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When Justin Meldal-Johnsen's guitar tech handed him his first Mustang a decade ago, he was immediately enthralled with the short-scale size and blown away by all that it could do. So when it came time to design his signature bass, he wanted something as close to his own personal vintage '66 Mustang as he could get, resulting in the JMJ Road Worn Mustang. It features the same Daphne Blue finish, with a detail-conscious relic job featuring an authentic ‘60s-era aged pearl pickguard for that vintage vibe. Importantly, it’s also outfitted with a custom-spec, single-coil Mustang pickup that’s voiced as closely to JMJ’s vintage original as possible.

Crafted with features like a GreaseBucket tone circuit for taming high-end without making your sound muddy and a combination of passive Alnico V Yosemite Jazz and split Mustang pickups, the Fender American Performer Mustang Bass delivers a quality US-made instrument at a solid price point. The calibrated, shellac-dipped pickups deliver a wide spread of tone from smooth thumps to outright growls while the Modern C-shape maple neck and 30" make for some of the smoothest playing around.

The Fender Mustang Bass PJ from the Offset Series adds a world of versatility to a classic "student model" short-scale design. With both Precision and Jazz bass pickups, each with its own volume control, the Mustang Bass PJ is capable of a huge range of classic Fender tones -- fat and beefy on the P-Bass pickup and biting and growling on the J-Bass pickup. The short-scale neck makes for a harmonically rich sound and is a breeze to play, perfect for players with smaller hands or seasoned guitar players looking to add a bass to their arsenal.

The Epiphone Viola Bass puts the look, feel and tone of McCartney's iconic Hofner Violin Bass into the hands of mere mortals and working musicians. The warm, woody sound of the hollow body and mini-humbucker punch that set off a revolution joins up with a wholly comfortably short-scale neck to make the Viola Bass a total joy to play, whether you're a skilled player looking for a different sound or a beginner who wishes they'd have joined a certain band in Hamburg in 1960.

As a product of the '70s (with a brief reissue in 1997 headed by Squier), the Fender Musicmaster Bass is a shorter-scale, stripped-down version of the Fender Mustang Bass. Distinguish between older and later models by the tuning keys: the former sported triangular tuning keys while the latter is Mustang-style. If you're looking for a real vintage bass at a far more musician-friendly price, the Fender Musicmaster Bass may be your pick.

The original starter four-string, the Squier Affinity Series Bronco Bass resurrects one of Fender's first student model design with vintage tone and feel at a budget-friendly price point. Bringing together a svelte agathis body and 30" scale maple neck perfect kids and players with smaller hands, the model is finished off with a specially-designed single-coil pickup and chrome two-saddle bridge for unparalleled tuning stability. Ideal for newcomers to the bass, the Bronco is also an attractive option for guitarists who switch over to a four-string from time to time.

Features a mahogany body with a short-scale maple neck, rosewood fretboard, and BassBucker pickup.

Similar to the ES-335, the Gibson EB-2 was a semi-hollow bass with that classic Gibson shape. A single humbucker on the neck and a shorter scale length identify the EB-2 and set it apart from the likes of the EB-2D, which was released in '66 sporting two neck pickups. The EB-2's tone and style attracted notable bassists like Chas Chandler of the Animals and John Entwistle.

Introduced two years after the Mustang guitar, the Mustang Bass was the first student-level bass produced by Fender as well as the last production bass designed by Leo Fender before he left the company. Targeted towards younger players, the Mustang Bass offered a shorter 30-inch scale length as well as a lower price-point than the Precision or Jazz Basses of the mid-'60s. The split single-coil pickup was also smaller than that of the P Bass, but still captured a wide range of bass tones.

Years of Production: 1966 - 1981

Body Style: Offset solidbody

Wood Composition: Alder body, Maple neck with veneer Rosewood fingerboard

Design Elements: Bolt-on neck, dot inlays, 30-inch scale length, split single-coil pickup

Finish Specifications: White was added as a finish for the Mustang bass in 1975.

Notable Players:  Bill Wyman, Tina Weymouth, Fred Smith

Introduced two years after the Mustang guitar, the Mustang Bass was the first student-level bass produced by Fender as well as the last production bass designed by Leo Fender before he left the company. Targeted towards younger players, the Mustang Bass offered a shorter 30-inch scale length as well as a lower price-point than the Precision or Jazz Basses of the mid-'60s. The split single-coil pickup was also smaller than that of the P Bass, but still captured a wide range of bass tones. Starting in 1969, Fender introduced a set of snazzy "competition" finishes which added a double racing stripe to the body. 

Years of Production: 1966 - 1981

Body Style: Offset solidbody 

Wood Composition: Alder body, Maple neck with veneer Rosewood fingerboard

Design Elements: Bolt-on neck, dot inlays, 30-inch scale length, split single-coil pickup

Finish Specifications: Competition Red was part of the Competition series of finishes introduced in 1969.

