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Fast Slim Neck, Hot Pickups, 5 String, Durable Finish

#21
You can pick up Korean made Spector neck-thru such as the really early NS-2A in the $500 range or Rex 4 / Rex 5 models for $550-650.
On a different front, USA made EBMM SUB are amazing as are the Indonesian made Sterling by Music Man Ray 34 /Ray 35. If you like a narrower nut width, The Ray 34ca has a 1.5 inch nut like a Fender Jazz. Since you are coming from a P-Bass and playing heavier music you may want to stick to the regular one with 3 band eq and slightly wider more P-bass sized nut width.

I own all of these and love them. They all have their own sound but I can do everything from various metal styles with my friends to good soul, funk, or Motown tone with each one. (Though Motown with a Rex looks a bit odd on stage.)

EDIT:*Sorry I forgot while typing this that you were looking specifically for a 5er, EBMM USA SUB, SBMM Ray 35, Spector Rex 5, Spector Legend 5 (bolt on) are all on my vote list for you.*
 
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#24
For a mid-priced bass that's good for metal, has a sturdy finish and a comfortably thin neck, I think you need to play some Schehters and LTD's. There's a multitude of models especially if you go used, but there's some good specific Schecter/LTD recomendations above.

In the past I've tended to look past these brands because I'm not into their metal style, but the ones I've played have always seemed to be very well built and great value. I now own an LTD 214 and it's very nice, but it's one of the exceptions in that it's a fender-styled instrument and probably not what you're looking for.

They're an even better value used, so I'd keep an eye on the 2nd hand market.
 
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#26
InhumanResource said:
My apologies if someone else said it already, but you might want to check out the Ibanez ATK series.
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ATK's are great basses, but their necks tend to be on the wide side. The current ATK 200 is a 42mm wide on a 4 string. That's like a P-bass or a Stingray.

Matches my preferences (not entirely sure why I don't own one...), but not the OP's.
 
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#29
InhumanResource said:
Thanks, I didn't realize they were quite that wide. I am used to Ibanez necks being very fast but never played one of these myself.
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Yeah, the ATK's and TMB's are kind of the anomalies in the Ibanez world of pencil-necked basses. The ATK seems targeted to the Stingray fan and the TMP pretty clearly is gunning for P-bass buyers.
 
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#31
Look for a Hamer Cruise with a 2-Tek. This sounds like the perfect bass for what you're looking for. I have a Cruise 5-er and it can sound almost as heavy and nasty as my Spectors, but is more versatile. It also has an asymmetrical neck and narrow string spacing.
 
#32
winegamd said:
The Schecter Riot 5 meets your requirements. So do the ESP LTD B-xx5's. There are some Riots on GC used for around $500. There is a really nice LTD B-415SM with EMG's on there for right around that. There is also an older SR1205 that is a really nice bass (neck through, poly finish).
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I second this, my wife ended up surprising me with a German Corvette before I had a chance to pick up the Riot 5! Such a solid bass, even with a not so great factory like the one in my local GC it was strong and punchy, and had a better than average B (even in drop A!) Another options someone else mentioned was to get a 4 stringer strung B-E-A-D, the modded Jazz Bass in my profile pic is strung this way and sound monstrous with great punch! It's available if it's your cup of tea, feel free to inbox me if so :)
 
#34
Bikes_n_Bass said:
You can pick up Korean made Spector neck-thru such as the really early NS-2A in the $500 range or Rex 4 / Rex 5 models for $550-650.
On a different front, USA made EBMM SUB are amazing as are the Indonesian made Sterling by Music Man Ray 34 /Ray 35. If you like a narrower nut width, The Ray 34ca has a 1.5 inch nut like a Fender Jazz. Since you are coming from a P-Bass and playing heavier music you may want to stick to the regular one with 3 band eq and slightly wider more P-bass sized nut width.

I own all of these and love them. They all have their own sound but I can do everything from various metal styles with my friends to good soul, funk, or Motown tone with each one. (Though Motown with a Rex looks a bit odd on stage.)

EDIT:*Sorry I forgot while typing this that you were looking specifically for a 5er, EBMM USA SUB, SBMM Ray 35, Spector Rex 5, Spector Legend 5 (bolt on) are all on my vote list for you.*
Click to expand...

I'm going to rule out EBMM, and SBMM, I'm sure they're fantastic basses but I'm trying to get as close as possible to an Ibanez SR neck as possible. The Spectors look good but I'm wary of the EMG pickups. Are they hot enough? Also what really differentiates the Spector from Schecter? The Schecter is almost half the price and really looks to be about the same?

winegamd said:
The Schecter Riot 5 meets your requirements. So do the ESP LTD B-xx5's. There are some Riots on GC used for around $500. There is a really nice LTD B-415SM with EMG's on there for right around that. There is also an older SR1205 that is a really nice bass (neck through, poly finish).
Click to expand...

The riot 5 appears to have unfinished wood. I'm really looking for Poly or a pickguard. This LTD looks good though, Only thing holding me back are pickups. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

gjbassist said:
Definitely check out Schecter! My 004 has one of the most comfortable necks I have ever played! The Stiletto fiver I used to have also had a great neck. Their stuff is extremely well made for the price!
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Schecters look good, especially the siletto 5, however I wonder how hot they'll sound, I really was hoping for humbuckers. Shame the studio comes in "natural" finish only.
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It is bizarre it seems to me that only lower end bases have poly and higher end basses are all natural finish. If the SR1405 came with a poly finish I'd be on it in a heartbeat. With my experience with the 1200 I just don't trust the finishes. Maybe my expectations are too high?

