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The best low-cost bass guitars
Submitted by Jason on Tue, 04/16/2013 - 23:02.
Just letting everyone know that we've done a roundup of the best cheap bass guitars which you can read at http://www.guitarsite.com/cheap-bass-guitar/
That's a great little round up, Jason and I don't disagree with a word of it. Hopefully, Scott (US Gold) will have a read as he's in the market. The Yamaha and Ibanez are worth considering if the "trad" look is unimportant or not one's thing. Rondo's SX Ursa range - not just the short scale - has some outstanding bargains for the price point. Unfortunately, they've changed the headstock (presumably under Fender pressure) to something quite ugleee - making 2nd hand SXs an even better buy.
If I were Stateside, I'd be very tempted by their Douglas Pisces ('54 P style or "Sting" bass), put in a Fender RI pup and get the bandsaw out to fashion a Tele-like headstock.
http://www.rondomusic.com/pisces2ts.html
Hey 1Bass, yes I looked at the rondomusic page, the prices on ursa2's are exceptional, and they offer a maple neck/fretboard model the type I think I want, if I can't find a decent pawn shop squire jb soon I may just buy one from them.Naturally I expect to have to do a complete setup on a guitar at this price, but I am tempted by getting all new for used price, have also been looking at their tele's since they were mentioned in guitarsites low cost guitar listing, at these prices even if I need to hodrod them they're still a bargain, I expect they are chineese, but except for questioning the quality of the electronics I am sure the chineese can build a just fine body/finish, my Stagg LP is proof of that to me.
The funny thing is how rarely a Rondo instrument (SX, Brice, Douglas) comes up s/h on Craig's list or ebay. From what I read on fora, those who buy them as a starter or a backup tend to keep them; maybe upgrading the parts. There are a couple of bassists on Yootoob (Coopy is my fave) who get them in pawnstores, stick in a Chinese dirt-cheap preamp and maybe a beefier bridge (tbf, the US Fenders have awful tin bridges) and really make them fly. Just type "modified SX" into Youtube's search.
I've long kept them in mind but the shipping to Blighty makes it less worthwhile. Back in the noughties, I think they had a Korean place make them but it's now China. Proper woods and the CNC routers should make it a minor setup at most and, I've read, Kurt at Rondo has refunded some right gripers who really should have given a bit of slack for the price.
Their Tele guitars are also easy candidates for a headstock mod if it bothered enough.
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