Notable Players:  Bill Wyman, Tina Weymouth, Fred Smith

Gibson's EB-3 bass guitar was released in 1961 and was produced through 1979, sporting the familiar sharp double-cutaway solid body similar to the SG. As an upgrade to the EB-0, which also makes the EB-3 a more desirable collectors' piece, the EB-3 sports dual humbuckers on its solid mahogany body with a metal cover over the bridge pickup and a 4-position rotary tone switch. The Gibson EB-3 has been played by the likes of Jack Bruce and Bill Wyman.

In 1963, Hofner's "Staple" pickups were added to the 500/1. Paul McCartney's 1963 500/1 quickly became his primary bass, leaving his 1961 "Cavern" model as a backup before it was stolen from a studio closet.

Hofner added "Blade" pickups to the 500/1 in 1967. These pickups would remain the primary pickup of the 500/1 until the end of its standard production run in 1996.

The Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI rumbles deep down below your average axe. Weighing in at one octave below standard guitar tuning, this versatile and inspiring instrument covers the bass range and beyond with a short scale neck that's comfortable for anyone to play. The bark of the P90 pickup at the bridge is a perfect compliment to its thunderous bass. Shop new & used Fender Pawn Shop Bass VIs on Reverb for the best deals around.

Introduced two years after the Mustang guitar, the Mustang Bass was the first student-level bass produced by Fender as well as the last production bass designed by Leo Fender before he left the company. Targeted towards younger players, the Mustang Bass offered a shorter 30-inch scale length as well as a lower price-point than the Precision or Jazz Basses of the mid-'60s. The split single-coil pickup was also smaller than that of the P Bass, but still captured a wide range of bass tones.

Years of Production: 1966 - 1981

Unique to this Year: This was the first year of Mustang Bass production 

Body Style: Offset solidbody 

Wood Composition: Alder body, Maple neck with veneer Rosewood fingerboard

Design Elements: Bolt-on neck, dot inlays, 30-inch scale length, split single-coil pickup

Finish Specifications: Red was one of three colors offered in the first few years of Mustang Bass production. 

Notable Players:  Bill Wyman, Tina Weymouth, Fred Smith

Not to be confused with the original Gibson Electric Bass (which is sometimes called the EB-1), this model featured a violin-shaped Mahogany body with a single pickup. 

Years of Production: 1969 - 1972

Based on the last production bass designed by Leo Fender before he left the company, this model is a reissue of the original 1960s Fender Mustang Bass. The Pawn Shop Mustang Bass was launched in 2013 and features a shorter 30-inch scale length, a competition stripe, and a single humbucker pickup.

Years of Production: 2013 - Present

Body Style: Offset solidbody, competition stripe 

Wood Composition: Alder body, Maple neck with Rosewood fingerboard

Design Elements: Bolt-on neck, dot inlays, 30-inch scale length, single humbucker pickup

Notable Players:  Bill Wyman, Tina Weymouth, Fred Smith

The current Hofner Club Bass H500/2 is a vintage reissue of the original 500/2 model bass from the 1960s. It features a hollow body with a short 30" scale length. Not to be confused with the Limited Edition model that has much closer spaced humbuckers, or with the cheaper Ignition model with Staple pickups.

Years of Production: 2000s - present

Body Style: Hollowbody

Wood Composition: Spruce top, flamed Maple back and sides, Maple/Beech neck, Rosewood fingerboard, Ebony bridge

Design Elements: Closer "Cavern" spaced humbuckers, Dark Violin finish, 30" scale length, hollowbody

This Electromatic series was released as a limited edition Guitar Center-only model. It features two TV Jones ThunderTron pickups.

The short-lived Vox Astro Bass was a violin bass copy, albeit with Vox design language and punchier pickups. This model included an onboard fuzz circuit and featured a 29.5" scale. 

Years of Production: 1967 - 1969

Teisco was a Japanese budget brand that produced guitars starting in the late '40s. The first basses rolled out in the early '60s and were designed and built in the same manner as Teisco guitars. Those imported to the United States were branded as Teisco Del Ray. Lower-end Japanese basses such as Teiscos are notoriously difficult to date and identify as no comprehensive records were kept during production. Recent years have seen a drastic upsurge in interest for these instruments. 

Years of Production: 1965 - 1970s

Not unlike Fender's Bass VI, the EB-6 was an early 6-string bass tuned a full octave lower than a guitar. The EB-6 was originally produced as an ES-style semi-hollowbody. It was relaunched with an SG-style body in 1962. During its run, only 135 EB-6s were shipped by Gibson which makes these incredibly rare instruments. 

Years of Production: 1960 - 1966

Body Style: Double cutaway solidbody

Wood Composition: Mahogany body, Mahogany neck, Rosewood fingerboard

Design Elements: Two humbucker pickup, dot inlays, large clover-shaped tuners

Finish Specifications: Cherry Red was the only standard finish offered on the EB-6.