Best guitar & bass for under $400

[Duff]

Hey,

I sequence music on my computer, but upon being greatly disappointed by software guitar and bass sounds, I've decided to just buy a guitar and bass and learn to play them myself (I'm mainly a drummer/keyboard player, but I know some guitar). My budget is $200 or less for each one (it can be stretched up to 250 if necessary). Styles I need to play with them are mainly rock, but I want versatile instruments that can also do jazz, funk, reggae, or whatever else I happen to be recording. That means the guitar needs to sound decent clean and overdrived, and the bass has to sound decent for slap bass as well as normal.

I'm flipping through a musician's friend catalog, and some models I see for $200 or less are:

Guitars --
--SQUIER-- Bullet Special ($99), Affinity Strat ($149), Standard Strat ($199), Affinity Tele ($169), '51 ($149), Tele custom II ($229), and a few more...
--EPIPHONE-- SG Special ($149), G-310 SG ($249), Les Paul Special II ($149)...
--IBANEZ-- GRX20 ($149), GSZ120($194), GSA60 ($204)...

Basses --
--SQUIRE-- MB-4 ($199), Affinity Bronco ($149), Standard P Bass ($229)...
--IBANEZ-- GSR200 ($199), Millenium BXP ($219)...

Of course, there are other brands, but these are the main 3 I've heard of. I know to all of you who are playing their $1,000 guitars it's disgusting to even think about something as cheap as my price range, but I really just want something that's going to give me decent quality and sound like a guitar or bass for recording. I'm going up to guitar center today or tomorrow to try out as many instruments as I can in my price range, because I know it ultimately comes down to which one I like, but I thought I'd get some input from you all as to which company makes decent quality instruments in the lower price range, and hopefully some specific models that you could recommend. After I get a good idea of which guitars/basses I'd like to own, I'm going to try and find them used so I don't have to pay as much.

I know nothing about guitars or basses, so I'm hoping someone who has experience with the low-budget lines can provide me with some direction. If anyone knows anything about those models or others in that range, input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Tadpui]

Check out Agile guitars and SX basses from Rondo. They only deal direct and via eBay.

Also think about looking at used guitars in pawn shops/music shops in your area. Play a bunch of guitars and you'll get a feel for what you like and don't like from different brands.

That's the only trouble to Rondo's guitars and basses: you don't get to play them before purchasing.

 

[Duff]

Check out Agile guitars and SX basses from Rondo. They only deal direct and via eBay.

Also think about looking at used guitars in pawn shops/music shops in your area. Play a bunch of guitars and you'll get a feel for what you like and don't like from different brands.

That's the only trouble to Rondo's guitars and basses: you don't get to play them before purchasing.

Hmm, I don't know that I'd buy an instrument without playing it first... Too much of a chance of just not liking it.

Does anyone know if the used guitars at guitar center are marked up a lot, or are they actually good deals for used guitars? I know an advantage is you can still get their warranty on used equipment, but it's not worth it if they're going to overcharge for the instrument.

 

[Bassman Brad]

I recently played one of those Squire strats for $199 and was pretty impressed with what you can get for a couple'a hundred bucks these days. Of course, first you have to decide if single coils is really what you want, or if the sound that you are looking for comes from humbuckers. The classic decision - like coke vs. pepsi, or Ginger vs. Mary Ann or. . . Um, anyway, if you decide that humbuckers is route you want to go, then I think I recall seeing a humbucker equipped Hamer guitar in Musician's Friend for $199. The "Flat Top" as I recall. I'll bet that would be a good choice for a 'bucker guitar, if that's what you decide you need.

As for starter basses, any of the cheap Fender (Squire) basses would be quite servicable. If you're only going to have a single bass around, then you'd probably want one that has the Fender Sound. It's a classic for a reason. However, I'd also strongly recommend that you look at Peavey basses, too. I'm not sure what price point they start at, but all the current series Peavey basses that I've seen offer AMAZING value for the money. They might have one at the $199 or $250 price point.

Don't know if that helps you or not, but it might give you some places to start, at least, when you go to the music store to begin your research.

 

[-=¤willhaven¤=-]

If you want a good guitar for under $400, BUY USED. Never ever buy a new guitar if you want to get a good guitar for cheap.

You should easily be able to find a good Japanese made Fender or Mid-to-high end Ibanez for $400 or less.

