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"Common Sense" Bass

#81
You guys are lucky, I'm not sure my wife thinks I deserve anything at all!:help:

Seriously, the Ray35 is very tempting. I just played one at lunch, although I suspect changing the preamp in BB605 is the most cost effective way to improve my five string situation.:smug:
 
#82
In that price range theres so many great 5 string basses, to include ones costing less. Is gonna depend a lot imo on what brands make most comfy to you necks for a fiver. So get out to all the music stores in your area and get your paws on all the brands available at them for fivers. Then narrow it down after finding the most comfy neck ones to ones with best sound to you.
 
#83
The more I think about it, adding a new preamp to Yamaha makes the most sense. The bass is comfortable, and plays quite well. It is not heavy either, and has great tuners (it stays in tune better than any bass I have ever owned, seriously!)

Given those facts, paying a bit for a new preamp seems like a practical solution to a thin sound. My top choices would be a Sadowsky with a Vintage tone control, or a three band Aguilar. The Aguilar is about half the price of the Sadowsky ($144 vs. $250.)

I may get new pickups later, but I think that the preamp is far away the most needed upgrade.;)

Gettting an outboard Sadowsky preamp or an Aguilar Tone Hammer is an option too since I could use it on both of my basses.

Thanks for the posts guys. Thinking "outloud" here on TB can be a great help!:)
 
#84
Used Sadowsky stompboxes can be had for less. Either way, I'd make sure to check out one with an FET preamp. Wayyyy better than a typical op-amp based preamp, IMO. I might be wrong, but isn't the three-band Aggie an op-amp design?

Of course, you could just buy my 5L (FS in classifieds):

IMG_0707.jpg


:p

Ever tried one?
 
#90
I had my 3 month old getting hungry on my lap during my last post so I didn't complete my thought.

The stock pups are single coil - which I don't like. I hate the hum. As I was going to switch them out, I thought I may as well do everything. I choose Bartolini because any "good" bass I had - Modulus, Lakland, etc. - had a Bartolini system in it so I figured I must like that sound.

I thing the SR5 neck feels a lot like the Yamaha BB605. I almost talked myself into one of those...again...but went the Sadowsky route. I keep coming back to my Yamaha because it feels so nice, my hand just fits, it's light, and I think it looks nice, too.
 
#93
A ruby red 5er in new condition didn't get an opening bid of $999 on eBay last week. You can likely get a used one in excellent condition for $800 or less in this market. There's even a brand new Custom Shop 5 (mid sweep and hipshot ultra-lites) offered by The Bass Place on ebay with an opening bid of $1095 (and it may sell for that).
 
#94
Coming from a guy who doesn't have a clue as to how many basses he currently owns, this may seem odd:smug::

Don't buy another bass yet. Spend your free time on your craft instead.

I mean no offense and this is the same general advice I'd give anyone. Some spend so much time on the hunt that they don't spend enough time figuring out why things are as they are... or how to make them better.

It's a journey that, for me, won't end until I do. Because of the time I've spent exploring the instrument, the basses I play sound better. Regardless of cost. I have no doubt that's what Sharay did and any other player out there that has impressed you. It wasn't simply the bass, it was more about them and the time they spent than anything. That's something that you can do to. For for less than the cost of another instrument.

If you need a solid, do it all instrument, I'd get a newer used MIM active Jazz 5. Or wait for a good deal on a used MIA Jazz. I played a slightly used MIA Jazz Deluxe 5 yesterday that would put most boutique J's to shame.

In this economy, there are some absolutely bizarre deals that pop up frequently. You could find a $3k bassed used for $1k... but if nothing else changed, would you really appreciate it?

I found my Marleaux JB Deluxe 5 used locally for a crazy price... after it had been dismissed by at least a dozen of my friends/peers as "nothing special". I played it and it was clear there was far more there than they saw. Bought it, tweaked it, put new strings on it. Total cost to do that? Around $35. Now everyone wants it after they play it:D

Until the last 10 or so years I played one bass and really delved into how I could make it do what I wanted it to do. That involved experimenting with techniques, strings, amplification, learning how to fine tune them and just generally seeing what I could get away with. All of those learned skills translated over to every instrument I've played since. That to me is worth it's weight in gold.

