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New non-custom 6 string

#23
BadBass said:
Today I visited the academy of sound, and they had a Tobias pro custom 6, which I had to try. It was in my price range perfectly and it is just what I am looking for really.
I am just wondering how anyone else rates this bass???
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Is that one of the new Gibson Tobiases? If so, I have no direct experience with them, but what I hear hasn't been great. I suggest you do a search here for Gibson and Tobias and see what you find. I seem to recall some people here got their hands on the new Gibson versions when they were reintroduced recently, and were not knocked out. If, however, the one you played was a used older Tobias, the original ones were great IMHO.

EDIT: Or was the one you saw the Toby Pro 6? If so, it was a Korean import. That doesn't make it a bad instrument or not worthwhile, but honestly, I can't see the logic of paying anywhere near 1000 pounds for it (if that's what it was). In this case, the Tobias name really doesn't mean much. It's just a decent Asian bass. Again, consider talking to a UK luthier. As I said, I know of at least one place where you can get a handmade 6 for that price.
 
#25
Anyway, which one does anyone reccomend, the Toby pro 6, Ibanez BTB1206, Ibanez SR1006 or the Peavey Grind Bass 6? They are the only basses which I have in mind at the moment which I particularly like the look of.
I only backed away from Ibanez as my teacher hates them??
But the BTB does look like a very good instrument, i just dont know how much it is yet??
Which bass does anyone prefer anyway??? :confused:

Thanks!!! :)
 
#26
BadBass said:
Anyway, which one does anyone reccomend, the Toby pro 6, Ibanez BTB1206, Ibanez SR1006 or the Peavey Grind Bass 6? They are the only basses which I have in mind at the moment which I particularly like the look of.
I only backed away from Ibanez as my teacher hates them??
But the BTB does look like a very good instrument, i just dont know how much it is yet??
Which bass does anyone prefer anyway??? :confused:

Thanks!!! :)
Click to expand...

For anywhere near 1000 pounds (your stated price limit), none of them; IMO not one of them is worth that (what is that, $1800 USD?)

For more like 400-500 pounds, I personally would take the BTB.
 
#31
Is the peavey grind bass 6 any good? It seems cheap enough, but is it specifically designed for playing slap bass and nothing else, the only reason i can see for it being a good slap bass is that scalloped lower horn that it has :confused: Is that much use? Is it a good all-rounder also?
I am not bothered what price it is as long as it is under £1000 realistically!

Sorry for going onabout different basses, just i dont get much chance to try a wide range out for myself ,lol.

Thanks anyway!!
 
#32
Richard Lindsey said:
I'm thinking of Sheffield's own Jon Shuker
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I have had a look at the Jon's SIte, and there is a Deluxe 6 neck-thru for just £950.
He says it has been to a few shows etc. and was built 2 yrs ago for stock, but do you reckon this could be a good buy?? Does anyone play a bass similar to this one, how does it play tonewise playability etc.????
34" scale
24 fret
7 piece maple / mahogany laminate neck
Solid quilted amazaque body wings (rather rare wood, looks nice)
rosewood f/board
KTM acylic basecoat / polyurethane satin top coat (very hard wearing)
2 way truss rod
side dot markers
medium frets
black walnut head veneer
Gotoh GB70 tuners
individual bridge units
EMG 45CS / 45DC pickups
Shuker 3 band active circuit (18v, internal mid f control and gain control)
18.7mm string spacing at the bridge
 
#33
BadBass said:
I have had a look at the Jon's SIte, and there is a Deluxe 6 neck-thru for just £950.
He says it has been to a few shows etc. and was built 2 yrs ago for stock, but do you reckon this could be a good buy?? Does anyone play a bass similar to this one, how does it play tonewise playability etc.????
34" scale
24 fret
7 piece maple / mahogany laminate neck
Solid quilted amazaque body wings (rather rare wood, looks nice)
rosewood f/board
KTM acylic basecoat / polyurethane satin top coat (very hard wearing)
2 way truss rod
side dot markers
medium frets
black walnut head veneer
Gotoh GB70 tuners
individual bridge units
EMG 45CS / 45DC pickups
Shuker 3 band active circuit (18v, internal mid f control and gain control)
18.7mm string spacing at the bridge
Click to expand...

I reckon it could be a freakin' excellent buy.

As I said, I have a couple of solid-body 6 string bolt-ons of Jon's. I love them.

Mine are set up a bit differently from that one, in that they have different PUs and woods and are bolt-ons, but IMO the tone is excellent, and the workmanship is high class.

