Built for ambitious beginners as well as experienced bassists on a budget, the Ibanez TMB105 five-string bass features the snug comfort of an asymmetrical Talman body shape, honouring one of Ibanez's first ever models. The body has also been carved from a solid slice of poplar, keeping the weight low and, combined with the maple neck and jatoba fretboard, ensuring a balanced foundation sound. Thanks to the set of twenty-two frets and that extra low-B string, you're getting the full note range to play with, and all of it is voiced by a pair of ultra-variable Dynamic PJ passive pickups coupled with active two-band tone controls. With that loadout, the tone of this vintage-styled bass can be taken in any direction to support pretty much any genre and playing style.

To celebrate the fact they've been working together for years, Ibanez and Gary Willis drop the Premium Series GWB25TH Signature 5-string fretless bass. This anniversary edition features an alder body and a bolt-on, 3-piece maple neck topped with a deluxe ebony fretboard that comes with lines instead of actual frets to help you play the correct notes.The GWB25TH: Custom Bartolini GWB Pickup & GWB Finger RampThe special coil design of the custom Bartolini GWB pickup results in superior string-to-string balance, while the active NTBT EQ controls help you pull deep basses and boosted trebles out of this outstanding bass. Prefer a more natural sound? Then you can simply bypass the EQ by pulling out the volume pot. Thoughtfully included as the finishing touch, the GWB finger ramp makes sure you can't overextend with your plucking fingers, supporting consistent attack.

The Ibanez BTB Series BTB705LM 5-string bass has been specifically designed with expressive and creative performance in mind. This Bass Workshop model features a neck-through construction where the 5-piece maple/walnut neck has a 15.75-inch-radiussed rosewood fretboard and comes bound to a double-cut, ash-and-okoume body so you can effortlessly reach all twenty-four medium frets, including a zero fret so your open and fretted notes sound the same.The Ibanez BTB705LM: Fanned Frets & Custom ElectronicsThe scale length of this modern five-string runs from 35 to 34 inches, which means your low notes sound tight-and-clear while the treble strings have the nimble feel that comes with lower tension. To give bassists a wide range of active sounds to play with, Ibanez have opted for a pair of T1 double-coil pickups and a Custom Electronics 3-band EQ section complete with bass, mid and treble boost/cut options. You even get an EQ bypass switch so you can go from active to passive output at will.

Straight out of the Ibanez Bass Workshop, the BTB7MS seven-string wonder has been built to break boundaries. Get fully creative and fully expressive with this exquisitely crafted electric bass, not just because it has seven strings, but because this is a multi-scale bass, meaning that the scale length shifts from 35 inches at the lowest gauged string to 33.5 inches at the highest gauged string. As a result, the string tension is increasingly lowered, making navigating more complex bass lines and melodic phrases an even smoother experience. And, when it comes to build-quality, you're getting the stable foundation of a nine-piece maple, panga panga and walnut neck shot through two ash and okoume body wings plus a rosewood fretboard with an impressively flat 37.4 inch radius.The Ibanez BTB7MS 7-String: Modern Speed & PlayabilityThe neck-through construction and deep cutaways grant effortless access to every last one of the twenty-four, ultra-durable stainless-steel frets while the narrow, 15.5mm string-spacing supports fast, modern playability. When it comes to the output, two T1 pickups, each with a unique, individually mounted coil deliver defined trebles, articulate mids and tight basses. Mix the sound of both pickups via the balance pot before bringing everything to shape via the especially potent and versatile Custom Electronics 3-band EQ controls and three-way mid-frequency switch and, for even more variation, simply hit the EQ bypass switch and shift the sound from active to passive at will.

It's clear that a lot of thought and passion went into the tight build of the Ibanez EHB1000 headless bass. Sporting a matte Arctic Ocean finish, this four-string model features a lightweight, chambered basswood body and a bolt-on 5-piece maple/walnut neck where the flat, roasted birdseye maple fretboard comes lined with twenty-four stainless steel medium frets to guarantee a modern playing feel. In terms of electronics, you're looking at two Bartolini BH2 pickups that are connected to a 3-band Vari-Mid EQ system for an extra-wide tonal range, while welcome finishing touches include luminescent side dots, Schaller straplocks and a removable finger ramp. This Bass Workshop creation comes complete with a matching gig bag.

