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5 string bass choice

nikki271027

nikki271027

Oct 7, 2012
51
16
#1
My budget is $1100. (Scecondhand is OK.)

I need
Strong and comfortable neck.
Maple fingerboard
Tight and solid Low B
Wide string spacing
Cut through well (mix in band well)
Variable tone(I play Metal/Rock/Pop/Jazz)
"Double humbucker" or "J-H" pickup

Please recommend me a great bass!
 
#5
I'd probably go with a stingray at that price. You can degenerally get them used for less than 1100. String spacing I would say is about average, not wide but not tight either. So I don't know if that would be an issue.

The only basses I've owned with good low b strings without any modding were the stingray and my warwick thumb basses. The thumb basses are hard to find for $1100. Oddly I didnt care for the low b on the bongo I had, it wasn't horrible but wasn't as good as the stingray. But a few mods can go a long way. A lot if times a bad low b on a bass is due to cheap parts. Upgrading from a plastic nut or a cheap bridge can help , swapping the electronics can help sometimes. But other times modding won't make much of an improvement do to cheap wood or poor construction or other factors.
 
#7
nikki271027 said:
My budget is $1100. (Scecondhand is OK.)

I need
Strong and comfortable neck.
Maple fingerboard
Tight and solid Low B
Wide string spacing
Cut through well (mix in band well)
Variable tone(I play Metal/Rock/Pop/Jazz)
"Double humbucker" or "J-H" pickup

Please recommend me a great bass!
Click to expand...

As stated above, a Spector Rebop 5 will meet most of your requirements except for the wide string spacing and the maple FB.

Strong and comfy neck - the necks are rock solid and aren't too fat or wide. Comfy is personal preference, but I have medium size hands with short fat fingers and I get around my Rebop just fine.

Tight and solid Low B - your low B feel and tone is more about string choice, but with 35" scale you'll have an easier time finding a B string that works for you.

As for cutting through a mix, nothing cuts through a mix like a Spector.

Variable tone and p'up selection, with a budget of $1100 you can buy a Rebop and install whatever electronics you want and still have $$ leftover.

Added benefit of owning a Spector, joining the Spector Club on TB and gaining invaluable insight to your bass of choice.

Try one out if any of your local shops have one, you won't be disappointed.
 
#8
a lakland sounds like what you're describing. i'm not a fan; the oval bridge is a put off. nitpicking? sure am.

i also recommend the TB classifieds:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/fs-2011-ebmm-ray-5-natural-w-maple-board-excellent-cond-1003883/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/fs-2-laklands-55-02-55-01-black-1006994/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/...k-$$-4-fretless-warwick-corvette-5-a-1006988/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/2006-spector-rebop-5dlx-1007074/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/2005-custom-handmade-bacchus-strong-5-string-bass-1006811/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/peavey-cirrus-5-almost-mint-1005688/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/tobias-standard-5-burbank-era-985624/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/usa-musicman-sterling-5-hs-tobacco-sunburst-997219/ (1250)
 
#12
Nobody here can tell you which bass to buy so go out and try everything that you can and buy the one that sings to you. I dig my Lakland 55-94 but I also loved my old Spector (Repob with significantly upgraded pups and electronics -- it was an amazing bass). Alembic makes some great 5's as does Zon, Modulus, Music Man, Ibanez, etc.... Really, it comes down to which neck best fits your hands and which body hangs most comfortably on your body so try a bunch of 'em and see what sticks. Personally, I pay more attention to how a bass feels and less to the tone because tone can always be manipulated through finger adjustment, eq, and/or new pups/electronics.

Oh, and take my advice: don't ever, ever, never, ever try a bass that's too expensive for you to walk out the door with. I've found that's a very bad idea. :(
 
#17
Bolt on, neck through and set neck (glued in) and just 3 ways of mounting a neck on a body. I've owned all 3 and do not have a preference. There are slight differences in tone (supposedly) but not a better tone. Bolt on allows you to replace the neck if necessary or to try something different, but with Spectors and other non Fender basses you're not going to have a wealth of necks to pick from. Set necks and neck through (supposedly) provide more sustain, but how often do you hold a note for a long time? Personally I wouldn't let the neck mount dictate my choice (unless it's an Epi Thunderbird; I can't stand the bolt necks for some reason but the neck throughs are nice).
 
#20
Peavey Cirrus would be perfect. Right in your range, amazing bass.

Also a Lakland passive Jazz (Darryl Jones or Joe Osbourne). It will cut through the mix like a champ. For extra punch you can use a sansamp for grind.

The necks and B strings on both of these basses are stellar.
 

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