Best deal on a 5 string??...

[Bassdude404]

Been playing 4 strings all my life...Messed around with a five occasionally in a music store (Woodwind/Brasswind is about 20 minutes away ), but never really considered ever buying one...But the guys I'm jamming with now are focused on modern rock, and there's alot of stuff using the low B string that we just can't do....Soooo....Trying to talk the better half into letting me spring for a decent 5 string on a budget....So what's the best bang for the buck out there for a 5 string??...I'd personally love to be able to go drop some fat $$ on a Fender 5 string P, but with my job situation (crappy job/low pay) the $$ is gonna have to come out of my "band $$" when we start booking shows...So cheap is good at this stage...Prefer maple fingerboard and active electronics, but that's not set in stone either...So far, looking on ebay at Peavey Millenium, ESP B-205, and an Ibanez that I forgot the model#....Figured I'd ask ther masses here and see what you all have to say...

Thanks for the input...

 

[duderasta]

I'd shop locally or here in the TB classifieds! buying a bass without playing it is a risky endeavor. I would trust the sellers here before any on ebay, but I'd shop locally first. The Ibanez SR405 is a pretty decent lower end 5, but your money will get a lot more in the used market.

 

[f'nar f'nar]

Cheap is good? Personally I don't think you can go wrong with Warwick Rockbass 5er, but that's if you want to go new.

Duderasta got it right when he said you're money will go further on the used market!

 

[Bassdude404]

I'd shop locally or here in the TB classifieds! buying a bass without playing it is a risky endeavor. I would trust the sellers here before any on ebay, but I'd shop locally first. The Ibanez SR405 is a pretty decent lower end 5, but your money will get a lot more in the used market.

Yeah, just looking on ebay to get an idea of prices of the different models and compare features and that...When the time comes I'll check out all the pawn shops, local music stores and craigslist...Nice to be able to put your hands on it before dropping the $$...Just looking here to see what you guys think of the ones you have experience with...Word of mouth advertising is the best out there...

 

[Rockmusician]

Ibanez has some nice 5 string basses that do not cost a lot. It is going to take a while to get used to playing a 5 string but it will be worth it. Good luck

 

[Green1]

The Carvin stuff is worth a look.

 

[moles]

Just throwing this idea out there: Have you considered stringing your 4 B-E-A-D until you can afford a 5er that you'll fall in love with?

 

[GregDunn]

Definitely keep an eye on the pawn shops and even (gulp) GC's used site:

http://used.guitarcenter.com/usedGear/index.cfm

I scored a very nice '01 Ibanez SR645 for $100 not long ago. Just needed some cosmetic work, otherwise it was in great shape to play immediately.

 

[xaxxat]

USA Peaveys...

 

[jsingles]

Schecter makes pretty decent 5 strings for a decent price.

Good enough to not be garbage, cheap enough to be realistic.

 

[Staccato]

Just throwing this idea out there: Have you considered stringing your 4 B-E-A-D until you can afford a 5er that you'll fall in love with?

Sight unseen could be an unpleasant surprise when you consider the neck size/shape & sound of the pickups...

String spacing and B string tension are mentioned plenty on TB. Being a newer player, I decided to not be overly particular on those aspects, and be more concerned with the sound. If it's sound that you're evaluating, that's where sound clips & recordings can be helpful without seeing the bass.

 

[cableguy]

Ibanez, Peavey and G&L Tributes can all be had used at a pretty decent price. Definately look at your area CL.

 

[Marty Forrer]

The first thing you need to do before anything else is to decide which string spacing suits you best. Ibanez, Washburn and many others have a narrow string spacing (which I dislike), Fender, Musicman, G&L and others have a medium spacing, and Yamaha, MTD and others have wide spacing (which I like). You need to go to a shop and try out basses with these different spacings to decide which suits you best. It has nothing to do with hand size, I have quite small hands, but I feel most comfortable on wide necks.

 

[Samsound]

I scored a very nice '01 Ibanez SR645 for $100 not long ago. Just needed some cosmetic work, otherwise it was in great shape to play immediately.

You were luckier than me, bro. I got an SR405 from eBay for $240 that was missing a treble knob (disclosed), had some nasty grime all over the bridge, and weird mods to the noisy, about to die electronics. I decided to keep it, as it did arrive as described (playable) and was willing to spring for new electronics.

Not to scare the OP though, my previous eBay bass was a wonderful bass for $180 that is still my #1.

 

[darkstorm]

Ibanez soundgears & ESP Ltd F and B series, would be my pick for nice inexpensive fivers. Though most all of these have rosewood rather then maple fretboard. There are a few Ibanez SR's with maple fretboard.

 

[smeet]

If you can spend $1000 or a bit under, there is no better deal than the Carvin SB5000. Really.

 

[GregDunn]

You were luckier than me, bro. I got an SR405 from eBay for $240 that was missing a treble knob (disclosed), had some nasty grime all over the bridge, and weird mods to the noisy, about to die electronics. I decided to keep it, as it did arrive as described (playable) and was willing to spring for new electronics.

I'm always cautious with used basses; will not buy one without playing it first. In this case it was hanging in the GC used room and had only been up for a couple of days. I suspect anyone who looked at it had passed it by; it had a nasty chunk missing from the headstock, and the previous owner had pulled the upper strap pin out (and, after several ham-handed attempts, managed to relocate it).

But it played fine, and since it was painted gloss black I was able to patch everything and touch up the paint. If you look at it now, you couldn't tell. Well worth the effort.

 

[Andy_D]

Don't know how much your planning on spending but check out what this dude did with a Brice 6 string from Rondo.



And modding it in a similar fashion. For around $800 you would have one killer bass. The good thing is you can do this in stages so you don't even need to lay out the cash all at once.

 

[Bassdude404]

The first thing you need to do before anything else is to decide which string spacing suits you best. Ibanez, Washburn and many others have a narrow string spacing (which I dislike), Fender, Musicman, G&L and others have a medium spacing, and Yamaha, MTD and others have wide spacing (which I like)......

Now this here is useful info...Didn't even think about string spacing...I used to have an Ibanez SR800 four string that I bought brand new in '95...

Great bass until it almost killed me...Wet floor, metal case powerstrip, and my right knee hit the wet carpet at the same time I grabbed the bass to fix a cord tangled in the stand...Had a big blue arc envelope my arm up to the elbow and it shot me back about 10 feet as I tried to get as far away from the bass as possible...Never played one note at practice that day...Oh yeah, that powerstrip went right into the trash can...But the bass never sounded the same after that....Had active electronics, and I think the current spike damaged something...Left four burn marks in the palm of my hand from the current in the strings...

I got off track a bit, that tends to happen...Anyways, thanks for the input guys...I'll visit the local music stores and see what fits me, then go looking for a used one at the right price...

 

[Nedmundo]

I've been impressed by recent Warwick Rockbass fives, like the passive $$ model, and Yamahas are excellent too. But, IMO, the best is the G&L Tribute L-2500. It's a little more expensive than some, but the tone and build quality are outstanding.

You should also look at Fender's Deluxe Active Jazz V. They're very good, and inexpensive on the used market.