I know this is a really cheap bass, but in the last week I have played two, and I think they would make a great project bass for anyone so inclined. The ones I have played have weak pickups, and are noisy, but they also are very light, easy to play, have decent string spacing, and get a decent jazz sound. If you crank the amp, they can even get into Marcus Miller slap territory. I would love to play one with good pickups, a good setup, and maybe a new bridge. I bet it would be one killer J-style bass.
I had an MB-4 back in the mid-90's when they were a part of the Fender line. I loved that bass and wish I still had it. It was very light and easy to play. I didn't make any mods to mine.
I had one of the Japanese Fender made ones. It was a great bass but the string spacing was WAY too tight.
I got an MB-5 back in 1996 as my first five-stringer. Over time I made a number of mods to it, namely replacing the pickups and electronics and making a few other enhancements to give it a more upmarket feel. Now it's pretty much relegated to backup status as I prefer a wider string spacing and better ergonomics, but still is fun to play and brings back memories of my college days. Still a very capable bass and it served me very well. Lonnybass
Hi. I recently bought a MB-5. It's a very nice bass. It's light and has an easy to play neck. The sound is very good for a $240 bass. This bass will be my project. It has control cavity so it won't be too hard to mod. I will add a Badass V and change the tuners. Can you guys recommend a preamp. Im looking for a Passive/Active - High/Low EQ - Pan preamp that will fit the bass. Also I would like to know wich pickups will fit this bass. {} Thanks
I was able to get the EMG J5 with the stacked BTC into mine. A fairly straightforward upgrade. The trickiest part was enlarging the tone hole to fit the wider pot. Lonnybass
Here a little demo: mb-5.mp3 - 3.44MB -Both Pickups/Tone Open -Neck Pickup/Tone Open -Bridge Pickup/Tone Open -Both Pickups/Tone Closed -Neck Pickup/Tone Closed -Bridge Pickup/Tone Closed -More Neck/Halfway Tone
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