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Help me spend my hard earned money

cornfarmer

cornfarmer

jam econo
Supporting Member
May 14, 2002
1,986
3,839
#1
I'm purging gear but want a budget 5-string to replace a nice Curtinsmith that I'm not vibing with. Also, reason being that I don't need one that often, but still want one around for when I do, something that will just get the job done. All of these except the Talman are about the same money, $450-550 and I want to stay in this price range. The short list includes:

  • Talman TMB35 - I like the short scale and how it plays, I don't like the looks or green paint, but I can get a new one local for $299, I'll probably find myself upgrading the pickups at some point, so add another ~$200 to that. More $ if I wanted to paint it.
  • Yamaha BBN5 / BBG5S - I had a BBN5 that I paid nothing for and stupid me sold it, these basses are a known quantity and will obviously not dissapoint, but maybe I want to try something different.
  • Older Fender Jazz V MIM active/passive - I cannot not fall out of love for the J bass shape, is the string spacing 18mm at the bridge? An active one might be good to go and need nothing, but I haven't played/owned a Fender Jazz V since the '90s.
  • Vintage Reissued VJ75 - passive, slightly cheaper than the Fender, and having played one of their 4 strings, they seem just fine for the money, there's a 50/50 chance the pickups would get swapped out.
  • The wild card: G&L L-2500 Tribute, this is probably the top value per dollar of all of them. I love MFD's and the electronics don't seem overly fiddly/annoying.
 
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#6
I had the SS 5 string talman. I sold it. It sounded okay but the short scale didn’t seem to work well for the low notes and poor balance made it not fun to play.

if you are willing to install lighter tuners and maybe cut off part of the headstock…
I seem to remember the pickups being overly bright.

I ended up with a 35” Schecter of all things. Their classic looking one (CV-5 however the tuners screeched and were stiff even after oiling and I had to replace them immediately).
 
#11
micguy said:
Some folks come here to ask us to talk them out of buying something. Fools. This thread is why we exist - we're not a support group, we're an enablement club. The correct answer to all your questions is yes. Not the first one, not the second, or the third... but yes to all of them.

Buy them all.


You know you want to.
Click to expand...

If we don't buy all the basses, they could fall into the nefarious hands of drummers.
 
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#12
Don’t know if it’s changed since the last time I tried out some G&L Tributes, but the ones I did try surprised me by how heavy they were compared to their USA counterparts. I’m not someone who’s picky about the weight of a bass. I’ve played some fairly hefty ones over the years. But the Tributes seemed heavy enough that even I noticed it.
 
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#13
Lance Bunyon said:
Go for the G&L Tribute. By all reports they use the same hardware as their USA models.
Click to expand...

I will plus one the Tribute L2500 recommendation. Tributes have the same pickups as US models. They also have the same preamp design. However, the hardware (bridge, tuners, knobs) and preamp components (pots/switches) are different on the Tribute. All are slightly lower quality than the US models, but still decent.

I have both a US made L2500 and a Tribute. They sound identical, but the hardware feel and build quality is superior on the US model. The Tributes are a great value. All of the sound and most of the feel for way less money.

As the previous post mentioned, Tributes tend to be on the heavy side if that matters at all in the decision.
 
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#14
I’ve owned a USA L-2500 for several years and it’s a fantastic bass. I’ve never played a Tribute but they seem to get consistently high praise here and I suspect it would be a great choice. However, I've read here on TB that they can be on the heavy side. That may or may not matter to you.

I once owned a MIM Jazz V Deluxe and loved it. Great tone, really well made, though it was heavy and that’s why I ultimately sold it. If the one you’re looking at isn’t too heavy for you, they’re great basses.

Earlier this year I was looking at basses around that price range. This one isn't on your list but I can HIGHLY recommend a Sire V5. I bought a V5R (with a “R”osewood fretboard instead of the roasted maple fretboard of the V5, though it does have a roasted maple neck) and have been seriously impressed by it. The five string is a little above your stated budget but, if you can find a used model, it should be right in your range. The Sires are really well made for the price and the V5 has a great vintage Jazz tone. I’d even consider a lower end V3 if the V5 is above your budget.

