Choosing your first bass — P, J, active: under $300 and $300–700

Like an electric guitar, a bass needs an amp to make sound. The cheapest complete kit (bass + small amp + cable, tuner, strap) costs $304–555. Amps and strings are covered in First bass amp and strings, so this guide covers only which bass to buy.

Three body types

Many beginner-priced models are PJ (P pickup + J pickup). You get both the P sound and the J sound from one bass, so if you don't know yet what music you'll play, PJ is a safe choice.

Under $300

• Squier Sonic Precision Bass ($269) — the most affordable official P bass. The 1.5-inch nut is narrow and the body is thin, so it's easy to hold even with small hands or a small frame. With one pickup, there's not much room to change the sound.
• Yamaha TRBX174 ($299) — PJ pickups, passive.
• Ibanez GSR200 ($209–249) — PJ pickups and a fairly thin neck.
• Cort Action PJ ($249) — a passive PJ from a Korean brand. Its sibling, the Action Bass Plus ($269), has a 2-band active EQ so you can shape the lows and highs yourself (needs a 9V battery).
• If you want a 5-string: Ibanez GSR205 ($279–299) — one of the few 5-strings at a beginner price. It's active, so it needs a battery.

$300–700

• Yamaha BB234 ($379) — PJ. Often on beginner recommendation lists.
• Sire Marcus Miller P5 · V5 ($599–729) — the P5 is a passive P bass and the V5 a passive J bass. An updated P5R is also out, so some stores list it as the P5R.
• Ibanez SR300E / SR305E ($379–429) — the neck is only 19.5mm thick at the 1st fret, so it's easy to grip even with small hands. Active.
• Yamaha TRBX304 ($449) — active. Its EQ preset switch lets you quickly change the sound by genre.
• Squier Classic Vibe 60s P Bass ($529) — modeled on the feel of a '60s P bass.

Passive and active

• Passive — no battery needed, just plug in and play. The design is simple, but you have less room to shape the sound from the bass itself than with active.
• Active — a 9V battery-powered EQ lets you change the sound a lot right from the bass. It needs a battery, so keep a spare.
• Switchable — models that switch between active and passive, like the Cort A4 Plus or Sire M5 ($611–859), still play in passive mode when the battery is dead.

4-string vs 5-string, and hand size

Most beginner-priced models are 4-strings (only a few are 5-strings).

A 5-string has a wider neck. Even within Yamaha's TRBX line, the 4-string (304) has a 38mm nut and the 5-string (305) a 43mm nut. Small hands need time to adjust.

If your hands are small, try the Squier Sonic P (narrow nut, thin body) or the Ibanez SR300E (thin neck) first.

Total budget

• Where you can save: the amp. It's fine to start with a headphone amp.
• Don't skip: a wide strap. A bass weighs 4–5kg. A thin strap will wreck your shoulder.
• A band-ready setup (bass $379–599 + amp $150–300 + setup) comes to $635–1,088.