Best electric bass guitars to get the right rhythm

The fact the bass guitar looks so much like a regular, six-string electric guitar can lead some to assume it’s an inferior or secondary instrument. However, anyone who's ever played one knows this is absolutely not the case, with the bass’s role of tying the rhythm and lead sections together making it an extremely important part of a band’s groove.

First developed in the 1930s but achieving mainstream popularity in the 1950s following its use in jazz big bands (a bass player who performed with Elvis Presley went electric in 1957), the bass guitar is usually larger than a standard electric guitar, with four thicker, longer strings that produce a deeper sound. It’s not an electrified version of the double bass, as it’s played horizontally rather than upright and has frets - though some fretless bass guitars do exist.

The standard four-string fretted bass may be the most common instrument, but myriad forms exist. Not only are there short-scale necks that take some of the extra size away from the bass for smaller players or those seeking a particular image, but some can be found with extra strings for when the open E string isn’t low enough, hand-wound pickups in search of a specific sound, or custom paint jobs.

There is an active market in secondhand and vintage bass guitars, and almost any model can be restored and have its electronics replaced in an attempt to improve its sound or just get it working properly. Despite this, the trade in new instruments is brisk, and a huge range of modern basses that ape the looks of older instruments means you can get a timeless look without having to pay out the huge amounts of money a well-loved classic can go for. Here are some of the best bass options out there.

Best electric bass guitars at a glance:

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Fender Player II Precision

Best for: a well-loved all-rounder

A classic for a reason, today’s Precision can trace its lineage back to a bass guitar marketed by Leo Fender in 1951, one of the first to gain widespread use. It has changed over time, with newer models dropping the metal cover over the pickup and moving to a split-coil design that helps cancel any electronic hum.

Looking rather like an enlarged Stratocaster, the Player II version of the Precision retains the rosewood or maple fingerboard with a body made from alder wood, and modernises the neck profile into more of a C shape. Multiple variations are available, but the entry-level model is available at a reasonable price.

Buy now £799.00, Fender

Cort Action PJ

Best for: beginners

This affordable bass looks great, doesn’t cost too much, and has a switchable pickup set that lends itself to multiple musical genres. The ergonomic body shape has been designed to help reduce fatigue while playing, and the open-pore finish brings out the natural beauty of the wood (the walnut finish is particularly good, though a large range of colours is available) and helps improve the instrument’s acoustic resonance.

Buy now £179.00, Gear4Music

Fender Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazz Bass Fretless

Best for: fretless thrills

A fretless bass guitar does away with the metal frets on the neck that delineate the different note positions, making it more like an upright bass. On this model there are still visible lines etched in the places the frets would be, but otherwise your notes are entirely intonated by your fingers, which will take a bit of practice and perhaps an adjustment of your technique to get proficient at.

Inspired by 1960s Fender Jazz models, this Squier fretless bass comes with Fender-designed alnico (aluminium and nickel) single-coil pickups, nickel-plated hardware, and a vintage body and neck finish too.

Buy now £389.00, Fender

Yamaha BB735A

Best for: five strings

Adding a fifth string to the traditionally four-string bass guitar gives you an extended range, with more low notes to work with, and really opens up your creative options. It also looks awesome, which is an important consideration. There are a few drawbacks, such as the increased weight of an instrument that can already be pretty heavy, and you may need to upgrade your amplifier, as not all models can cope well with even lower frequencies and can introduce distortion.

This model from Yamaha isn’t the cheapest five-stringer, but is well made and comes with active pickups that feature three-band EQ and a pickup balancer, plus an active/passive switch to cut through all that for a pure tone.

Buy now £1221.00, Amazon

Gretsch G2220B Electromatic Junior Jet II

Best for: a short-scale bass

The classic electric bass guitar has a long neck, and therefore long strings, which enable it to make lower notes. A short-scale bass shortens the neck by around 3.5 inches, which makes the guitar lighter and easier to handle, especially for those with shorter arms. The Höfner 500/1 violin bass made famous by Sir Paul McCartney, for example, has a 30-inch neck compared to the more usual 34-inch.

The Gretsch G2220B has a 30.3-inch neck, but otherwise acts in exactly the same way as any other bass guitar, with a pair of Gretsch single-coil bass pickups and plenty of adjustability for creating different tones.

Buy now £399.00, Guitar Guitar

Gibson Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird

Best for: looking like a rock god

Gibson’s Thunderbird basses have always looked incredible, designed with input from Kiss bassist Gene Simmons (and with a custom engraved logo on the mirror-finished pickguard). This is a luxuriously finished guitar made from mahogany with ebony wood inserts, chrome hardware and a nitrocellulose lacquer finish.

The pair of Thunderbird humbucking bass pickups offer a classic rock sound, offering a fat bass sound, a cleaner, warmer option, or the ability to run them both together.

Buy now £2186.00, Gear4Music

Aria SB One

Best for: quality at a good price

The same shape as basses that cost five times as much, and still made from quality materials, the Aria SB One comes with a single Humbucker pickup and in a range of colours that includes a particularly nice red. The body is made from Indonesian mahogany, with a rosewood fingerboard and a maple/walnut neck.

Basses further up the range, such as the Aria SB 1000, may come with more control options and better finishes (including golden hardware), but for the price of entry, this model still has a lot to offer.

Buy now £599.00, Aria

Music Man Sterling StingRay Ray34

Best for: a classic look

Music Man formed in the early 1970s with Leo Fender as a silent partner and was sold to Ernie Ball in the 80s. The Stingray is one of the company’s classic designs, and its players include Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tim Commerford from Rage Against the Machine, and Tony Levin who played with John Lennon, Peter Gabriel and King Crimson.

There are a lot of variants of the Stingray, with prices rising well over £3,000 for the model endorsed by Commerford, but you can get in on the action for less, with the entry-level bass featuring a single humbucker pickup, a two-band active preamp, maple neck and lightweight jabon wood body.

Buy now £1029.00, Andertons

Verdict

While buying an electric bass is a very personal decision that will depend not only on the sound and image you’re trying to project but also on your physical size and shape, some guitar styles become classics for a reason.

The Fender Precision has been used by musicians in The Clash, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Foo Fighters, Queen and many more, so deserves its place at the top of this list, but any of the electric basses here should not be overlooked if you’re looking for something to get a low-end groove on.