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A good 5 string bass under $400?

#23
5Bass5 said:
Looking for a good 5 stringer under $400. I understand there won't be the best basses for that price range, but that's all I can afford right now.
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Hey, by the time you reach the $400-$500 range you don't have to apologize for ANY bass! You can end up with boutique quality in ANY style bass you choose! The secret is that YOU have to know what you are doing! You also have to know what you want! And then you'll have to look around until you find it.

There are SO many great basses out there each in it's own thing. And to make the price you'll need to consider used or display models or needs repair of some kind etc. Examples from MY collection:

Ken Smith 6 string. $300. Frets had HUGE grooves worn in them, tuners were WORN OUT (I've never seen that in a bass before!) Filthy dirty: $100 fret job, new Carvin Gold tuners and knobs, poof the pots, D&C (dustin' and cleanin') and one absolute KILLER boutique bass! [when I bought it I thought it had to be refinished as well, but once I cleaned all the mung off it, while not pristine, it needs no apologies. ]

G&L blueburst fretless 5 string MIA. Filthy. Knobs all loose and scratchy. switches rotating with wires broken. Some switch positions not working. $500. New pots, tighten switches, fix wiring. D&C. Probably the most KILLER 5 string fretless you could buy for ANY money!

My G&L Trib. L-2500 5er Pristine like new condition. Stands up to any MIA G&L. About $400.

SX basses. $150. Needs shielding, setup, strings, minor fixes. Sometimes a fret job. But hey even if it takes a Pleking to fix it, it is STILL under $400! Just KILLER basses. Same goes for Squier, and a few (but certainly not all!) cheaper brands. This group applies if you are looking for a Fender/Fender clone style bass. Do a search here for "Chunger" threads to observe the pro-potential of SX basses with a few mods.

Two used Wishbasses. Certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but for about $400 each it puts you in the hand made boutique class with a very unusual look without a Ritter or Drozd price! Of course you will need to finish the job Steve started...

Or you can even go new with a Carvin passive 5 bass kit! These are basses needing NO apology to anyone! Rub on tung oil, slap it together and rock the house.

But notice that to achieve this level of bass, you'll need to know how to solder, how to rub tung oil on a piece of wood, how to shield/setup a bass, how to judge the quality of a used bass etc. If you can't handle this, then just buy a nice cheap new bass (Ibanez is good) and practice hard, get famous, and use the money to hire other people to do it for you.
 
#28
Go used, get higher quality and let the original buyer eat the difference. at the 400-500 price point you can get some seriously amazing basses. I've seen rays and USA fenders go for 500 before so if your willing to look around and put some effort in to it you can get some serious deals
 
#29
I love to re-tell this story..Short version... Until my wife bought my 2009 Squier Jazz 5 active, I turned my nose up at anything Squier. We went in GC to buy a MM 5 for a HM gig..that never materialized.. I balked at the MM price..I swallowed..pulled a black Squier off the wall..AMAZED. Tone and feel was equal to the MM and $$$ less! We ordered a factory fresh bass. We are so pleased with it that my wife also ordered a Premium Fender case for it.
Yeah..action was off..I like low with no buzzes. Lowered action too many buzzzes..and found neck needed adjustment. I looked on TB, found a link...swallowed and turned that rod wrench for first time in my life...Nothing broke! I learned how to set my own relief..Thanks Squier and TB for a valuable life lesson.
OK..I said this was the short story..Try a Squier Jazz 5 Active..you'll have plenty of your
$500 left over for a nice strap, strings, food..gas... I own 5 basses..Squier Jazz Active 5 in main-go-to bass. PS..find a bass loving wife too! ..
Thanks..zon6c-f.
 
#33
I purchased a Schecter Raiden Elite 5 String for around $400 from Guitar Center on sale. Very solid bass, plays nice, EMG Pickups. Schecter doesn't seem as popular with Bass players, but my son got a Hellraiser Guitar and I was so impressed with the quality I checked into their basses.

I used to play years ago and just got going playing again a year or so ago. I tried all the name brand stuff at Guitar Center and a few local small shops, and really didn't find anything as nice in a Bass as this Schecter for the money. If you buy it new, you get a lifetime warranty from Schecter too, which was why I passed up some used ones.
 
#35
GBassNorth said:
I have some top end basses that I paid thousands of dollars for and to be quite honest they really aren't that much better than the $200 Squier Jazz Bass that I bought at Guitar Center. Check out the $200 Squier Affinity Jazz 5 string (it's made by Fender) if you get a chance, then compare it side by side to a Fender Made in Mexico Jazz 5 that costs in the range of $800 and a Made in America Jazz 5 deluxe that costs upwards of $1500. I think you'll find the Squier to be nearly as good (or maybe even better) at a fraction of the price. You'll have enough money left over to buy a stand, case, strap, strap locks and extra strings and still be able to walk out the door with enough money for lunch.
Here's the Guitar Center link - read the reviews, I highly recommend this 5 string.
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I did the same thing and for some stupid reason, I feel guilty that I like a $200 bass better than the MIM and MIA bases I compared it to in the same store.

Even tried several difffernt basses over the last few months to make sure I wasn't just finding a good sample. All the recent 2011 vintage Affinity's I have seen are great.

I last looked at the Affinity about 3 years ago and wasn't impressed with the sample I found. I am now, I bought the Tobacco Sunburst version and it is flawless and great sounding.
 
#36
I played all sorts of stupid-expensive basses at all sorts of stores, and I found myself liking mid-range schecter basses FAR more than any American made fenders or expensive Tobias or Modulus basses. I suggest you try out the Schecter stiletto series. Really thin neck, very versatile (on-board 3 channel eq), and overall a great instrument.
 
#39
I was wondering if you guys could help. I have been looking into the Jackson JS3V, but I live in a rural area and no one carries them. I am wondering is the neck on the JS3V 35" scale or 34". All the online dealers state 35", but Jacksonguitars.com shows 34"?

Any Ideas from the people who have played it?
 

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