Best beginner bass guitars 2024: starter basses for beginners (2024)

Most of us will agree that learning an instrument is one of the most rewarding things you can do. We might be biased, but we believe the guitar is one of the most rewarding of them all… If you can get over the initial stinging fingers, it is a passion that is likely to stay with you for life. However, selecting a suitable introductory instrument can be a little bewildering, particularly in the world of the best beginner bass guitars. The options for budding bassists have never been greater! Since there is such a cornucopia of beginner basses guitars out there you’d be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed.

However, that’s where we step in. We’ve put together this guide to get you off on your bass-playing journey on the front foot. A great beginner bass will inspire you to pick it up again and again with a combination of smooth playability, a comfortable design, and a wicked finish. We understand that you may not want to spend loads of money on your first instrument, so we’ve been very careful with our criteria for what makes the perfect beginner bass guitar on a budget.

Whether you’re looking for something affordable that plays well, or you’re after a smaller body for extra comfort? Perhaps you’ve got a bit more money to invest in something that’ll take you to the intermediate stage? There will be a bass on this list for you. If you’re new to the bass guitar, make sure to check out our buying advice section for more information. If you want to see the best beginner bass guitars available today, then keep on scrolling!

The quick list

Best overall

The BB234 does for basses what the Pacifica 112 does for the beginner electric guitar: it is living proof that Yamaha knows exactly how to make a formidable instrument of real substance for younger players and those on a budget.

A most inviting bass with a vintage-modern body shape and design, the BB234 has an exceptional build, with a warm and rich low-end that’s got a surprising amount of tones given the fuss-free control setup. This will cover most styles; ideal for when you’re still trying to work out what sort of player you are.

There’s no blend control or pickup selector, but playing around with the individual pickup volumes allows you to set the mix how you like it, with the tone knob on hand for fine-tuning.

Best budget

You may be more acquainted with Ibanez producing mean-looking, fast-playing, shred-tastic electric guitars, but let us tell you, the Japanese giants have knocked it out of the park with the offset Talman TMB30 bass.

Hitting the market in ’94, the Talman body shape was Ibanez’s nod to vintage guitar design. Taking inspiration from brands like Danelectro and Fender, the Talman was versatile, well-made, had a fast neck and was a little less pointy in design. All features of which are proudly represented on the TMB30 bass.

The Ibanez DXP and DXJ pickups are versatile and dynamic, giving you that ‘best of both worlds’ configuration. The comfortable and smooth short-scale 30” neck, while slightly wider than some beginner bass guitars, is a dream to play. Additionally, if you’re looking for a comfortable bass, the Talman’s offset body is ergonomic and lightweight meaning younger players and gigging musicians alike can find use of it. All of this for under $250? It’s no wonder the TMB30 has ended up on our list of best beginner bass guitars!

Best for kids

Part of a brand new range of beginner-friendly guitars from Fender, the Squier Sonic Bronco Bass is a short-scale guitar that will fit nicely into the hands of younger players. Featuring the trademark build quality as well as a range of cool colors, it’s the perfect entryway into the world of bass guitar.

There’s just a single ceramic pickup to keep things simple, but it’s placed right at the center of the body to give it a great sound. Similar in tone to the early Fender Precision Bass guitars, it delivers a nice vintage-tinged growl that’s sweet in the high end with plenty of oomph in the lows.

It’s nice and lightweight unlike some of the other bass guitars here, so won’t strain necks and backs too much when playing standing up. Considering the price point you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck with the Bronco Bass, and the fact it’s available in some less usual color schemes will make it seriously appealing for new players.

Best for metal

The Spectra Bass series shows the other side to Jackson, decommissioning the sharp edges with a sumptuously contoured, offset double-cutaway body and elongated upper horn.

Now, you might say this is not the most original design – it calls to mind basses such as Ibanez’s SR300E – but the contouring is quite different and it makes for a perfectly balanced and eminently playable bass. There’s a full two-octave fretboard and a neck that makes easy lifting of busy basslines.

You will find a wide range of tones here, with thick and warm low-end and that elastic bounce in the upper mids and baritone twang with the treble dialed in. The string-through-body HiMass bridge makes for a super-stable bass, and we love that there is push/pull for active or passive performance, meaning a drained battery come showtime is not the disaster it could be.

Best for jazz

Yamaha’s TRBX series has a similar body shape to the Jackson Spectra and Ibanez Soundgear basses, but here there’s a clever twist on the recipe by using an exotic wooden veneer on top of a solid mahogany body.

Exotic wood? Yes, why not, bass guitar design has always been one for using the so-called exotic tonewoods in pursuit of fresh adventures in low-end tone. Here, it is difficult to say how much the veneer contributes to the tone, but it gives this entry-level bass a pseudo-boutique vibe that’s surely a permission slip for working on your jazz-fusion chops.

And that’s what the TRB series is ideal for; honing your craft, making full use of the two-octave fingerboard, and zipping up and down that svelte neck. Roll back the tone to dig into that rich mahogany warmth for some truly viscous low end or jack it up for punchy, articulate tones.

Best for adults

The SUB, or ‘Sports Utility Bass’, Ray4 is the sort of instrument that makes you do a double take when you see the price tag. It looks like a StingRay, it feels like a Music Man StingRay, and yet it comes in at the 300-buck mark.