As for playability, there's really no such thing in absolute terms, because we all like different things. What's highly playable for you might be less so for me, and vice versa. I will say that for my tastes, the necks Jon made me are just about perfect--I've never felt a neck I liked better. I would suggest that just for information purposes, you ask him about the dimensions of the neck on that one you're looking at (e.g., nut width, FB radius). I don't know if you have any strong preferences in that area, but it's good to find out as much as you can if you can't actually touch the bass. Jon has his basic preferences for neck dimensions, but sometimes he tweaks them a bit one way or another to satisfy a customer's requirements. For instance, he likes *really* flat FBs on 6 strings--mine is maybe a 36" radius. But before you freak out over that number, it happens to be very comfortable and easy to play (for me anyway).

Anyway, that bass you mention sounds great, and for that price, I don't think you'll easily find another handmade instrument of that quality. If that's only 150 pounds more than an Ibanez BTB would be, to me that would be an absolute no brainer.

Of course, as another option, you can always have Jon build you a new one. If you go with a bolt-on and keep the options simple, you might be able to get a brand-new instrument for *maybe* less than 950 pounds (I don't know all of his current prices), but a brand-new neck-thru would undoubtedly be more. A new bass wouldn't necessarily be better than the one you're looking at, but if there's something you wanted different (like tighter string spacing at the bridge or something), you could get it done.

But if the features of that in stock bass work for you, I think that would be a very good deal.

If you can travel from Lancashire to Sheffield to check it out yourself, that would be best.
 
#34
I'd recommend the Ibanez SR1006. I played one a couple weeks ago and fell in love with it. Came back to buy it the next day but they had JUST sold it :bawl: So I got my Ibanez 5 string defretted :bassist: Ibanez has some sturdy basses, since my 5 string has been dropped down stairs several times(none of those people has come within 6 feet of any of my basses since) and its still as good as new(didn't get dented or anyting).
 
#35
Really, I want a 6 string neck-thru, so if i got a new one from jon, then it would break the bank...for me anyway at the moment as I am only 14...lol
The spec. of the instrument seems fine to me so far, so depending on the condition, I might get this one!!! It would be a great instrument for me who is still in high-school!!!lol :D

Anyway, thanks!! and anymore comments would be greatly appreciated!!!
 
#37
Richard Lindsey said:
For anywhere near 1000 pounds (your stated price limit), none of them; IMO not one of them is worth that (what is that, $1800 USD?)

For more like 400-500 pounds, I personally would take the BTB.
Click to expand...
americans dont seem to understand it doesnt work like that AT ALL

something can cost $2,000 in the US and be £2,500 over here!!!, using exchange rates are USELESS in matters like this



However, i'd like to point out i got my BTB406QM second hand (altho it was in MINT condition), for £250 (about £20 on postage), so keep an eye on the second hand market ;)
 
#38
i_got_a_mohawk said:
americans dont seem to understand it doesnt work like that AT ALL

something can cost $2,000 in the US and be £2,500 over here!!!, using exchange rates are USELESS in matters like this
Click to expand...

No, actually I understand that quite well. I've spent time on your side of the pond. But it doesn't matter whether a $2000 bass costs 2500 pounds over there if it's not a 2500-pound bass in quality. Or rather, it only matters if you have no alternatives and have to buy what's on offer no matter how inflated the prices. My point is that you *do* have at least some alternatives. I pointed the poster to a place where he can get a handmade bass by an excellent British luthier for not that much more money than a decent but not spectacular imported factory bass would cost. In some circumstances, you might get better value from a British or European maker than from an American import.
 
#39
The Ibanez SR1006's are neck thru's with bart custom's, and a thin neck. You can get it with a zebrawood top, a burled poplar top, or a flamed maple top. The maple is about 1200 dollars, the zebrawood about 1400 and the burled poplar about 1500. They are incredible basses and I can't wait to get mine.

Greg
 
#40
+1 on the Warwick Corvette 6. I have a Wenge necked (not one of the baseball bats either!) 6 with SD soapbars and it is the most playable versatile bass I own. I would really recommend that you play a few if you can, the newer Ovangkol necked Corvettes with MEC electronics can be - uh - variable.

A nice used one should fit into your budget - BassCentral have a rep for being a top quality store and are unlikely to sell you a clunker.

Ibanez 6's aren't in the same league, IMHO. "Soulless" is a good description - nothing actually wrong with them, but nothing much to get excited about either.

Warning! Do NOT play an MTD 6! You'll condem yourself to a lifetime of dissatisfaction - they are bass nirvana.
 

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