If you have been researching bass guitars on this website for a while then you might remember the story about my bass guitar playing friend from high school, my first and favorite band mate of all time. All the days we spent rocking together in the garage remain on my mind like a horribly recorded piece of vinyl, scratched up with embarrassment and pride at the fact that, yes, we were that cool at the time (Cool, as you might have noticed, is being used ironically here).
Before we became the short lived dream team of social refuse and outcasts playing our very own garage metal though we too were simple mortals, without any instruments or way to spill our souls onto the concrete. As new acquaintances, we decided that the best way to forge a musical friendship between the two of us was go musical instrument hunting. I wanted a guitar, any guitar, and he wanted a bass guitar. Sorry, each of us wanted the ideal instrument, I wanted the best guitar I could get for under 300, and he wanted the best bass guitar under 300 he could lay his hands on.
This quest of ours, which was only supposed to last a week, kept going or at least a month and a half, I’m not too sure on the timeline right now, but still. The quest was both fun and frustrating as we had to scour every musical shop in the vicinity of our town. We went far and wide, visiting all four music shops and the many thrift shops available in our town, as well as the many yard sales. Lucky you, you have me.
What’s The Best Bass Guitar Under 300
| Image | Bass Model | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Yamaha TRBX204 GLB 4-String Bass |  (4.8 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Squier by Fender Affinity Series Jazz Bass - Laurel Fingerboard | (4.8 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. Series Ray4 StingRay Bass |  (4.7 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Epiphone "Toby" Standard-IV 4 String Electric Bass | (4.7 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
 | Ibanez GSR200SM 4-String Electric Bass | (4.7 / 5) | Check on Amazon |
Yamaha TRBX204 GLB 4-String Bass
The hardship of any first time musical instrument buyer is getting what they actually want, which stems from the existential problem of not knowing what they want in general. The colour, style, sound, material it is made of and pickups it has, all of these are questions that many of you beginners will have a problem with. It is fortunate than that the Yamaha TRBX204 GLB 4 string bass guitar exists. It is a well rounded guitar that has numerous design options that allow you to pick the one guitar you feel is closest to your heart. The split single coil pickups allow you to have a versatility in the type of sound you produce, allowing for both snappy, vibrant tones as well as mellow, deep tones to be equally accessible on this bass guitar. The versatility and the affordability of the guitar make it one of the best bass guitars for beginners.
Pros:
- Great Value
- Full Tone
- Cool Design
Cons:
- Heavy
- Cheap Saddle
Squier by Fender Affinity Series Jazz Bass – Laurel Fingerboard
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Bass can hold different positions in music, depending on the band, genre or the player itself. Regardless, you need an instrument that will be audible either in the background or as a main player. Of course, you won’t be invited to stage if you’re a beginner, however, a nice tool for studying can easily turn into your gigging guitar. Fender Squier Affinity Series Jazz Bass is an amazing bass. Not only will it help you to master various techniques but it will also stay with you for a really long time. The build quality is wonderful here – you won’t find any flaws be it body, top or the neck. Speaking of these parts, this fella has an alder body, c-shaped maple neck and Indian Laurel fingerboard. The electronics will satisfy your jazzy and bassy needs with ease, since we have two Standard Single-Coil Jazz Bass bridge and neck pickups with individual volume controls. The color selection is pretty wide and you can choose the one that speaks to your soul the most. Jazz Bass is definitely one of the best options in this price range and it surely has everything we could ask for.
Pros:
- Satin neck is smooth to play
- Ready to play out of the box
- Excellent quality for the price
Cons:
- If bass is your primary instrument, you’ll want to replace pickups
Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. Series Ray4 StingRay Bass
They say that sometimes, when digging through a lot of dirt, you might end up finding gems. I guess it is true, since, you know, mining for gems takes the miners deep into the underground caves. Now I am not trying to compare my work to the gruelling jobs that these miners have to go through 10 hours a day to find the valuables, but I do sometimes end up finding gems too. I mean look at this shiny Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. series Ray4 StringRay bass. Not literally shiny, but the beautiful design of this bass guitar does make it feel like it could outshine most of the bleak instruments you find on the market. While the looks look outstanding, the sound is capable of competing with the best in the price range, allowing for the versatility that you don’t even know you want or need. The instrument performs with a strong sound at all tonal ranges, making it perfect for the beginner who wants to get into the art of playing the bass, not just the art of playing for one genre.
