Choosing the path of becoming a bass player is a great thing, yet its not easy as it looks. The bass guitar presents its own set of discipline a bassist need to be good at to play different kind of music and makes them ready as well in any given situation. So understandably practice is still the key to success by learning first the basic theory of chord progression in order to create basslines, groove and have the rhythm flowing before moving up to the more difficult stuff like slap n’ pop and tapping.
To do all of this, a beginner will need an introductory bass guitar with a proper built quality to ensure that it is capable of staying in tune to produce the appropriate sound and playability. Leading now to our list of four string bass guitar that we believe are the best bass guitars for beginners based on its availability, price and brands best known for the quality guitar and bass instrument they make.
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Sterling by Music Man Ray4 Bass
- Double cutaway basswood body
- Comfortable C-shape maple neck
- 21 frets medium jumbo maple or rosewood fingerboard with inlay dot markers
- Set of open back tuning machineheads
- High-mass fully adjustable bridge
- Single humbucking pick-up controlled by a master volume, Hi Cut/Boost, and Low Cut/Boost knobs
- Available in different color and sunburst finish to choose from
The short stint of Leo Fender to Music Man as president has introduce an amp, guitar and a bass guitar called the Stingray that pave the way to the Ray4 and Ray5 as its affordable version.
It features an S-shaped body crafted in basswood, and made available in assortment of finishes with a protective scratch plate. The maple neck has a satin finish solidly bolt-on using a plate with six screws. Fingerboard can be in maple or rosewood to choose from, having 21 frets medium jumbo.
This precision bass has a single humbucking pick-up found near the bridge for a fat modern chunky sound controlled by a master volume, Hi Cut/Boost, and Low Cut/Boost knobs. Fully adjustable bridge and open back tuning machine for hardware in chrome finish.
Ibanez SR300E Standard Bass Guitar
- Ergonomically designed nyatoh body
- Neck is constructed in 5pc maple/walnut combination
- 24 frets medium jatoba fingerboard with dot inlays
- Set of tuners in cosmo black
- Accu-cast B120 bridge
- PowerSpan dual coil bridge pick-ups on the neck and bridge controlled by a volume and Ibanez custom electronics 3-band EQ with 3-way power tap switch
- Available in different color and burst finish to choose from
Distinct on a Ibanez bass guitar is the ergonomic line cut of the body combined with a slender neck which is comfortable to play and great in capturing a wide range of tones.
The double cutaway body of the Ibanez SR300E is built using nyatoh enabling players to produce a warm tone on a bass, then it is offered in different finishes to select without a pickguard. Neck is skinnier with 24 frets compared to a typical jazz bass neck constructed in 5pc maple/walnut combination.
Instigating the sound are two PowerSpan Dual Coil bridge pick-ups one on the neck while the other on the bridge controlled by a volume knob and Ibanez Custom Electronics 3-band EQ with 3-way Power Tap switch. Hardware are Accu-cast B120 bridge and tuners in cosmo black.
Squier Classic Vibe 70s Jazz Bass
- Maple body in natural gloss finish
- C-shape maple neck
- 20 medium jumbo frets marked by inlay blocks
- Set of open-geared machineheads
- 4-Saddle Standard bridge and Standard Open-Gear tuning machines
- Fender designed single-coil jazz bass pick-ups on the neck and bridge controlled by two volume and master tone knob
- Also available in black and 3-color sunburst finish
Popular among beginners because of the range of affordable basses starting from the Affinity Series up to the Deluxe. As well as the Squier Vintage Modified and of course the Classic Vibe, Squier bass guitars are definitely a good way to start learning and playing this great instrument in no time.
This Squier Classic Vibe 70s jazz bass is crafted in maple coated in polyurethane protected by a 3-ply scratch plate. It has a C-Shape all maple neck in vintage tint gloss finish with 20 medium jumbo marked using inlay blocks.
Powering the bass are Fender-Designed Single-Coil Jazz Bass pick-ups placed on the neck and bridge controlled by two volume and a master tone knob. Hardware are the 4-Saddle Standard bridge and Standard Open-Gear tuning machines.
Yamaha TRBX304 Bass
- Comfortable and well balance mahogany body
- Neck is bolt-on crafted using 5pc maple/mahogany combination
- 24 fret rosewood fingerboard
- Set of chrome die-cast tuners
- High-mass die-cast bridge
- YGD designed ceramic M3 pick-ups on the neck and bridge controlled by a master volume, bass, treble, pick-up blend control and performance EQ switch blade
- Available in different color finish to choose from
Yamaha is a smorgasbord of products and services. Its instrument line alone constitute a huge portion on the overall product the brand has to deliver. Including a series of entry level, mid-range bass in which the TRBX304 is part of and high-end models.
The perfectly balance body of the Yamaha TRBX304 that allows easy access on the higher frets is sculpted in solid mahogany complimented with in an array of finish players can choose from. Neck is bolt-on crafted using 5pc maple/mahogany combination, top of by a 24 fret rosewood fingerboard.
YGD designed ceramic M3 pick-ups are place in the neck and bridge for the noiseless incredible sound definition the bass is able to provide, controlled by a master volume, bass, treble, pick-up blend control and performance EQ switch blade. High-mass die-cast bridge and Tuners completes the major parts.
Fender Player Precision and Jazz Bass
- Double cutaway alder body in different color finishes to choose from
- Can either be in 20 frets all maple neck and fingerboard or top of by a pau ferro fingerboard that has replaced the rosewood
- Standard open-gear tuning machines
- 4-saddle pure vintage 70s with single groove saddle bridge
- Alnico V split single-coil precision pick-up with a knurled flat top volume and tone knob
- Available in different color and sunburst finish to choose from
It’s a toss up between the two classic bass, so might as well suggest them both. The term “Precision” on bass guitars is not an identifier of the pick-ups being use. Rather it is more about the use of frets on bass to find notes easier than a fretless bass.
The Precison bass and Jazz bass are totally different instrument to play with. Their bodies has a slight difference in the curves made with alder and the neck is a bit wider for the P-bass while the Jazz is having a narrower rounded neck that made it appealing to most jazz players. Fingerboard for both basses can either be made in maple, rosewood or pau ferro which is a new wood used by Fender for their bass and also including the guitar models fingerboard.
Pick-ups differs as well. The P-bass slash P/J bass can have a single split single-coil controlled by a volume and tone, or a split single-coil on the neck with single-coil on the bridge controlled by two volume and a tone knob. Jazz bass uses single-coils for the neck and bridge with two volume and master tone knobs.
Commonality to these bass guitars is the use of 4-Saddle Standard Vintage-Style with Single Groove Saddles, and Standard Open-Gear Tuning Machines.
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