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POLL: An active bass to complement

Which bass would you choose?

  • Musicman Sterling H (either USA or the Sterling by Musicman Sterling, the one with the switch)

    Votes: 27 22.5%

  • G&L L2000

    Votes: 34 28.3%

  • Lakland Skyline 44-02

    Votes: 23 19.2%

  • Maruszczyk Jake 4A+

    Votes: 12 10.0%

  • Stop drooling over other basses and play your T40 more!

    Votes: 24 20.0%
  • Total voters
    120
#41
I'm an Ibanez man, but even I look at the Musicman and drool.

(But based on what you wrote, consider the upper-end Soundgear basses from Ibanez. One you get out of the 700s they are quality instruments, and the 1200+ are amazingly agile but solid instruments. Keep an eye on the pickups and EQ, but I was looking for a similar bass to you and the SG1206 was the exact right instrument.)
 
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#42
I didn't see anything about budget (other than not going boutique), so definitely the L2000 or Sterling. I've had bad experiences with quality on Indonesian basses, including a 55-02 Deluxe that I sent back the same day I got it.
 
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#46
I have gone through a hundred basses in the last few years. I currently have 40 which includes the amazing T-40. I love the T-40 because of the deep tone the neck pickup gets. And the versatility of the electronics is way cool.

If your looking for a deep rich tone the Musicman is the way to go. And an American Sterling is one super fast bass and light bass.

The G and L would be the second I recommend to you. Not as deep of a tone but cuts well in the band mix.

Of the basses your looking at get the American version. And its way cheaper to go used.
 
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#47
I'm a huge L-2000 fan, but I'd second what Nedmundo says - if you want a more traditional 3-band active bass, look at the M-2000. The L-2000 was engineered more as a passive bass with a buffer-style preamp, whereas the M-2000 was designed as a true active bass from the ground up. And yeah, you can spec out a #8 neck - 1.5" width and 12" radius, if that's your thing.
 
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#48
ba55i5t said:
Hello folks,


I have been enjoying my Peavey T40 a lot. I never realized how much I enjoyed having a humbucker near the bridge until I picked up this bass. I have done the Chip Todd mod on it to increase the high freq that comes out of it.

But as many others here do, I have been thinking of other basses that might tickle my fancy. It just seems like most of them have active electronics. I've posted threads on successors to the T40, and it seems like the L2000/L2500 is a good choice, besides the Big Al.

What I'm looking to solicit here is votes on whether or not it would be worth my while to consider the active basses, and in this case, 4 varying basses that have a 'bucker in the bridge. I'm considering active because I'd like to have a bit more control over my tone from the bass rather than an amp preamp, and I also do not use effects.

So, if you were in my shoes, what would you do? I'm not looking to go boutique either. I think that the Enfield Lionheart would be a beautiful choice but I don't have the cash to pony up, and don't think I ever could justify it being a non-pro/touring musician.

More info:

I don't want to go 5 or 6 or any more strings
I like relatively thin necks (ie. thinner than precision)
I like flat fretboard radius (the higher the better, the T40 is a 12" radius, so I'd like to stay there or go flatter)
I like thin neck profiles
I like natural options colourwise
3 band EQ is preferable, but 2 is satisfactory
I like options to select different tones out of the 'bucker
I do not like the Fender Dimension bass


Thanks TB!
Click to expand...


It sounds like you know what you want... go Maruszczyk, and you get to specify it exactly as you like it. Give them the neck profile dimensions of exactly what you want, and they'll make it for you. Just be warned... I went for one once, and now I own three. ;)

You specify everything, get it with whatever pickups you like in whatever position. My three are all Jakes. The first one is a P/JJ, then a reverse Precision with the pickup in reverse orientation and at a different position than standard, and the last one is a Jazz essentially.
 
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#49
If you go for the Maruszczyk (which I voted for) I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed. Amazing pickups (Delano or Häussel are incredible), a slim neck (pretty sure it's a modern C shape, very comfortable on my 5er), 14'' radius is standard but can be configured, comes in all kinds of colours and the matt transparent ones are especially nice IMO, 3-way switch for the humbucker (single coil, parallel, serial) on many of them (or if you order one you can just add that) and 2-band or 3-band EQ shouldn't be a problem either, and with the delano or noll preamps you even get a handy passive switch that turns the treble control into a passive tone blend.
 
