I have £1000 to spend on a new or used bass, can I have some suggestions please?

[Basssssist]

I have a budget of £1000 (I might be able to stretch to £1100, but I'm not sure). I ordered a Gibson Thunderbird Non-Reverse in December, but they gave me an estimated shipping date somewhere in June. And I refuse to wait six months for something I paid £850 for!

I already own two Fender Precision basses, so I do not want another one for the time being.

EDIT:

I play alternative rock music, and my amplifier is a Fender Rumble 30.

[msb]

Holiday , or just tuck the money away . You're bound to see something you want sooner or later ...

[Malak the Mad]

Yay! First to vote!!

Obviously I'm saying this with no knowledge of your musical/sonic/tonal/esthetic tastes. That being said, if I had that much money dedicated to purchasing a new bass, I'd drop it on a genuine Japanese Fender. Certainly, I love my export-model Aerodyne, but there are some exquisite non-export Jazz models from the Land of the Rising Humidity Sun.

http://www.fenderjapan.co.jp/products.html

There are a lot of colors to choose from and no shortage of matching headstocks (a touch that I feel is sorely lacking here in the West). Plus, there's plenty of P/J configurations among the Jazzes, another personal preference o' mine. And yet, with all the non-standard colors available, the walnut model just screams "CLASSY" to my eyes.

http://www.fenderjapan.co.jp/jb62-wal.html

Just my two-pence-worth.

Cheers and have a blast picking something out!

[smogg]

I vote stack, you already have two nice basses. Since your profile includes the word "metal" then go big. 2X410, 1X810, 2x212, 1X412, or a Barefaced Super 15 and an amp in the 700 to 1000 watt range.

Non metal, a 410 or 212 and 300 to 500 watt head.

[Wallace320]

It's what I'm goin' to do in these days, for approximately same price, for a Corvette Pro 6er (not havin' that money, I'm actually plannin' to sacrifice a Precision alike bass - way better than that instead - of mine just to do that)

Cheers,
Wallace

[SoVeryTired]

If you want to get something immediately, this won't help, but if you can wait a few weeks (less than 6 months!), I can highly recommend the ACG Graft range. A British-built custom instrument to your specs for the same price as a US factory-built model, and fantastic quality.

If you choose a body that's already built it will cut the time down - the following links have the pricing at the top:

J Type bodies

Recurve bodies

Finn bodies

For a better idea of what the end products look like, check out the ACG Graft thread and my recent NBD thread.

[mystic38]

For that money, a used US made quality bass .. given you have a precision then #1 would be a Fender jazz.. but G&L, EBMM etc.. ..something to your liking... say 2-8 years old in minto condition.

1. it will be the equivalent of a current $1300 guitar
2. it will never be worth less than you paid for it
3. With luck it will appreciate slowly over time

From a retained value perspective i would steer clear of anything not built in the USA or any small, less known or boutique company.

[mystic38]

p.s.

looked hard for the "donuts" option in the poll!!

[bassgod76]

Just looking at your profile, what amp do you currently own?

If you really want a bass, go used. You can really get a lot of bass for the money.

If I was from the UK, I'd do the following:
1. Go on holiday to the US (New York or Philadelphia)
2. Browse their Guitar stores. You will have tons of choices, and could easily score a MIA Jazz for around 450 GBP. Mass transportation is readily available in this part of the US, so you won't really need a rental car.
3. Or check out Craigslist in advance, and secure a meeting in a public place if you find a bass you like while in the US.
4. This way, you get to vacation, and grab a nice bass.

Just curious:
You don't happen to have any American military friends that are stationed in the UK?

[Fly Guitars]

How about importing the non rev Thunderbird - they were on ebay at seven hundred and something - or best offer a few days back.

[klejst]

I was curious to why the Precision bass was not on your list of choices until I read your first post

I would say if you are happy with the Fender brand then perhaps give a Jazz bass a try. Most Fender exclusive players either use both a P and J, or use P's or J's exclusively however either own or have used the other sometime in their career.

[4001]

Get the 4003. If you don't like it I'd bet that a used 4003 in excellent cond. gets more $$ than most of the rest of that list.

[lomo]

I love spending other people's $$ :-)

Your profile doesn't say what rig you have, but If you already have a couple of basses I'd make sure I have a decent rig to pay 'em through. Not knowing what music you play or in what context makes recommendations a crap shoot.

[Basssssist]

Originally Posted by lomo

I love spending other people's $$ :-)

Your profile doesn't say what rig you have, but If you already have a couple of basses I'd make sure I have a decent rig to pay 'em through. Not knowing what music you play or in what context makes recommendations a crap shoot.

I have updated the original post with more information

[bassgod76]

Originally Posted by Basssssist

I have updated the original post with more information

If you only own a 30 watt Fender combo amp, I'd suggest purchasing something more substantail before adding another bass.

[tomydacat]

SPECTOR bass look them up..

[NightTripper]

As much as I wanted to vote for the Rickenbacker, you should probably get a good amp. Can't go wrong with a good Ampeg stack.

[lomo]

If you are having fun through a Rumble 30, and want to ever play with a drummer/band, then a real rig is definitely a priority. I'd get an amp that pushes 500 watts into 4 Ohms and a pair of matched (=identical) 8 Ohm cabs (112 or 210). You could use both cabs for loud occasions and 1 for practice/ on your own. Not sure what's available near you, but you should be able to do fine with that budget.

[mizzou541]

If I planned on spending around that amount on a bass right now I'd probably be looking at a Lakland Skyline or Spector Euro series bass. Not that it has anything to do with what you may prefer but that's just my $0.02.

[SoVeryTired]

If you're gigging I'd say amp. Otherwise I stand by my original suggestion.