Bass players are easy to shop for once you know the one rule: a bassist plays through gear that was built for low notes. A guitar pedal or a guitar headphone amp will thin out a bass and end up unused, so every pick below is made for bass, from a $28 preamp pedal to a 50-watt combo with a real tube inside.
The products come from our rankings, where each one is scored on demand, price, specs and brand. Where a pick sits in its ranking and what Thomann wants for it are both checked every night, so the numbers you see are today's.
What to get a bass player if you don't play
Three things narrow the list down fast:
- Do they play at home, on stage or both? At home, a headphone amp or a small combo gets more use than anything else. On stage, a preamp or a compressor pedal does.
- Do they use pedals? If you see a pedalboard, a single pedal is a good bet. If you don't, start with an amp or a multi-effects unit that covers everything at once.
- What bass do they own? It only matters for pickups. A Precision bass (one split pickup in the middle) and a Jazz bass (two narrow pickups) take different ones, so check before you buy.
Gifts for bass players under $50
Vox AmPlug 3 Bass, $47
A headphone amp that plugs straight into the bass, with a clean channel, an overdrive channel, compressor, chorus, delay, reverb and nine drum patterns to play along with. Late-night practice without waking anyone up. #43 of 141 bass pedals in our ranking.
Joyo MA-10B Portable Bass Amp, $44
A 10-watt combo with a 5-inch speaker that runs on six AA batteries or a mains adapter, with an overdrive switch, aux input and headphone output. Small enough for a desk or a campfire. #1 of 2 bass combo battery.
Behringer V-Tone Bass BDI21, $28
A preamp and DI box in one pedal: it shapes the sound from clean tube-style tones to distortion and sends a balanced signal straight to a mixing desk. A classic first pedal for bassists who start playing live. #29 of 30 bass preamps.
Gifts for bass players under $100
Electro Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi, $89
The famous Big Muff fuzz, tuned for bass, with a switch that boosts the low end so the fuzz never loses the bottom. True bypass, three knobs, endless sustain. #1 of 141 bass pedals in our ranking.
Blackstar FLY 3 Bass Amp BK, $81
A 3-watt mini combo with clean and overdrive channels, a sub control for extra low end and a line output with speaker simulation for recording. Runs on batteries, so it travels. #21 of 84 solid-state bass combos.
AKG K-240 Studio, $77
Semi-open studio headphones that handle low frequencies well, which matters more for a bassist than for anyone else in the band. A natural partner for the Vox AmPlug above. #1 of 105 studio headphones.
Gifts for bass players under $200
Boss ODB-3, $125
Boss's bass overdrive, built for low notes, from a light grit to heavy drive. It's the pedal you see on half the boards in rock bands, and it's almost indestructible. #1 of 141 bass pedals.
Ampeg Classic Analog Bass Preamp, $125
The sound of Ampeg's classic bass amps in a pedal: an analog preamp with a 3-band EQ, true bypass and a metal case. Good for a bassist who plays through whatever amp the venue has. #4 of 30 bass preamps.
Line6 Pod Express Bass, $172
Seven amp models, 17 effects, a looper and a tuner in one small pedal, and it doubles as a USB audio interface for recording. The best all-in-one gift if you don't know which pedals they already own. #2 of 12 bass multi effects.
IK Multimedia ToneX One Bass Edition, $186
A tiny pedal that loads AI-captured models of real bass amps and drive pedals, with 20 bass presets out of the box. One of the highest-rated bass preamps we track. #2 of 30 bass preamps in our ranking.
Ampeg RB-108, $189
A 30-watt combo with an 8-inch speaker, a 3-band EQ and Ampeg's grit switch, plus aux input and headphone output. Big enough to jam with a drummer at low volume. #6 of 84 solid-state bass combos.
Bigger gifts: $200 to $400
Fender Rumble 25, $201
Fender's 25-watt practice combo with an 8-inch speaker, switchable overdrive and a contour button that scoops the mids for a modern sound. #1 of 84 solid-state bass combos.
MXR M87 Bass Compressor, $228
The compressor many working bassists leave on all night: it evens out the notes so the bass sits steady under the band, and a 10-LED meter shows exactly how much it's working. #7 of 141 bass pedals.
Vox VX50BA, $318
A 50-watt bass combo with a Nutube, Vox's modern vacuum tube, inside, plus a compressor, drive, 4-band EQ and a DI output for the desk. At 4.4 kg it's light enough to carry to rehearsal. #1 of 1 hybrid bass combos in our ranking.
Tech 21 SansAmp Character VT Bass DI, $332
A preamp pedal with three outputs: one for an amp, one with speaker simulation for recording and a DI out for the PA. Many bassists use one instead of an amp on stage. #5 of 141 bass pedals.
Boss ME-90B, $354
Boss's bass multi-effects floor unit, run with simple knobs instead of menus, with amp models, an effects loop and slots for speaker impulse responses. For the bassist who wants one box for every gig. #1 of 12 bass multi effects.
Upgrades for the bass they already own
Pickups change the sound of a bass more than anything else you can buy for it. Find out if it's a P-bass or a J-bass first, and plan for a setup at a guitar shop if they don't solder.
Seymour Duncan SJB-3B BK, $111
A bridge pickup for Jazz-style basses with quarter-inch magnets, for a punchier attack and more sustain. #2 of 61 pickups for 4-String J-Bass.
Seymour Duncan SPB-3, $123
The Quarter Pound pickup for Precision basses: maximum output and a wider frequency range than a stock P-bass pickup. #1 of 41 pickups for 4-String P-Bass.
Questions
What do you get a bass player who has everything?
A pedal they wouldn't buy for themselves, like the IK Multimedia ToneX One Bass Edition, or a pickup upgrade for their favorite bass. If they gig, a compressor like the MXR M87 is the pedal most bassists end up buying sooner or later.
What is a good gift for a beginner bass player?
Something that makes practice easy: the Vox AmPlug 3 Bass ($47) for quiet practice with headphones, or a small combo like the Fender Rumble 25 ($201).
Can a bass player use guitar pedals?
Some, but many guitar pedals cut the low end and make a bass sound thin. That's why every pedal on this list is made or tuned for bass.
What can I get a bassist for under $50?
The Vox AmPlug 3 Bass ($47), the Joyo MA-10B battery amp ($44) or the Behringer V-Tone Bass BDI21 preamp ($28).
How we picked. Every product comes from an AudioFu ranking, where products are scored on demand, price, specs and brand. The rank shown is the product's place in its ranking today, recalculated every night. Prices are Thomann's, converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate and updated every night; shipping is not included.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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