Choosing the best cheap bass guitar that plays great and is made of quality materials can be difficult. Not all affordable bass guitars in the $200 price range have great components, so you have to know what to look for. Don’t worry though. We’ve reviewed all of them, so we can help you find a great bass to start learning on.
One thing to look for in an entry level bass guitar is the body shape and the neck shape. Some bassists like the Precision bass style body while others like something more unique. The neck shape is important because necks with thicker profiles and longer scale lengths tend to be harder to play for beginners.
Let’s check out some the top-rated budget bass guitars on the market, so you can compare their features and pick the right one for you.
Compare the Top 5 Budget Bass Guitar in 2020
Contents
Here is a list of the best inexpensive bass guitars under $200 that will help you learn bass and improve your sound.
- Fender Squier Bronco Bass
- Ibanez Talman TMB100
- Yamaha TRBX174EW 4 String Bass
- Ibanez Mikro GSRM20BWNF
- Dean E09M Edge
Fender Squier Bronco Bass
Specs, features, and benefits
The Squier Bronco Bass is a short-scale, affordable bass guitar, perfect for beginners and occasional bass-lovers.
The Bronco Bass has a body made out of Agathis wood, and a C-shaped maple neck and fretboard with nineteen Medium-Jumbo frets. It has chrome hardware – a chrome bridge and standard chrome tuning machines with small heads. The Bronco Bass has only one single-coil pick-up, and only two control knobs, Volume, and Tone. It is available in five different colors: Torino Red, Black, Brown Sunburst, Race Red, and Olympic White.
Pros and Highlights
- Wallet-friendly – The Bronco Bass is perfect for someone who is a beginner, or someone who just wants to test the waters. It won’t break the bank!
- Short-scale – This is perfect for beginners too – especially for those with smaller hands.
- Great performance – Everybody is amazed by the playability and the sound this bass has.
- Amazing value for the price!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Poor shipping! – It is best to go to your local guitar store and buy this bass from there. It seems like Squier is not really careful when packaging the instruments, or the postmen are too rough on them.
Bottom line
If you are a newbie at a bass guitar, this bass is a perfect starting point. It is very affordable, short-scale bass, with C-shaped neck and great sound. If you have an opportunity, try it out, and see for yourself. It is best to buy this bass from a guitar store, and avoid the risk of your guitar being thrown around. Also, at the guitar store, they can probably do a setup on your new bass, if needed.
Ibanez Talman TMB100
Specs, features, and benefits
The Ibanez Talman TMP100 is a cool vintage-looking four-string bass guitar with an affordable price – great for newcomers in the bass world. The body of the Talman TMP100 is made out of poplar wood. The bolt-on neck of the bass is made out of maple, and it has a Jatoba fretboard with 20 Medium frets.
It has chrome hardware that does its job perfectly. The tuning machines are very good too! The Ibanez Talman TMB100 has two pick-ups, a Dynamix P Split-coil at the neck position, and Dynamix J Single-coil at the bridge position. It has Ibanez Custom electronics with two-bend EQ for tone shaping. The Talman TMB100 is available in Ivory, Black, Red, White, Mint Green, Tri Fade Burst, and Walnut Flat finishes.
Pros and Highlights
- Incredible and Versatile Tone – With the Talman TMB100 you can have many different bass tones – the two pick-ups provide different tone, plus with the EQ control knob. With every kind of setting the Ibanez TMB100 sounds amazing!
- Great neck! – The Talman TMB100 has a neck that is good both for beginners and experienced players. Very playable!
- Beautiful looks! – The retro-looking Talman is going to impress a lot of girls/boys in the audience!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you are just entering the world of music, and you want to play a bass – The Ibanez Talman TMB100 is a very good starting point. If you are already familiar with the bass as an instrument, or you play guitar – the Talman Ibanez TMB100 is a great idea too. It sounds incredibly well, it is very playable, looks great, and it looks fantastic. Great value for the money – bass!
Yamaha TRBX174EW 4 String Bass
Specs, features, and benefits
The Yamaha TRBX174EW is a great-looking, great sounding, very playable and affordable bass guitar, great for beginners and for the occasional low-end lovers.