Can anyone speak to the necks on the SRX basses? Comparable to the SR?
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Now I'm seriously considering swapping pickups into a lower end SR with a poly finish.

This would be sweet in a 5 string.
ibanez-srx530-591617_zps4jcdnhvv.jpg
 
#35
My experience is that Spector has a thinner front to back feel than Schecter. Some Schecters use the same pickups as Spectors i.e. EMG 40hz. I think Schecters are great but I just can't get on with the neck feel/shape. I've played a Schecter Stilleto Studio 5 that was cool, sounded great, just couldn't gel with the neck, the Hellraiser 5 was sweet, neck felt better and a stellar tone but couldn't find a used one at the time that I fell into a sweet deal one buying Rex 4 that was too hard to pass up that's in great condition and picked up a Rex 5 here on TB since I loved the 4 so much. If I could get a good deal on a Schecter Hellraiser 5 I'd have to do it, they're just nice nice basses.

The Schecter Studio comes in natural and translucent black that looks awesome and you can come by them used with some regularity if you search and have a bit of patience. Mind you this bass comes with EMG 40HZ pickups which are humbuckers but they are passive pickups with he active eq that the bass comes with. Some folks like those and many want more "flavor/ umph/ balls" whatever and this is why people switch them out and you see all those threads about EMG 40DC, 40CS, 40TW etc etc.

This all ultimately come down to "what do you do" with the bass are you gigging out, just jamming with friends etc and as such what kind of pickups do you feel you need for "your" sound.

In my opinion, try out as many basses as you can at the big chain stores since hey usually have ibanez Schecter Spector etc all in stock even if it's not the exact model you want you can get an idea of the brand so to say. Once you've done that, as cliche as it sounds, and as often as it is said here, buy what feels amazing to you. You can mod near any bass 6 ways from Sunday to tweak it's sound down the road. I've bought many basses that I said I'd not need to change stuff on, only to change it up somewhere down the road.

I GAS like none other and even while I am trying to figure out which of my basses I can put on the market to help pay for knee surgery, I still look at the classifieds here on TB everyday, it's a sickness really.

So my very long winded post come to these points:
1. Try everything you can (unless you think it's ugly, you'll never play a bass you think is ugly even if the tone oozes pure gold)
2. Play, play, play some more because we all love to talk gear all day but as they say, one mans trash...
3. Once you decide, if it's a bass outside you range, scour the net for a used one, you'll likely find it in relatively short order but don't be impulsive, credit card debt blows.
4. Most importantly, have fun! Just 'cuz I like Spector doesn't mean it's for you, just because Joe Dude drools over Schecter or whatever brand, doesn't mean it's for you. You'll know it when you feel it.

(It also doesn't hurt to know the return policy of where you buy if you choose to buy in a store.)
 
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#37
Bump! Tried out a Yamaha TRBX 305 and a 505. Wasn't in love. Decently tough finishes on the 305, less so on the 505. Decent modern sound, nice and sharp with lots of cut. Neck felt pretty good, build quality lacking on both the 305 and the 505. Not worth the money to me.

Tried a Fender P5, neck way too thick, sound too passive, not hot enough.

Tried a Warwick Rockbass Corvette $$ 5, finish definitely too thin. Neck not so great, build quality not up to part for the price.

Also tried a 4 string dimension deluxe (single pickup version). Great sound, felt and played quite well. Finish and pickguard meet my requirements. Would be interested in trying a 5 stringer but it will be hard to get my hands on one.

Still looking for a 5 string bass with decently hot pickups (best for metal etc, etc.). The thinner and skinnier the neck the better, needs a good poly finish and or pickguard. Please help me out guys!
 
#38
Try out a G&L Tribute L-2500 and/or M-2500. The L-series has the hottest pickups you'll find anywhere, with interesting electronics that include active and passive modes, but with passive cut-only bass and treble EQ. The M-series has slightly underwound versions of the L-series pickups, which are less aggressive but still sound huge, and active-only operation with an 18v pre and three-band EQ. I'm generally an old-school passive bass guy, but I love my USA M-2500. The import Tributes have the same pickups as the USA models.

The necks aren't as thin front-to-back as Ibanez and some others, but I woundn't say they're fat, and they do have narrow string spacing so they might work for you. I think they have excellent playability. (Some older G&L fivers do have fat "baseball bat" necks, but for the past five years or so they've been slimmed down.)
 
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#39
I would seriously consider using a 4 string with the appropriate strings to match the tuning that you need, whether it be BEAD or drop D. It might not be the right thing for you, but I think that sometimes we as bassists are locked into using 4 strings only for EADG and 5 strings for anything lower. Guitarists are much more likely to tune a 6 string down before they would buy a 7 string guitar.

I use a 4 string tuned to drop C with my band even though I have a 5 string because it's much more comfortable. I also like the agressive sound that my 4 string has. It's a Yamaha BB424X, and yes it has a poly finish. It's passive, but much louder than any other bass I've had. It's worth checking out!

Regarding how "hot" the pickups are, make sure you're going by the sound and not the actual output volume. You can always turn up at the amp, and sometimes a bass will have the sound you're looking for once you turn up the gain.

I also wouldn't be too concerned with the finish durability. If you're getting gouges in the bass you have now, you might have less scratches and dents on a bass with a thicker poly finish, but you're still going to get them. Not saying that you shouldn't look for the kind of finish that you want, but I'm just letting you know so you're not on a perpetual search. You might want to examine how you handle your instrument or just learn to live with a beat up finish. Embrace it!
 

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