You can still tease all kinds of inspiring tones out of this, from the electric bounce of funk to more bruising low-end thunder for rock’n’roll, or simply roll back on that treble for woody jazz. The StingRay neck profile offers a taste of its top-dollar sibling’s feel, and, likewise, the fully adjustable bridge gives you a similar amount of control over string height and intonation. Altogether it feels like a pretty grown-up bass.

Perhaps most notably in the electrics, there has been some downsizing. Where the flagship Music Man StingRay 4 models have an active 18V pickup and preamp with 3-band EQ, the Ray4 has got the 9V active pickup and preamp combo with simplified 2-band hi and low cut/boost controls. But really, that's a minuscule price to pay if it means this bass comes to you for a tenth of the price of a full-fat USA model. There's no denying that the Ray4 is one of the best budget bass guitars on the market today.

Read the full Sterling by Music Man SUB StingRay Ray4 review

Best P-Bass

As instruments go, Fender’s Precision bass guitar is perhaps one of the most revolutionary of them all. Being the first electric bass guitar ever created, the P-Bass helped shape modern music as we know it. So, how does Squier’s affordable Affinity P-Bass stand up to that reputation? Pretty darn well we’re happy to report!

The Affinity series is the second tier of instruments in Squier’s range, sitting just above the newly introduced Sonic range. This Precision Bass is a fantastic representation of the Affinity series and a feasible affordable option for beginners looking to earn their stripes on an iconic bass.

From the comfortable ‘C’-shape neck profile to the sturdy hardware, there is plenty of bang for your buck here. The PJ pickup configuration offers a little more versatility than a traditional P-Bass by introducing a bridge Jazz Bass pickup, allowing for more sonic exploration.

With plenty of finishes to choose from, the Affinity P-Bass will cater to most budding bassists out there, no matter what their taste of credo. However, this bass is pretty long, meaning it may not be the best option for younger players out there.

Best for small hands

If you are looking for an entry-level bass for kids to get started on, this is a definite contender. First off, it’s exceptional value, so in the worst-case scenario of them losing interest in the instrument it is not the biggest loss. Second, well, courtesy of its short scale – which is generously short of 30” – and slim neck profile, the chances of that worst-case scenario are minimal.

That said, we’re pretty sure bassists at all levels and all ages would have big fun on the Mikro. Its pokey scale lends itself to a nice rounded thump, but play around with the pickups and work the EQ on your bass amp and you can accommodate most styles.

There are heaps of cool finishes available. The setup is excellent, and the B-10 bridge a simple, solid design that allows easy adjustments to intonation.

Best 5-string

There's nothing wrong with jumping straight in with a five-string if that's what you want to do. At the end of the day playing an instrument you're inspired by is the most important thing when learning, and the Ibanez GSR205B does a brilliant job as a beginner 5-string bass.

Two humbuckers ensure powerful tones that capture the lower registers brilliantly. You'll need to do a little tweaking in some cases to get articulation on the low string but the Phat II active EQ is a powerful tool for helping you sculpt your sound.

We found the neck to be ultra-playable despite the extra string, although it will be difficult for very young players to grasp. It's got that trademark Ibanez playability, however, and will keep beginners nice and comfortable while they get up to speed with the instrument.

Buying advice

How to choose the best beginner bass guitar for you

The biggest challenge when taking up the bass is getting acclimatized to the fingerboard geography. There’s a whole lot of neck on a bass guitar. It's longer, wider and the frets are further apart – guitarists who are crossing over will notice this especially.

Annoyingly, you’ll naturally get a little pain in the fingertips as you first start playing. This will pass in time, and your fingertips will harden. In the meantime, just take a break when things start to get a bit sore. Finding a beginner bass that plays well will make this bedding-in period easier – so if you’re particularly worried about your digits feeling done for, try a few different basses out and see which one feels the most playable.

How we test

When testing a beginner bass guitar, not only do we need to evaluate it as an instrument in its own right, but we must do so through the lens of a beginner player. Our writing team were all beginner guitarists at one point or another, which gives us fantastic oversight when choosing beginner instruments.

With a beginner bass guitar, the first thing to consider is who exactly is going to use it. Bass guitars are large pieces of equipment, thus we need to make concessions as to whether or not they're suitable for younger players. A 5-string bass is great, but for a younger player, there's little chance playing one would be comfortable. Likewise, not every learner is younger, so we have to determine whether an adult player would find the instrument usable.

As with any instrument, we'll start by examining the build quality of it. Do the knobs and tuners feel solid, is the finish free of any blemishes and has the whole thing been well put together? We'll go over the instrument with a fine toothcomb to check for any cracks or subtle hints of poor crafting.

Next, we'll plug it in and play all over the neck to get a feel for the playability. Are the fret ends nice and smooth? Does the fretboard feel well lubricated or is it dry? By trying a variety of riffs, licks, chords, and even bass solos, we're able to ascertain whether or not the instrument will be playable for a beginner.

Finally, we'll look at the sound. Plugging the instrument into a variety of sources is crucial to determining how well it sounds. We'll run it into a bass amp, direct into an audio interface, as well as through an amp modeler to get a good overview of how it reacts in different scenarios. We're looking for articulation from the pickups and variety from the EQ controls on the bass guitar itself so we can determine whether or not it's rounded enough to appeal to the myriad of styles a beginner bass player is likely to go through.

Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactlyhow we testeach product.

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