Choosing a new bass in 2021.

[Gothic]

Also, I think the budget is lower since we don't see VAT on the Thomann site. Can't remember if it's 15% or 20% now.

It's 24% for Greece...
And, at least over here, this rate applies on anything from outside the European Union. US, UK, China, everything gets slapped with the 24% VAT (that's including the shipping cost), some standard import fees as well as customs fees. Which makes pretty much everything from outside the EU untouchable.

 

[bigthemat]

Well if you want cheap, go Harley Benton. I got the MB5 in the satin black recently and I'm loving it. Surprised by the quality for how cheap it was.

 

[GreyBeard]

G&L Tribute or Sterling Ray 4. Since you don't have a p-bass, check out the G&L Tribute L-100. They are excellent. If you want a StingRay on the Cheap, the Sterling Ray4 H is an excellent choice.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

This may be up your alley
https://m.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_hbz2004.htm?o=50&search=1630078019



These get some really impressive reviews
https://m.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_enhanced_mp_4mn_natural.htm?o=44&search=1630078019

 

[Gothic]

This may be up your alley
https://m.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_hbz2004.htm?o=50&search=1630078019



These get some really impressive reviews
https://m.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_enhanced_mp_4mn_natural.htm?o=44&search=1630078019

Can't speak for the hbz but the enhanced ones double as boat anchors.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

Can't speak for the hbz but the enhanced ones double as boat anchors.

Yeah, I'm not sure about the weights, was just throwing Harley Benton out there as they generally get good reviews and they are sold through thomman

 

[llmk]

Guys, thanks so much for the help, it's wonderful! Sadly, most very interesting options cited in here are either not on Thomann or out of my price range. Too bad about the Kiloton, looks like a bass I really would have enjoyed.
As I was expecting, Sire keeps coming up, but I am afraid of the weight of most models. Squier on the other hand is also tempting, but I have no trust in the consistency of workmanship of this brand and I cannot try the bass before buying it. I know there are pearls to be found under the squier name, I just don't think I could chance one. Ibanez in this price range is basically Cort and Cort offers better value for the same price.

Given your restrictions you're going to get tons of suggestions that either aren't available at Thomann or that fall outside your price range. Maybe a better way to do this would be for you to search the Thomann site (you can filter by price) and present us with a list of options that you're considering and want opinions on.

You are right, I should have done that since the beginning, I wanted to let ideas go wild, but it tends to get out of the parameters. I've been at it for over a month now, my birthday is coming up and I'll probably order in a couple of weeks so I thought I would get some educated help because I was going crazy with all those specs and unknowns. I do have somewhat of a list that I will detail here, see what you good folks think of.



Here we go, in no particular order:

(You'll notice I tend to favor basses with a precision pickup)



-Sire P7 ash: pros: Ash/maple (yay!), passive tone, thinnish neck. Cons: can be heavy, disappointing precision pickup, lower quality pots, 2(!) batteries.



-Sire P7 Alder: mostly the same pros and cons as above except I'm not a huge fan of alder bodies.



-Spector performer: Pros: Spector design, lightweight, full passive, quite cheap. Cons: lower quality woods and hardware, bland-looking even with the beautiful Spector shape, more expensive than most for the offered quality.



-Spector legend standard: Pros: looks(!), woods, weight. Cons: no passive mode(!), probably needs a pickup/electronics upgrade, no intonation screws on the bridge(!).



-Cort B4 plus: Pros: workmanship(!) (I have a b4 fretless and the lutherie is exquisite!), woods, weight, looks. Cons: Lacks personality soundwise, little, expensive, hard to get where I live, choice for electronics/pickups upgrades, no passive tone(!).



-Yamaha BB234: Pros: cheap(!), woods (even though they are not my favorites the choice is top), seems acceptably light, probably an excellent base for upgrades. Cons: Not a big fan of the esthetics, will most probably require upgrades (that can actually be both a plus and a minus), people complain about sharp fret ends.



-G&L LB100 tribute: Pros: woods, hardware, overall quality. Cons: apparently weights a ton(!), potential grounding issues, can't make myself enjoy the looks of the headstock.



-Sire M2 (maple neck): Pros: woods, cheap, seems quite light, thinnish neck. Cons: potential/probable need to change hardware, particularly the pickups, a tad too modern for me, lower quality pots, 2(!) batteries.



-Sire M5: Pros: woods(!), seems acceptably light, thinnish neck. Cons: Too many options (yes it's somewhat of a con to me, I prefer passive plug and (fiddle a minum and) play basses), top of my price range, no precision pickup.





There are others but those seem to be the ones I always get back to. I am aware that there are no harley bentons in that list, that's because none of them really attracts me, the pb-20 sbk is a nice bass but I would change just about everything on it and I am looking more for a nice bass out of the box than a project. If I was looking for a project I would probably go with a yamaha bb234, a nice high mass bridge, an EMG Geezer Butler upgrade, maybe some lightweight tuners and bang, but then again, its esthetics are not talking to me that much.

I am not struggling due to the lack of options but rather the impossibility of trying these puppies before buying, that's why I need your opinions.

As a principle, I'd probably gravitate towards one of the p/j basses in the list (sire p7, spector, yamaha) and slap an EMG Geezer Butler set in there to get the sound I am looking for. The other options are still very viable, though so I don't know. Your opinions and experiences are welcomed with open arms!

