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Best bass under $3,000?

#81
my two cents, and keep in mind, no one is more impressed with my opinion than myself.

you mention Mayones, they dont get much love, except from the people that own them. you dont see them in the wild much. I have a pair, a Patriot Tank 5 from the custom shop and a commodous classic 4. Both are amazing instruments, extremely stable, comfortable, easy playing. Most of them have a 34.5 scale and a 20 inch radius on the board. nice versatile electronics. the 4 string has Aguilar DCBs and and obp-3, wired in 18 volt with a passice/active switch. the 5 string has Nordstrands with a nordstrand preamp with the active/passive plus a coil tap .I have been extremely happy with both. I gig them a few times a month and the commodous was my main bass until I got a USA Spector. I know you said you were not a fan of the appearance, but do yourself a favor and play one, the ergonomics and playing comfort are an absolute dream. I cant speak to their asian and european imports though, no experience with them
 
#83
SM2 said:
my two cents, and keep in mind, no one is more impressed with my opinion than myself.

you mention Mayones, they dont get much love, except from the people that own them. you dont see them in the wild much. I have a pair, a Patriot Tank 5 from the custom shop and a commodous classic 4. Both are amazing instruments, extremely stable, comfortable, easy playing. Most of them have a 34.5 scale and a 20 inch radius on the board. nice versatile electronics. the 4 string has Aguilar DCBs and and obp-3, wired in 18 volt with a passice/active switch. the 5 string has Nordstrands with a nordstrand preamp with the active/passive plus a coil tap .I have been extremely happy with both. I gig them a few times a month and the commodous was my main bass until I got a USA Spector. I know you said you were not a fan of the appearance, but do yourself a favor and play one, the ergonomics and playing comfort are an absolute dream. I cant speak to their asian and european imports though, no experience with them
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The Mayones I found played great, very smooth. It was used and not even close to the style I like but it played so well I started researching them. I’ll be checking them out for sure. I was in Phoenix and stopped by the Bass Place, they’re mostly an online retailer. He had a ton of spectors and Warwicks, but wouldn’t let me play any of them. I was allowed to hold them at least haha. I’ll check them out if I come across them, thanks for the advice man
 
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#87
Strongjag said:
Or one KILLER Kiesel.

Love mine.

So good.
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Darn right. The best thing about Kiesel is that a $1500 Kiesel plays and sounds exactly the same as a $3000 Kiesel. The $3000 Keisel just does it with fancier woods and flashier paint! They both will have the same electronics, necks, frets, etc. My Osiris was $1700 and it's shockingly good! But it's just plain ol' trans red :)
 
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#91
Everyone's journey through basses and gear is going to be unique but I found myself in a similar situation about 10 years ago. If I was to label my style of playing it would not be far from punk with my major influences being Rob Wright, Mike Watt, Paul Simonon, Matt Freeman and the like. Up to that point I had never spent any serious money on a bass, amp or cab. I had been scoring great deals on Peavey stuff including a mint T40 and some descent but very heavy amps and cabs and had traded a Washburn Taurus T25 for my first G&L, a Tribute L2000.

For some reason I felt the need to spend alot of cash on a boutique bass and started trying every one I could find and research every maker out there. Ironically it's how I discovered TB which opened my mind, and my wallet, but not in the way I initially expected.

To make a boring story shorter, try as I might, I never connected with anything exotic though I appreciated the craftsmanship, feel and tone. Maybe they just didn't fit with my "punk" aesthetic, even the traditional styled basses just seemed maybe a little pretentious to me. Any way I eventually ended up spending much more money when I decided to build a quiver of decent to me representations of the major bass styles, i.e. a P, Jazz, Ric, US L2K, etc.

I don't really have a point or any suggestion for you other than everyone should own a 300 watt tube head and stack for at least a little while along the way. Or forever.
 
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#94
For a P Bass you won't do better than Moollon outside of spending $7k-$10k on a vintage 63'. Have to buy it sight unseen and wait about six months for the build but the instruments are ridiculously good. Serek is a total thumper and ridiculously good if you're open to a short scale and there are a few every once in awhile that make it to shops but mostly custom again like the Moollon. Sadowsky also a great choice.

I couldn't imagine ever again putting that kind of money down for a new instrument that wasn't custom. The Serek and Moollon I picked up last year are without a doubt the best instruments I've ever laid hands on.
 
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#96
Punks most common denominator...

A4E0EA9E-8E28-486E-AFB7-845A8F662F58.jpeg
 
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#97
oldskoolskatedad said:
Everyone's journey through basses and gear is going to be unique but I found myself in a similar situation about 10 years ago. If I was to label my style of playing it would not be far from punk with my major influences being Rob Wright, Mike Watt, Paul Simonon, Matt Freeman and the like. Up to that point I had never spent any serious money on a bass, amp or cab. I had been scoring great deals on Peavey stuff including a mint T40 and some descent but very heavy amps and cabs and had traded a Washburn Taurus T25 for my first G&L, a Tribute L2000.

For some reason I felt the need to spend alot of cash on a boutique bass and started trying every one I could find and research every maker out there. Ironically it's how I discovered TB which opened my mind, and my wallet, but not in the way I initially expected.

To make a boring story shorter, try as I might, I never connected with anything exotic though I appreciated the craftsmanship, feel and tone. Maybe they just didn't fit with my "punk" aesthetic, even the traditional styled basses just seemed maybe a little pretentious to me. Any way I eventually ended up spending much more money when I decided to build a quiver of decent to me representations of the major bass styles, i.e. a P, Jazz, Ric, US L2K, etc.

I don't really have a point or any suggestion for you other than everyone should own a 300 watt tube head and stack for at least a little while along the way. Or forever.
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I hear what you’re saying for sure, I love all those guys’ playing too. This all started because I decided to get one great bass that will last me forever, although honestly I doubt I’ll ever really be done searching. I really just wanted to see what was out there from the guys on TB
 
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#98
If you’re looking for rock/punk sound, o suggest spending far less and getting a musicman or solid p-bass. I play alleva Coppolo’s and custom shop fenders, but when I need more of a rock or punk sound I grab my old Gibson Victory that I paid $400 for. Also have a bass that Ben Lambdin built for me that’s got 2 humbuckers (think MM sound) that sounds gnarly for that more aggressive sound.
 
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#99
The reality check is that if playing gigs, especially those with multiple bands, there’s a good chance that your high end, $3000. bass gets stolen.

I’m not saying don’t buy one, but taking it on the road is risky.
 
#100
Playbyear said:
The reality check is that if playing gigs, especially those with multiple bands, there’s a good chance that your high end, $3000. bass gets stolen.

I’m not saying don’t buy one, but taking it on the road is risky.
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Dude I feel dumb, that never even crossed my mind for some reason. Blind to the power of a new bass I guess. I’ll keep that in mind when taking it out thanks
 

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