I need a second "main player" bass.

[Smooth_bass88]

My instincts say get one of each.... and a new place to live cuz Mrs.Fingers will not see the humor/practicality in my choices.

Let's not follow my instincts here.

lol, nice! I guess i'm kinda lucky because Mrs. Smooth_bass is a musician as well who has a history of encouraging my gear purchases!

 

[SquareWaveSymph]

Have you considered something like a Warwick Thumb 5? They are great basses. Very growly with a lot of character. I feel like they often get a bad rap as being a 'funk-metal'-kinda bass, but that really doesn't do them justice. Personally, I love the look of the Thumb. It looks pretty unique and I don't think it looks too much like a rock or metal bass. But that's a matter of taste, I guess.

 

[TTPbass1]

Have you considered a Lakland US 55-94 or Skyline 55-02?

My 55-02 is my main player, you can dial almost any tone on her.

 

[bucephylus]

Probably no help at all; but for non-FSO, I might suggest tracking down a used Alembic.

There were some Tobias pickup configs that might work. They pop up from time to time, but would likely need a preamp replacement.

If FSO isn’t the issue, then there is a Sadowsky J/MM coming out of the German shop that looks pretty svelte.

FWIW

BTW, @two fingers , are you proficient with the HipShot Detuner on the 4’s? Just curious. I find that the detuner allows me to cover 99% of what I honestly need the 5 for. With some work, because of the fingering. But, the great thing is that it puts my 4 string instruments back in play, at least for my gigs.

 

[iriegnome]

For many years I played with a back up bass that was the exact same as my #1. It only made sense. Anything at all that could happen in those early days did, so I needed to be able to just pick up my other bass and go. Played and sounded almost exactly like my #1. Fast forward 40 or so years later and I have a multitude of basses at my discretion and I can chose any one of them. They all fit my purpose and will all do the job equally as well including that #1 back in 1982. I only take 1 bass at a time with me as I have confidence in all of my basses to do the job, night after night.

 

[MrLenny1]

I was going to say Sadowsky but reading you have many
Fender basses I'll say Dingwall.
As a Dad rock guy also, my interest in Sadowsky is I have not
played a Fender in 30 years & it would be a big change in my collection.
Happy shopping.

 

[bdplaid]

My main player is a Hammersmith 5 string. It has a P bass pickup at the neck, a dual coil at the bridge, and all passive electronics.

For a dozen reasons, I'll never get another Hammersmith like this one.

My other 5 simply doesn't fit any of the scenarios where I play. It just looks too "rock". I love it. But I'm not going to play it in church. And I'm not going to play it with my band that plays a country song one minute, "Can't Stop the Feeling" the next, and Journey the next.

So I need another "main player" 5 string.

I started a thread a while back about Dingwall basses in a dad band. That still has my attention. They look and sound pretty great to me.

For some reason I keep going to the Public Peace configurator and playing with headless Frog variations (with Extender pickups). See pic below for those who are not familiar.

The wide spaced G&L 2500 basses look like they would be fantastic.

And I have been fighting the urge to simply pull the trigger on a 5 string Stingray Special HARD. (Brace yourselves.) I would mod the crap out of the Ray. I might even put a P bass pickup literally touching the MM pickup and wire up some passive options.

This isn't scientific. And, ultimately, it's my choice. I get that. But let's toss around these options (or whatever pops into your head) and see what happens.

I lean toward passive. But I'm not opposed to active.

My budget would probably be up to about three grand ($3000 US Dollars). I could spend a little more if something amazing comes along.

Versatility. It's gotta be versatile. I usually "set it and forget it" on my amp. And I use hand techniques and on board electronics for variations through the gig.

Gotta be 5 strings.

Hit the poll and blurt out whatever comes to mind! No wrong answers. I'm just spitballing.

(I've got half a dozen 4 strings or more.... fretless, P bass with Chromes, P bass with rounds, etc. So all the other sonic basses/bases are covered.)
View attachment 4898875

Have you looked at the Headless Ibanez basses? I had one, and with the exception of the neck specs, think it's awesome. But it might be great for you. The neck is super flat and on the wide side. I think the poplar burl looks stupendous.

Sandberg is another that comes to mind. They have a good few models ranging from traditional to modern. Tehier overall tone leans modern. Nothing plays as well as a Sandberg.

On the more mundane side would be a Stingray Special HH. I really like the differences in tone from the regular Stingray. Plus, it doesn't sound like "just another P-Bass," yet has a tone that slots into that space.

 

[two fingers]

Probably no help at all; but for non-FSO, I might suggest tracking down a used Alembic.

There were some Tobias pickup configs that might work. They pop up from time to time, but would likely need a preamp replacement.

If FSO isn’t the issue, then there is a Sadowsky J/MM coming out of the German shop that looks pretty svelte.

FWIW

BTW, @two fingers , are you proficient with the HipShot Detuner on the 4’s? Just curious. I find that the detuner allows me to cover 99% of what I honestly need the 5 for. With some work, because of the fingering. But, the great thing is that it puts my 4 string instruments back in play, at least for my gigs.

I've been considering several options to get my 4 strings back in rotation. I've been thinking of stringing one BEAD. I also just added an octaves to my board for one song. That would get me there too. But I use all the way down to the B a lot.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

Sounds like you like the Dingwall. Get it, and post a picture. You're welcome

 

[bdplaid]

I forgot about Sandberg. You can custom order from them too, right?

yes indeed. They'll do pretty much anything you want. Just ask.

