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Help a 20 year player buy his first expensive bass.

W

wheelzr

Oct 14, 2009
36
7
#1
I've played several basses over the years, all of them I paid less than $300 for and fixed up. The thing I've been missing is a great neck/fretboard and burpy Music Man style sound that sounds great with overdrive.

Here are my parameters:
5 String
Ability to last 20+ years.
Music Man sound (think Rage Against the Machine, Failure, etc)
Great Fretwork/playability
More Jazz than P style neck
Thinner than average string spacing

Basses I'm considering
Yamaha TRBX 505
Ibanez ATK 805e
Sterling by Music Man RAY35
Schecter Session Stilleto 5

Anyone have any advice?
 
#2
I don't know if I'd call any of those basses "expensive" but of course YMMV.

I'd go Ray35. It's about 90-95% of the real MM. It has the sound you are looking for and they are built like a tank. Or get a used US version for a few more bones. Check out the classified here - lot of nice examples come along.
 
#3
Are you looking to stay within the price range of the instruments you've listed, or are you prepared to go higher?

Out of the instruments you've listed, I'd be looking at the Ray 35 and the Yamaha TRBX, but if it's a Music Man 5 string you're after, my advice would be to continue saving and buy the real thing.

My first Music Man product was the Ray 34 just after they came out. I was then lucky enough to be offered a Stingray Piezo. Although the Ray 34 was very good, I'm glad I invested in the proper Stingray at the time. It was so much more fulfilling to play.

Now I've got a Classic Series Sabre, which is the next rung up in quality from the standard MM models. It's stunning and very very rewarding to play.

So depending on your budget, what are you calling an expensive bass?
 
#4
Looking to keep it around $800 at most, simply not enough value to cross that threshold.


All the basses I listed I've recorded line-in from a DI while demo ing them in stores, and am fine with their sound.


Heck, I played a 4 string ESP LTD BB-4 with Seymour Duncan jp basslines that probably sounded better than a $1400 music man. Sound of the bass is secondary to play-ability and reliability.
 
#7
MrLenny1 said:
Have one built.
Click to expand...
I'd love to. Should do it myself, just don't have the time. I have thought about finding another project guitar...as I have done several times...but I guess I've never found a great playing neck going that route. I have little experience working on necks/frets. I have all the tools needed to nearly operate a repair shop from the heel to the bridge though.
 
#10
I was once looking for the MM sound on a budget. I bought a Lakland 44-02. It fell short of what I was looking for. In the end I realised that the only thing that could get "that" sound was a MM. I found my MM sound in a Bongo, which I traded my Lakland for. In my experience it is more cost effective to buy a used MM, than it would to buy a new bass just to trade it later down the line for the real deal. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with your quest!
 
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#12
I played a Schecter Stiletto Session...the 4-string version last month. Brand new at Guitar Center...they'd just taken it out of the box along with half a dozen other basses. Considering it'd just come from the warehouse, it was reasonably-well set up.
It looked great (I love natural finishes with maple fretboards) and sounded better and I thought, without knowing anything about it, that it was a thousand-dollar bass. The GC guy didn't even know what the price was.
I've always had a lot of preconceived notions about basses...I've always been a big Thunderbird lover and I've always wanted just the right P or Jazz bass, but I never considered Schecter or quite a few other companies.
That bass showed how wrong I've been.
 
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#13
Roscoe does a MM configuration. So does Valenti, and Nordstrand.

If it were me, I'd stalk the classifieds here on TB, and try to find something very high end used for a grand or two. Don't be in a rush. It'll pay off.
 
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#19
Always love helping others spend their money....

Out of your choices, based on aesthetics alone (as i have no experience with any of the choices you listed) i would choose the Yamaha.

Again, based on aesthetics, not a fan of 5 string rays or ATK's.

I am normally not a fan of Schecter's however the one you listed looks pretty sweet, but the Yammy is just a tad better looking to me.

Good Luck!
 

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