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Should I keep her...? (New Bass Day)

Engine207

Engine207

Losing faith in humanity...one call at a time.
Jul 10, 2008
3,265
370
Dwight Mission, Oklahoma
youtu.be
#1
Just picked up this nice Ibby 5-er today. She's a BTB455 that looks to have had about 3 hours of playing time on it. It is in absolute mint condition with plastic on the back cover plates.

I snagged it off CL from a guitarist for a mere $300 including a hardshell Roadrunner. It was total combination of impulse + smokin' deal...

It's my first fiver, and I can't believe how wide the neck feels! I've never owned an active bass, and this one has Bartolini's MK1-5s, so I just spent an hour twiddling with the various knobbery.

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The only problem is that I just bought the fiver I'd been looking for. It's an allegedly mint Midnght Wine '05 MIM Fender Jazz Bass V, and it's in a UPS truck somewhere near Lubbock, moving in a westerly direction.

I planned on slapping a black pickguard, a BadAss V, and an Audere on it. That one was also about $300, after shipping, but the bling will be about $225 extra.

Obviously, I can't keep them both, but which one? I guess a couple of weeks will tell...
 
#5
UREi809A said:
well hey, I'm sure you'll get more than $300 for selling either one, cuz that Ibby was a steal. Someone would pay $500+ for that on eBay/craigslist/local music store.
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This is a good idea but it depends on if you have the strength and willpower to sell an Ibby.

Ibbys are absolutely incredible, and have an incredibly fast neck even on 5 strings. But it's all down to preference, try 'em both out, see how they sound, which is better etc.

However, there really isn't anything stopping you from owning both. A little bit of extra work never killed anybody.
 
#7
G00D+~VIBES said:
OFF TOPIC

Once, my friends Uncle, a law enforcement guy, took an extra shift to help pay for an up-coming vacation and was killed by a drunk driver passing him during a routine traffic stop...just a little bit of extra work...I'm just sayin.
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Well, despite the fact that I would LOVE to have both of these, I can't justify spending $600. $300, yes...but $600...no can do.

And as for public safety guys getting whacked working overtime, all I can say is that I once hit a squirrel with a stick. So what? Why the hell would you say something like that...sorry, but don't bring that s*%t to me.
 
#11
Michael Case said:
Keep 'em both, why do all that modifications to the Fender? It'll still be a Fender when you're done, a Mexican Fender at that. The Ibanez is a better bass IMHO.
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Well, I like the looks and the feel of a J-bass. I'm just really comfortable with them. I especially like the Midnight Wine/black pickguard thing. Anytime anyone says "which bass?", there are thirty posts that say "go try 'em all and get the one that feels best".

I also don't have any active basses, which is something I've always wanted to tool around with, hence my interest in the Ibby (and the Audere upgrade).

Look, in a world where I'm a fire chief, and I make chief money - I might be able to drop $600. But until then, that extra $300 has to find it's way back into the checking account. My situation dictates that I need to find steals if I'm going to afford what I like. Unless I buy a couple to try for a few weeks, test drive them both, then sell one, I get what I get.

Now, for those who feel strongly that I should keep both, you can PayPal me $25 apiece. :D I figure a dozen of you, and I will keep em both!!!

Maybe not so obvious...
 
#13
Engine207 said:
Well, I like the looks and the feel of a J-bass. I'm just really comfortable with them. I especially like the Midnight Wine/black pickguard thing. Anytime anyone says "which bass?", there are thirty posts that say "go try 'em all and get the one that feels best".

I also don't have any active basses, which is something I've always wanted to tool around with, hence my interest in the Ibby (and the Audere upgrade).

Look, in a world where I'm a fire chief, and I make chief money - I might be able to drop $600. But until then, that extra $300 has to find it's way back into the checking account. My situation dictates that I need to find steals if I'm going to afford what I like. Unless I buy a couple to try for a few weeks, test drive them both, then sell one, I get what I get.

Now, for those who feel strongly that I should keep both, you can PayPal me $25 apiece. :D I figure a dozen of you, and I will keep em both!!!

Maybe not so obvious...
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Well, it seems to me that you like the look AND feel of the Fender, so that's what you should get. Your original post states that you will sink about $225.00 into cosmetic changes, why not keep the bass as is and hold on to the Ibanez?

Engine207 said:
Now, for those who feel strongly that I should keep both, you can PayPal me $25 apiece. :D I figure a dozen of you, and I will keep em both!!!
Click to expand...

Honestly, you need to do what you want. I don't even know why you came on here asking which bass to keep when you reacted in such a ****** way towards the people who responded.
 
#16
Before you mod the ibby, set em both up nice and spend an evening with em.....then you'll know what you want to do. IMO the ibby is a lot more bass than the Fender (especially the B string) , but it's just my free opinion worth all it cost:D
 
#17
Engine207 said:
Should I keep her...? (New Bass Day)
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Not to rain on the parade but I had one of these and it wasn't a keeper for me. Didn't like the 19MM spacing/35" scale and the tone didn't work at all for me. Seemed like the electronics were so overpowering that there was no tone from the wood coming trough at all.

I would absolutely say flip that BTB and do the mods you wanted to the Fender.
 
#19
O.K.,Being the nice guy I am,I've toiled over your dilemma,and believe I can offer a solution.
Keep the BTB incase your UPS truck gets in an accident,while watching an accident involving a cop and a drunk guy watching a kid beat squirrels w/a stick.
When that does'nt happen,play your new dreambass,realize how much you dont need that ol' BTB,and PM me about how you would rather have my cash than two guitars:)
 
#20
Michael Case said:
Your original post states that you will sink about $225.00 into cosmetic changes, why not keep the bass as is and hold on to the Ibanez?
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That's actually a pretty good point. Although the Audere is more tonal than cosmetic, and accounts for almost half of the extra spending. I would probably also do that over time, so I don't feel it as much.

Michael Case said:
Honestly, you need to do what you want. I don't even know why you came on here asking which bass to keep when you reacted in such a ****** way towards the people who responded.
Click to expand...

As for my reactions, I only reacted strongly (and appropriately) to G00D+~VIBES's statement about public safety guys getting killed in the line-of-duty. Not only was it off-topic, as he, himself, said, but it was totally uncool. No big deal, he probably didn't intend to hit a raw nerve, but still...I'm just sayin'. I posted here, like everyone else, to get other folks' takes. " Keeping both" is a valid take, but I just can't do it. So that leaves me to choose one. See?
 

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