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Passive 5 string?

#61
Barisaxman said:
Reverend Mercalli V. Passive electronics with a MM-style humbucker and a split/p pickup. The tonal variations are impressive. New for around $1k and used you can find some steals. Favorite passive bass...I sold my my Fender American Jazz V that I had bought new a year earlier because...well...it sounds that good to me.
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My buddy was just talking about wanting to get one of those Mercalli's! That's definitely a contender.
 
#63
ric4682 said:
I forgot all about Lakland! Those are sweet. Anybody ever use any versions on the Godin Shifter basses? Those look pretty neat.
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My primary bass is a Godin Shifter Classic 5 (the JJ configuration), and I love it. I mostly like it for the neck; the string spacing is perfect, the width is just right... And the sounds you can get out of it are great. I'd be happy to entertain any questions you have about the bass, there doesn't seem to be a lot of them kicking around on TB.
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#64
How much time/money/skill do you have? You could always go the Warmoth route and assemble your own passive 5er. I just finished mine up and it's probably my best playing/sounding bass I have.

WP_20151216_20_05_23_Pro.jpg
 
#66
ric4682 said:
I've played and owned a lot of basses (mostly 4 strings) and I definitely prefer passive basses to active by a decent amount. Some exceptions are active circuits with a passive tone control. I have a hard time finding passive 5 strings that aren't Squiers or $2000+
I don't really have a chance to go try many out, and most guitar stores I go to don't have many, if any, passive 5's. I really want one though.
There's a Revered Rumblefish on Craigslist a few hours from me. I've also been looking at the new American Standard Dimension basses, but very few people have tried them it seems. I've heard good things about Gibson's (now discontinued) EB 5 strings.
What are some good basses?
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Rickenbacker 2001 4004cii 5 String Bass Guitar
 
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#72
I used a passive Lakland Joe Osbourne for years. Pretty good J bass, but a little shrill in the highs and not enough low mids. I ended up selling it because I wanted to go in a more authentic old school fender direction. At that point you will be priced out from the $2k cap.

I'd strongly suggest looking at a passive Bacchus DX5. These are a steal right now since the US Dollar is strong. You can get a $3,500 bass for around $1,500 or so. Here is an example of a really sweet one that somebody sold :

Bacchus DX5 Woodline Natural | Reverb
 
#73
DavC said:
you can usually yank the active preamp out of ' whatever ' .. !! as long as the pickups themselves are not active ... ( emg ) ... most are passive ...

This ^^^^^.
No need to fret about it (pun intended). Just find a bass you like, and if it's active, remove the preamp yourself or have a qualified repair person do it if you're not up to it.
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#74
I wish the Ric5 and Dingwall options weren't so expensive. Though I'm sure they're more than worth it I need to be at least a little responsible. :thumbsup: That Bacchus looks sweet! I tend to dig unconventional basses, like the Gibson EB and Reverend offerings moreso than traditional Fender types. Not that I wouldn't love a bass like that, just a preference! I'm always happy to find a bass that surprises me when I normally wouldn't love it. I really need to call around to the (very few and very small) guitar shops within a couple hours of me to see what they have.
 
#75
ric4682 said:
I forgot all about Lakland! Those are sweet. Anybody ever use any versions on the Godin Shifter basses? Those look pretty neat.
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I had a Godin Shifter for a day. Ordered it from Amazon. It had fret filings under a number of frets. First 5 fretted notes on the G string were dead. I wanted to like the bass, but, Amazon sent me a bad one. The tigre stripped maple tobacco burst was beautiful. But, I'm not sure I like asymetrical neck carve (a least not the ones that shave more off the G string side giving it a C shape) or the flat radius. I prefer U shaped necks with 12" or less radius.

How about a Retrovibe bass? Invalid Link Removed
 
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#76
neee_wom said:
I mostly like it for the neck; the string spacing is perfect, the width is just right... And the sounds you can get out of it are great. I'd be happy to entertain any questions you have about the bass, there doesn't seem to be a lot of them kicking around on TB.
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Do you like it because the width is wider or less wide or wider than other 5's you've played? Also, is it pretty much traditional Jazz tone, or do you find it sounds more modern or warmer than a normal J?
Thanks!
 
#79
ric4682 said:
Do you like it because the width is wider or less wide or wider than other 5's you've played? Also, is it pretty much traditional Jazz tone, or do you find it sounds more modern or warmer than a normal J?
Thanks!
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I've only had a chance to compare to Schecter Stilettos and Fender Standard Jazz Vs, both had narrower necks that I prefer. I've been a p-bass player for years and found the neck geometry on the Shifter to be a comfortable transition.
It doesn't have a traditional Jazz tone, although I've been able to get close. It can get mellow and thumpy like a traditional Fender J, however it lacks the same tight-sounding edge that you would otherwise expect. Tonally, it tends to sound much more modern. It does lack the blend knob though, instead there is a 5-way switch that adjusts the pickup output configuration (bridge/bridge-neck series/bridge-neck parallel/neck).
 

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