Ranking Bass Brands Worst To Best

Here are some Affiliate Links to some of the highest rated guitars that I liked
My Favorite Sub $600 Spector Bass
imp.i114863.net/Q5Og9
My Favorite Sub $600 Sterling Musicman
www.americanmusical.com/sterl...
My Favorite sub $600 Squier bass
imp.i114863.net/kmjXx
My favorite sub $600 Jackson model
imp.i114863.net/a01kq
My Favorite under $600 Schecter
imp.i114863.net/Gvj56
My favorite sub $600 Ibanez model
imp.i114863.net/z7a3x
The new Kramer bass
imp.i114863.net/VGyWJ
My favorite sub $600 Yamaha
imp.i114863.net/E3aX9
My favorite sub $600
imp.i114863.net/mQD6Z
My favorite sub $600 Epiphone Bass
imp.i114863.net/g2bVv
This is were I buy my used gear online
reverb.grsm.io/PhillipMcKnight
Here are some other products from a dealer I trust and buy from online
imp.i114863.net/c/2224555/791...
Herco Picks? This is the pick I ended up switching back to
amzn.to/3e3NhH5
Klotz 15ft Cable with breaker ( You will never go back)
amzn.to/2YilLQS
String Swing Wall Hangers. The only Stands and Hanger I use
imp.i114863.net/aErjN
Know Your Gear T shirts
teespring.com/stores/know-you...
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The straps I use are Dimarzio straps and I've been using them since 1992
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D Addario Fret Polish Kit
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[@peterdebad1]

Phil your lists are a lot of fun. No complaints. We are talking about budget friendly basses. Thanks for your time doing this review. Peace!

[@bencampbell5468]

Nice to see Schecter got so high on the list. I've always been a big fan of them. Very under rated.

[@mooper11]

Thanks for giving the bassists some love Phil.

[@Nektopoulo]

Yes, do a $600 to $1300 so we can see how PRS SE rank against the entry MIA Fenders and the higher priced Ibanez

[@thesmellycatjazz]

...MIA wouldn't be compared to the SE. One is Made in America. It's not an import

[@Ovibos5]

You can get PRS S2 in that range, which are MIA (with import parts) that are awesome.

[@drdrums1]

Yeah, if we remove the import-only restriction, I'd love to know how the MIA Performers do (that's my baby, satin blue MIA P-bass).

[@terribleliars123]

Personally I think a lot of the se series guitars are a lot better than most us/mim guitars ive owned or played. Had a us les paul and a se singlecut 245 and I sold my les paul instead and id make that decision every day

[@wiseguy9202]

@@terribleliars123 I'm literally the opposite. Sold my PRS guitars and ended up buying an R8 and R9.

[@drkoontz]

GREAT video series thank you for the past two videos I know this must have taken a ton of time to put together. Glad to hear Schecter ranked so high I have always loved this brand and have had excellent guitars form Schecter that I play everyday.

[@andrewcasey8580]

I always greatly appreciate your lists. You've opened me up to some awesome gear. Please keep at it and thank you for all your hard work.

[@monstrok]

Great to see Sire so high on the list. Got one recently and it is my #1 out of 6 other basses.

[@mladyavery9138]

I've always wanted to try one

[@jonhmusic423]

I got my Fretless P7 expecting it to be roughly the same quality as my Fender Modern Player Jazz (which is already a great bass for the price). Got it, and it blew the Fender out of the water. Insane quality, easily surpassing instruments over 3x the price. I now play that P7 as my main bass.

[@Baci302]

Thanks Phillip. Your videos are so helpful.

[@anewdimnsion]

Opens up reverb, sweetwater and ams to spend money I dont have. Thanks Phil!

[@MichaelZola]

Was not expecting the bass list! But since I enjoyed the last ranking so much I got to watch this one. For guitar and bass I have a traveler guitar. They are very much sentimental to me after buying my first Strat style and open humbuckers design electric guitar. Also am a Steinberger (under Gibson) owner. I think the stock pickups are just fine, the bass sounds especially good to my ears. The body shape is what I’m really after. Very playable! Thanks Phil!