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#50
FugaziBomb said:
You can also just install a preamp in your t40 and have it all. I put an Audere 4 band in one of my two t40s and it sounds great. Protip on that: I had to run it at 18v cuz the output from the toaster pickups was so hot it was overloading the preamp

Edit: One thing that I failed to mention about active basses is that they have a buffered output, which will prevent tone loss from long cables.
Click to expand...

To me, that sounds like a great idea, being that you love your T40 as much as you do. East make a nice pre as well. Or, if you want a passive bass and an active and love Peavey, there are a couple active Unity series Dyna basses on Reverb.com. they are well under a grand. Nice looking basses. No affiliation, I was kinda entertaining the thought of buying one myself. The dyna bass is a good looking bass, and I love the headstock.
 
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#51
Thanks for all of the ideas so far folks. It seems like these 4 get lots of love here.

Based on the specs and hearsay of the L2000 I always thought it would be a no brainer but with the other 3 it is making it difficult. I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to play all of them prior to making a decision though.

I've had an Ibanez in the past. It was a nice bass. I had a former student that had a 4 string higher end Ibanez and it was very nice. I have considered it just want to see how these other basses stack up.

The other "condition" is that I like a deep cutaway with access to the upper frets. It looks like all of these will fit the bill too. After my wedding I'll have to take a look at the bank account to get a sense of budget. I will be going used no matter what since it knocks off quite a significant portion.

Overall I'm not set on having 2 pups but I like the idea of having a pup in the p position. The bucker on the T40 is just a little too close to the neck for me. It gets the bridge bucker right though.

I'll get some stat sheets out for comparison when I get a sense of how much the newly minted missus will allow.
 
#52
ba55i5t said:
Thanks for all of the ideas so far folks. It seems like these 4 get lots of love here.

Based on the specs and hearsay of the L2000 I always thought it would be a no brainer but with the other 3 it is making it difficult. I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to play all of them prior to making a decision though.

I've had an Ibanez in the past. It was a nice bass. I had a former student that had a 4 string higher end Ibanez and it was very nice. I have considered it just want to see how these other basses stack up.

The other "condition" is that I like a deep cutaway with access to the upper frets. It looks like all of these will fit the bill too. After my wedding I'll have to take a look at the bank account to get a sense of budget. I will be going used no matter what since it knocks off quite a significant portion.

Overall I'm not set on having 2 pups but I like the idea of having a pup in the p position. The bucker on the T40 is just a little too close to the neck for me. It gets the bridge bucker right though.

I'll get some stat sheets out for comparison when I get a sense of how much the newly minted missus will allow.
Click to expand...
Get it pre-nuptials! :thumbsup: :D

Is the Mrs.-to-be into your music career?
 
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#56
As a T-40 fan myself...

I played a 55-02 for many years and I loved it. I'd take a 44-01 it over a Sterling-by or a Tribute any day.

However, if you can find a used USA L-2000 I'd go that way. If you enjoy the switching options of the T-40 and the double-buckers, you'll love the L-2000. Also, used USA L-2000's are often ridiculously under valued. A Sam Ash over here had two for $800 for a while. That's a spectactular deal.

As for necks, USA G&L's can come with several different sizes, but a more experienced TB'er can better tell you what you're most likely to find.

One other bass I'd look at is a used USA Peavey Cirrus. Ticks off every box except for switchable bucker, but you really won't lack for tonal variation. It's much more modern looking than any of your other choices, but it's a ridiculously under-valued instrument with amazing tone and the build quality is as good or better (mostly better) than anything you've got listed. Also, it is 35" which is rare on a 4 stringer and very nice. If you like a smaller neck, it's also perfect. Lastly, it's going to sound more different from your t-40 than any of the choices above. I always like to have variation in my basses.

Good luck in your search. Now get out there and play a bunch of basses!
 
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