In the tight form of the Blumes Low Signal Shredder, EarthQuaker Devices sort bassists out with a fully analogue overdrive loaded with no-less-than three different clipping modes for shaping a broad stack of drives. The Blumes might be based on the ever-popular Plumes but comes with a sonic character that's entirely its own, thanks to two-times the gain amount and a deeper bass response that makes 100% sure the rumble of your original sound is kept intact. This stompbox also operates at an ultra-high internal voltage, so you can bathe your output in extra dynamics and headroom and, since the EQD Blumes has a true-bypass design and features the silent-switching of relay-based Flexi-Switch, you're guaranteed clean performance.

The Squier Classic Vibe Mid '60s Jazz Bass Limited Edition immediately catches the eye thanks to its Olympic White paint-job, 4-ply tortoiseshell-style pickguard and colour-matched headstock. Outfitted with a pair of Fender Designed Alnico Single-Coils, this period piece delivers highly adaptable tone and has been polished off with a familiar-feeling, dark-tinted C-profile maple neck.

If you're after a comfortably contoured, modern bass that offers the stunning look of a poplar burl art grain top and all the advantages of active electronics, then you can't go wrong with the Jackson JS Series Concert Bass CB JS3P. This relatively lightweight, poplar-bodied model has been equipped with two Covered High-Output humbuckers and 3-band EQ controls for masses of sonic versatility, while the 12-to-16-inch compound fretboard radius and twenty-four jumbo frets ensure a tight feel at the lowest frets and a more supple feel at the highest frets. To finish, Jackson has mounted a black HiMass bridge to guarantee ample stability and extra sustain.

One of Sterling by Music Man's most iconic designs, the StingRay bass is still as affordable as ever, and still brings all the power, all the comfort and all the playability. The single ceramic humbucker mounted at the bridge delivers the commanding tone needed for shaping driving bass lines and punching amplified sound, and comes fully backed up by a single volume pot and an active two-band tone control pot for detailed tweaking. Meanwhile, the solid basswood body features a timeless oval-shaped pickguard to complete the aesthetics, and the maple neck has been topped with a jatoba fretboard for added sonic warmth. Finished with twenty-one medium-jumbo frets and a set of open-gear machine heads, you're getting high-grade stability alongside a fast and comfy playing feel.

More and more bassists are coming around to the snug playability and comfort of short-scale models, and here, they're treated to the 30 inch scale length of the Sterling by Music Man RAYSS4. The tighter distance between the nut and saddles lends a tighter and lighter feel in your hands, brings the frets closer together and lowers the string tension, making this model ideal for bassists with a lighter frame or a shorter reach, or for guitarists making the step over to a four-string bass. The Sterling by Music Man StingRay RAYSS4 Short Scale: Adaptable SoundThe solid mahogany body of the Sterling RAYSS4 bass has been bound to a maple neck via a six-bolt joint for maximum stability, while a single, newly designed neodymium humbucker has been mounted at the bridge and, via the three-way switch, can be placed in parallel, series, or split for a single-coil response and a surprisingly wide tonal range. The control section also kits you out with a push/push volume pot that can be popped out to activate a sweet volume boost and, while the layout is simple - even classic, this tight bass gives you everything you need for the rehearsal room, stage, or studio.

Featuring a thinline body without a sound hole to eliminate the risk of feedback, the Sire Marcus Miller GB5 5-string electro-acoustic bass guitar literally gives you the best of both worlds. While not as loud as a full-size acoustic bass, this lightweight, chambered model features a solid spruce soundboard for an extra rich-and-resonant foundation sound, with the mahogany back and sides adding just the right amount of warmth.The Marcus Miller GB5: Edgeless FretboardThe bolt-on, 3-piece mahogany neck is seriously stable and combines with a C-profile and an edgeless rosewood fretboard for maximum playing comfort. The sound of the steel strings is picked up by a piezo pickup before being sent to the specially-developed Vividx-B preamp, which kits you out with a 3-band equaliser and a phase switch for extensive tone-shaping options.

Treating former DragonForce bassist Fred Leclercq to his own signature model, ESP LTD present the FL-4: a diabolical-looking bass built for bone-rattling metal. Decked out in Black Red Burst Satin, this alder-bodied model has been armed with an EMG 35P active humbucker to guarantee nothing short of tight-and-brutal sound.The FL-4: Super-Fast FeelCurrently part of German trash-metal band Kreator, Leclercq has opted for a neck-through-body build which provides easier access to all twenty-four extra-jumbo frets lining the dark ebony fretboard. This construction also boosts the sustain and overall resonance, while the stainless steel frets, 5-piece maple/purpleheart neck and fixed Hipshot A-style bridge make sure you're getting the durability and stability needed for slinging fat-and-fast bass lines. To make things even better, the ESP LTRD FL-4 Fred Leclercq Signature comes complete with a form-fit case.