Best Bass Guitar Brands

Lounge
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Saw this.

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Interesting. I don’t have experience with probably… half of those brands, if not more. I’m a big Ibanez fan, but even I probably wouldn’t have put it at #1.

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I stopped reading when I see that the number 1 is Ibanez. It’s not that kind of list I guess.

Edit: I went back and scroll through the list, I don’t know I’d agree with the list. I couldn’t follow their logic?

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Who’s the target audience? Clearly not the high end of the market. For that,the list is okay.

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Current left handed (LH) availability for the basses mentioned in that article:
1. Ibanez - The AGB200 mentioned is not available in LH, but SR300 & GSR200 are (SR505EL, SR300EBL, SR305EBL, GSR200BL, TMB100L, and GSRM20L “miKro” are the LH models offered now)
2. Schecter - I could not find a “C-5 Apocalypse” model on the Schecter website, whether in LH OR RH (there was a PT Apocalypse, though, in RH); the C-4 GT & C-5 GT models do come in LH, in Satin Trans Purple (non-apocalyptically, unless you consider purple apocalyptic - nah!).
3. Fender - No LH Mustangs or American Ultra Series. But, you can get Player Precision and Jazz models, and American Professional II Jazz and Precision models in LH.
4. Rickenbacker - Although Sweetwater doesn’t usually carry them, they say “we can get it” for the 4003 (Jetglo black stereo) and 4003S (Fireglo in stereo or non-stereo) in LH, none of which seem to be shown on the Rickenbacker website.
5. Warwick - Has a decent amount of LH basses, mostly Rock Bass Corvettes and some others - you just have to look for them (or see my list).
:-1:6. Yamaha - No LH basses at all.
7. Danelectro - The Longhorn bass is available in LH.
8. Ernie Ball Music Man - The (sold out) Stingray Special H and HH models come in LH, and the Sterling comes in LH; but the Bongos do not.
:-1:9. Gretsch - The G2220 Junior Jet Bass II is RH only; Gretsch doesn’t show any LH on their site.
10. Lakland - No LH in the Skyline series mentioned, but USA Series has several, if you’ve got a few thousand USD.
:-1:11. Jackson - No LH basses.
12. Spector - The “Performer” model mentioned doesn’t come in LH. But, the Bantam 4 short scale does. The NS Legend 4 Classic and NS Legend 5 Classic come in LH with no upcharge. The Euro models (made in the Czech Republic) can be had in LH, for a 10% additional charge.
:-1:13. Charvel - None of Charvel’s basses seem to come in LH.
14. Guild - No Starfire II in LH, but there is a LH Starfire I in cherry red.
:-1:15. Strandberg - Does not seem to offer models in LH
16. Gibson - No SG Standard bass in LH, only the Les Paul Junior Tribute DC bass.
17. ESP - No LTD Frank Bello FBJ-400, but ESP does offer others in the LTD line in LH. plus the Phoenix-1004 (see my list).

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If it’s aiming at new bass player then it would be Squier, ibanez, Yamaha, schecter, sterling, may be Harley Benton. Then what’s Rickenbucker, Musicman, Warwick and strandberg doing on the list?

Fender has much stronger impact in both the origin of the instruments and volume sold as well as price range. They set the tone and everyone else follow the price category. I’d put Fender at number one since their list has made do little sense.

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It’s a bit of a weird article. You might as well call it a list of companies that sell basses. Add a few more and you got everything covered :laughing:

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So again, yet more confusion for the beginner bassist. It can be a little overwhelming to choose gear when you don’t really know what it does…

I get that they probably had some sort of research on this. Maybe it’s total units sold for a specific time or something? I can’t say.

I am not a fender fan. I’ve never owned one. Never even played one. I simply think they are unappealing. That being said, i think they would have to top this list of it made sense. They’ve got the history, their product is proven, and most folks love them.

There’s still an Ibanez es300 here. My grandson plays it. I still play it. It’s a fantastic instrument. It’s everything a beginner bassist needs and more-and it was affordable at under 400 u.s.d.

Does that mean it tops any lists? Is it a clear winner? I cant really think so-there is great stuff out there.

This article hurt my head.

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I think this list was made as long as possible to include more advertisements. Including every recognizable brand was probably good for getting clicks from the Google algorithms.

I like that dog better than that list. That is a cute dog.

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That dog @eric.kiser is awesome and I know it from this meme.

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:rofl: :joy: :rofl:

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The article was literally a list of “Here’s all the bass brands we sell ads to.”

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I like the dog. This made me laugh because i already look like shrek on a bad hair day. I probably look a lot like this when talking about this.

I’ve played a couple fender p-bass knockoffs. The parts i dont like are the open tuners and the neck. Those necks feel like They are a 2×4 in my hand. Meanwhile there are so many brands that offer really thin, fast necks-this is a plus when you got fat, stubby sausage fingers.

This isn’t fender hatred. And it also isn’t unwarranted criticism. I’ve got a rumble 25 here and i love it. It’s a great little amp that doesn’t give up and didn’t break the bank.

But i still think i look like that dog😁

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Although I don’t like Sire necks, their basses are maybe the best value/price at this moment. Why they are not in such list is beyond me.

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The article’s list is extremely questionable.

As for Sire, their basses are of outstanding value, whether measured by price point, materials quality, finish, or attention to detail.

Their necks come in a variety of depths and fingerboard radii, from vintage to modern, and they play very easily. Overall, damn good instruments.

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I wouldn’t even say it is good enough to be questionable. It’s simply a laundry list of all the manufacturers the author could think to try and sell ads to.

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Do they? I have 1 and tried 4 more Sires and at that time all had their signature rolled fretboard on a slim neck and that’s a no-no for me. (I just really prefer humongous, “blocky” p-bass necks)

So, I don’t follow Sire anymore atm. so I don’t know their current lineup but it doesn’t change the fact that these instruments are great, so I simply have to mention them on such occasions.

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Exactly this. Two paragraphs to describe a brand is just silly. This is just clickbait.

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Yep. One of the dumbest things on the internet are lists that rank things. They succeed because people assign some sort of authority to the list makers. I always assume that list makers are people who have discovered that lists get people to read through them because they want to see if it confirms the bias that they already have, or shows that the listmaker is biased.
They’re complete farces. Ignore them and watch people who are clueless to having their emotions exploited, argue over them.

OR, for more fun, make your own list and watch people agree with you and disagree with you. Manipulate the great unwashed by yourself.

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