Basses reviews from Reddit

Summary

We analyzed 250 Reddit reviews across 8 subreddits and 42 posts to rank the best Basses brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/BassGuitar, r/Bass, r/guitarpedals, r/doommetal, r/JazzFusion. Top-rated brands include Yamaha (4.6/5), Ibanez (4.4/5), Sire (4.8/5).

Stats

Reviews250

Subreddits8

Posts42

Brands35

Products82

Top communities

r/BassGuitar122 r/Bass105 r/guitarpedals10 r/doommetal6 r/JazzFusion3

250 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Yamaha

4.6

(45)

"The Yamaha TRBX504 or 505 are probably some of the best quality modern humbucker basses you can get for about $500."

"I love yamaha, great quality product without breacking the bank."

"I have one, and it’s actually the bass play the most live now."

"My Yamahas have been the most reliable and best value of everything I’ve owned."

"I bought it about a year ago for £250 and I love it."

"Tone is stellar and the producer told me 30 times how great it is to record Yamahas."

"Better build quality, better neck and super cool twists like the miter joint and the string through with the 45 degree angle."

"Best neck I ever played."

"Best value for money by far."

"I have a 735A. I love it."

Ibanez

4.4

(44)

"Ibanez are generally very high quality, you won't find many complaints about them."

"Ibanez 100%."

"SR basses are comfortable, lightweight, and very versatile"

"Ibanez first of all."

"At this price range Ibanez is king."

"Those Ibanez standards are so amazing honestly. The squiers aren’t bad but the balance and comfort of the Ibanez is a total game changer"

"Deeeeeef the Ibanez SR300E-IPT is great too"

"Bought my Ibanez used like 10-15 years ago. It went though so much abuse and missuse but still playes and sounds good. These are basses are indestuctable."

"You cant go wrong with an ibanez. I've had everything from the gios right up to the flagship ehbs and the quality has always been top notch for the money."

"Ibanez all day."

Sire

4.8

(24)

"Sire is definitely a very good shout."

"Sire basses are the best value play IMO. I’m not sure what kind she plays, but I would look at a V7, P5/P7, or Z7."

"I bought a Sire V7 five years ago, it can easily compete with Fender."

"You can't go wrong with the Z3, the quality is stunning for that price range"

"For me the Z3 is close enough - I mainly care for ergonomics and sound In that it both delivers very well"

"Sire basses have stellar value for the price"

"I bought a Sire V5 three weeks ago, and I can not put it down. Fantastic bang for the buck."

"Just get the Sire z3 they’re way better value for the price"

"Sire makes great basses. You'll be happy with either of those."

"I love my Z7 5 string. Gets all the Stingray goodness I need."

Fender

4.3

(21)

"That CV60 is gorgeous."

"I have a CV 60s P Bass that's just incredible."

"I settled on a CV 60s P Bass which plays like an instrument 3-4 times the price. It's a FANTASTIC bass."

"Mustang, I dig the PJ pickups."

"P and Jazz Basses all the way. They’re essentially perfect."

"I've got one of these in sea foam green, great bass."

"Ermm.. that would be a fender jazz bass."

"J bass ftw. extra points if you use bridge PU á la Jaco."

"Get a p bass"

"CV60"

Squier

3.9

(15)

"Shout out for the amazing Squier Classic Vibe basses. A lot of bang for your buck."

"I bought a Squier Classic Vibe P Bass last year as my first bass and I don’t think I’ll ever need another."

"I would get a squier classic vibe p bass to start with"

"Thomann has a ton, for the price limit I'd look at Harley Benton, Yamaha, Ibanez, Squier, or Sire Marcus Miller."

"Squier 40th Anniversary Jazz Bass >"

"The Squier CV 70's is the choice to take"

"Is this your first ? Then I would say go with the Squier 60s 4 string."

"If not, and you want a 5, the main difference between that Squier 5 and the Ibanez 5 is going to be tone."

"The Squier sounds much more like basses on the old Motown and funk records."

"I’d go Squier if that is your budget."

Warwick

4.1

(11)

"My go to brands for metal are: warwick, ibanez, spector..."

"I had a Warwick years ago. Best bass I ever owned!"

"My Warwick is my number one."

"Warwick does jazz and metal perfectly."

"Warwick."

"They’re great basses, absolutely."

"Not a huge Warwick fan, but this is sexy."

"Warwicks I think you either love them or hate them."

"I’d take a look at Warwick."

"Warwicks are very specific basses. I know people who just love them and some that can't even get close to them."

Jack Casady

4.1

(10)

"I’ve played several semihollow basses, but have only owned 2. The Jack Casady has been my favorite, so far."

"I have a JC bass and I’m exceptionally happy with it. All the things you’d want from a hollow body - warm, round, full."

"I own a Jack Casady Bass and absolutely love it, would highly recommend."

"I love my Jack Cassidy. Got it set up with flatwounds and a new leather strap."

"I owned a Jack Casady for a few years. It was very versatile, and even handled slap & pop well."

"I would personally take the JC over the Guild, I actually just bought one. The Guild is pretty similar but a bit more comfortable and better balanced."

"I have the Jack Casady and I was surprised at how well it played and sounded with some flats on, given the price point."

"I had both, the Casady by a mile."

"I love my JCB but I had to do a lot to make it stop neck diving."

"If you play any modern genre, I can’t recommend the Casady. I finally got to try one and was super disappointed."

