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"Best affordable" five-string p/j bass

#21
dabbler said:
Yes, price is lower AND you get stainless frets, a 6 bolt neck, a hi-mass bridge and the MM splits.

I also have a Sire V7:

View attachment 3449623

and the Sire does have a more flexible pre, due to its being 3 bands with a mid sweep and a passive tone control, but you pay for that.

The Sire has a more vintage tone, but you could gig with either in a lot of situations.
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You had me at “The Sire has a more vintage tone. . .”
 
#24
I've got a Yamaha BB235 that I rehearse with that may be the best valued bass I own for what it cost used. It plays and sounds great. I can only imagine what the more advanced BB basses are like, because if this is entry level...wow!!
I've also got two Sire P7s and they are my favorite sounding basses. They play great. I wish they were a tad lighter, but with a padded strap I gig with them a lot.
 
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#26
CameronJohnson said:
I have a Yamaha BB735a and love it. So well made and it sounds phenomenal. The preamp is very well voiced too.

I used to own an all-passive BB1025x and a part of me still regrets selling it but the 735a has definitely cured my itch.
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The BB1025x has tempted me for a long time. I think the guy from Rival Sons played or plays one. But I can't abide a bass with a pickup selector switch. I've gotta have independent volume knobs because I'd likely just roll in a little of the j pickup to give it a little bite. I doubt I'd use them both full-on. The 735a is definitely intriguing. I wonder how it would compare to a Sire.
 
#29
I'm a Stingray5 guy who's been looking for a similar feeling/playing 5er on a more "versatile" tone game (particularly Fender'ish tone territory) for the occasional need in that respect. In such quest I've been thru:

- a couple Fernandes Gravity Deluxe Vs, light, played great, didn't have neither a big sound nor great resonance, tame but workable.
- a couple Yamaha BBs (615 and 425X), didn't bond with any of them, too tame sounding maybe, but good at the Fenderesque game.
- a 2 pickup ATK (MIK 405, added J neckside pickup), light and comfortable, felt like a much smaller bass, played and resonated great, just sounded weak at both the MM and J games really.
- a Marusczcyk Jake 5a+ (P+MM), the Delano big pole pickups ruined what otherwise was a GREAT bass (SO DEAD, ran both active or passive, same thing on any Sandberg Cali I've played), should have kept it and replace those pickups (best quality per weight bass I've owned, real light and top craftmanship). This is the only bass I'll probably mention that might go beyond your intended budget, but it can be definitely had for ~800€ used here (just in case you happen to travel -or have somebody near travelling- to th EU), just choose anything other than the Delano MC/PMVC pickups.

I also considered Sires (V7 and particularly the V3, which is one of the most bang for the buck things I've seen in my life) and tried many, just don't love their necks that much, could definitely use thinner necks, but they're still in comfortable terrytory for me and the preamp is excellent, great tones, SOLID product, even before considering price. Wish they put out a P3 5er, and I'd definitely be all over one if they updated to a reverse P+J layout.

Nowadays my all purpose "versatile"+Fender killer thing is a current generation Schecter CV-5 (twin J-buckers + coil taps for each). Best neck I've owned, I even like it more than my alltime most beloved Stingray5s. It can do a BIG palette of tones thanks to the coil taps available for each pickup. And those guitar looking pickups are really on a league of their own, I LOVE THEM. Can sound Fenderish and many other things and at the same time it hass some Stingray aggressiveness to it I really enjoy. You can get a Schecter CV-5 new for 650$ in the USA, much less if you happen to find a used one. Not as light as other basses, but not insane either, right in the Stignray zone (not as light as my lightest SR5, not as heavy as my heaviest). I took out the pickup selector switch on mine and now use an MN taper pan pot, most versatile and "chamaleonic" passive bass I've owned (and that includes a Peavey T-40 I've owned, which despite its huge versatility you need to play with its tone controls for switching between humbucker and single coil). So much better than any other attempt at a Fender killer I've had, by far, can do P and J, several flavors of each, and with a real low B (BTW, 35" scale is barely noticeable for me, moreso with a neck as fast as this one). Neck is much thinner than a Sire V7/V3, and I mean Ibanez SR thin (less than 20mm@fret 1 -front to back-) and string spacing si 17mm at bridge (not an issue for me, used to Musicman 5ers' 17.5mm, but might be an issue for some).