[@caseystrange1532]

Love the vids Phil! You’re my favorite KZbin channel for guitar!!! Keep up the great work!

[@MaskedEnforcer]

Awesome list Phil! After much research my first bass was a Schecter Omen Extreme 4 left hand model and I still own it to this day (5 years later!).

[@edrozenrozen9600]

Great series!!!!

[@davidgude6476]

Great series man! Love the guitar one too! Maybe you could do one about lefty friendly companies. It’s always so hard to find decent lefty’s at this price point and not a ton of variety.

[@gameking501]

I play on an Ibanez five string, and I couldn’t imagine a better bass to play. The tonal options, variety of features, and appearance are stellar. Glad to see the brand appreciated here.

[@boydbc]

I would love to see another bass list like this (especially the 600-1000 range). Good list!

[@larrry]

I love these rankings videos and you should definitely make this a series. You could rank pieces of gear under $600 (eg best amps, guitar, bass) for a specific genre, like metal, or jazz etc!

[@manicmike3952]

Thanks for the bid and recommendations. That Fuji company sounds very interesting.

[@WizardOfArc]

Thanks for this list! I got my eye on Schecter now...

[@kirkbolas4985]

Very useful information Phil. Thank you for not taking an hour to present this list. A sub $300 list would be cool.

[@donaldwrissler9059]

Definitely interested in seeing sub 300 and over 1k in the Bass list as well as the upcoming guitar ones. The feel of these video harken back to who owns who videos of a few years ago.

[@ronnieremark3355]

Totally agree about the Ibanez. Picked one up used on a whim for next to nothing and I still have it and haven’t upgraded it yet. A total surprise!

[@adamgreenhill110]

Really helpful video!! I agree with Vintage; my current Vintage VJ74 has the issues you mentioned. And I just bought a Cort B5, so I'm on the right track. This will help with my next bass in future!

[@iutchube]

Great idea. Extremely useful. Love your videos.

[@josephrtaylor21061]

Great insights - I learned a lot. Thank you :)

[@ajmee9664]

Love the pacing of these vids!

[@stephenprosser6787]

Love this series! Keep them coming!

[@markwarner5554]

Solid list. Spector, Ibanez, and Schecter are my go-to bass brands.

[@TheDynamiteGuy]

I love the fact that you listed the brand that I went with for my first Bass as #1, as a matter of fact, you even showed the model I purchased! I love it, it's a beautiful instrument and it feels great in the hands, no complaints!

[@Mind69420]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! This helps newbies like me make better purchase decisions.

[@user-tj7rt5nn6r]

Thanks for the list. Great to see that my favourite bass builder is in the top 3 😊. Also nice to see that Benton and Squire are as good as I've been contemplating getting them for my collection.

[@wilele7133]

Love Ibanez basses! I've owned quite a few over the years from entry level to high end BTBs. Even the cheapest of them have great feeling smooth necks, sound great and are tons of fun to play!

[@GuitarTabsDaily]

Thanks for this! As a guitar player (who actually bought a guitar from your AZ store many moons ago) i have no clue about basses and need one for recording! Appreciate the info!!! 🙏🤘🤘

[@paulmccutcheon7665]

love to see you do the same video only on 5 string basses

[@kevinbrennan9804]

I’ve had my Ibanez SR 400 since 2006. Active 3 band EQ. All stock. Love it.

[@WattchomanBrandySavage]

I'm digging these ranked videos!

[@andrewanderson3746]

Super valuable video, thank you!

[@judih.8754]

A great list Phil. And brands I wasn't aware of. Cool 😎. I own Yamaha and Hofner and I enjoy them both. Thanks.

[@a7xmabe]

More videos like this please!

[@mattbrillhart2922]

I’ve owned several G&L basses and guitars-both USA and Tributes. The SB-2 and M-2000 Tributes are monster basses. I also owned USA SB-2. Two of the best basses I’ve owned has been Peavey Millennium 5+ and TL-5, but both over $600.

