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Buying a 5 String

A

Argonot

May 11, 2011
10
0
#1
Hello to everyone. I'm a hobbyist bass player who has been "in the business" the last 4 years.

I'm thinking about buying a 5 string bass (between $350-$450) but I don't know what to go for!

Right now I'm playing metal, System of a Down (I'm in a tribute band to SOAD), Sepultura, Slayer, Megadeth, stuff like that. I need something versatile (I will not play that for my entire life), but "strong-enough" for the kind of music I'm doing today.

What do you recommend?

PD: I have received bad comments about chinese instrument's quality. I dont know if they're bad 100% of the times of if this is just a prejudice. Right now I can't afford something made in America (you have seen my price range...). I'd be very grateful if you tell me about your experience with Asia-made basses too.
 
#3
in your price range, you are dead set for China if you insist on buying new. Best you are going to get is Korea, with Indonesia in the middle.

I agree with MrJack- If I were in the market at that price I'd go with a Schecter Diamond P5.
Used you have many choices- including Yamaha and Peavey.
 
#4
I wouldn't panic over an instrument's being made in China, that's the nature of the beast with inexpensive instruments. You get what you pay for, but you should be able to find a serviceable instrument at that price. Do you want an active or passive bass? You might think about a Peavey Grind if you're staying under $450, or you might find a used Yamaha BB415 - they used to cost that new, but I think the new BB425s are more expensive. There's also the Peavey Millenium 5, Squier has a jazz 5, there's the Ibanez 305, or the Schecters. If you want to really keep it inexpensive, go to rondomusic for SXs and Douglases.

If you're going passive, I'd vote Peavey or Yamaha. Active, Ibanez or Schecter. I'm a passive guy myself, but it seems like most metal guys prefer active. Frankly, I wouldn't rule out any of them for the music you're talking about playing. Go try some out in a music store and buy what feels right.
 
#7
Argonot said:
What about ESP-LTD? Are they a good option?
Click to expand...

YES! I'm not a usually fan of basses with really sharp edges but those things are just nice! I always forget to mention them when suggesting basses but they are schweet. They feel great and sound fantastic for a bass that that price. The weakest point, like with most basses at that price point, are the preamps but altogether they are very good choices. They sound big and punchy, and have good amount of sustain. It'd be pretty hard to go wrong with one honestly.
 
#9
Before you go off focusing on a specific brand, or get hung up on the myth of the Asian pecking order of bass quality, you need to figure out what you want from a specs point of view.

With 5 strings (and 6's), there are far more options to consider than with 4 strings. A couple of the major things to consider:

-Scale: Do you want a 34" (same as most 4 strings) or a 35"? There is an ongoing debate about whether the extra scale makes for a better B string or not.

-String spacing. With 5 strings, you can get anywhere from 15 or 16mm spacing all the way up to 19mm (which is what many 4 strings are). This is usually a personal preference, but IMHO, it makes a huge difference in whether or not people are comfortable with 5 strings.

-Pickups/Preamp. Do you want a single pickup like a P-Bass, or 2 pickups like a Jazz? Do you want soapbars, single coils or humbuckers? A combination? Active or passive.

I ended up with 35" scale w/19mm spacing. I have buddies who don't like the 35". It's a preference.

With regard to overseas instruments, don't get caught up in that whole misconception of Asia-bad, US-good.

Bass quality varies greatly by company, not solely geography. Those factories make great basses and crappy basses, depending on who they're making them for. I'll take my Indonesian Lakland over 90% of US mass-produced basses.

My advice: If you can, get to a guitar store and play as many as you can to figure out what scale and string spacing you like. Then, based on those specs, go find yourself something and rock it!
 

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