Alright guys I have an ibanez SR1206 that I am getting rid of after a few years it's time to upgrade. I have my choices down to 2 at this point, I love six strings and I am looking at the Carvin LB76 or the MTD KZ6. What do you guys think in this price range which one is best or is there something I'm missing. Alright guys what do you think. I'm torn and there's always the chance that I'm missing something as well. I've already been talking to the perfect bass about an MTD but what do you all think. Thanks again guys!
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Alright Decision Time New Bass Carvin LB76 or MTD K6
- Thread starter crash7976
- Start date
Those are WAY more expensive than the two basses he's talking about. To the OP, I think you'd be fine either way. Both are high quality basses. I think personally, I'd go with the Carvin just because I could pick my own features and specs. You can't lose with an MTD though. Even the off shore models like the K6 are really nice.
Thanks guys, anything else, I want to make sure I"m upgrading not just sliding sideways, thanks again for all your help.
What about the Yamaha TRB1006 I've heard great things about that guitar as well, as well as the Specter Legend Classic.
I've only played the MTD once and it was great - nice tone and neck!
I had the Carvin for about 7 years and it was my main bass, I would recommend it only because it's a US made custom for around the same price - they are fine basses, but the electronics may leave you more to desire, unless you have a great amp that sound good no matter what... But I would suggest the XB76 for a better low B.
I had the Carvin for about 7 years and it was my main bass, I would recommend it only because it's a US made custom for around the same price - they are fine basses, but the electronics may leave you more to desire, unless you have a great amp that sound good no matter what... But I would suggest the XB76 for a better low B.
Both good choices but it depends on what you are playing. The I would also add the Yamaha TRB 6, the first run of the TRB series - the ones with the stacked single coils not the later ones with the soapbars.
The MTD is a little stale without any mods. Structurally its fine (well the one i tried was), actions awesome low, zero fret buzz, feels really good and the neck is awesome. But the sound wasn't worth the price tag
. Not to say its bad, it just didn't have enough "meat" on it. That said it would be perfect for solo bass stuff but wouldn't cut it (again this is all my opinion) for Rock and such. It could work for jazz with a little eq-tweaking.
I owned a Yamaha TRB 6 for a few months and i loved it. It could do everything well. At home i used it for whatever; Dream Theater to Jamiroquai. And school I used it in the Jazz band as my main bass and those were the only compliments i got on how my bass sounded, lol. It was called a "jazz band" but we played pop, funk, modern gospel, and some fusion. The only complaint i had was that even though it had a 3 band EQ there was very little you could do to get a different sound out of it - similar to a P Bass it doesn't have many sounds but what it does have will work for just about anything. They tend to be a little heavy (mine was 12lbs) but they more than make up for it with their sound and playability.
As for the Carvin LB-76 i have a LB-76WP (that i am selling if you are interested
. And its only because i've found another 6er that i REALLY want and have no need for more than one) which is essentially the same bass with piezo pickups. This is far and away the most tonally versatile bass of the bunch. That could be due, in part, to the piezos but even without them i think the statement stands. There hasn't been a situation where i said to myself "I can't find a sound for this". The necks are awesome on these and they are really light (mine is 9.5ish lbs) but don't make you feels as if its fragile or something like that. That may not matter to you but i've had 2 basses that i was afraid to slap on because they were so light and i thought something would happen if i beat on them too hard - call me paranoid 
. Strings spacing isn't quite as big as the MTD or the Yamaha but its not so small that it takes forever to acclimate your slap style to them or that people with big hands would have trouble navigating the fingerboard. The sound has enough "growl" (not the aggressive Geddy growl, but more along the lines of Stu Zender just not as much) fit just about any style without being overwhelming. All that aside, if you are a person who likes simple controls and doesn't want to have to worry about tweaking the EQ to find a sound for you this is not the bass for you. It took me 30mins (maybe i'm just slow?) to dial in my "ideal tone" but it was worth it.
Anywho, if anything i suggest that you swap the Yamaha in for the MTD and decide between that and the Carvin. You can't go wrong with either really.
EDIT: I just noticed that i used "awesome" to describe the necks of all the basses. Blame that on my lazy vocabulary but the necks on all of these basses are... well... awesome, lol.
The MTD is a little stale without any mods. Structurally its fine (well the one i tried was), actions awesome low, zero fret buzz, feels really good and the neck is awesome. But the sound wasn't worth the price tag
. Not to say its bad, it just didn't have enough "meat" on it. That said it would be perfect for solo bass stuff but wouldn't cut it (again this is all my opinion) for Rock and such. It could work for jazz with a little eq-tweaking.I owned a Yamaha TRB 6 for a few months and i loved it. It could do everything well. At home i used it for whatever; Dream Theater to Jamiroquai. And school I used it in the Jazz band as my main bass and those were the only compliments i got on how my bass sounded, lol. It was called a "jazz band" but we played pop, funk, modern gospel, and some fusion. The only complaint i had was that even though it had a 3 band EQ there was very little you could do to get a different sound out of it - similar to a P Bass it doesn't have many sounds but what it does have will work for just about anything. They tend to be a little heavy (mine was 12lbs) but they more than make up for it with their sound and playability.
As for the Carvin LB-76 i have a LB-76WP (that i am selling if you are interested
. And its only because i've found another 6er that i REALLY want and have no need for more than one) which is essentially the same bass with piezo pickups. This is far and away the most tonally versatile bass of the bunch. That could be due, in part, to the piezos but even without them i think the statement stands. There hasn't been a situation where i said to myself "I can't find a sound for this". The necks are awesome on these and they are really light (mine is 9.5ish lbs) but don't make you feels as if its fragile or something like that. That may not matter to you but i've had 2 basses that i was afraid to slap on because they were so light and i thought something would happen if i beat on them too hard - call me paranoid . Strings spacing isn't quite as big as the MTD or the Yamaha but its not so small that it takes forever to acclimate your slap style to them or that people with big hands would have trouble navigating the fingerboard. The sound has enough "growl" (not the aggressive Geddy growl, but more along the lines of Stu Zender just not as much) fit just about any style without being overwhelming. All that aside, if you are a person who likes simple controls and doesn't want to have to worry about tweaking the EQ to find a sound for you this is not the bass for you. It took me 30mins (maybe i'm just slow?) to dial in my "ideal tone" but it was worth it.Anywho, if anything i suggest that you swap the Yamaha in for the MTD and decide between that and the Carvin. You can't go wrong with either really.
EDIT: I just noticed that i used "awesome" to describe the necks of all the basses. Blame that on my lazy vocabulary but the necks on all of these basses are... well... awesome, lol.