[@rcjd7834]

I got my Jackson JS3VQ Concert Bass as my first for $275 on Reverb. It sounds massive, plays well, and I love it. No QC issues, and mine is a 2019 model (based on the serial). I am going to save up for an ESP LTD B-1005 Multi-scale bass. I love the sound of the Nordstrom pickups, the aesthetic is gorgeous, and the 37"-34" scale length is great for downtuning.

[@prestachuck2867]

All of the top five are phenomenal choices for a working musician with a tight budget! Great video!

[@LowEndLobster]

Wooo! FGN! I have 7 of em and they're AMAZING. Also a big Ibanez fanboy (have 9). I had to take a second to think about your #1 choice, and I agree. Schecter has come a long way, and I could only really ding them on their electronics quality on their older models (the really low end EMGs that were way too trebly), but their newer offerings including some of the more classically styled ones have moved away from that. I am actually eyeing several of them to check out, very impressed with where they've gone over the years! Great video!

[@terminatorparty6702]

Cameo Appearance!

[@pwilson4240]

This video is brilliant Phil! You are my favourite Nerd - where do you store all this knowledge!

[@tsekscenski]

Great list.

[@johnnybravoski7048]

A well done video, Phill.

[@crowdog13]

I love my Schecter Stiletto Stealth 5 -- plays amazing from the factory, and sounds huge!

[@dommadonia9207]

Hi Phil! You nailed this list down bro, Schector is my favorite bass company for the price point by far. And they have very good customer service if you need parts. REALLY liked this list, very helpful for someone with limited resources. Of course if you are lucky enough to be able to afford a top bass like the p bass or custom jazz stuff then good for you! But for the average Joe slapper, I think you can't go wrong with this list.

[@shaydenmusic]

Love the videos, Phillip! More helpful than ever since we're unable to try in stores right now with the pandemic. Question: can you do a video (or just comment) on what you think is the best P Bass style for the money? Thanks so much! Keep it up

[@viperocco]

Great video homie

[@chrisvoigt6895]

Lets see the mid range top ten worst to best (60-1000 usd price point). Loved this video. Keep this going, please.

[@marcobaruzzi3149]

We NEED more of this lists

[@techvalleyscene]

Right on for doing the video that you know might not get the most hits.

[@oliviaa121]

I have a Sterling Stingray short scale and it is absolutely fantastic!

[@jameshouchin5086]

Thanks for doing basses too!!

[@ryanrogers8923]

I love my ibanez sr bass. Its a sub 600 dolar bass that I just love to play. Glad to see you rank them so high.

[@jacobthorns5776]

Wow! Super great presentatiom, was easy to lusten too and informative. I own a schecter stilletto exteme and love it! Only complaints are small like battery access, lack of thumb rest (love one built into yamaha pickups), maybe knob identification but like i say very small nit picks.

[@gavinwild2647]

Agreed about the Cort brand. I don't really think much of their guitars, but their basses are awesome. For what I paid for my GB75 - great hardware and sound, and very comfortable too.

[@kushwookie420]

I’m actually happy to see Spector kinda high on this list. I bought one of their legend series basses and it’s amazing made me a huge fan of the brand.

[@thelastscarecrow6701]

I would love to see all the category scores. I don’t care if a company only has one bass for under $600 as long as it’s a great one! 😉

[@johnmoser2689]

I really liked what you said about schecter they've been a tempting choice for many reasons

[@doug.mitchell.106ID]

Must agree about the value/performance/finish available from Schecter. Picked up an Omen 5 Extreme with a minor ding from shipping for a *song* at Music Store up in Köln (D) a couple years back, just to fulfill a crazy idea : a 35" scale "baritone" strung with the EB 20-40-60-80-100 set. When it's just the drummer and me bashing around in the band room, one instrument covers the entire spectrum. It's a blast jumping back-and-forth between crater-inducing low end on the bottom 3 (60-100) and HUGE chords on the top 3 (20-60), thanks to the factory-installed high-gain active pickups in what's officially supposed to be a "metal" axe. Rolling the FX/volume back a couple notches also awakes a gloriously clear baritone voice on the top strings, especially with a pick. With the upper octave on the 24-fret neck, it's also a kick to let the Bass Station II plugged in nearby rhythmically fill the low end and channel the "inner Jaco" all us low-frequency folk usually keep under wraps when the guitar player decides to show up... =)

[@ConservativeMinded]

List of best short scale basses would also be great. Thanks

[@timothyallen3161]

Thanks Phil for the bass love.

