Recommended Left Handed Bass Guitars For All Levels
Being a left handed bass player can seem like a curse. Right handed bassists have more selection and variety when finding instruments, not to mention the fact that most left handed basses cost quite a bit more to buy.
So how can you, the left handed bassist, find a good quality left handed bass without running your bank account dry?
Through our help, of course. Today we will be discussing the best recommended left handed basses for three individual types of player; the beginner, the novice, and the advanced player.
While these may be our most recommended basses, keep in mind that everything comes down to comfort. So long as you are comfortable, you will be able to play properly, and no amount of recommendation can change this. We suggest you try out any of these basses before purchase if possible, as basses aren’t a one size fits all instrument, and your personal comfort level may vary.
Recommended Beginner and Budget Left Handed Bass:
Our recommended left handed bass for you players on a budget is the Ibanez SR300. This bass has a nice five piece maple neck with a rosewood fret board, complete with a nice low, signature Ibanez styled short bolt on. The bass is light weight, and has three tones knobs to help you optimize your tone; balance, treble, and bass, with a single volume knob.
For stock pickups, the Ibanez EXF-4-F and EXF-4-R pickups have a nice warm, smooth tone with a bit of bite at the top. Ibanez is renowned for their necks, and this bass is no exception. The neck is nice and thin, which makes even the most intricate jazz runs easily accessible. The agathis wood body is resonant and light, so you won’t feel like you are carrying a bag of bricks around your neck.
Click here to get more details on the Ibanez SR300…
Recommended Intermediate and Mid Price Range Left Handed Bass:
Our recommended left handed bass for all of you players who want to enjoy a mid-level bass is the Schecter Stiletto Studio-4. This bass has phenomenal specs for the price, with a mahogany body, bubinga top, and a neck through multi laminate maple and walnut neck. This woods lend themselves extremely nicely not only to looks, but to resonance as well.
The EMG-HZ pickups have nice bite and low end, without being overly fuzzy and saturated. The thirty-four inch scale us perfect for tuning experimentation. The hardware is a nice satin gold, and the tuners are Grover tuners, which are this columnist’s personal favorites. This bass is definitely a huge step up in build quality and specification than the SR300.
Click here to get more details on the Schecter Stiletto Studio 4…
Recommended Advanced and Higher Price Range Left Handed Bass:
Our recommended left handed bass for those of you with the cash and skill level to spare is the Music Man Bongo 4 HH. This bass has a bass wood body, and although bass wood gets a bad rap, the bass wood used by music man is extremely high quality. The neck is a selected maple neck, which means the maple isn’t just maple that is in stock; Music Man chooses which maple they are going to use for the specific neck.
The tuners are Schaller BM’s with tapered string posts, and the neck joint is sculpted, with an extremely low and stable five-bolt structure. With a four active band preamp and Neodymium pickups, this bass is meant for serious players
Click here to get more details on the Music Man Mongo 4 HH…
Now that you have your suggestions, it is your turn to see which category you fit under and try out each bass to see if they are right for you. Good luck! For a great bass guitar lesson course on DVD, you need to check out Teach Me Bass Guitar.
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2 Comments
From personal experience, If you are buying your first Bass Guitar, There is always the possibility you will not be bitten by the bug. There is no point having 300 to 400 pound or dollar instrument gathering dust.
Fender Squier Precision and especially the Jazz Bass are ideal entry level instruments for beginners.
There is also no problem selling these instruments if you don’t stay the course, As they seem to be highly sought after.
After a time i purchased a Cort B4 Artisan, Which the neck is made of Bubinga wood, And is fitted with Bartolini pick ups. This is an active Bass and possesses a good variety of different sounds. This is widely available in the left handed model, And has a good reputation for it’s tone. Some players have said it has all the good tone of a Warwick for half the price. This will cost between 450 to 500.
For me personally though, I recently purchased a Tokai Thunderbird, And i swear by it. Some people are put off by it’s lopsided design, But i do not see it as much of a problem. The neck is glued on, Which adds a rich deep tone when you fret notes.
It has two big humbucker pick ups, And the thing is an animal that growls when you play the E String.
My playing has come on a ton since playing on of these, Tokai sure do make quality instruments for affordable prices.
The only down side being, They are difficult to get a hold of.
The thing is a beast of an instrument, And you are like a Lion Tamer trying to get it under control. Once you get used to it though, It is one hell of a Bass Guitar. If you can play this, You can play anything, And it doesn’t possess a top horn, So beginners have easier access to the higher frets.
I hope one day i’ll will have enough spare cash to purchase the original Gibson Thunderbird.
Thanks for taking time to leaving a comment and making great suggestions. I started out on the Squier Precision bass and moved on to another guitar because of the lack of tonal control. I ended up giving away the guitar to my cousin who took an interest in the instrument too. But you are right, the squier precision bass is a great beginner’s tool.
I personally haven’t played a Tokai Thunderbird in real life before and would really love to give the instrument a try out. Too bad my local store doesn’t carry the Tokai line.
For the Gibson guitars, I find that their signature sound is usually pegged to the muddy kind of sound they produce. Some people like it, some people don’t. I happen to fall within the latter group. I personally would prefer the versatility of a Fender Jazz bass over the Gibson bass though.