I need your opinion on a good used five string.

I have a mint condition 5 string DeArmond Pilot DELUXE I'd sell you for $300 inc. shipping. Listed for over a grand. Do some research. VERY good bass for the price.

 

buy this Kingston now!

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=91924



BTB

 

Out of your list, my choices(in this order) would be Ibanez Gary Willis 5, Ibanez ATK-305, Peavey TL-5, MTD Kingston, and Carvin LB 75.

 

Right about even with the Kingston. I left out the Lakland 55-01. It would go between the TL-5 and the Heir/Kingston.

 

out of those listed, I picked the 55-01. Haven't played them all though, so I can't say it's better than the rest, just that it's good.

 

Before answering this question, it would help to know what YOU like. Do you want active electronics, which give more tonal versatility but require changing a battery every so often? Do you like wide or narrow string spacing? Does it matter if the bass has one pickup or two? Etc...

 

Another oppurtunity to make a plug for Spector! Polly has been real weak about it lately...

The Spector Q5's are sweet, adn teh nt5's are even sweeter! I got my Q5 for $34o with a hardshell case and leather strap used. It's got active EMG's, a 35" scale (I'm nto convinced that is better though), a very solid bridge with tons of sustain, a avery comfortable body shape that isn't really heavy, and a very comfortable neck, not to mentioo its gorgeous. As fasr your list goes, I'll say the Lakland, Kingston, or Peavey- all good basses. There are two Fender MIA Deluxe jazz 5'ers on ebay right now for under $650, which is a total steal. One is brand new and comes with a case. I am not too hot on teh mexi fender however..

 

umm correct me if im wrong but i just looked through the ibanez catalog and the gary willis sig is fretless, where as i did see you mention if you want fretless or not (and im assuming the others u listed were fretted) Anyways, just thought i'd point that out.

as far as which to get... i would suggest looking into the yamaha BB series, they are very nice (even the ones that are like 300 dollars) but as always, your best bet would be to try as many as possible and then decide what you want. hope i could help =]

 

I'd probably decide between one of the laklands or the MTDs... or maybe the Roscoe Beck Fender V

 

Are you sure a used MIA Deluxe 5 would be out of your range?

I got one new whilst on holiday in the states for $899.

That's a good sounding bass and will make you really popular with sound engineers as they'll know exactly what to do with it.

 

nope, its fretless. taken directly from http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/search/detail/base_pid/519582/sourceid=00391848367299549447



"A quality lean machine with no frills.

If you're a pro player who seeks total tone control without unnecessary bells and whistles, the GWB1 is the bass for you. It features a lightweight swamp ash body for an open sound. A Bartolini GWB bridge pickup gives it vintage character and a Bartolini 2-band active EQ gives you full control of your tone. The neck is fretless with lines to make adjusting to a fretless easier. The neck is thin and very fast. 34" scale. The finger rest ramp is removable. Controls include a Volume/EQ bypass, Treble Cut/Boost, and Bass Cut/Boost.

Features:

Swamp ash body
Bartolini GWB bridge pickup
Bartolini 2-band active EQ with bypass
Fretless neck with lines
Thin, fast neck
34" scale
Removable finger rest ramp
Volume/EQ bypass, Treble Cut/Boost, and Bass Cut/Boost"


told ya so...