[@johnmoser2689]

I love my Spector basses and I agree I still have my first Ibanez bass and still love playing it amazing good for the money

[@CL_Audio_Tuning]

And just like that... Schecters are out of stock.... :D Thanks for this video Phil! I actually just bought an Ibanez Sound Gear SR300e used and although i absolutely hate the color, its the Chared Chamagne Burst, i got it for a great deal and it was practically brand new. We'll see how it grows on me, either that or i paint it in just the dark brown tone which i do like better than the champagne tone, or maybe just strip it and stain it to a nice woodsy grain. Keep the great content coming as always!

[@TheTeddydog1]

Saw an interview with Marcus Miller on another channel. Very cool and accomplished musician. Have my Ibanez Soundgear bass for years, and love it! Thanks Phil.

[@derekberg4067]

Interestingly, I'm currently shopping and trying to decide between a Schecter Stiletto Studio and an Ibanez SR500. Thanks for the listing.

[@makoto99]

Glad to see Ibanez SR basses (and their other less popular bass styles) got some love... but Schecter definitely deserves it. I bought a "cheapo" Schecter Stealth as a cheap intro to 5-string, and it's really amazing how good it is... the P/H pickups sound really good, the setup was unbelievably well done (... 5 years later and I still don't believe it), the fretwork is amazing, and the bass itself is just an absolute tank. As my cheapest bass, it's always the one I think about selling for spare cash... but every time I decide "... no. It's worth way more than I'd get."

[@motosportadv8177]

glad to to see my Cort Artisan C6 plus ZBMH(my finish wasn't perfect btw when bought brand new) made the Top 10 , i mean it's not the best but for the money I felt like i got a lot of bass!!! I no doubt feel like y'all know what your talking about Phil thanks for doing these list i do believe it's a very accurate assessment !

[@ricardobermudez6229]

Great video!!! I think you should do it with less rush, we want to see you talking freely about the instruments

[@PaulaBean]

Thanks for your opinions on BASS

[@BrianSGuitars]

Definitely an Above $600 Bass Ranking video please!

[@dirtlord7257]

aria's are really a hidden gem. amazing sound and it seems like they experimented with their designs quite a bit

[@NeiloNeil]

Great list. It's good to see Sire and Schecter rank so high. I'm a bit suprised about LTD though. Even though they don't have a lot of models to choose from these days (Rip the Stream) the models they have are awesome basses. I love my B-206 to death and would get the 5-string model as well if my finances hadn't been so messed up this year. Plays smooth like a baby's bottom and sounds like a beast.

[@jeromestevenfaigin6059]

I own an Aria Pro 2 and before I was ready to own a bass I got to chose a Fender P bass together so, I had the luck to play them side by side. The Aria was the best choice for tone with passive pickups and comfort. At 65 I now have arthritis, comfort is important now.

[@edwardmiller3469]

Definitely need more of these videos, particularly >$600.

[@JoeMama410]

I have a MIM Fender J-bass that I got for $300 a couple decades ago. I bet it's equivalent to the current $600 basses they offer. It gets the job done for me.

[@norberto0217]

Yes it will be very cool to see more price range. And i wonder where G&L is ranked ?

[@ratrodfox]

I have owned a Cort Artisan A5 for 8 years and apart from needing to skim the top of part of one fret that was buzzing, it has performed faultlessly. It looks amazing, sounds superb and plays like butter. I also have a Vintage Jaco style fretless Jazz Bass. I understand the quality issues. I picked it up 2nd hand but basically new and barely played. I paid a third of it's retail value! The reason was that the neck wasn't seated in the pocket properly. You could actually see the screws in the gap between the neck and the body! I took the neck off, figured where it was binding and used a Dremel to take the tiniest amount off in one spot. Now it sits perfectly and is tight enough to hold the body on without the screws. A 5 minute job saved me AUS$400! I put on flatwounds and a bone nut (the original plastic one was so bad it still had dags in the slots) and I love it.

