alright. well heres some background. well ive been playing bass since i was 11, so 6 years now... pretty much every night. ive always loved instraments and ive come to the conclusion that the love only grows with better instraments. ive played piano since i was 4, one of those kids who were forced to play, always played on a classinova electric keyboard with no dynamics to it... but just recently came accross a baby grand piano, long story short ive noticed an amazing amount of progress in technique since. first and only bass ever owned was/is an Ibanez GSR200. throughout the years ive loved it but now im looking for an upgrade... what im looking for is a high end bass that im going to want to keep forever. hopefully used because of financial status. ive been getting into slap more and more, but just recently ive swayed off to the blues, so i want a bass thats pretty versitile. i was thinking about a musicman stingray/sterling, an ESP VINTAGE-4, or possibly a fender. im not even sure... hence this post. i know this is pretty general but just throw some ideas this way.
I've recently been looking for a better instrument and have taken a liking to the American Fenders, I'm going to go back and play the Ernie Balls again too.
From the brands that you have just mentioned, an HH SR5 would be versatile enough. If you really want to go versatile (without breaking your bank account) try US Masters or Carvin. if you would like to try the custom route, the sky is the limit
The Ibanez you have is certainly better than average for the price range, so you'll want to look at some pretty nice stuff for a real upgrade. I think a Jazz bass is always a good bet, it works for just about any kind of music. Don't discount the option of getting a really nice amp. I don't know what you are playing through now, but I think this is an area that people sometimes neglect when thinking of upgrades. I mean, it's a lot more fun to look at basses with different woods, colors, and pickups than a metal box with dials on it. Still, that can be the best bang for your buck. Finally, I'd say play as many instruments as you can find locally. No one knows what's best for you except you!
Howabout a Valenti, or even a Stambaugh. They're only a bit over the Musicman range. Could always watch the classifieds here like a hawk too.
Definitely go for a Valenti! That's in the Stingray price range and you can customize it to fit your desires. Valenti Basses
What's your budget? A Marcus Miller would be great for slap style and blues. Fairly reasonable too. If your budget is $500 - $750 used, that's an entirely different range of instruments than if it's $1500-$2000 used.
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