Best high-end basses
Roughly $2,000 and up. The instruments professionals dream about: handmade basses from Fodera, F Bass, MTD, Ken Smith, Sadowsky, Spector and Suhr, alongside the best from Fender, Music Man, Dingwall and Mayones. These names come up again and again when experienced players discuss the best basses ever made.
What to look for
At this level, differences are about voice and feel rather than quality. Fodera and Ken Smith are known for rich, complex mids, Sadowsky for a polished modern J tone, MTD for its neck, and F Bass for clarity. Hear the demos and follow your ears.
Our picks
- Play demo#9
Sadowsky UV70
Sadowsky’s ’70s-style Jazz Bass: bound fingerboard with block inlays and the bridge pickup in the ’70s position for a tighter, more focused tone.
- Play demo
- Play demo#15
Music Man StingRay Special 4 H
One humbucker, an 18V 3-band EQ and the famously snappy StingRay tone.
- Play demo#16
Fender American Ultra II Jazz Bass
Flagship Jazz Bass with noiseless pickups and a switchable 3-band preamp.
- Play demo#17
Fender American Vintage II 1960 Precision Bass
Early-60s P-Bass recreation with a rosewood fingerboard and vintage-voiced pickup.
- Play demo#18
Rickenbacker 4003S
Unbound, dot-inlay through-neck bass. Bright, clanky top end with low-mid push.
- Play demo
How we chose
Picks reflect the models most often recommended in 2026 buyer’s guides from Guitar World, Guitar Player, Sweetwater and guitarguitar, and in long-running player discussions on TalkBass and Reddit. Price ranges are approximate street prices and vary by country. Always play or hear an instrument before buying, and use the compare tool to hear any two side by side.