Rickenbacker

4.3

(7)

"Any Precision Bass or the legendary Rickenbacker works pretty well for Doom Metal."

"Rickenbacker"

"I snagged the jackenbacker for $350 usd at a local gc."

"If you're going for Cliff’s tone, then you might as well get a Rickenbacker lol."

"From as aesthetic perspective? Hard to go wrong with a Rickenbacher."

"Rickenbacker or a Gibson RD"

"There’s a lot of love for the Rickenbacher, the Thunderbird and P-basses in doom metal."

Schecter

4.2

(6)

"I happen to like Schecter."

"Schecter basses are in my view getting into that ratio, with the higher end Schecter ($1400-1600) playing easily as well as basses in the mid to low high tier basses ($3200-4000)."

"Schecter is pretty nice for the money."

"Schecter"

"At that price; Schecter, ESP/LTD, and Ibanez all make solid basses with 2 humbuckers and good tone controls."

"Schecter and Mexican Fenders are the way to go."

#10

Stingray

4.4

(5)

"Stingray is the first that comes to mind."

"I personally like a stingray for that sound."

"Stingrays, Warwicks and Rickenbacker are all well known to Bright, Upper Mid and Trebly"

"Stingray"

"Stingray or Rickenbacker would be my immediate thought"

#11

Dingwall

5.0

(4)

"My go to brands for metal are: warwick, ibanez, spector..."

"Dingwall of course!"

"Dingwalls without distortion are the best thing in the world dude."

"Dingwall for Metal."

#12

Spector

4.8

(4)

"My go to brands for metal are: warwick, ibanez, spector..."

"Spector"

"I just bought one of the cheapest Spector basses which is passive and it sounds incredible."

"Look at the Spector euro basses. They're the model the Warwick is licensed from and are very comparable."

#13

Peavey

4.8

(4)

"Most any USA Peavey perform at 4x their relative costs."

"My early Peavy Foundation is one of the best basses I've played, across 5 decades."

"Absolutely fantastic bass to play."

"Check out the Peavey Dynabass as well."

#14

Guild

4.5

(4)

"I really like the hollowbody sound, and absolutely love my Guild Starfire II bass. Strung with flatwounds, it has a fantastic 60s sound, and the short scale makes it really fun to play."

"Guild Pilot USA perform at 4x their relative costs."

"I have a Guild Starfire I. It is short scale, but takes long scale strings. It's lightweight and has a split coil pickup, so it pretty much fits in any mix."

"If you like the JC try a Guild Starfire bass."

#15

Sterling

4.0

(4)

"My sterling stingray is a beast."

"Sterling sub. Much nicer imo than any of those if you’re set on those the sire."

"Sterling Stingray"

"I bought a Sterling Ray 5 SUB Ray5 HH for $400 brand new. Completely unplayable out of the box. ... played nearly as nice as my American Fenders."

#16

Hofner

4.0

(4)

"I have a Hofner Club bass. Did a lot of duo gigs with it. It has a very skinny neck and it's extremely light weight. Lots of fat bottom with it and with the hollow body you get that woody tone."

"I have a Hofner with flats and I love it. Very classic warm sound. Fun to play Beatles songs on and it encourages me to practice playing bass and singing at the same time."

"I love them. I have a Hofner Verythin that is full of character."

"You could also look at the hofner contemporary range of semi acoustics. The Verythin is similar to the JC but as it says very thin, the president is bigger depth to the body but a warmer fuller sound."

#17

Harley Benton

3.8

(4)

"Thomann has a ton, for the price limit I'd look at Harley Benton, Yamaha, Ibanez, Squier, or Sire Marcus Miller."

"We use Harley Benton Shortys and have never had any problems."

"Google Harley Benton, quality basses, at less than half the cost."

"Squier will retain more value, but benton will probably be better built."

#18

Darkglass

4.7

(3)

"Darkglass B7K or Sansamp DuG are both great for that."

"Any fretless and run it through a Darkglass B7K or Alpha Omega (either the amps or pedals)."

"In that price range, I’d probably just keep whatever bass I already have and buy a used B3K/B7K and some new bright strings."

#19

TC Electronic

4.7

(3)

"Tc Magus pro no doubt, its much more versatile than rat."

"I love my TC Electronic Magus Pro. Three rats in one, compact and sturdy enclosure."

"Go for the Magus Pro."

#20

Music Man Stingray

4.3

5.0

(1)

"Demon FX Golden Rat. It's the classic rat, with the Fat mod and Turbo mod each on their own toggle."

#31

Mosky

5.0

(1)

"The Mosky sounds exactly as a RAT should, it has the 4 main variants Dirty, V2, Turbo and FAT, and is the most versatile IMO."

#32

JHS

5.0

(1)

"JHS Rat Pack!"

#33

Oneder

5.0

(1)

"Oneder Red Ryder is specifically built to be used on both. Has a clean blend knob intended for bass players, still a rad Rat for guitarists too."

#34

Dirty Socks

4.0

(1)

"For bass? Dirty Socks Cat, it's a Rat with a toggle switch that blends in a bass OD circuit."

#35

Palmer

2.0

(1)

"Palmer Pocket Amp Bass -- I don't like how cheap the build quality is, and it makes it questionable whether it has clean and quiet specs"

Discover your audience

GummySearch is an audience research toolkit for 130,000 unique communities on Reddit.

If you are looking for startup problems to solve, want to validate your idea or find your customers online, GummySearch is for you.

Tell me more

Get started