The body of the bass guitar is made out of solid Mahogany, and it sports a Flamed Mango wood top, which makes this guitar so eye-pleasing. The body is a double cut-away, so all the twenty-four frets on the neck are easily accessible. The neck is a bolt-on and it is made out of maple. It sports a rosewood fretboard.
The TRBX174EW has a vintage-style bridge, covered chrome tuning pegs, string retainer, and Urea nut. It has a P/J pick-up configuration, with two Volume control knobs (one for each pick-up), and a Tone control knob. The Yamaha TRBX174EW is available in many different finishes, and they all look beautiful!
Pros and Highlights
- Amazing playability – The neck of the Yamaha TRBX174EW is very comfortable! Even experienced professionals love it! Also, the double-cutaway body lets you play all the twenty-four frets with ease…
- Great sound – Due to the pick-up configuration this bass is a great sounding one! And compatible with many styles too!
- Beautiful – The TRBX174EW by Yamaha looks amazing! The Flamed Mango Top looks amazing!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
The Yamaha TRBX174EW is an amazing bass guitar for the price. It is very playable, sounds great, and it looks awesome. It is also very wallet-friendly. You can tell that it is a Yamaha without looking at the headstock. With this bass, Yamaha offers an amazing value for the price!
Ibanez Mikro GSRM20BWNF
Specs, features, and benefits
The Ibanez Mikro is a compact four-string bass, perfect for beginners, especially for the youngsters, and for those players with smaller hands. The body of the bass is made out of Poplar wood, while the neck is made out of Maple. The neck sports a Jatoba fretboard with twenty-two Medium frets. The neck is a very comfortable, slim-shaped one.
The Ibanez Mikro has a B10 Fixed Bridge, a plastic nut, and Ibanez die-cast tuners. For the big and punchy tone that the Ibanez Mikro delivers are responsible for the P/J pick-ups. They have separate Volume control knobs. Also, there is a Tone control knob, which affects both of them. The Ibanez Mikro is available in Black, Brown Sunburst, White, Transparent Red, Metallic Purple, Root Beer Metallic, Starlight Blue, Walnut Flat, and Weathered Black finish.
Pros and Highlights
- Easy to play – You don’t need to have huge and strong hands in order to play the Ibanez Mikro bass. Everyone can play it!
- Affordable – Cheap, if you will…
- Great tone – Don’t be fooled by the size or the price of this bass guitar, it sounds fantastic!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you want to play bass, but you have short arms and small hands, no problem – the Ibanez Mikro is here for you. It is a bass of smaller size, affordable price, and great sound quality.
Great job, Ibanez!
Dean E09M Edge
Specs, features, and benefits
The Dean E09M Edge Bass is an affordable four-string bass guitar with interesting looks. It has a body made out of basswood, and a maple neck that sports a rosewood fretboard with twenty-two frets. The body is a double-cutaway one, allowing you to play the high notes without any hassle.
The hardware on the Edge consists of a vintage-style bridge with adjustable saddles, and Dean die-cast tuning machines. The electronics on this bass are pretty simple and straightforward – it has only one Dean “soap bar” pick-up, and two control knobs, one for Volume, and one for Tone.
Pros and Highlights
- Great design – The Dean E09M Edge looks very interesting. It looks pleasing on every kind of stage!
- Fast neck – The neck is very comfortable – it is designed for fast and virtuous playing!
- Nice tone – Although just one pick-up would make some cats scratch their heads, the Dean E09M Edge bass sounds very decent.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you are just starting out, you probably don’t want to buy an expensive bass guitar. The Dean E09M Edge is designed so it could fit beginner’s budget. Of course, it is not the best bass on the market, but for the price, it is actually a good one. If you are interested in entering the low-end world, check out this bass at the guitar store.
What We Recommend and Why
We recommend the Yamaha TRBX174EW! It is a great bass for the price. It is perfect for beginners – it is easy to play, it sounds nice, and it looks great. It is very affordable, and for the price – it is unbeatable!