This is the only decently recorded sample I have of the bass (just bass&drums, whole "band"). Sorry, I'm recording more stuff soon. But there's also this review (of the CV-4) that explores some of the many tones you get stock (you get much more once you swap the pickup selector for a blend pot), this is the guy who really sold me the CV-5.

 
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#30
This thread topic comes up so often it needs to be a sticky!

My suggestion, buy a Squier VM P5. Very good basses for the money. If you search the forums, not many people have bad things to say about them. Then have a J pickup route done and add the pickup.
 
#34
JRA said:
not to derail your ax search, OP, but: have you ever been in the "middle of a gig" when your battery died? thanks.
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Twice. Well, once at a "gig," once at church. When you've been playing as long as I have, every conceivable thing - and some inconceivable things - have gone wrong at one time or another. But that's why I always bring a backup bass. At least to gigs.
 
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#35
garp said:
It's an easy-enough mod on the BBs. I don't have it on mine, but I've seen it done more than once.
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Might be worth looking into. It probably is easy if you can solder yourself, which I cannot. I live in a small town and we don't have a worthwhile guitar tech around, or a guitar store of any kind within an hour. But it might be worth the drive for the right bass with the right sound.

That Schecter CV-5 intrigues me, but would have to have the same mod done. I wonder how it differs from just a regular jazz bass with those pickups. They are definitely different from anything I've ever seen before. Looks like a larger-than-necessary P pickup with added black spacers to make it look like a humbucker. But if that's the case, than what coil are you tapping? You can't real coil tap a P right? Wouldn't that just give you half of the pickup then? Lol. Like just the B and E strings? Clearly that's not what this does, but I find it a little mind-boggling. Or am I just a dummy and does a standard P pickup actually have a second coil underneath?

That being said, all things being equal, I do prefer a thicker neck. Not a super flat one. I had a Yamaha TRB1--5 years ago that had a great sound and was super well-made, but the neck was soooooo thin! It was like trying to play a flat board. I like the big-thick P-bass baseball bat style necks. But those are harder to come by in a 5. I'm guessing they'd make it harder to play and more prone to neck dive. Size isn't really an issue for me. I'm 6'6" and have what my uncle affectionately refers to as "garden rakes for hands."
 
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#37
sr900guy said:
Have you looked at the new Jackson range. 5 string concert in natural finish is a beauty and it’s a pj
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I did actually see that bass. I like the exact one you mentioned. It's gorgeous! It doesn't have a passive option, though, which is kiiiiiind of a deal-breaker for me. But for the right bass, I might be willing to overlook it. I've never played a Jackson bass, though, so I have no frame of reference. I've always equated Jackson with metal bands, which I have never been in and never will be in, so I didn't give them a second thought.
 
#38
That’s a fair opinion. I’m of the metal persuasion and looking at the model because of the classic appearance and configuration. It’s the neck thru and 35inch scale that are selling points for me. Another option would be the fender player jazz 5 string. They look pretty mean too

Edit: forget that, I forgot u want pj haha
 
#39
sr900guy said:
That’s a fair opinion. I’m of the metal persuasion and looking at the model because of the classic appearance and configuration. It’s the neck thru and 35inch scale that are selling points for me. Another option would be the fender player jazz 5 string. They look pretty mean too

Edit: forget that, I forgot u want pj haha
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Yes, I just listened to a demo of the Jackson. It sounds pretty metal to me (ie. dark and mid-scooped). But it does look fantastic. If you're into that sound, it would be killer. Very classy.
 
#40
At this point, I think the basses leading the pack for me are a Sire P7, and possibly a Yamaha BB735A. Or a BB1025x, if I can find a deal on one used and get someone to install a pickup blend.
 
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