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Recommend me a new bass

ClaytonCroft

ClaytonCroft

Sep 2, 2015
171
271
54
Tucson, AZ
www.bradharrisband.com
#1
Hey y'all!

So, I own a basic MIJ Jazz, personally, and the B/L is "letting" me use a Deluxe P/J and a Schecter Diamond Elite 5 for rehearsals and gigs, which is perfectly awesome.

I have a bit of fun money from gigs saved up, and I am thinking I'd like to buy a 5-string bass for my own self (and for consistent practicing mental patterns at home. )

I'm intrigued by the multi-scale phenomenon, and I'd love to try one out. Ideally, I'd love the neck width to be pretty narrow, like what I'm used to.

Budget...up to $2,000, say? I was looking pretty hard at the Ibanez SRMS725 for a while...Strandberg, Dingwall...I dunno.

What say you? Is there a hidden gem I should check out?
 
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#2
If determined to get Multi-Scale Ibanez seems fine at price

I would and had considered Dingwall NG/Combustion before buying my Stingray Special 4H

But this Bass may make me willing to deal with time and frustration to learn to play five string even at age 70:)

To me this is not only best 5 string I have heard but best bass under 5k [not even sure there is above 5k I would prefer]

This is fellow TB'er Cover that first got my attention and took a deeper look after; more than budget new but could get close used as it would be with Dingwall also

 
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#3
Nebadon2000 said:
I would and had considered Dingwall NG/Combustion before buying my Stingray Special 4H

But this Bass may make me willing to deal with time and frustration to learn to play five string even at age 70:)

To me this is not only best 5 string I have heard but best bass under 5k [not even sure there is above 5k I would prefer]


Click to expand...

I have to second this, the current Stingray Specials are some amazing production basses. My main 5 is a Wal, but as those have gotten stupidly high in value and as my back gets tired easier than it used to, I wanted another big humbucker bass. I bought fretted and fretless 5HH's last year, and they are both exceptional. The HH gives you a lot more versatility if you need it.
 
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#7
If multi-scale and tight spacing are your requirements, I’d share this option.

Invalid Link Removed

I’ve played it for a few years now (see profile pic) and it’s comfortable.

Doesn’t cost nearly as much as your budget.

Ibanez is my go to brand but I had a poor experience with their headless multi-scale bass and didn’t even keep it a year.
 
#11
There’s one thing that has remained consistent about Ibanez for just about 50 years: In every price point, you get a lot of bass for your money.
I have found that their build quality has usually exceeded expectations from their most expensive, deluxe instruments to their least expensive beginners’ models.

Comfort and playability are highly subjective so I won’t even attempt to guide you there but in terms of value it’s pretty hard to go too far wrong with Ibanez.
 
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#12
I'm not in the market for a new bass at the moment, but if I were, it'd be for a multi-scale 5-string. I'm one of those weirdo "I like balanced string tension" guys and single-scale 5-strings are not ideal for that; I think it's the real reason I mostly don't care for 5s. I think multi-scale is the way to go there.

If my budget were around $2k I agree that the Ibanez SRMS725 is a place I'd look (though honestly I think the silver pickups are hideous), but I'd also really strongly consider a Spector NS Dimension 5. Also Fishman Fluence electronics, but IMO much better looking and also neck-through.
 
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#15
SunByrne said:
I'm not in the market for a new bass at the moment, but if I were, it'd be for a multi-scale 5-string. I'm one of those weirdo "I like balanced string tension" guys and single-scale 5-strings are not ideal for that; I think it's the real reason I mostly don't care for 5s. I think multi-scale is the way to go there.

If my budget were around $2k I agree that the Ibanez SRMS725 is a place I'd look (though honestly I think the silver pickups are hideous), but I'd also really strongly consider a Spector NS Dimension 5. Also Fishman Fluence electronics, but IMO much better looking and also neck-through.
Click to expand...
Ooh, those do indeed look tasty.
 
#16
I’m on my second multi-scale bass.my first one was an Ibanez EHB1505-MS. I loved the bass and the neck but I couldn’t get used to the way the back of the body was cut. It just hung weird and felt strange.

My newest acquisition is a Dingwall NG3 and it’s leaps and bounds better than the Ibanez. Dingwall is a bit out of your budget but if you can afford it, Dingwall is the way to go. The SP1 is the lowest priced one but it’s also one of the more popular models.
 
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#18
Pep said:
I’m on my second multi-scale bass.my first one was an Ibanez EHB1505-MS. I loved the bass and the neck but I couldn’t get used to the way the back of the body was cut. It just hung weird and felt strange.

My newest acquisition is a Dingwall NG3 and it’s leaps and bounds better than the Ibanez. Dingwall is a bit out of your budget but if you can afford it, Dingwall is the way to go. The SP1 is the lowest priced one but it’s also one of the more popular models.
Click to expand...
I had the same situation with the EHB. It made my wrist hurt during longer shows and I couldn’t figure out how to hang it to fix it.
 
#19
ClaytonCroft said:
Hey y'all!

So, I own a basic MIJ Jazz, personally, and the B/L is "letting" me use a Deluxe P/J and a Schecter Diamond Elite 5 for rehearsals and gigs, which is perfectly awesome.

I have a bit of fun money from gigs saved up, and I am thinking I'd like to buy a 5-string bass for my own self (and for consistent practicing mental patterns at home. )

I'm intrigued by the multi-scale phenomenon, and I'd love to try one out. Ideally, I'd love the neck width to be pretty narrow, like what I'm used to.

Budget...up to $2,000, say? I was looking pretty hard at the Ibanez SRMS725 for a while...Strandberg, Dingwall...I dunno.

What say you? Is there a hidden gem I should check out?
Click to expand...
I am a die hard spector fan. Check out their dimension basses if you want multi scale.
 
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#20
ClaytonCroft said:
Hey y'all!

So, I own a basic MIJ Jazz, personally, and the B/L is "letting" me use a Deluxe P/J and a Schecter Diamond Elite 5 for rehearsals and gigs, which is perfectly awesome.

I have a bit of fun money from gigs saved up, and I am thinking I'd like to buy a 5-string bass for my own self (and for consistent practicing mental patterns at home. )

I'm intrigued by the multi-scale phenomenon, and I'd love to try one out. Ideally, I'd love the neck width to be pretty narrow, like what I'm used to.

Budget...up to $2,000, say? I was looking pretty hard at the Ibanez SRMS725 for a while...Strandberg, Dingwall...I dunno.

What say you? Is there a hidden gem I should check out?
Click to expand...
I'm a confirmed 4-string player and I've never much sampled any of the multi-scales for more than a minute or three, but they seem pretty cool.

My current #1 player is an LTD B-1004 Deluxe and this bass has been nothing short of a perma-grin factory for me for a solid two years and counting. This is easily one of the best instruments I've ever touched... enough about me.

There are a few versions of this bass, including a 5-string multi-scale. I just peeked at the used inventory at GC and spotted one of these in Tucson that's well within your budget. Not necessarily the answer for you, but maybe something to check out.
 
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