Best bass guitar for less than $300

Get a Squier,spend a few bucks upgrading the pots and I think you will be happy.

Got me thinking..Did Fender ever make any Bass guitars in Mexico? I have never noticed one,but I don't really pay much attention to the bass guitars.

If there are some Mexican ones,that might be something to consider.I know I like the Mexican Telecasters just fine.

My friend has a Squier Jazz Bass for sale at his store,I noticed it the other day. The price he mentioned on it sounded really good,but I don't remember exactly what he said.
I will call him tomorrow and ask him,then post it here.He will ship anywhere,and is a really good guy to deal with.
He also reads this site,but I don't know if he ever posts here.

Went by his shop yesterday,that was actually a Squier 5 string protone bass, He said he needed to shim the neck a little bit,buy would probably want $ 350 for it after that.

Answers my question perfectly. Would be the direction I would go for sure.

Like I said, I am not usually paying much attention to the Bass stuff,but I would think,that quality-wise,it's just like with The Tellies. I hope most players keep snobbing them,so I can buy them cheaper.

It also brings up interesting questions to ask,on the political board.

Why spend only $300 on a cheap bass that sounds like shite?

You get what you pay for

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Go to your favorite bass manufacturer & purchase a stock instrument including body, neck, electronics. Every company has various instrument components that they determine will not sell on the open market due to minor flaws. Purchase the parts of your choice which normally is inexpensive then assemble and paint.

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Curious which manufacturers do this?

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Curious which manufacturers do this?

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Me too. I'd love to put together a fender Strat of all scratch and dent parts. Lol

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All do it. A scratch or nick or a wood grain not aesthetically pleasing to potential customers will be discarded. Three hundred dollars is enough to purchase the stock body, neck, and components, and then paint, finish & assemble. You'll likely have a better instrument in strict quality .

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All do not do it. You are incorrect. Direct sales, "back-dooring," when you have authorized dealers is a violation of those agreements. Manufacturers that would do that openly would be under-selling their dealers who'd dump the lines due to no profitability.

Wood that is not aesthetically pleasing becomes solid color guitars. Black strats and black Les Pauls are black for a reason. Good tone wood, nothing wrong with it for guitar-building or making great instruments, but the planks in that case don't match cosmetically, or mineral streaks are present and filled, stuff like that.

Wood that is nicked or splintered is filled and becomes solid colors. Guitars with paint issues, like runs or clearcoat lifts, I've heard of everything from stripped and refin'ned to given to endorsers to sold to employees at discounts (or dealers, remember Gibson's "seconds" in the 70s?) to simply bandsawed and the remnants repurposed.

Electronic components are typically sourced and purchased directly from component manufacturers (example, CTS pots in Fender and Gibson, Switchcraft, CRL and Oak Grigsby switches) and if the fail rate exceeds any pre-negotiated fail rates, refunds and/or credits are issued.

Non-operating pickups wound in house are rewound. Takes maybe 10 minutes. Non-in-house pickups, see the last paragraph. Complex hardware, like tuners, same deal - fails are refunded/credited.

In-house hardware with "issues" are stupid rare because they monitor the stamp and die-cast process as units are produced and can re-tool if a run is all or high-percentage duds.

I have a Squier Jazz and just got a Squier Jaguar bass.

Great option for us poors.

And yes... I play with a pick.

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Why not just save up for a nice bass? Or sell those two and get one nice fender Jazz or jaguar?

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I agree about trying to have better shite..but..you can also move up gradually. I don't think he is talking about trying to record albums,probably just wants to play around with some ideas and get them down,anything that is usable,is better than nothing,and some of the lower priced stuff aint all that bad,it's come a long way really.
Ideas need to be saved,any way possible,if you wait,they get forgotten,and it may be some of the best that you ever have.
If you need to use a coffee can and a shoe box for drums,frickin do it.Record..don't wait until you have perfect shite.

I've played on Fenders and Squiers. The difference is in the pickups. Considering adding some Seymour Duncans in the future.

Keep in mind I am not a professional and my band is my stereo or headphones.