Looking to get an mp3 player as a way to go even more smartphone-free and also because I just came into possession of a shit ton of CDs courtesy of my father, so I have plenty of music to rip. I'm making personal mixtape CDs and such, but those are really more for my car and CD player in my living room.

All this to say, anyone have good recommendations? I had a knockoff ipod classic as a child but that's the extent of mp3 players I've had in my life.

Not sure, but I have a Bluetooth Headphones that has an AUX Port and could be plugged into any Devices like Android Phones and Home Computers and also it has a Micro SD Card Slot and could be used as an MP3 Player.

It's pretty cheap though.

But if you want a 2000's MP3 Player then you could find a USB MP3 Player Stick  and I'm sure it's pretty cheap.

I've been using this Sony Walkman MP3 player since i was about 16, still works. Every other i've had broke within like a month 🤷

you can always run a DSI as an mp3 player, dual as a gaming device too :)

If you have an old cell phone laying around, you can convert that into an MP3 player. I did that with my old iPhone 6 that aged out of iOS updates. I factory reset it, deleted all the default apps, and installed the VLC app because it still supported the phone's iOS. Then I connected it to my laptop and and used iTunes to sync the songs I wanted to the VLC app (I didn't want to use Apple music). It's not fancy but it works.

If I used the makeshift MP3 player enough to be worth it, I would probably upgrade to an Innioasis Y1 or Y2. I've heard good things about those. 

not to freak you out but there's a lot of bad reviews about Innioasis because the microSD cards they come preinstalled with have a habit of completely failing after just a few months of use

Idk what your budget is, but I spent like $30 on an iPod Classic off eBay and then another $25 to replace the battery and screen (simple repairs, FEELS scary but is so easy) or if you feel like that's too much work, tons of repair shops sell refurbished iPods for less than $150. I got some of my parts from Elite Obsolete Electronics, they sell tons of refurbished iPods, too. I know that seems like a lot of money to spend on am mp3 player, and it is, but I've learned to hard way that cheaping out on an mp3 player will just mean it dies on you 😅 it took me 2 or 3 secondhand iPod Nanos to figure that out #RIP

anyways I think you should go with your heart! but if you do get an iPod Classic I can totally point you towards resources on how to mod it! my iPod Video has all of the archived clickwheel games on it, and a black and red interface, it's kind of a special interest of mine lol

Anything labelled as an MP3 player will technically work. Androids are easier to sync with modern music programs. The innioasis is good, but doesn't support syncing by playlist which can be annoying if you like sorting by playlist. If you don't need a ton of storage space an old Walkman or Sandisk Sansa can be great (just keep in mind you'll need a wired headset for those). 

I managed to find an ipod classic 3rd gen online for like $50 and I love it. The only thing is that 3rd gen and before /ONLY/ charge with a "FireWire". It's a specific cable that apple no longer makes that allows the older models to charge with full power. That said, WyMod Labs has a converter for USB-C that mimics a FireWire and it works great! It just sucks that ipods are really popular right now and so people are jacking up the prices like crazy.

Either way, I would suggest using what you already have or buying second-hand because of the rare metals that go into creating new electronics. It may take more work to get something older to do what you want, but I think it makes you appreciate it more. Here is a chart with basic info on ipod models if you want an ipod specifically :P

i have a hifi walker h2 and i love it! they're kinda expensive around £120 (i had to save up for it) and i'm really glad i did. i get a lot of use out of it and the audio quality is great. the only downsides is the back is glass and gets scratched easily and you have to use the cable that came with it to connect it to a pc/laptop so it can be a bit finnicky at times.

Hannah Montana MP3 Player my goat...