Welp, I'm currently getting my college plans together and starting to finalize things, Can anybody share the benefits and downsides of using the a college owned Bass vs buying a personal one.

I'm not able to buy a bass rn as I do not have the money, and I fear I may not have it for a while, including when the year starts.

(Also tips on finding good basses for cheap besides the JP232)

As long as the school bass is decent and you don't have to share it just play it. Tip for finding a cheap bass is to save your money until you can get a higher quality bass new or used. I am not being snarky, just realistic.

If you don't have the share the horn just use the college bass for now. For the long-term keep an eye out for a pre-owned professional quality bass - almost all of the time it'll be better than a new horn at the same price. the classifieds here are a great place to pay attention to also.

If you don't have $2k for a used bass, how are you going to afford college?

The advantage of having your own is that you chose it. You don't have to just take whatever they have. If you leave school but you get attached to the instrument, getting used to something else takes time.

Best of luck.

If the college has a good bass, you don’t have to share it, and it is in good condition, use it. There is no shame in playing a school instrument if it is a good one. You don’t need to have the latest boutique horn to be successful.

I currently have a tuba student at the university where I teach who is extremely talented. He cannot afford his own instrument and is using the school’s old B flat Meinel, which doesn’t look pretty, but it’s in good repair and sounds good. It would be better if he had his own horns, he is limited as to some of the repertoire he can play on a B flat, but he is making rapid progress and has already won the school’s honors recital competition twice on it. In the meantime, he is saving for a good horn to buy next year. It’s not about horn, it’s about the player.

I was in the similar situation when I started college. Had my small bore high school horn, and that was not acceptable to the instructor. My choice was a “new-to-me horn” or tuition. I wrangled a couple of scholarships out of the school, plus work-study program. Found a good used Bach 36 (or was it a 42?) in a pawn shop I picked up for a little, plus I sold my small bore. The Bach lasted me through school, and I borrowed a bass for local symphony work. I managed to get by. One thing college does for a person is make him/her resourceful. Best wishes, and above all, enjoy the music.