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$800, 5-String Bass Shoot-Out

Features, Tone, Customer Service, Reliability, and Bang-for-Buck

  • Ibanez BTB675 BTB

  • Lakland Skyline 55-01

  • Schecter Guitar Research Stiletto Studio

  • Sterling by Music Man RAY35

  • Warwick Rockbass Fortress

Results are only viewable after voting.
#61
I've already got a nice jazz 5 so I don't need a Lakeland. I voted BTB but ice gotten a dealer shipping in the Btb685sc for $850. It looks so good and plays so nice! I'll be dropping in nordys in a couple Months.
 

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#62
I wasn't familiar with the G&Ls either. This thread is phenomenally expanding my bass knowledge! I learned my lesson about buying basses without playing them first. I wish there was a super guitar store anywhere near me. All Lubbock has is a couple of mom and pop places and a TINY Guitar Center. Of course this means I only get to play low end Ibanezes and Fenders :(

I really want to try out a G&L, Brubanker, and a Warwick to see how they feel. Tone and aesthetics wise, I loved the Peavey Grind 5 but I HATED the neck and spacing on it.

About what that dude said about the value of TB, Amen. Talkbass is the world's lead resource for bass knowledge. Without it, we'd all be in a sea of guitarists telling us to keep our volume down.
 
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#64
Bassitudes said:
I just can't stand them cheap bart pickups they put in most everything. Nice to see the new ones coming with nordstrands, but even then those wouldn't be my primary choice for "boutique" pickups. Many different companies have stock pickups that feel more musical than both of these brands.
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I have one with the nordy's. It took me about a month to get used to them, but my BTB1406 is probably the nicest instrument I've ever played.

I do however, agree that the low end ibanez instruments sound a tad artificial. That's what happens when a company doesn't differentiate their high from low end product like fender/ squier.
 
#65
In this order from the ones on your list.

Lakland, by a long shot
SBMM
BTB
Rockbass
Schecter

I would also add G&L, Ibanez ATK and MIM Fender to that list, All of these would be right up there with Lakland in my opinion
 
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#66
I had a couple BTB 5s and loved them. (I just have gear ADD so I swap things out all the time). They are wide, and tend to be a bit heavy. But if your right hand is aggressive at all (like mine is) you will love that bass. I don't beat the crap out of a bass but I tend to pluck a little harder than some. And that bass fit my style well.
 
#68
I briefly owned a Lakland 5501. Beautiful bass and I really wanted to love it, but the B-string just rattled all over the place despite the 35" scale, medium/high action and supposedly being Plek'ed in Chicago. I traded it for a SBMM Ray5, which just had way better build quality and a super tight B. And better-sounding stock electronics.
 
#69
azwipe said:
I briefly owned a Lakland 5501. Beautiful bass and I really wanted to love it, but the B-string just rattled all over the place despite the 35" scale, medium/high action and supposedly being Plek'ed in Chicago. I traded it for a SBMM Ray5, which just had way better build quality and a super tight B. And better-sounding stock electronics.
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That was not my experience with my old 55-01 at all. It had a super tight, almost-piano-like B string. Which was the exact opposite of the EBMM SUB 5 string I had previous to that... unbelievably flabby, borderline unusable B string.

Ultimately it was the width of the neck on the Lakland that didn't agree with the stuff I was trying to play for my band at the time, but that wouldn't be as big a deal in my current band.
 
#70
NKBassman said:
That was not my experience with my old 55-01 at all. It had a super tight, almost-piano-like B string. Which was the exact opposite of the EBMM SUB 5 string I had previous to that... unbelievably flabby, borderline unusable B string.

Ultimately it was the width of the neck on the Lakland that didn't agree with the stuff I was trying to play for my band at the time, but that wouldn't be as big a deal in my current band.
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I referenced a SBMM Ray35, not a SUB 5, but I hear you. In my experience, when it comes to things like build quality, B strings, weight and even tone there is often more variation among individual basses of the same make/model than there is between different bass models. Maybe I happened to get a dud 5501 and an outstanding Ray35.

I should keep an eye out for another 5501, because I love the look of them and I enjoy upgrading electronics.
 
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#71
Lakland. In the 55-01, the pre is the weak point, the pups really come alive with a better pre. I have had two 55-01's, the first one I swapped the pups for the Bart MKCBC pups and the Bart 5.2AP and it was killer. The 55-01 that I currently have I only swapped the pre for the Bart 5.2AP and can tell very little difference in the Stock pups and the MKCBC's. You can get a used 55-01 for well under $800.

0118151747_zpsamthoqwx.jpg
 
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#73
azwipe said:
I referenced a SBMM Ray35, not a SUB 5, but I hear you.
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Just speaking to my own personal experience. :)

In my experience, when it comes to things like build quality, B strings, weight and even tone there is often more variation among individual basses of the same make/model than there is between different bass models. Maybe I happened to get a dud 5501 and an outstanding Ray35.
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This is very true. On the other side of that same coin, I've also tried a few Squier 5-strings that have had better (tighter) B-strings than the other $1000+ Fender/Yamaha/Ibanez basses hanging in the same store. Just goes to show how variable that low-B can be, and that there's obviously a lot more to picking a good one than just going by the brand name on the headstock.

That being said, my money is still on Lakland in the OP's price range. ;)
 
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#74
#80
JustForSport said:
"used" 55-01
plus
"Bartolini make a US made, direct drop in replacement for the stock MK-1s. Couple those with the Bartolini 5.2 A/P"
is an $800 bass?
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No. After the mods it was a little over a grand. I will say that the stock electronics are very usable. I debated a long time after buying the bass whether or not to go ahead with the mods because the bass sounded fine as it was. In the end I went ahead with the changes. To me the additional money spent was worth it. YMMV.

As I've said before, the deluxe models are the same as a standard 55-01 with a fancy top. The body wood, neck, hardware and electronics are identical. These models can be found new for a little over $850:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/lakland-skyline-55-01-5-string-bass-guitar
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Used for $595: https://reverb.com/item/364279-lakland-55-01-natural-gloss


Here's a deluxe model under $900: https://reverb.com/item/73283-lakland-55-01-spalted-top-natural (minus shipping)
 
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