Boy, this is a tough desicion....

.....How important is $1000 bucks to you ???

PJR

 

I would not get the Gary Willis Ibanez. It is better than most Soundgears, but shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath with Pedulla.

Pedulla's have low resale value, and the market for used boutique basses is really soft right now. You should be able to find a used PentaBuzz for around $1300 - $1500. Or get a used Zon Sonus Special, Sonus Custom, or Legacy. The Special and Custom can usually be found used for around the same $$$ as a PentaBuzz, and believe it or not, they are better in tone, feel, playability and sound.

If you insist on new, go down to your local Peavey dealer and order a Cirrus fretless 5. I almost bought one of these. It is darned close to the PentaBuzz, and in some ways I like it more. It has a much wider range of tones. One more really good new fretless 5 that costs less than a PentaBuzz is the Stingray 5. Pau ferro board(like the Cirrus), tons of mwaahh, and if you order it with the piezo bridge, you get a very wide range of tones as well. If you are still talking PentaBuzz price range, you can order a Sonus Custom or a Sonus Special for about the same price. Again, IMHO, they are better in all facets than the PentaBuzz.

Don't get me wrong though. If you get the PentaBuzz, I'm sure that you will be very happy with it. I just thought that I would let you know that there are less expensive options out there that are equal(or perhaps even better) than the Pedulla.

Good luck!

 

buy a pedulla... BUT-

be patient and find a used one, you'll probably save about $1000 from buying it new.

i doubt that you'd regret this option...

if it were me, i wouldn't even think twice about it.

 

Since you intend on spending good money on a bass, I recommend that you try any bass you can get your hands on in your price range. That way you know you made the right decision rather that find out you would've rather had something else later.

 

I agree with embellisher.. go with a Cirrus.. or a stingray 5..... or a zon.. i haven't played a fretless cirrus. but if they are as good as the fretted model, then you got yourself a real bass. I love my Ray 5 but its fretted..

 

Good treatment. Gary Willis is nice, but nicer guitars are within reach. The Pentabuzz is nice. Played one. The Stingray is very solid, and the Cirrus is now my main "axe."

 

try these ".com" sites

bassgear, bassnw, basscentral, ebay, bassalone, etc.

some people are hesitant to buy online or to buy a bass without playing it. i don't blame them. sometimes the planets align just right, and you find the used equipment that you want, and it's within driving distance (you end up getting killer gear for a good price and get to "try before you buy").