The 5 Best Value Bass Guitars: Low End, Low Price, High Quality!
Jazz Bass, Precision Bass, and even multi-scale!
3,7 / 5,0 | 
The best value bass guitars offer players a great playing experience, excellent build quality, and superb bass tones. Whether you’re looking for your very first bass or you’re wanting to upgrade to a better model, we’ve got you covered.
The 5 Best Value Bass Guitars – Ranked by Price!
J-Bass, P-Bass, and Everything Else: The Best Value Bass Guitars
Fender’s Precision Bass, often called P-Bass, is pretty much the blueprint for modern electric basses. Known for its punchy, mid-focused tone and split-coil pickup, it’s ideal for rock, punk, and funk where a solid low-end foundation is key. The neck is typically thicker and rounder, giving it a classic feel.
In comparison, Fender’s Jazz Bass (J-Bass) offers a slightly slimmer neck and two single-coil pickups, giving it more tonal versatility and a brighter, more defined sound. It’s perfect for slap bass, jazz, funk, and modern pop or fusion styles that require clarity and articulation. With independent volume controls for each pickup, players can blend tones to taste.
While P-Bass and J-Bass styles dominate the scene, it can be very well worth checking out models beyond these two. For instance, Humbucker-equipped basses offer a thicker, punchier tone suited for heavy rock or metal. And short-scale basses (like the Mustang or Hofner Violin Bass) provide a more compact feel and a rounder, vintage sound, great for indie, pop, or retro styles.
What to Consider
When you’re looking for the best value bass guitars, “best value” doesn’t always mean the cheapest option. Instead, you’ll be searching for the sweet spot where affordability meets quality. A slightly higher investment might potentially get you significantly better pickups, hardware, and improved playability.
Think about what you actually need: active or passive pickups, how many frets, neck profile, and weight. It’s also worth checking user reviews to see how each model holds up in real-world scenarios. Ultimately, the best value bass guitars will inspire you to play more, without breaking the bank.
As always, this list is strictly sorted by price, not by any other metric.
Best Value Bass Guitars: Harley Benton JB-75MN
The Harley Benton JB-75MN delivers impressive value for its price. This J-style bass features an American ash body and a smooth maple neck and comes equipped with two Roswell JBA Alnico-5 Vintage single-coil pickups.
These can be dialed in via traditional dual volume and a single tone knob. And visually speaking, it’s a feast for the eyes with its black block inlays, matching black neck binding, and black pickguard. The JB-75MN is one of the best value bass guitars, and it’s available in Natural, Black, Sunburst and Sunburst with a Laurel fretboard.
This model is available from Thomann* for $175 / £155 / €179.
Marcus Miller M2 TBK 2nd Gen – the best value bass guitars
The Marcus Miller M2 TBK 2nd Gen is packed with tonal flexibility. It features a pair of Marcus Blue humbuckers paired with the Marcus Heritage-3 preamp, complete with a dedicated frequency control. Its control layout includes a dual pot for volume and tone, a pickup blend knob, EQ controls for treble, bass, and a mid/mid-frequency dual pot, plus a mini switch to toggle between active and passive modes.
The Miller M2 TBK 2nd Gen comes with a mahogany body and a maple neck with a comfortable C-profile, topped with 24 medium-small frets. All in all, it’s an impressively flexible instrument at a price point that’s pretty hard to beat.
This model is available from Thomann* in three colors: Black, Transparent Blue, and White Pearl. Each one costs $349 / £299 / €359.
Fender Player II Mustang Bass
This short-scale electric bass stands out with its 30″ scale length. The body is crafted from alder, while the bolt-on maple neck and rosewood fingerboard offer a classic feel. The Modern “C” neck profile, paired with a 9.5″ radius and 19 medium jumbo frets, ensures comfortable playability for both beginners and experienced players.
For pickups, it features a Player Series Alnico 5 Split Coil Precision in the middle position and a Jazz Bass Single Coil at the bridge, giving you access to both punchy lows and snappy highs. A 3-way switch, along with master volume and tone controls, lets you easily dial in anything from vintage thump to modern bite.
Visually, the instrument makes a statement with its Aquatone Blue finish and 3-ply parchment pickguard, accented by nickel/chrome hardware and Fender vintage-style tuners. There are quite a few additional colors available at Thomann, from Hialeah Yellow to Coral Red to a more classic Three-Color Sunburst, each similarly priced. This bass in Aquatone Blue costs $699 / £622 / €718 at Thomann*.
Cort Artisan Space 5
This 5-string headless electric bass comes with a maple body with a rather striking poplar burl veneer. Its 7-piece neck, made from maple, walnut, and purple heart, offers enhanced stability, and it is paired with a roasted maple fretboard and abalone dot inlays.
This suggestion for the best value bass guitar comes equipped with two Bartolini MK-1 humbuckers, known for their clear and articulate sound, and an active 3-band EQ preamp that lets you shape your tone with precision. With a 34″ scale length, 24 frets, and a string spacing of 18 mm, this bass caters to a wide range of playing styles.
The black hardware and eye-catching Star Dust Black finish give the instrument a futuristic vibe. This model goes for $729 / £639 / €739 at Thomann*, and A gig bag is included.
Sandberg Electra Vs 4
This contender for the best value bass guitars proudly stands as the only Precision-style bass on our list, and it more than earns its place. With its classic split coil pickup, this bass delivers that signature P-Bass punch. The Sandberg-designed pickup is paired with a custom 2-band EQ and an active/passive toggle.
6-bolt maple neck, alder body, rosewood fretboard, 37 mm nut width, and 22 frets: that makes for a smooth and comfortable playing experience across the long-scale neck. It’s the perfect choice for players who want a classic feel with a modern touch.
Visually, this bass turns heads with its Tobacco finish and tortoise pickguard, complemented by chrome hardware for a refined look. Though built from Korean components, the instrument is designed and assembled in Germany, blending cost efficiency with premium craftsmanship. The Sandberg Electra Vs 4 is available from Thomann* for $869 / £772 / €879
* This post contains affiliate links and/or widgets. When you buy a product via our affiliate partner, we receive a small commission that helps support what we do. Don’t worry, you pay the same price. Thanks for your support!
This might also interest you
4 responses to “The 5 Best Value Bass Guitars: Low End, Low Price, High Quality!”
I ordered and received the Harley Benton MV-4PJ Gotoh BM. This bass is fantastic, I usually modify my budget basses but this bass came with premium components, gorgeous purple 💜 finish on Alder wood body with matching headstock, roasted maple neck with Indian Laurel fretboard/ Pearl block inlays – bonded on the side, brass saddles on the standard bridge, and the Rockwell split and single coil pickups provide a wide range of tonal capabilites, for this bass to be priced at $199 is mind-blowing, the Squier bass Classic Vibe edition or Anniversary edition are twice this price and definitely not as good, they use a poplar or agathis wood body, and they’re hardware is dubious at best, Harley Benton is the winner, this is my second bass, I bought one a couple years ago, but their new line is worth a honorable mention!
Hey, good afternoon guys. I currently have five basses : Yamaha, ESP B-104 & an IbanezSR500. The other a Schecter and the other just slips my mind for the moment, my favorites are the ESP & the Ibanez SR500. I’ve been thinking about checking out another bass to add to my collection.
I can’t believe a Squire wasn’t in the bunch. Fantastic for their price.
awesome instrument, the fender is my favorite.