Maybe some lightweight tuners too while you're changing the color scheme, could help lighten up the headstock.
Yeah, I'd be shopping right now if they made one of those.
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An alternative Dingwall SP1 from Tagima ~ Predator 5-UQ $709.99
- Thread starter Yahboy
- Start date
Sounds like an amazing sounding instrument by the tone description! Very versatile preamp I'd imagine with the all the tone sculpting options going on there.
I wish Tagima would have been just a wee bit more descriptive regarding the controls (like center frequencies of bass, the sweep range freqs of the mid, treble knobs). But that's a minor thing at the end of the day. I'm sure it's quite capable of dialing in just about anything you want to hear out of the preamp.
Been meaning (and forgetting to ask) - can you tell us what the string spacing is at the bride? From looks, I'd guess 18mm perhaps?
Disregard the string spacing question, I overlooked it in an earlier post. It's 18mm (aka, 17.5mm) at the bridge, which is awesome for me on a 5-string. 
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Apologies, I've been super busy as of late, sort of forgot about this thread LOL. Yep, I took my caliper to it and got 17.5mm, but you could theoretically shrink it further. Theres about a 3mm~ gap between each bridge piece, you could shift them closer together to bring the spacing down to 16mm or even 15mm. Conversely, you could also widen the spacing if you preferred. Just one of the many perks of having mono bridge pieces!Disregard the string spacing question, I overlooked it in an earlier post. It's 18mm (aka, 17.5mm) at the bridge, which is awesome for me on a 5-string.
I have a show with my band next Thursday and I'm super stoked to try this thing out on stage!!
That's been the goal, but geez are these things pricey. Best ones I can find in the style, color, and ratio I like are the gotoh GB528s which come in at a whopping $150 for a set of 5. I'm still searching around, but honestly for the price hike that comes with light cloverleaf tuners, I feel I'd be better off just adding a counter-weight since the bass isn't all that heavy to begin with anyway.
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So this happened....I hit up Butler Music (a Tagima dealer in Missouri) and they were super helpful and got me a great deal on a Predator 5. 
I've had it since Thursday evening and have spent some considerable time with it & I pretty much agree whole heartedly with everything @56Fenix had to say about it. I gave it a full set up, and a fresh set of strings & took it to a band rehearsal Friday night . The tone is POWERFUL & incredible. Very pro-sounding for lack of a better term. I've played many basses of different brands in this rehearsal space and as such, I'm extremely familiar with that room and what to expect with how all of my basses have sounded in it. Instantly, I could tell this was going to be my new Number One. As 56Fenix put it - it sounded great & strong thru my practice amp, but when I let it open up a bit thru my main rig - Holy Cow! There are a few rare times when you purchase an instrument and not only does it make your tone sound better, but it actually makes the entire band sound better. This is one of those type of basses, IMO.
I've had it since Thursday evening and have spent some considerable time with it & I pretty much agree whole heartedly with everything @56Fenix had to say about it. I gave it a full set up, and a fresh set of strings & took it to a band rehearsal Friday night . The tone is POWERFUL & incredible. Very pro-sounding for lack of a better term. I've played many basses of different brands in this rehearsal space and as such, I'm extremely familiar with that room and what to expect with how all of my basses have sounded in it. Instantly, I could tell this was going to be my new Number One. As 56Fenix put it - it sounded great & strong thru my practice amp, but when I let it open up a bit thru my main rig - Holy Cow! There are a few rare times when you purchase an instrument and not only does it make your tone sound better, but it actually makes the entire band sound better. This is one of those type of basses, IMO.
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A few more random pics...
I haven't peeled the plastic off the pickguard yet.
Random headstock pic...
Sparkly...
Bolivian Rosewood fretboard...
I haven't peeled the plastic off the pickguard yet.
Random headstock pic...
Sparkly...
Bolivian Rosewood fretboard...
That looks like the rosewood we used to see, but generally don't anymore.
I really like all your pics and both of the basses we've seen here lately.
Thanks! This Tagima is shockingly good, I expected good things for sure, based on videos and the earlier review. Wasn't expecting it to easily put all my other bass to shame so effortlessly.
The thought has already crossed my mind to sell off a couple 2-3 (now obsolete) basses and pick up the Sunburst model too as a backup.
Was there any benefit in buying from a retailer as opposed to from Tagima directly?
In my case yes - it saved me at least $100 dollars rather than going directly from Tagima's website. The store manager quoted me $650 dollars total, that's shipped and everything.
Going direct would have been more due to state taxes and shipping, and no discount on the $709.00 list price. I have no affiliation with Butler Music, other than they offered me a good price, and I'd highly recommend them to anyone seeking one of these.
At the time I ordered, I recall seeing a Sunburst 5-string in Butler Music's inventory, but I wanted a Silver Metallic. The store manager (Andy) called Tagima and put in an order to Tagima for me. Tagima had it in stock and it shipped directly to me, from what I believe must be Tagima USA (or US warehouse maybe) in Anaheim, CA.
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Just another thought or two on the Predator 5 to counter all the huge Pros. For me, I only have two minor complaints. One jives with the earlier review in regards to the tuning gears. I found mine to be pretty grabby/bindy when I put on the fresh set of strings. I know tuners are usually the corner most often cut, but I'll reserve judgement until I can put some grease on the gears this weekend and work them in some more. If they smooth out great, if not I'll most likely replace them as this bass is absolutely my Number One going forward. If I need a new set of tuning gears for some peace of mind on gigs, so be it. It comes with territory sometimes. So time will tell.
