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Sterling StingRay RAYSS4 Short Scale Bass Guitar
$749.99The StingRay RAYSS4 Short Scale bass is a sterling example of innovation meeting the classic sound that musicians have come to expect from the StingRay line. Its shorter scale length offers a more manageable playabi...12 Payments of $62.50
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Cort Space 5 Headless 5-String Bass Guitar
$799.99Cort Space 5 Headless 5-String Bass Guitar The Cort Space 5 revives a revolutionary spirit, bringing the compact, headless bass concept back with modern refinements. Designed for bassists who value mobility witho...12 Payments of $66.67
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Strandberg Boden Bass Standard 4 Guitar with Bag
$2,499.00™Experience a bass that is light as a feather yet fills out the mix like no other. The Boden Bass Standard 4 stems from the same original design as our Boden Standard line of guitars with a supremely low-weight ...12 Payments of $208.25
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Ibanez BTB746 6-String Bass Guitar
$1,099.99The BTB746 is a 6-string bass featuring an ash wing body, with a walnut top/mahogany back, for a sound that is deep and rich. The 35” scale, 5-piece maple/walnut neck-through supports superior tone, and encourages m...12 Payments of $91.67
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Yamaha TRBX605FM 5-String Electric Bass Guitar
$559.95 - $1,283.66When bassists need low end with clarity, they choose the TRBX605FM featuring a flame maple top on a solid alder body for comfort and great looks. Additional features are premium electronics with easy to use controls...12 Payments of $65.00
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Guild Starfire I Electric Bass Guitar
$749.99The Guild Starfire I bass guitar has that iconic shape which has been re-crafted for modern day bassists. The Starfire I bass has effortlessly playability with high quality performance. Boasting a slim 2.4” body thi...12 Payments of $62.50
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Fender Standard Precision Bass Maple Neck
$679.99Originally released by Fender® in 1951, the Precision Bass® was a groundbreaking invention that allowed the bassists of the day to enjoy the fretted precision and amplified volume that their upright basses lacked, q...12 Payments of $56.67
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Fender Standard Precision Bass Maple Neck
$679.99Fender Standard Precision Bass If you’ve ever grooved to a Motown hit or rocked out to a punk anthem, you’ve heard the Fender Precision Bass in action. It’s the instrument that shaped modern music, delivering the...12 Payments of $56.67
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Fender Standard Jazz Bass Guitar 4-String Maple Neck
$679.99Launched by Fender® in 1960 and positioned as a deluxe model to compliment the P Bass®, the Jazz Bass® provided jazzers with dual pickups for added sonic variety and brightness, a more ergonomic offset-waist body, a...12 Payments of $56.67
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Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special HH Bass Guitar with Mono Case
$2,849.00 - $3,049.00The Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special combines classic tone with modern upgrades for maximum performance. Its ash body, roasted maple neck, and 22 stainless steel frets deliver exceptional durability, resonance,...12 Payments of $237.42
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Ernie Ball Music Man DarkRay Bass Guitar with Mono Softshell Case
$2,999.00Ernie Ball Music Man DarkRay: Welcome to the Dark Side This isn’t just a bass; it’s a beautifully brutal beast, a collaboration between two titans of tone that resulted in something truly special. The DarkRay is...12 Payments of $249.92
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Ibanez GSR205SM Gio 5 String Bass
$349.99Built to hold its own against pro level competitors, the Ibanez GSR205SM five-string features a solid Mahogany body, and exotically Spalted Maple top for a beautiful look and clear, punchy tone. A jatoba fingerboard...8 Payments of $43.75
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Electric Bass Guitars
Hey Mr. Bassman! Whether you like to snap, strum, pop, pick, or pluck, having the right Electric Bass Guitar can make all the difference and AMS has an incredible selection. Choose the wood, color, style, and scale length to make your performance stand above the rest. Stay centered with a standard four-string bass, or stretch out with five- and six-string models.
American Musical Supply is excited to be your stop for electric basses from top brands! We offer True 0% interest payment plans - applying is easy. Use your own debit or credit card, enjoy fast and free shipping, and add an electric bass to your creative setup.
We make buying an electric bass quick and easy - in-stock items that are ordered before 5PM will ship out the same day! (see our Shipping Information Page for more details) Do you have questions about basses and want to know which one would be best for you? Give us a call at 800-319-9043 - our experts are standing by.
