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Need a punchy 5 string

BTW, the Bongo isn't bad either; just wish it didn't look like a toilet seat from outer space!

Not to harp on it too much but the Lakland's (with the Lakland electronics) are probably the best bang for the buck.

The 55-02 is probably THE most versitile bass you can get for under $2500. Craftsmanship at a price that can't be beat.

I should've given an honoroble mention to the Warwick Corvette Double Buck
 
I'm confused... your avatar is a SR5HH? Haha but I guess you don't own it? Ok, haha.

If you have a SR I wouldn't get an SR5. I LOVE my SR5 but they are pretty close in sound. When I got a 4 banger I wanted something a little more different so I got a jazz. They are just so versatile... I can even mimic a P bass by soloing the neck pickup and playing up towards the neck... If I wanted to make a killer bass I'd get a MIM jazz deluxe V and change everything out.... 'twould be nice.


Yeah thats not my SR5, I was trying to make an icon of mine but I couldn't get it's image size that small to look good. I've owned a jazz copy a long time ago but it was my first bass and didn't leave good memories with me. I also owned a pbass epiphone copy, I enjoyed it more but still sold it later on. I think I like pbass style more than jazz but I've never really messed with the 5 string jazz before the necks just turned me down being so wide and just starting out, but I guess I sort of passed that getting a stingray now since the necks are wide too.
 
There's alot to be said about the neck profile and feel of the SR505. IMO it's the best feel in the Ibanez lineup. If you like the feel of the SR505 my suggestion to you would be change the strings that you are using. Try a "briter" set. This would be a cheap alternative. Believe me, strings can make a big difference. After that, change pickups and pre. Many people are not crazy about the warmth and politeness of the Barts electronics. My experience has been that it's easier and cheaper to get a sound that you like as opposed to getting a feel that you like. The better something feels to you the more you want to roll with it. Like you, I am not bowled over with the tonal variations of the SR505, but I will say that I do gravitate to it (and the SR506) because it has been one of the most comfortable basses 5ers I have played!
 
There's alot to be said about the neck profile and feel of the SR505. IMO it's the best feel in the Ibanez lineup. If you like the feel of the SR505 my suggestion to you would be change the strings that you are using. Try a "briter" set. This would be a cheap alternative. Believe me, strings can make a big difference. After that, change pickups and pre. Many people are not crazy about the warmth and politeness of the Barts electronics. My experience has been that it's easier and cheaper to get a sound that you like as opposed to getting a feel that you like. The better something feels to you the more you want to roll with it. Like you, I am not bowled over with the tonal variations of the SR505, but I will say that I do gravitate to it (and the SR506) because it has been one of the most comfortable basses 5ers I have played!


Thats a possibility. I'm using the DR loriders which is more of a deep string not bright at all. Yeah it is pretty comfortable you are correct about that. To me all the strings sound dead though especially the B string. I did get a new amp though so thats part of my hearing differences between the last few years.
 
One of these is a good bet. Fairly difficult to find though, but the pickup positioning is great for the sounds you mention, whilst panning between them yields unexpectedly traditional sounds.

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I don't really wanna spend too much because its gonna be the backup bass but I want something decent. I know thats hard to find because I've been through 7 different basses now before I found "the one" for me, the SR4. I'd say I can probably get 500 for my bass and then I got a combo amp and another bass so I'm guessing 650 for it all trade in so I'm looking for something around that. Which basically means I could find a used sr5. I really haven't played much else that I like.
 
Thats a possibility. I'm using the DR loriders which is more of a deep string not bright at all. Yeah it is pretty comfortable you are correct about that. To me all the strings sound dead though especially the B string. I did get a new amp though so thats part of my hearing differences between the last few years.

I don't want to derail your thread, but I think Lo-Riders are the brightest strings DR makes. They are DR's recommended string for slap/pop & tap styles. They have very growly mids, and a very bright high end that gets mellower after a couple of weeks, but it still brighter than a lot of other strings out there. Pretty any much SS string (I'm assuming you aren't using the nickel version, though it should still be mostly accurate even if you are using the nickel ones) is going to be very bright.

In other words, if you can't get a bright tone with those DR's on your bass, I don't know what you would get a bright tone with. Maybe, MAYBE D'addario Prosteels, but only because they have less mids. I think the darkness of the Barts is more what you are hearing. A lot of people like them, but I don't care for them myself.
 
I don't want to derail your thread, but I think Lo-Riders are the brightest strings DR makes. They are DR's recommended string for slap/pop & tap styles. They have very growly mids, and a very bright high end that gets mellower after a couple of weeks, but it still brighter than a lot of other strings out there. Pretty any much SS string (I'm assuming you aren't using the nickel version, though it should still be mostly accurate even if you are using the nickel ones) is going to be very bright.

In other words, if you can't get a bright tone with those DR's on your bass, I don't know what you would get a bright tone with. Maybe, MAYBE D'addario Prosteels, but only because they have less mids. I think the darkness of the Barts is more what you are hearing. A lot of people like them, but I don't care for them myself.

I thought the DR hibeams were the bright ones?
 
Hi-Beams are bright too, maybe brighter, but the main difference between the two is in the feel department. They are both rounds made of SS, but the Lo-Riders are wound on a hex-core making them feel tighter qhich is why they are better for harmonics, slapping, & tapping, while the Hi-Beams are wound on a round care which makes them have a looser feel that is supposed to be easier on your fingers. I play nothing but Lo-Riders and they are very bright, but unmusically so IMO.

Now, if you are playing the nickel Lo-Riders, I can't comment on those because I love the sound of the SS version so much that they are all I play.
 
If you're really looking for in your face-punch, search for a ash bodied instrument. The SR505 is mahogany. This may be another attribute that you're not looking for in an instrument. Mahogany's tonal charachteristics have often been discribed as rich, warm, mellow, thick, or woolly (whatever the hell that's supposed to mean).

Then once again, you could STILL find your tone with that instrument and a different amplification source (BTW, you never mentioned what that was)!

Welcome to the never ending search for the elusive creature known as "MYTONE"!
 
If you're really looking for in your face-punch, search for a ash bodied instrument. The SR505 is mahogany. This may be another attribute that you're not looking for in an instrument. Mahogany's tonal charachteristics have often been discribed as rich, warm, mellow, thick, or woolly (whatever the hell that's supposed to mean).

Then once again, you could STILL find your tone with that instrument and a different amplification source (BTW, you never mentioned what that was)!

Welcome to the never ending search for the elusive creature known as "MYTONE"!


It's other amp source is in my signiture, the swr 2x10c combo, and the old one was the hartke kickback 12 combo.