed_S said:

Nah, only charged me once. Don’t know whether or not they would have realised eventually, but right’s right so I just rang them and told them - asked for a return label to send one back. The post office isn’t far away, but for some reason the staff aren’t fond of boxes that size. 🙂 

 

I'll take it if they don't want it

 

[Seadunk]

The Squire Sonic's are really good for the money also. I have a Burst Sonic which cost me £155 from GAK. It also has a Jazz spec maple neck as standard and the frets were so good out the box. I changed out the pickguard for gold alu one, shielded it, put some Olympia flats on it and fitted some Jazz knobs. 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2024 by Seadunk

[meterman]

Can confirm the Squier Sonic Precisions are excellent for the money. Mine cost £100 secondhand.

 

The only changes I made was to swap the neck from my Squier Jazz bass because I prefer darker fretboards, and put some La Bella flats on it. Oh, and a tugbar cause I use them. For £150 all in, I’ve got a super lightweight, excellent sounding Precision. Don’t need to upgrade the tuners or the bridge or the pickups, it’s fine as it is. Probably one of the best bass buys I’ve ever had.

 

 

[zonular]

I'll keep an eye out for the sonic so! 

I've done the opposite of this thread, saw a Harley Benton jazz gotoh, with a mod series/parallel switch in my price range, so going to add a passive bass to the collection and pop some flats on.

 

I'll still hunt for a p bass too (I promise)

[stewblack]

Harley Benton. Just so much better than the price point they sell them at. i have a couple of Squier basses and there's no comparison. Not that the Squiers are bad, just not in the same league.