The other is that the neck is slightly on the chunky side. I took my digital calipers and took some measurements and found that it was about 2 or 2.5mm thicker than my Ibanez Talman TMB405TA and my MIJ Yamaha BB 2025X. Making the Tagima officially the thickest neck now in my stable. It's not bad though, and I'm quickly getting very comfy with it, but it's definitely not like an Ibanez SR model at all. Definitely more in line with a classic P-bass neck than say a J bass. I know, go figure, a P-bass with a P-bass neck. Who 'da thunk.
Other than those "if I could change anything about it' things, the rest is incredible.
The other is that the neck is slightly on the chunky side. I took my digital calipers and took some measurements and found that it was about 2 or 2.5mm thicker than my Ibanez Talman TMB405TA and my MIJ Yamaha BB 2025X. Making the Tagima officially the thickest neck now in my stable. It's not bad though, and I'm quickly getting very comfy with it, but it's definitely not like an Ibanez SR model at all. Definitely more in line with a classic P-bass neck than say a J bass. I know, go figure, a P-bass with a P-bass neck. Who 'da thunk.
Other than those "if I could change anything about it' things, the rest is incredible.
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Great news! I applied a little dab or two of white lithium grease to each tuner gear and worked it in by detuning & retuning a couple of times and now the tuners work great! Nice and smooth now!
This stuff is pretty cool, goes on with a white color so you can see where you're applying it, then turns clear very shortly after applying it. Can't even see it afterwards. But yeah, this stuff works great! Saved my bacon on having to purchase new tuning gears, just needed some TLC.
This stuff is pretty cool, goes on with a white color so you can see where you're applying it, then turns clear very shortly after applying it. Can't even see it afterwards. But yeah, this stuff works great! Saved my bacon on having to purchase new tuning gears, just needed some TLC.
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Absolutely stellar, @stingray69, I'm so glad you were able to get one and feel the same way about it that I do. I'm not great at reviewing things so I'm glad you could corroborate everything I was saying, especially about just how unbelievably POWERFUL it is. That term gets thrown around quite a lot but theres really no other way to describe this bass. Butler has been great, this is the second instrument I've gotten from them, pretty cool they were able to order one for you.
I really dig that silver model, definitely more than my sunburst (at least in its current state). I might have gotten that instead if I had the option, but I'm not too terribly torn up about it. I threw together this mock-up recently of my long-term plans in terms of aesthetics, which would include stripping and staining the body to match the neck, not too dissimilar from @Yahboy 's so I suppose it would have made no difference either way if I got the silver model. I am pretty jealous of the black pickguard though, I'm going to have to cut out my own to replace the red one I have now. I tried reaching out to Tagima to see if I could buy just the black pickguard, but got no response.
I really dig that silver model, definitely more than my sunburst (at least in its current state). I might have gotten that instead if I had the option, but I'm not too terribly torn up about it. I threw together this mock-up recently of my long-term plans in terms of aesthetics, which would include stripping and staining the body to match the neck, not too dissimilar from @Yahboy 's so I suppose it would have made no difference either way if I got the silver model. I am pretty jealous of the black pickguard though, I'm going to have to cut out my own to replace the red one I have now. I tried reaching out to Tagima to see if I could buy just the black pickguard, but got no response.
Thanks - yeah, I am blown away with this Tagima! Talk about bang for your buck - seriously one of the best instruments I've had & I've had many.
I'm already thinking about picking up a Sunburst down the road for a backup - since a few of my other basses have suddenly become less important in my collection due to what the Tagima brings to the table.
I'm digging the mock up of the stripped down, natural finish version that you're considering!
I hope Tagima gets back to you on the black pickguard - if not, maybe Andy (store manager at Butler Music) could try to work something out. He already has in-roads with Tagima, as he places orders with them regularly. Perhaps Tagima has a parts department that he could reach out to - not sure, but best of luck obtaining one/making one.
Just changed my strings as well, meant to do that over the weekend but I misremembered what set I had on hand, so I had to make another run to GC. You are right, after unwinding and re-winding the tuners, they're REALLY dry. I'll try getting some of that grease you recommended, I have a few other tuning machines that could use it too. What strings do you like to run? I found the strings that came with the bass to be a bit stiff, I got some good ol' EB super slinkies and its feeling a lot better now.Great news! I applied a little dab or two of white lithium grease to each tuner gear and worked it in by detuning & retuning a couple of times and now the tuners work great! Nice and smooth now!
This stuff is pretty cool, goes on with a white color so you can see where you're applying it, then turns clear very shortly after applying it. Can't even see it afterwards. But yeah, this stuff works great! Saved my bacon on having to purchase new tuning gears, just needed some TLC.
I played some other basses for funsies while I was at GC and it just reaffirmed my love for this Tagima. None of them sound or feel nearly as good, and even at full MSRP, this thing is an absolute steal and worth every penny. I've played $1500 basses that werent nearly as good.
Semi-related, but a reverb seller just listed some Predator 5s for sale, so it looks like they might be starting to roll out more commonly. Still, anyone reading this thread who are interested in picking one up should hit up butler music. Not sponsored in any way, they just really hooked me & Stingray up!
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Also, if anyone is interested in playing around with it, here is the transparent outline sketch for the Predator 5 I made;
I can export a .zip with individual layers too if anyone wants to get a bit more advanced with it. I find this stuff super handy for planning builds and I just enjoy making digital art.
I can export a .zip with individual layers too if anyone wants to get a bit more advanced with it. I find this stuff super handy for planning builds and I just enjoy making digital art.
