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Help me spend my hard earned money

#22
Not on your list but I recently picked up an SBMM Sub Series Stingray 5 HH. It is actually a pretty good bass. Can be had all day for $400 and less on sale or scratch / dent. I like the narrower spacing it offers and the HH setup offers a good tonal variety. Good quality instrument and esp at the price point. I think I paid $250 for mine B grade from MF.

Lowend Lobster's great review: watch
 
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#23
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...
Ibanez SR305E
 
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#25
The Yamaha and G&L are probably (objectively speaking) the "best" basses on that list but that doesn't mean YOU will like them better. Also, many of the instruments on your list are used, which means that condition will matter, a LOT. When buying used it's often a good idea to factor in the cost of a full service (fret levelling/crowing and a pro setup). I would personally never buy a used bass without testing/inspecting it first. At least not unless it's from someone I trust or through a dealer with a good return policy.

The basses on your list are of course COMPLETELY different types of basses. I don't think anyone can tell you which one to get, except yourself. The most important thing is that you test as many of them as you can before deciding. You should be able to immediately rule out at least a couple of them. The most important thing is the neck of course. If the neck doesn't feel right for YOUR hands, don't buy it, no matter how great it sounds.
 
#27
jd56hawk said:
You might want to consider a Reverend Mercalli...best in its class.
Pure, passive and potent.
Click to expand...

yes!! Mercalli's are so awesome

IMG_7290.jpeg
 
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#32
cornfarmer said:
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.
Click to expand...
One nice thing about the L2500 Tribute is that you can change the pickup switching to get series/single/parallel or outer singles/parallel/inner singles. I've owned a number of these and tended to go with the outer singles/parallel/inner singles wiring. The outer singles together sound J-ish, just bolder. The inner singles are Stingrayish, but not as crispy. If you're at all handy with a soldering iron and are interested, I can give you all the wiring diagrams and info you would need to do the project.
 
#33
Easy, LTD B205, best bang for the buck for a active EQ 5 string. Dual humbuckers, great sound. I have owned one for 23 years, still rocking !
If you look at a trib, please check the truss rod, I have read about a few having issues with them.
Check GC every week for a used one, prices will change, if you don't like it, you can take it back.
 
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#35
Almost 1600 options to choose from right here...

5- and 6-String Basses | Reverb

Looks like Yamaha takes the cake in that price range. Also, What @Snert asked. What are you not vibing with. We know the look of the reverends are out and the EBMM/SBMM/SUBs are also out because of the Zing.

We would all love to help you find the golden bass and your short list is good, but all very different. I've not owned a GL tribute, but they seem to be pretty popular and well loved in the forums.
 
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#39
Assuming used...

Passive -
Reverend Mercalli. Authoritative tone, easy playing. Very good looking bass (ok, imo - it's the only pickguard bass I own). Not sure where they are pricewise on the used market.

Active -
G&L - a bit classic, big bass tone, thicker neck, weighs more than the others. Maybe a bit more, maybe omg more. Varies a lot.

Schecter - modern, bass tone with a bit more mids/highs by default than the others, thinner neck, usually light in weight. Some people think they look too modern for some genres. Should be able to find a Hellraiser in that price range. Deep colours with a flashy binding.
 
#40
I played the Mezzo side by side w/ the TMB35, didn't really notice much of a difference in how they played, and they played nice enough.....but the looks.....I like Ibanez and all, but it seems like there are a million Ibanez shaped objects that all look like SDGR's.

Anyway as I said above, I snagged one of the L-2500's from GC and we'll see what's what when it arrives.
 

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