 

[jc1762]

I dunno if this helps.... I've been playing about 4 years and all my guitars are under $400.... But the one I'm currently playing is a PRS Tremonti SE... I got it for $325 new + deluxe gig bag. It's a fat neck so it's mostly for rhythm guitar and rocks a more distortion/alt. rock feel to it.... But I also have big hands so I don't mind using it for solo, etc.

But the next one in that same price range is the PRS Santana SE.... this one has a tremolo bridge if you like that stuff. The neck is a little smaller and for the pick ups you can get a much warmer bluesy/jazzy sound. I'm in fact planning to get one and use it when I play lead guitar... Hope this helps.

 

[WERNER 1]

There are plenty of decent guitars out there for 400 bucks or less, but I believe that Duff wants to get BOTH the Guitar AND the Bass for this price.....together...correct?

Just check out the RondoMusic web site.....don't worry about the quality or the playability.......since you've not played either the bass or guitar yet (you stated you want to learn how to play them) you wouldn't know the difference anyway.....if there were any.

I own an Agile 3000, and it's nicer than the Epiphone by far, and most of the actual gibsons that cost 2-3 times as much.(I own/ed quite a few gibsons over the years.)

Checked the used market as everyone else has suggested, but you probably won't know what to look for in a used guitar anyway so that may not be the best route to take.

Just my 2 cents.

Rick

 

[apl]

The Carvin kits. Ebony fingerboards!

Bass

Guitar

Review.

There are lots of options available that are not listed.

 

[WERNER 1]

Again, quoting from the original post--> "My budget is $200 or less for each one (it can be stretched up to 250 if necessary)."

I'll be the first (or second as the case may be) to suggest the Carvin Kits as I know for a fact that they are one of you "Best Bang for your Buck" type of items,.......but they are clearly priced above the $200-250.00 buget cap per instrument.

Here's some suggestions that will keep you under the $250.00 range...

Guitars - Single coil & Humbucker (Strat & LesPaul style)

http://www.rondomusic.net/st802w.html

http://www.rondomusic.net/al2500blueflame.html

Basses - Jazz & "P" Styles

http://www.rondomusic.net/sjb62mglpb.html

http://www.rondomusic.net/spb57tm3ts.html


Any of the above listed will suffice in meeting your needs.

Rick

 

[Duff]

There are plenty of decent guitars out there for 400 bucks or less, but I believe that Duff wants to get BOTH the Guitar AND the Bass for this price.....together...correct?

Correct.

Just check out the RondoMusic web site.....don't worry about the quality or the playability.......since you've not played either the bass or guitar yet (you stated you want to learn how to play them) you wouldn't know the difference anyway.....if there were any.

I'm looking to make a purchase that will allow me to record for the next few years, so sound quality is important. I'm not going to be able to afford to buy a better guitar for a couple years; I just want something that sounds decent and isn't too expensive.

Everyone seems to like these Rondo guitars... I guess I'll have to take your word for it and give them a chance. I'm still checking the used market first, to try and find something decent for cheap. Thanks for all the input everyone.

 

[SoonerFan]

I'm not in the league of alot of players here but I'll throw out a few ideas.

All the guitars I've bought have been used (mostly from pawn shops). I got an Ibanez Roadstar II guitar about 10 years ago which is what I played on for about 8 years. I was happy with it as it was a fairly versatile guitar for rock styles. I think it would handle jazz pretty well for a low end guitar. I don't know any other Ibanez models though.

Recently I've bought some Peavey guitars that I think are underrated. I've got a Falcon, Nitro C3, and Axcelerator F all for under $200 at a pawn shop or online and love them all. They're all made in the USA and great values. If you go to http://forums.peavey.com/default.asp?action=27&style=Inline there are some long time Peavey users that could probably help you out.

I also bought a Peavey T-40 bass recently for $200 but I'm just a beginning bass player so I don't know how it stacks up against other low end basses. I read some good things about it and it sounds pretty good to me.

If you buy used though I would recommend a pawn shop since you can play it first and see what kind of shape its in.

 

[CowCrusher9]

Looks like Soonerfan beat me to it.

The best place to find a good used guitar is in a Pawn shop, bar none.
I realize that Pawn shops freak a lot of people out, but; if you can get
past that....it's a gold mine, literally.

My favorite guitar came from a Pawn shop (I won't say what it is to avoid all the
dick waving).
It was almost un-played and came with a nice hard shell case...ready?
$ 95.

No, really.
Go look.

