Hi all, looks like I’ll be looking for a new bass sooner than expected as the barging bucket second hand one I bought to do the course has already started fallen apart!
I want to stick to the P bass style as I like the sound and simplicity of them.
Any advice ? Here in the UK it looks like my options are a Mexican Fender, a used made in Japan Fender or something more exotic like a Sandberg California II or Maruszczyk Jake, any one got any experience / thoughts on these? I plan to try some out at the weekend, I think the shop I am visiting also has some G & L stuff as well so perhaps they would be worth having a go on?
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If you’re not looking to spend too much you might look into a Harley Benton from Thomann. I have a '54 style P bass from them and a Jaco style fretless Jazz bass from them and both are very good.
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If you are looking for a P bass, you should have oodles of choices really! All the way from low budget to high end… From the brand names you were dropping it seems you are going for the higher end!? Anyway, maybe you could tell us what you had envisioned spending on the instrument, and this might help us provide better suggestions for you!?
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Everything you mentioned is great equipment. You’re on the right track by going to get your hands on stuff. I recommend trying every bass in the store. Especially the stuff you don’t think you would like. Sometimes it can surprise you.
What I have done and still do…
How does the body feel against you?
How does the neck feel? Low end, high end, middle?
How does it feel to play in those positions?
How does it sound in those positions?
When you find something that feels right for the above questions…
Set it aside, grab a different bass, and see what feels different, better, or worse.
The idea is to find a base line for what you like, so you have something to compare to.
Don’t underestimate getting something that looks awesome.
I want a bass that is pleasing to my eye, my ear, and my body.
Good luck. Tell us how it goes. 
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Good advice there. I’d recommend looking at P/J as well as you get the best of both worlds for versatility, and can turn it into a P Bass by twisting a knob 
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I’ve owned a Mexican Fender P bass and it was very nice.
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In regards to deciding if the bass literally feels good to you. A key point IMO is to bring the strap you use with you and make sure you are “wearing” the bass like you would to preform when trying it out. If you have strap locks, this can be a pain, but taking the effort to remove them and making sure the bass feels good could potentially save you a lot of money in the end.
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Many thanks for all your advice. I was dead keen on a P bass and was able to try out a Japanese an American one and German clone but taking on board the PJ comment and knowing that the P bass is pretty much a one trick pony I also tried out a broad bass which I really like and decided on. You can get it to do the P bass sound by using it in passive mode selecting the neck pick up and rolling off the tone (think I’ll be mostly leaving it like that) but it also has some versatility with an extra pick up and active mode. Pretty happy - and the cheapest option I looked at
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Yay, another Yamaha
You get a BB734? I forget which one has active/passive.
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Hi Howard, yep thats the one. It seems really good value compared to the Fenders but still looks like a classic bass guitar with the similar headstock.
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It’s a great bass.
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Haven’t stopped playing it since I got it home
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Thanks, and thanks for the advice. I had to go back to the Yamaha after trying some others and the feel of the neck did it for me, it has an odd satin type paint on it which I really like its quite grippy unlike the shiny gloss type varnish on other basses and its also a thin neck so easy to play.
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I just bought a Squier PJ from local dealer $160 matching Musician’s Friend sale price. Also picked up the Fender Rumble 15 to practice on. So far so good! Both for about $200. Not bad.
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