I’m a huge Musicman fan - and Stingray fan in particular (I have two) - and the Sterling By Musicman Stingray Ray5 was a very close second behind the Sire I eventually decided on. The only reason I went for the Sire instead was because I thought I’d try something different, in this case a passive Jazz bass, and I could always sell it if I didn’t like it and then get the SBMM Ray5. My two Stingrays are lifetime keepers, so my decision was not a statement against the Ray5. I simply reasoned that I already had two Stingrays and I wanted to try a bass that was different from what’s already in my collection. This is within your budget.

Another one I seriously considered was a Yamaha BB435. I’ve never owned a PJ bass before and these get consistently positive reviews as high value basses, so it was on my short list when I bought the Sire. I don’t think you can go wrong with one of these either unless you’re simply not a PJ person.
 
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#17
cornfarmer said:
I'm purging gear but want a budget 5-string to replace a nice Curtinsmith that I'm not vibing with. Also, reason being that I don't need one that often, but still want one around for when I do, something that will just get the job done. All of these except the Talman are about the same money, $450-550 and I want to stay in this price range. The short list includes:

  • Talman TMB35 - I like the short scale and how it plays, I don't like the looks or green paint, but I can get a new one local for $299, I'll probably find myself upgrading the pickups at some point, so add another ~$200 to that. More $ if I wanted to paint it.
  • Yamaha BBN5 / BBG5S - I had a BBN5 that I paid nothing for and stupid me sold it, these basses are a known quantity and will obviously not dissapoint, but maybe I want to try something different.
  • Older Fender Jazz V MIM active/passive - I cannot not fall out of love for the J bass shape, is the string spacing 18mm at the bridge? An active one might be good to go and need nothing, but I haven't played/owned a Fender Jazz V since the '90s.
  • Vintage Reissued VJ75 - passive, slightly cheaper than the Fender, and having played one of their 4 strings, they seem just fine for the money, there's a 50/50 chance the pickups would get swapped out.
  • The wild card: G&L L-2500 Tribute, this is probably the top value per dollar of all of them. I love MFD's and the electronics don't seem overly fiddly/annoying.
Click to expand...
Yamaha TRBX305. I was in the same boat looking for a 5 string under $500. After researching the hell out of it and trying lots of basses in that price range, I decided on the TRBX and I'm not disappointed. It barely needed a setup out of the box and I love the 18mm string spacing. All the others felt way too tight spacing wise and cheap in that price category. You get a 5 piece maple/mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard board for under $500. It feels like basses in the 2k range.
 
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#18
cornfarmer said:
I'm purging gear but want a budget 5-string to replace a nice Curtinsmith that I'm not vibing with. Also, reason being that I don't need one that often, but still want one around for when I do, something that will just get the job done. All of these except the Talman are about the same money, $450-550 and I want to stay in this price range. The short list includes:

  • Talman TMB35 - I like the short scale and how it plays, I don't like the looks or green paint, but I can get a new one local for $299, I'll probably find myself upgrading the pickups at some point, so add another ~$200 to that. More $ if I wanted to paint it.
  • Yamaha BBN5 / BBG5S - I had a BBN5 that I paid nothing for and stupid me sold it, these basses are a known quantity and will obviously not dissapoint, but maybe I want to try something different.
  • Older Fender Jazz V MIM active/passive - I cannot not fall out of love for the J bass shape, is the string spacing 18mm at the bridge? An active one might be good to go and need nothing, but I haven't played/owned a Fender Jazz V since the '90s.
  • Vintage Reissued VJ75 - passive, slightly cheaper than the Fender, and having played one of their 4 strings, they seem just fine for the money, there's a 50/50 chance the pickups would get swapped out.
  • The wild card: G&L L-2500 Tribute, this is probably the top value per dollar of all of them. I love MFD's and the electronics don't seem overly fiddly/annoying.
Click to expand...
Of all the ones you list I'd go with the L-2500 Tribute. Here are a few near your price range:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Be prepared that these can be pretty heavy.
 
#20
I looked at the Yama TRB hard but the demos I heard were a little underwhelming. As far as Stingrays go, I loved them in the 90s along with everyone else on the planet, right now I'm not into that sizzle they do.

So far the Tribute looks like the front runner.
 
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