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Looking for a 5-String on Tight Budget

thevintagesound

thevintagesound

Sep 23, 2006
199
7
Wilmington, NC
www.mojotone.com
#1
I've looked at several different lines of basses and I am really having a tough time trying to figure out which way to go. Just to give you a little bit of background on me, I have been playing guitar for 6 years now and I have now swapped over to playing bass for the band that I am in. So I am reworking my playing style, going from playing rock guitar to bass and incorporating playing finger style on bass. It been a tough transition from using a pick.

Anywho, I want to pick up a 5 string so that have a wider playing range than a 4 string. So I'd like to hear from you guys about descent basses for $400 or less range that will hold up for a while and playability. One thing that I would like to find one is the volume stay pretty even across all the strings.

Also the style of music we play is classic rock, modern rock, and I would also use this in the praise band at church. So I like a good thundering bottom end.

Thanks,
Steve

PS - I really would like to stay away from Fenders, I just dont like the feel or look. :hiding:
 
#2
Last month I picked up a Squier MB-5 for $229. I think it's fantastic. It's my first 5-string and it plays like a dream. It's got two J-syle pickups, one volume, one tone and a blend pot.

It's not a P or J-bass clone, the MB-5 body is smaller than either. I got the Black Cherry Burst finish, which looks amazing. Find one and give it a try, you might be surprised.

Good luck!

Invalid Link Removed
 
#9
thevintagesound said:
Those G&L's are darn near impossible to find. Had local dealer stop carrying them cause their lead time non existant.
Click to expand...

You could always order online - most places have a return policy if you don't like the bass. BassNW is a good source and where I bought mine. One thing, though is that I found the Tribute build quality to be really inconsistent from bass to bass. Perhaps this has improved, but I found it tough to find one that didn't have scratchy pots, cracked finish, or the like. So if you do buy online, I'd do so where you can actually talk to the person who will ship the bass out to you letting them know you want them to ensure it is clean before they send or they'll get it back.

It is one of the best buys on the market though IMHO - very versatile and devestating tone...
 
#10
Hey Thanks for all the replies!
I went to guitar center during lunch to try out a few. I have tried the OLP MM-3 a few weeks ago and it was really bright and lacked the bump that I was looking for. Here are the three that I tried out (only due to lunch hour time constraints).
Ibanez SR305DX
Ibanez SRX2EX1 (4 String Only for GC)
Squier MB-5

I played all three thru the same amp, Mesa Boogie Head and 4x10 cabinet with all settings flat and same volume on all three.
The SR305 was quite nice, the SRX2EX was a 4 string had more volume but not as much bump and the Squier was very unimpressive. Lightweight and ok fret board but the volume was cut in half along with tone.

I will give BassNW a look. A few more questions for you guys.

IotaNet,
On the SR505 what is the Bartolini system that you speak of?

Who makes the TBC bass'? Are they similar to some of the stuff that Rondo Music sells?

Thanks,
Steve
 
#11
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#12
Alexander said:
One thing, though is that I found the Tribute build quality to be really inconsistent from bass to bass. Perhaps this has improved, but I found it tough to find one that didn't have scratchy pots, cracked finish, or the like.
Click to expand...

I bought a G&L Tribute L2500 a few years ago and it had scratchy pots. So I brought it back to Buffalo Brothers in Carlsbad, CA where I bought it and they swaped aout the pots with new ones, (which I think are the same ones found in the regular G&L's).

Anyway, I played the L2500 as my main bass till last week when I got a Warwick Corvette Standard 5.

The Tribute is an awesome sounding bass and it really feels good too.

Since I got the Corvette, it hasn't been out of the case.
 
#13
thevintagesound said:
Hey Thanks for all the replies!
I went to guitar center during lunch to try out a few. I have tried the OLP MM-3 a few weeks ago and it was really bright and lacked the bump that I was looking for. Here are the three that I tried out (only due to lunch hour time constraints).
Ibanez SR305DX
Ibanez SRX2EX1 (4 String Only for GC)
Squier MB-5

I played all three thru the same amp, Mesa Boogie Head and 4x10 cabinet with all settings flat and same volume on all three.
The SR305 was quite nice, the SRX2EX was a 4 string had more volume but not as much bump and the Squier was very unimpressive. Lightweight and ok fret board but the volume was cut in half along with tone.

I will give BassNW a look. A few more questions for you guys.

IotaNet,
On the SR505 what is the Bartolini system that you speak of?

Who makes the TBC bass'? Are they similar to some of the stuff that Rondo Music sells?

Thanks,
Steve
Click to expand...
They are a company called "the bass company". Ebay page http://stores.ebay.com/The-Bass-Company and there is a link on that page to their website.

lowsound
 
#14
thevintagesound said:
On the SR505 what is the Bartolini system that you speak of?
Click to expand...


I believe that it's the MK-1. To recognize the difference between the earlier (non-Bart) and later (Bart) is really simple, just take a look at the pickup:p . Just kidding. Most of the Bart equiped SR's have a mahogany satin finish versus the ash tone of the earlier models.
 

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