So spend less time looking for a bass and more time looking at one.
:cool:
 
#95
Brad Johnson said:
Coming from a guy who doesn't have a clue as to how many basses he currently owns, this may seem odd:smug::

Don't buy another bass yet. Spend your free time on your craft instead.

I mean no offense and this is the same general advice I'd give anyone. Some spend so much time on the hunt that they don't spend enough time figuring out why things are as they are... or how to make them better.

It's a journey that, for me, won't end until I do. Because of the time I've spent exploring the instrument, the basses I play sound better. Regardless of cost. I have no doubt that's what Sharay did and any other player out there that has impressed you. It wasn't simply the bass, it was more about them and the time they spent than anything. That's something that you can do to. For for less than the cost of another instrument.

If you need a solid, do it all instrument, I'd get a newer used MIM active Jazz 5. Or wait for a good deal on a used MIA Jazz. I played a slightly used MIA Jazz Deluxe 5 yesterday that would put most boutique J's to shame.

In this economy, there are some absolutely bizarre deals that pop up frequently. You could find a $3k bassed used for $1k... but if nothing else changed, would you really appreciate it?

I found my Marleaux JB Deluxe 5 used locally for a crazy price... after it had been dismissed by at least a dozen of my friends/peers as "nothing special". I played it and it was clear there was far more there than they saw. Bought it, tweaked it, put new strings on it. Total cost to do that? Around $35. Now everyone wants it after they play it:D

Until the last 10 or so years I played one bass and really delved into how I could make it do what I wanted it to do. That involved experimenting with techniques, strings, amplification, learning how to fine tune them and just generally seeing what I could get away with. All of those learned skills translated over to every instrument I've played since. That to me is worth it's weight in gold.

So spend less time looking for a bass and more time looking at one.
:cool:
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for that post, Brad!:) To a certain degree, I have done that. As I suggested in another thread I started, I am pretty good at picking basses with good tone, and I am also pretty good at getting a bass to sound good.

I will admit that a big part of my "bass roulette" has been a tendency to listen with my eyes instead of my ears. If I went purely by ears, I would have never looked at a four string Fender Jazz, and would have never let my pink Foundation go.
I probably would have kept my original nice five, an old Guild Pilot, I got back in 1987, or a least a budget Alembic I got for around $900 or $1,00 back in 1991.

I guess what I'm saying is that although I have asked for advice, I have learned from TB, that the best judge of what works for me is me, and that I should never be afraid to rock and uncool or unpopular bass.

What I'm also trying to say is that I agree totally with the idea of being more into improving as a bassist, instead of worrying about buying cooler gear. I hope I am beginning the transition from gearhead to musician.
 
#96
If you really want one and only one fiver -- here is my short list:

Lakland 55-01 -- Great all purpose bass. Sounds great for most any style music right out of the box. Will hold its value.

Yamaha BB5000 -- A classic 5 that you can still find every now and then for around $700. Great tone. Nice and deep but with clear highs. Will only increase in value. Great mojo.
Be the envy of all your friends.

Now the wildcard.....

Found a MTD Kingston 5 about a year ago on craigslist for $300. Wide string spacing like you like. Very playable and great sounding pickup with lots of mids. I really wanted some additional lows for R&B, so I added a Aguilar 3 band pre to it for another $200 installed. Overall -- it was one of the best 5 'ers I ever played. And I had the satisfaction of knowing I only spent $500 for it.

I think you would be very happy over the long haul with any of the above Doc. Good luck on your quest.
 
#97
Double Agent said:
used Stingray 5...in whatever configuration of H, HS, HH you like best. I have nothing against the extra pickups, but I've always liked the sound of the single H enough to feel like I wouldn't need the extra neck pickup. They are at home in virtually any style you like. It'll even get old-school, in a Bernard Edwards kind of way, if you string it with flats. If you can handle the weight, or find a light one, you really can't go wrong with an SR5. It is the consummate professional 5er IMO.
Click to expand...

The Agent is right on the money...i would snag a SR5 in a jiffy! :D
 
#99
Darkstrike said:
Fender American Standard Jazz, which I know you've already owned, maybe a deluxe model with the noiseless pickups and an active preamp.
Click to expand...

+1. Don't you have one of these though?

I picked up a 2007 MIA Jazz 5 Deluxe and it is amazing. Sold my Sadowskys after picking this up.

Bonus? They have crappy resale. You should be able to get a mint recent model for under $1000.
 

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