[@stephenlarocque282]

Would love to see you review some of the different lines of Bacchus bass. The entry level Universe series starts at around $200, the Global starts at around $500 and the craft series which is made in Japan and starts at a little north of $800. These are Canadian prices so I imagine it will be slightly less for the USA. They seem to get quite a bit of love on talkbass, but would love to see a review of this brand from someone I trust.

[@weightlessfilms5651]

Love my import Hofner Violin bass. I've had a ton of fun upgrading it to get close to the German version. I'm curious about Squier's classic vibe line of basses. I have a Classic Vibe Tele and absolutely adore it.

[@yeahuri4724]

Exactly what I was looking for

[@ProffessorMusic]

I've owned and gigged on most of these (Fender, Sterling, Squier, Sire, Ibanez, Yamaha, Schecter) and I'd put Squier at #1 - their Vintage Modified '77 is honestly one of the best Jazz Basses I've ever played. Looks great, feels phenomenal, and sounds super solid. I ended up modding mine with some Fralins, better pots, and a hi-mass bridge: it's now my #1 recording J and still cost under $600.

[@firemarshal2629]

I gigged and recorded with a 400 dollar Ibanez for almost a decade. Definitely great basses for the money.

[@sr80bassguy]

My SR406 was my work horse for years

[@budgetguitaristcom]

I own two basses - a Squier and a Schecter, and I do agree very much with your assessment. I picked up a Schecter bass over a used Mexican Fender P-Bass because the Schecter was easier to play. Killer, killer bass for the money! Ibanez is great, too.

[@badassbassist]

Very happy with my cort B5.....got it for a steal deal and it is a very well made instrument....

[@GuitarJeff]

Thanks for doing this. I watched guitar one an I am a guitarist. However not being a bassist I have always wondered about their market. You never hear much about it. Also as a gigging musician I meet a lot of bass players and non seem to be into gear like guitar guys. All I ever see played are fender or squire, a few Epiphone and I think an Ibanez once. When you ranked schecter so high it makes sense. Never had a bad schecter guitar. I wonder why I never see them out on small local bands. At least up here in northern states in freidman territory.

[@christoddheartogold]

Nice review, and I'd love to see the reviews of +$600 basses, though to make it interesting, maybe upper bound it? Hopefully, a $15k Alembic is not in the same category as a $601 bass from anyone.

[@joecoleman460]

A couple of yrs. ago, I was able to get a Spector Bass for $60 and it is simply a joy to play.

[@benjaminking3677]

I love my Yamaha bass, I actually ended up choosing that over some Ibanez ones at the same price point. Mainly because I have smaller hands and their necks work wonders for me.

[@bettercallpolo]

Hey Phil. A friend of mine is looking to get a bass under 300 bucks, me and my friend would love if you do that video since I consider you one of the most reliable sources of opinions abput anything related with gear. Also money is tight so it would help if you did a video on budget friendly gear for us teens. Thank you and keep up the good work!

[@PeterSedmakMusic]

Thanks for the great video Phil! My bet was that Schecter will win 🤓 I need a bass up to 600€ now I am convinced to go with schecter

[@chrisggoodwin777]

I gigged on my Squier Jazz for a couple of years until I started trading up. I only had to resolder the output jack; other than that, problem-free

[@davewalsh3885]

Depends on the gig. Southern Rock I use my Epi Allan Woody, most everything else i use my Squire TeleBass with a few tweeks. Both sound great and are workhorses even if it does piss off the cork sniffers.

[@ChrisSkinner1]

I have to agree about Ibanez basses. They are great. I just always end up with Squiers or Fenders because they have that style that I like.

[@kdub9398]

I would love to see your high end ranking.

[@elenbrandt290]

Yes, please, review the higher priced basses - Thanks!

[@MarcG7424]

Thank you everyone rates budget basses or 700 dollar and up basses this hit the target for me 300-600 dollar range is prefect

[@senacht]

For me the rankings are less important than hearing the brand names themselves. Because there’s always at least one that’s new to me I’ll want to check out.