Looking to upgrade/change sound.

[ThaiBoxR]

Hey guys. I've been on a long hiatus from playing and have starting getting back into the swing of things and relearning a lot of technique and material. However my only rig I have left is 2002 Ibanez SRX500 5 string. Its been great over the years for rock, metal etc. I'm over the rockbass setup. However I primarily play Jazz, Blues and experimental-types. I no longer feel this bass as much as I love it, is what I need anymore. I quite literally don't use the low B anymore in my playing unless I'm doing metal, and I have smaller hands. I'm looking to upgrade to a 4 string NT of some sorts with a nice warm sound and better spacing between the strings. I don't play live gigs, I generally play at home and record. But I have no idea where to start looking. I've always been a fan of Ibanez, Carvin, Warwick, and Spector. If anyone could possibly recommend some solid NT 4 strings I could start looking at, I'd appreciate any input. I'm willing to put up to $1500 maybe a little more on a new one if I find whats right for me. Just trying to shake the rust off and find what I like again. Thanks.

 

[JACink]

Lots of options for $1500, and this is where the advice to "try as many as you can to see what you like", comes in to play.

 

[ThaiBoxR]

JACink, thats exactly what I'll have to do. Unfortunately I have to travel a good distance out of town to see anything different from the same pieces I've been seeing for years at GC etc. Which is fine, soon I'll find what I dig.

 

[OutToPlayJazz]

If you're primarily playing jazz, you need to be looking for something with easy access to the top end of the neck for solos (24 fret instruments are best for jazz solos, I've found) and something which is thin necked (fingers to thumb). You're also going to need a lot to tonal flexibility with a three band preamp so you can warm the mids for soloing.

Maybe something like a Yamaha TRB series bass? I'm obviously going to say Status S2 as well, as I use mine a lot for jazz gigs. One other which springs to mind is the Human Base Roxy B4/5. There's a video on YouTube of Ed Friedland testing one and it sounds ideal for some jazz noodling




Basses by Status-Graphite & MusicMan
Amplification by Genz-Benz & TC Electronic

 

[ThaiBoxR]

Hey Thanks OutToPlay! I appreciate that. When I was younger and just starting out, I was drawn to Yamahas but never really had the chance to pick one up as most places in my area didn't carry them. The GC near my home carries them now and this is something I can keep an eye out for. Thanks again.