 

[bdplaid]

Also, I always wanted a Kubicki ExFactor.

 

[logdrum]

Hey @two fingers - I am also looking for a 5 and the Sandberg TM 5 is what I am looking at. They seem to also have a P + MM option called the VM 5.

 

[Spidey2112]

5-string G&L Kiloton.

Yep. Never played a 5'er from G&L, but out of those offered in the poll, this would be my choice... plenty of versatility, and their finishes are second to none.*

*If that's important.

 

[PotsdamBass8]

I’m not trying to imply that you need any reason to buy a bass, but I’m not totally clear on the purpose of this one. Do you want it as a backup to your Hammersmith? A second option that is different from the Hammersmith? Or just because you want a new bass and it has to fit X criteria for you to be able to use it consistently? That might help you narrow down a little more. Right now, you’re getting suggestions for basically every 5 string bass between 800-3500 usd that has more than one pickup. None of them seem to fit better or worse based on what you’ve said.

All that being said, I would also endorse the Maruszczyk because you can get basically anything you want in it.

 

[GTHintz]

If you like the frog then you might like Mayonnes basses. A similar look and I think they can be found in your budget. Zon sonus basses are not as common but a really good idea to consider. They have one of the most stable neck designs in the bass world. Another route would be to try a Spector ns2 and see if it feels right. The tone is going to be there as I haven't heard any that don't sound good. The last one I would say to check out is a Lakland. Fenderesque but will give you something that fenders won't. You have a bunch of options in your budget and there's so many great instruments out there you'll find something cool.

 

[dedpool1052]

The wide spaced G&L 2500 basses look like they would be fantastic.

Add single coil mode to one of those, and you'd have a hard time putting it down.

 

[TTPbass1]

For many years I played with a back up bass that was the exact same as my #1. It only made sense. Anything at all that could happen in those early days did, so I needed to be able to just pick up my other bass and go. Played and sounded almost exactly like my #1. Fast forward 40 or so years later and I have a multitude of basses at my discretion and I can chose any one of them. They all fit my purpose and will all do the job equally as well including that #1 back in 1982. I only take 1 bass at a time with me as I have confidence in all of my basses to do the job, night after night.

That’s great, I also have some basses on my stable, any of them can do the job, and I only use 1 bass at the time, except in some occasion when I need 1 specific bass for 1 specific song, then I use 2.

 

[BlueTalon]

For me, on this list, it's the Frog. Nothing else even comes close for me. I have a Frog, I've been playing it for a little over a year now, and it is the best bass money I've ever spent. I reserve the right to change my mind in the future, but the Frog is it for now.

 

[Barticus]

My main player is a Hammersmith 5 string. It has a P bass pickup at the neck, a dual coil at the bridge, and all passive electronics.

For a dozen reasons, I'll never get another Hammersmith like this one.

My other 5 simply doesn't fit any of the scenarios where I play. It just looks too "rock". I love it. But I'm not going to play it in church. And I'm not going to play it with my band that plays a country song one minute, "Can't Stop the Feeling" the next, and Journey the next.

So I need another "main player" 5 string.

I started a thread a while back about Dingwall basses in a dad band. That still has my attention. They look and sound pretty great to me.

For some reason I keep going to the Public Peace configurator and playing with headless Frog variations (with Extender pickups). See pic below for those who are not familiar.

The wide spaced G&L 2500 basses look like they would be fantastic.

And I have been fighting the urge to simply pull the trigger on a 5 string Stingray Special HARD. (Brace yourselves.) I would mod the crap out of the Ray. I might even put a P bass pickup literally touching the MM pickup and wire up some passive options.

This isn't scientific. And, ultimately, it's my choice. I get that. But let's toss around these options (or whatever pops into your head) and see what happens.

I lean toward passive. But I'm not opposed to active.

My budget would probably be up to about three grand ($3000 US Dollars). I could spend a little more if something amazing comes along.

Versatility. It's gotta be versatile. I usually "set it and forget it" on my amp. And I use hand techniques and on board electronics for variations through the gig.

Gotta be 5 strings.

Hit the poll and blurt out whatever comes to mind! No wrong answers. I'm just spitballing.

(I've got half a dozen 4 strings or more.... fretless, P bass with Chromes, P bass with rounds, etc. So all the other sonic basses/bases are covered.)
View attachment 4898875

Just another set of nice Frog examples

And just noticed today, one of my other orders (32” headless 5’er) popup on Aguilar’s feed
Aguilar Amplification on Instagram: "Here’s a stunning @mensinger_guitars Cazpar 5a headless bass with our DCB-D4 pickups and an OBP-3 onboard preamp. This clip is from our friends at @maruszczyk_instruments #aguilaramp"

 

[Matt Dean]

Just another set of nice Frog examples
View attachment 4901450

And just noticed today, one of my other orders (32” headless 5’er) popup on Aguilar’s feed
Aguilar Amplification on Instagram: "Here’s a stunning @mensinger_guitars Cazpar 5a headless bass with our DCB-D4 pickups and an OBP-3 onboard preamp. This clip is from our friends at @maruszczyk_instruments #aguilaramp"

That Aguilar loaded Frog sounded killer.