Should I keep hunting for the ideal bass, or settle?

[Staccato]

I live on the dark side, and it's fun! 1989 Peavey Dyna Bass Active, or Passive at the flick of the switch. It's a floppy B compared to fivers being built today. Street price when new translates to over 1,000 U.S. dollars, today.

 

[Killing Floor]

Good luck. Manufacturers do not trade in perfection. But you can find what’s best for you. I wouldn’t settle with so many possibilities.

 

[vvvmmm]

Sounds like the hunt has become a trial, so, as the lawyers say, settle.

 

[onamission]

Sire P7 or LTD AP

 

[JW56789]

There's LOTS of guys who WISH they'd bought the Squier Precision Five. I did. And I know why you can't find them, no one's turning loose of them, at least not yet. It's that good.

A 24-fret five-string Precision Bass is going to be a specialist piece. However: You might find a 24-fret PJ, passive, with a separate volumes for the two pickups, hell, you could clip the lead to the Jazz pickup if you're really ate up about it. Get a neckthrough while you're at it, it makes 24 frets WAY easier to live with.

Don't over-think this. You could wait . . . . and wait . . . . . and wait . . . . and still FINALLY buy something and kick yourself about it. In fact, most likely, you will.

I think the idea of a lifetime bass for me personally is absurd. I've been playing since the 70's, and instruments and amps have improved by leaps and bounds, but also, what I THOUGHT I wanted wasn't always borne out by the instruments I bought. Over time, situations, gigs, experience, and just evolving as a person and a player will change from what you think you want (and man, I thought of some crazy s++t from time to time) to what you KNOW works for you, and what you must have in an instrument for it to suit you.

At first, you're at the start . . . . of that journey.

And oh yeah, no more beaters: Nothing says 'I'm not serious' than a crappy instrument. And it doesn't have to be expensive, but if it's noisy, won't stay in tune, and you're constantly nursing it along, it's REAL easy for a band to say 'what's that other guy's number?'.

 

[JW56789]

OK. ESP LTD AP5

EMG P/J: Silent, tone for days, passive tone.
Babicz bridge.
Grover sealed keys.
Alder body, maple neck, ebony fingerboard (yeah, I know, NOT 24-frets. Later . . . .)
Pickguard !
$895

Wouldn't call THIS settling !

 

[TheLowDown33]

Warmoth Deluxe 5 string necks have a 24 fret option. You could always cut a pickguard for the body and even rout it for a P pickup. I think it'll take a little creativity and a few power tools, but you can have your cake and eat it too pretty easily.

 

[chris_b]

Plenty of good suggestions here.

If I bought a cheap or experimental bass I'd need one that felt good to play, and then I'd probably change the pickups. But my preference is to find the bass that sounds good out of the box. Then I know what I'm getting without the "lottery" that modding can turn into.

I haven't bought many basses in my lifetime and I haven't a "sound in my head". I buy the best bass I can find and if it feels good and sounds OK, that's enough for me. I know that when fitted into my signal chain, with my amps and cabs, I can make it sound very good. So I guess I'm a make the best choice and settle guy.

 

[BasEd]

Yamaha BB235 maybe. Cheap but very well built bass so you can swap the pickups if you want. Hasn’t got 24 frets but has the versatility of a PJ. I have the BB234 with EMG PJAX pickups. Great P sound. Also not a bad J for that Jaco thing. The PJ together have a scooped sound which is surprisingly similar to my J basses.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Maruszczyk can build a 24-feet, 5-string Pbass with whatever else you want.
Link Removed

Depends on what your definition of “affordable” is...the price of a new USA Fender?

 

[Groove Doctor]

Maruszczyk and Sandberg both make 5 string Ps. So do boutique brands like Fodera, Sadowsky or Valenti. Others probably do.

Agreed.
I have TWO of the basses that fit the OP’s list.

- Tobias Classic 5 neck thru 24 fret (passive mode, solo neck pickup it’s very P bass). Weighs a tonne so I bought,,,,

- Sandberg California II. Bolt on. 22 fret. 3.7kg or 8.2lbs.

I’d at Xotic basses to that list too. They make Great 5 strings.

 

[el murdoque]

Yeah, both Maruszczyk and Sandberg will do a P 5, and both will do it for less than one might expect.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Pull, or if that is beyond your price range, go Warmth and @$_$@@ the pick guard.

I've had my Lull for 17 years, and my Fender parts bass for 35, so I think you don't settle. Spend the bucks to get what you want.

 

[lfmn16]

carvin 5 string bass - بحث Google

View attachment 4129038 View attachment 4129039 View attachment 4129040

 

[brianrost]

I always settle. Unlike the OP, I'm less picky about the spec sheet...I'm probably more picky about the color...and just play the darn thing. If it feels and sounds great, it's great. If I can afford it, it's even greater

Good luck with your search.

 

[ardgedee]

Find a good PJ bass that has, other than the J and electronics, everything you want. Then take it to a luthier and ask them to remove the bridge pickup and rewire it to your specifications. Depending on the bass you pick up this will be cheaper than most custom options.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

IMHO, there are not much 24 fret basses with pickguards in classic terms, because that look doesn't work.. You want a classic P style body w/ a pickguard, but if you have 24 frets, you'll either have a tiny body that won't look classic, and pickguards won't look classic on them because of that, or if you use a big classic body, then your neck will be too long and again it won't look right and it will be too cumbersome to play plus you might get a neck dive. A classic looking P bass conflicts with the other aspects you're looking for. 24 frets, neck through body, 5 strings etc.

There's another thread about the new Jackson bass that has a Rick pickguard, '80s pointy headstock and bright color, a Precision Pickup, and a Jazz Pickup, a vintage chrome cover and modern actice electronics. It looks the opposite of what you'd call 'classic', and IMHO just plain weird in a not so good way.

 

[Ben Rose]

Matt Pulcinella Guitars is another option. His Level 5 is a 24 fret 5 string. I have seen them with P pickups and pickguards and his basses are a very good value for a custom build.

 

[wraub]

I chased one particular bass for about 5-6 years, and finding one was worth it to me, then.
That was an active 5 string.

In the name of simple, I now play a passive 4 string P bass that could be described as a beater, it's been refinned and has lots of scars and scratches. I play it because of this- it takes away another level of concern for me.
Not being worried about preserving my pristine bass has led me to interesting sonic places and onstage behaviors.

That said, it has a lot of aftermarket under the pickguard.
There's no shame in finding the right bass, and no shame in making the bass right for you. It's an open playbook.

 

[fhm555]

I spent tons of money and time looking for the bass that was going to take my playing to the next level. I had a largish pile of basses at any given time and was always playing a couple to decide which of the two I liked and which had to go. I didn't have anything specific in mind except how well it played and sounded, everything else was variable. It turned out to be a brand new Jazz Plus, which I reluctantly tried after the music shop minion urged me to try it. When I got one home it took me about a day to realize it was what I was looking for and started offloading my stack of contenders.
Point being if you set out to only be happy with a strict set of specifications and you are not trying to replace a lost or stolen longtime favorite bass, you are simply making your life difficult and setting yourself up for disappointment. What happens if you pull the trigger on a full custom built exactly as you want it and feels like a turd in your hands or sounds like poopie? If you must have the bass you described, be prepared to spend a lot on basses you think will fill your wants but don't quite live up to your expectations. I'm not the only one who's been there done that.