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Is the G string on a bass guitar necessary?

Hi, I’m thinking about buying a bass guitar from someone. They say it’s a Hondo series 830, and the machine head for the highest string, the g string, is broken. My first question is, is it worth buying if I can’t afford to get it fixed? Is it still fairly playable without that string? What disadvantages does that give me? I’m hoping to learn guitar and bass guitar soon. I have an amplified acoustic guitar.
Also, how much should I be willing to pay for this bass? He’s thinking of selling it for 40-50 dollars. I think that may be too much.

Parts to a bass can be replaced. I’m pretty sure you’d be able to find a replacement machine head if you called the manufacturer and asked them to locate a store that would sell them. I’m not sure what kind of style machine head you would need for it, but a set of 4 usually cost about $20-$30. Installation should be fairly simple. If you don’t want to install it yourself, a musical shop should be able to repair it for you for pretty cheap.

If you don’t have a G string, the bass is still playable, but it puts more limitations on you as a bassist. Complex slap basslines will be very difficult, if not impossible, to perform. It will also make it more difficult to play runs and leads on it. Bass does not always need to be rhythm and the G string gives you more opportunities to take lead.

$40-$50 is VERY cheap for a bass. I don’t know the price of that bass when it’s new, so I wouldn’t be able to tell you if it’s a good deal. Cheap instruments can sometimes be bad so I’d suggest playing it in person if possible to see if it sounds/feels the way you want it to.

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