 

[llmk]

And yeah, the weight is important, I have a very nice wide leather strap, but that only helps a little bit, idealy I'd like to stay under 4kg, 4,2kg tops. My Cort B4 fretless is 3.7kg which is perfect but someone on thomann said his B4 is 4.3kg which is acceptable but a tad heavy.
And yeah, there are a couple nice p/j options in the harley benton range but many say they are heavy.

 

[Gothic]

@llmk the PB-20 (the gloss black, not the stealth one) is my lightest bass at about 3.5kg. You'd be wrong to assume it needs that many upgrades... If you're set on getting a gzr, cool, I've been thinking of changing the pickup in mine for almost as long as I have it (a couple of years). Still haven't. The tuners are fine. Same as on a myriad other models (including the CV Squier). Bridge is also fine. Mine did need fretwork but I play with quite low action. I also got a lemon that needed a couple of other things fixed but that's beside the point. Haven't changed anything else and it got my through countless rehearsals and lots of gigs. And that was a 93 euro bass.

Think about HB, even the lowest priced ones, if you, at least visually like their offerings. They tend to be lighter than the competition and there are a lot (if not all) that don't really NEED the upgrades.

 

[llmk]

Hey Gothic, point taken, I will have a closer look at the HBs. I've read many good things about them to be honest but I'm a bit worried about consistency because I've also read bad things about them. Nevertheless I will see if any of them tickles my fancy.

 

[lowendrv]

I would go with a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] short scale bass. You would get all the thump and growl you want with low weight (due to the shortscale) and be well below your maximum price point.

If short scale wasn't your thing, then I would go with a G&L Tribute L-2000 or Kiloton (depending on whether you wanted many tone options or the simplicity of a single pickup). However it looks like Thomann doesn't have stock on those.

For short scale G&L's are notorious for being a little heavy . All Tribute models run a little on the heavy heavy side compare to the real things

.

 

[JRA]

what would you buy and why?

i wouldn't give this advice to someone who is newbie enough to not know what they actually needed, but because you have certain requirements to meet, and because you're "handy" = assemble (or have assembled for you), from selected parts, the instrument that you want, exactly the way you want it! there are lots of advantages to building one from parts:
- the parts can be in any price range (so you can assemble them to get you going and 'upgrade' anything later if you want. or you can start with "premium" parts and still not bust your stated budget)!
- the parts can be selected to give you personal advantages, e.g., a certain neck profile, # of frets, a lightweight body, or tuning machines, bridges, pickups, etc.
- you don't seem hung on "looks" but the world is your oyster in that regard.
- etc.

i don't have fretted axes to show you, but: these are parts axes that i put together with "weight reduction" as the goal, so the bodies and hardware are assembled with that in mind --- none of them would bust your budget even though the hardware is the pricier stuff (they range from $450 to $725 USD).



something to think about --- good luck with your fretted bass quest!

 

[lowendrv]

Sire New Models

 

[dabbler]

Easy Peasy!

This: https://www.thomannmusic.com/marcus_miller_m7_5st_brs_2nd_gen.htm

Buy it in 4 string if you like, but I would encourage you to consider the 5 string for maximum versatility, you can thank me later).

I have that very bass, and it checks all of the boxes.

The Alder ones are NOT heavy.
Ebony fretboard.
Hums that can be played in series/parallel/single coil mode.
The controls give you a passive tone control and active EQ with a mid that has adjustable center frequency.

What more do you want?

Buy IT! NOW!

 

[MultiScaleMale]

i wouldn't give this advice to someone who is newbie enough to not know what they actually needed, but because you have certain requirements to meet, and because you're "handy" = assemble (or have assembled for you), from selected parts, the instrument that you want, exactly the way you want it! there are lots of advantages to building one from parts:
- the parts can be in any price range (so you can assemble them to get you going and 'upgrade' anything later if you want. or you can start with "premium" parts and still not bust your stated budget)!
- the parts can be selected to give you personal advantages, e.g., a certain neck profile, # of frets, a lightweight body, or tuning machines, bridges, pickups, etc.
- you don't seem hung on "looks" but the world is your oyster in that regard.
- etc.

i don't have fretted axes to show you, but: these are parts axes that i put together with "weight reduction" as the goal, so the bodies and hardware are assembled with that in mind --- none of them would bust your budget even though the hardware is the pricier stuff (they range from $450 to $725 USD).
View attachment 4385068 View attachment 4385072 View attachment 4385074


something to think about --- good luck with your fretted bass quest!

Not sure which part of my advice was bad?

 

[JRA]

Not sure what part of my advice was bad?

whoops!

sorry, mate: i quoted the one piece of yours 'accidentally' --- taking it for the OP's thoughts --- i just edited my post by taking out my "error" --- at any rate, the meaning of my post had nothing to do with anyone giving "bad advice!"

 

[PeckBass]

Build your own from parts!

 

[Gothic]

Build your own from parts!

Not applicable in Europe. It would take all of his budget (and even then some from certain companies) just for the neck and body alone and again there would be no guarantee about the weight. Not to mention the lack of interesting options (say an all wenge neck/board). Even local luthiers charge more for custom stuff.
Other than that, the only other way is Chinese stuff from ebay. They MIGHT be good but again, they might not and still there's no guarantee of the weight.

So... yeah.

 

[makanudo]

Harley Benton enhanced MP-xEB and you still have 300 leftover for another bass or gear.

 

[Bartrinsic]

In no particular order:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (not in stock but wow)
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[This invalid link has been removed]
[This invalid link has been removed]

There are many other goodones--I'm picking among those that I guess would be lower in weight. Definitely email them for weights on the one's you are interested in.