Pros:
- Good electronics
- Great price
- Comfortable
Cons:
- Shipping issues
- Neck near headstock is a bit thin
Epiphone “Toby” Standard-IV 4 String Electric Bass
There are some legendary musicians in the world and there are some legendary musical instrument makers in the world. The difference is that only one side gets to be world stars, while the other side has to be content being stars to the famous musicians. Still, sometimes, these craftsmen have their names break through to the general populace of beginner musicians. Michael Tobias is one such man, the name of whose is now borne by a great guitar, affordable to the mere mortals such as you and me. The Epiphone “Toby” Standard-IV 4 String Electric Bass is a beautiful piece of musical equipment that you and your friends will find indispensable to the sound that you guys want to produce. The design of this guitar is the revival of the once upon a time favorite of the bass guitar players around the world that today is going to become the favorite among beginners – it is easy and extremely comfortable to play, and capable of producing of great sound.
Pros:
- Good Sound
- Single Coil Pickups
Cons:
- Pine Body
- String Buzz
Ibanez GSR200SM 4-String Electric Bass
Sometimes what you want in your guitar is not just a cool style or an awesome sound. You want character, something that will scream at everyone in the room to look at you, to hear you and be apprehensive of what you are about to gift them. If you are one of those people who likes to command attention when you are in a room, you might want to look into picking up an Ibanez GST200SM 4 String Electric Bass. The design choices on this guitar act as a great way to attract the spotlight and the eyes of everyone in the room. It enhances your ability to be seen and heard because of its unique character. The sound of this guitar is something of a shout and push at the minds of all, a magnet for attention. It is almost strange that the guitar is as affordable as it is. Still, for those of you looking to captivate your audiences on the very first day of having a bass guitar, you will find this instrument extremely useful.
Pros:
- Interesting Color Pattern
- Composite Body
- Versatile Sound
Cons:
- String Noise
- Tuning Stability Issues
When buying an instrument you must remember that it will be extremely hard to find a good instrument for cheap. You must realize that finding the best bass guitar under 300 is not an easy thing, since the used guitar world is dangerous to an unknowing buyer and the cheap guitar world might be deceptive to a beginner. Paying attention to the details, understanding the importance of each item on the bass guitar. Blindly buying is risky, while buying with understanding of why the guitar will be a good one for you will pay off in the long run, as you end up playing the sound you enjoy. The guitars on the list above are picked specifically for the high quality for the price that they have, each tailored to specific needs of the player.
Conclusion
You know what makes a friendship strong? All the fights the friends have. Of course you have to make up after, but the wider the divide created, the stronger the bond becomes once the two rejoin together. Me and the bass friend had a few fights over the month and a half of searching for the instruments. Finding the best bass guitar under 300 or a guitar for the same price, is not an easy task. Takes the force of will and patience of a giant who lives for hundreds of years to be able to actually succeed in this quest. The two of us had the unfortunate luck of wanting to start a band together. This desire kept pushing us on, making the goal seem so much more urgent than it was. Of course we used musical instruments available at school to practice, but we wanted something that we could call our own. So there were weekends when the two of us would not talk because each would press the other to buy an instrument they saw recently. “It’s the best thing you can get”, “you won’t be able to find anything better in this town”, “what are you gonna do, mail order a darn guitar?”, “don’t you want to start a band?”, “I can’t be friends with such an indecisive person”, etc. etc.. Oh the teenage years and the tumultuous urgency of being special. Luckily, each of us was also smart enough to know that getting whatever we saw was not an option – the best bass guitar does not simply wait there for you. Unless you are reading one of these lists. We finally each bought our desired instrument of course, started a short lived band and the rest is garage history.