What is the best electric bass? Well, that all depends on what you’re looking for in terms of size, feel, tone perspective, and price point. American Musical Supply is stocked with a huge collection of basses that touch on those different characteristics in unique ways – we’re here to help you find the instrument you have been looking for!
You can’t talk about the bass without bringing up Fender – most notably the Fender Precision Bass (or P Bass) and the Fender Jazz Bass. With their trademark ‘double horn’ designs and substantial solid bodies that have been built to provide support, strength, and resonance, these rock-solid electric basses have provided the low-end support for bands and ensembles of all types for over sixty years. The split pickups of the P Bass provide all of the power and punch needed for all types of rock music. The special single-coil layout found on the Jazz Bass means smooth, bright, complex tones – jazz, funk, fusion, and all types of dance-driven pop and EDM genres are tailor-made for the Fender Jazz Bass.
We know that Gibson is known for their electric and acoustic guitars, but their bass guitars have a history of making serious contributions to the world of music. The EB Bass was released in 1953 and was their very first production bass. That was followed by a number of iconic instruments including the Thunderbird Bass and SG Bass. AMS carries the newest versions of these historic American-made models - wonderful blends of famous looks and powerful low frequency performance.
Building basses takes a certain mindset and there are companies that dedicate serious time and effort to the unique quirks of the electric bass. After all, these creative tools aren’t just guitars with fewer strings. Electric basses are their own beasts - serving as the foundation, the driving tonal pulse, and the support that anchors your music’s chord voicings and rhythmic patterns. AMS is fortunate to carry Music Man, Spector, Warwick, and PRS – just a few of the brands that go above and beyond when it comes to sculpting unique tone wood bodies, implementing modified hardware and pickups, and finishing it all out with special appointments and visual touches. To these companies, building a bass is not just making a tool for music, it’s creating a true work of art!
If you’re looking for a comfortable electric bass that has a bit more of a streamlined body shape - something that is a bit lighter, that’s nicely balanced, and is easy to get around - you should be sure to check out Ibanez and Yamaha. Their popular basses are incredibly reliable, look great, and are known for their versatility across the music spectrum. Do you need the distinct growl and boom of a heavy metal bass guitar? ESP and Schecter have the menacing designs and snarling pickups you need to feed that intensity!
What kind of bass is best for a beginner? Go ahead and take a look at our selection of Epiphone, Sterling, Ibanez Gio, and Squier basses, which provide many pro-level features at a more comfortable price point. American Musical Supply has lots of different models to choose from and these instruments are approved by performers, educators, and technicians. If you’re looking for an all-in-one gift for an aspiring bass player, be sure to check our selection of Electric Bass Guitar Packages. These instruments are perfect for our 4-pay and 6-pay plans – these are the easiest ways to buy a gift for someone, period!
When it comes to choosing your electric bass, there are a few important characteristics to consider. The first thing is the number of strings. 4-String Electric Basses - usually tuned E-A-D-G from lowest to highest - are the most common and are the instruments taken into consideration when bass music is written. 5-String Electric Basses - usually tuned B-E-A-D-G from low to high - are also very popular for players seeking a bit more extra range down low. Are you a player that is looking to push the limits on range and technique ever further? We also carry a wide selection of electric basses with 6 Strings or more.
Next, it’s about choosing an instrument with either an active or passive pickup setup. What’s the difference between an active pickup and passive pickup? Well, an active pickup includes a built-in preamp that is powered by a 9-volt battery. First and foremost, this boosts the signal of the bass before it hits the effects chain or Bass Guitar Amp. Active basses often have extra levels of tone control at the source, allowing you to tweak the parameters of various color-shaping controls and the instrument’s low, middle, and higher frequencies (EQ) in much more detail. The result? A wider palette of sounds to choose from. Just remember to take this extra boost of gain into consideration and keep plenty of spare batteries so that your active controls can work properly.
An electric bass with a passive pickup performs just like a standard electric guitar – simply plug it into your amplifier and you’re ready to go from there. Tone controls are much more limited on a passive bass – usually a low and high EQ – and there can be a bit more extraneous noise if you’re using longer cable runs. Passive basses are much more straightforward and user-friendly. That means that your clean bass sound is a bit more limited, although if you’re using Bass Guitar Effects and controlling tone parameters on a Bass Guitar Amp, you’re still open to a wide catalog of tonal options.