I also have a nice stereo amp that put me back $ 150.
A friend of mine bought a 48 channel mixer that looked completely new for
$ 450.

Let the people with more money than sense take the hit at the music store.

 

[sub006]

No matter what guitar or bass you buy, PLAY IT or have an experienced friend do so and confirm that it's properly set up. Even a Lexus runs and drives crappy if it's out of tune, tires underinflated, etc.

You can't go wrong with a new mid to upper range Squier Strat (meeting the above conditions) at $200-$250 or a used imported Fender Strat at similar prices - private parties will be much cheaper than dealers. And do try the new Squier guitar that is earning raves for its performance/cost ratio, the "51" Telecaster-based model at $150 street price.

Squier basses in the $230-$270 street price range are 90% of equivalent new Precision and Jazz Fenders for 30-40% less. I'm partial to the P-Bass Special; Precision body, Jazz neck, P and J pickups give you the best of both types.

 

[Fletch-X]

I'm not in the league of alot of players here but I'll throw out a few ideas.

All the guitars I've bought have been used (mostly from pawn shops). I got an Ibanez Roadstar II guitar about 10 years ago which is what I played on for about 8 years. I was happy with it as it was a fairly versatile guitar for rock styles. I think it would handle jazz pretty well for a low end guitar. I don't know any other Ibanez models though.

Recently I've bought some Peavey guitars that I think are underrated. I've got a Falcon, Nitro C3, and Axcelerator F all for under $200 at a pawn shop or online and love them all. They're all made in the USA and great values. If you go to http://forums.peavey.com/default.asp?action=27&style=Inline there are some long time Peavey users that could probably help you out.

I also bought a Peavey T-40 bass recently for $200 but I'm just a beginning bass player so I don't know how it stacks up against other low end basses. I read some good things about it and it sounds pretty good to me.

If you buy used though I would recommend a pawn shop since you can play it first and see what kind of shape its in.

I don't have any pawn shops in my area but I totally agree with checking out older peaveys!!! Look for the U.S models they're great values!!!

 

[ibanezrocks]

As far as the ones you've mentioned I'd pick the epiphone special II or the ibanez gsa. the ibanez has a thin neck, which you may or may not like, a h-s-s pickup configuration, and a tremolo. the special II has the classic dual humbucker rock sound, and a thicker neck than the ibanez. I'd personally avoid any squires and the ibanez gsz (which apparently has a poplar body )
If you know anyone thats been playing guitar for awhile, bring them to look at some used guitars with you. Used guitars usually go for about 50-60% of their original price, assuming they're mid-line non-vintage guitars. A simple question is would you rather have a brand new 250 dollar guitar or a slightly worn 500 dollar guitar for the same price? Just keep a look out for some good deals on a used guitar, and for now just play as many as possible in all price ranges to figure out what you like and what you dont.

 

[louloomis]

No offense to everyone....and I did not read all the postings here thoroughly....BUT...this is a ridiculous thread.

Why?

Because I see a large concentration on new gear here. In this price range, you can get some really great used stuff and some mediocre, Indonesian-made new junk.

You decide which you want. It pays to do the research. Learn a lot about used gear values and you'll never go hungry. You'll go insane, but not hungry.

LL

 

[apl]

...this is a ridiculous thread.

What brilliant insight! Thank you very much!

 

[WERNER 1]

I totally agree that you will find the best deal in buying a used guitar or bass from a private individual.......or maybe even at a pawn shop (I've never had much luck with that though...), but you have to keep in mind that Duff doesn't even play....yet, so he's not going to know what to lookfor in a good used guitar....even it was explained in technical blah, blah, he would still have no concept of "feel" or "Function" so to speak. These are all things that we have learned from years of playing and tweaking on our own guitars, and would have a hard time explaining to some one who has yet to play............it's sort of like trying to explain to someone who has never tasted a banana....what a banana taste like.........Uh, it taste like a banana.

Just my 2 cents..

 

[TheRockDoc]

another thought

Although I'm certainly not a fan of the firewood collection, OLP might be another option for you... www.olpguitars.com another possibility might be low end Schechters...

 

[rxQueen]

Hmm, I don't know that I'd buy an instrument without playing it first... Too much of a chance of just not liking it.

no............. I'd rather buy a guitar direct from Rondo than having to go to Guitar Center and try one of the pieces of shits you suggested (and later be disgusted with them and come back home all disgruntled and hold a grudge against Squier and plotting world destruction).

trust me (and whoever suggests Rondo)