Looking at a second bass

[I_TheW1tchfnder]

hi. I've currently got an Ibanez GSR200B that i've played for awhile but now i'm looking for something different. I looked at a few basses, Peavey Milestone IV, Stingray, few others. I'm not looking to spend a lot (which somewhat contradicts the stingray) and was just curious about some cheap and interesting basses I could look into. I'm mostly interested in P style bass. Any help is appreciated.

 

[I_TheW1tchfnder]

Are you looking to replace/upgrade what you have or just get something different?

I was planning to get something different, although I may upgrade my current bass down the road

 

[I_TheW1tchfnder]

I appreciate all the advice. This was my first post here and i'm thrilled with all the great info. Once I decide on what I buy based on all this i'll be sure to make another post. Thanks y'all.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

Welcome to the Dark Side! I hope you find a bass you really love. There are many great choices. Given what you have, I'd suggest, as have others, a Stingray-style. You'll cover a lot of ground between that and your current bass. A Sire Z3 or Z7, which have many fans here. I didn't bond with either Sire I owned but YMMV. I am very pleased with my SBMM Ray 4 H and Ray 4 HH. I've had the Ray 34 versions of both and like the Ray 4's much better, even though they're cheaper. Good hunting!

BBB

 

[burgerdj]

I was planning to get something different, although I may upgrade my current bass down the road

Cool. Take a look at the G&L Tribute basses and Yamaha.

 

[I_TheW1tchfnder]

I'm going to suggest a fretless. Since you are familiar with Ibanez necks, give the SR370EF a try. It is exceptional at its price point.

I took a look on Ibanez website, really love the look of it and i've never played a fretless. I'll definitely keep this in mind. appreciate the suggestion.

 

[Bassdirty]

If you want the "stingray type", as mentioned the "Sterling", by MM is good.

I was gonna suggest the Original 'SUB' series (that were made in Cali), as they 'used to be' inexpensive (few hundys). Just looked and now there 'around' $1000.

But yeah, the current sterling / NOT Cali made, are still a decent value. (IF that's your Jam).

MM is Horrible with their naming of things.
They have a Musicman Sterling, (Pricey) as well as a "Sterling (series)" Stingray (by Musicman) LESS Pricey. And of course, the normal Musicman Stingray, (yes, Pricey). The OG MM SUB, Made in US, but inexpensive, and the modern "Sterling Sub series" inexpensive, made "offshore" (unless you live there, then they're NOT offshore).



Anyway, This one ($279) says "SUB series" but is NOT the OG SUB.:

Used Sterling by Music Man SUB SERIES RED Electric Bass Guitar RED | Guitar Center

For greater savings check out our Used Sterling by Music Man SUB SERIES RED Electric Bass Guitar and get a great deal today!

www.guitarcenter.com

 

[groove pump]

My rule when buying another bass is to find one that does something I don't have covered already.

Same here. A few years ago I tried picking up a second Jazz with different pickups and lighter weight than my #1 at the time (nice price on that one, too). I pretty quickly realized that I wanted to play my old one all the time and that the new one was going to gather too much dust... if I didn't at least keep it in a gig bag, of course

On the other hand, I can add that I just recently finished a dedicated search of three-plus years for something with a comfortable neck, nice flexible electronics layout, and lighter weight. In my case, this came in the form of a Zoot Performer 4-string; J/JJ with on-board preamp, wonderful wide neck, and a hair under 8 lbs. If I were to come across another one of these that I could afford, I'm pretty sure that I'd snap it up and adore it plenty along with the one I have now.

I took a look on Ibanez website, really love the look of it and i've never played a fretless. I'll definitely keep this in mind. appreciate the suggestion.

Much love and respect for Ibanez, but I'm a firm believer that a "good" bass is sort of like a good pair of shoes in that it needs to fit you really well to be good for you. Okay, it also doesn't suck if it makes decent sound(s) Do whatever you can to "try on" this and that just to at least avoid a bad fit.

Although my new honey of a bass is made in Japan, I can say that in recent years I've gained enormous respect for the instruments built in Indonesia. My backup bass is an LTD B-1004 - that one was my #1 player for at least a couple of years - and I've also owned/played a couple G&L Tribute instruments as well as a terrific Indonesian Gretsch guitar.

Two other builders that pack a bundle of quality into their products are Cort and Schecter. If you want some sort of a P-bass, you might be able to track down a terrific Schecter in the used market that you could play just about forever.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I took a look on Ibanez website, really love the look of it and i've never played a fretless. I'll definitely keep this in mind. appreciate the suggestion.

I have a new, more expensive fretless, the Sadowsky MetroExpress hybrid P/J, and I'm back playing the SR370EF while I wait for Chrome flats to arrive for the Sadowsky. After playing the Sadowsky for a week I am still amazed at how good the Ibanez fretless is, at 1/3rd the price, how fast it plays. Here's the Sadowsky. Super nice, if you want to spend a little more.