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There's an old saying... [NBD}

#22
Thanks guys. I'm a sucker for nice looking wood and stone. When I got to the store there was another dude playing it and I thought he was buying it for sure. When I first saw him playing it it was an OMG moment. It's not the body style that I imagined. I saw myself with a J Bass 5 string or something similar. I was looking to spend around $300 for a bass... but this one went "a bit" over budget. Just had to have it and I think I got it at a fair price. Only one teeny ding and a small depression where the previous player obviously placed his thumb. The original owner didn't even bother to take the protective plastic off!One of the replies got me concerned about the wide neck, but I really didn't notice when I bought it and string 5 feels like I have to reach a bit, but hey- it's a 5 string. I'm used to a slim 4 string neck with my Squier VM.

As a guitar player I've been working on lightening my touch and stroke. So after an evening of playing bass I picked up my Taylor acoustic and couldn't believe how lightly I could play on it. It was super easy to play and the tone just jumped out of it. A great side benefit! I know I have to do the same thing with my bass playing too.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
#25
Killed_by_Death said:
It looks nice & probably sounds great, but BTB are kind of notorious for being heavy.
My BTB300 looked great & sounded great, but after 6 months I sold it, because after playing it for just 45 minutes I'd have an aching back & neck. (9-3/4 lbs)
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A bit heavy. 9.6 pounds- I weighed it. Only 1 pound heavier than my Chinese Les Paul which is the same weight as my American Deluxe Strat. I've discovered that plain old 3.5" straps distribute weight far better than any others, even padded straps and don't add to the weight. I've just picked up three more of them, black and brown at $11 and the red one for $16. Pretty amazing deal, all things considered. Still deciding which one to use on this bass.

straps.jpg
 
#28
vindibona1 said:
That old saying goes...
"Coffee leads to donuts. Donuts leads to ants."

Truer words are rarely spoken. If you followed the thread regarding the conundrum of whether I should do a setup on my Squier VM 70's, yes I sent it for a setup and fret level. But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum [pun intended]... I couldn't help myself.

I've been eyeing a 5 string bass and went to check out a LTD 5 string that was advertised for $280. Alas that one had been placed on layaway. But another one caught my eye and I couldn't resist. It was a work of art, if not a musical instrument. I'd probably have taken it home if it were to just hang on my wall. I did a little negotiating (more like begging), and after a few moments I was walking out the door with it (and have 45 days to take it back if I don't want to keep it). It was more money than I was thinking about, but I don't know that I could ever have gotten this good a bass for the money I spent (PM me if you need to know how much ).

The thing is in mint condition. Still had the plastic protective sheets on it. Bartolini BH-1 pickups (I'm not familiar with the BH-1's so someone please enlighten me... but Bartolini???) How could I not????

Looking for your thoughts, good or bad cause I have 45 days, so I need the truth.
So without further adieu....

View attachment 2928598 View attachment 2928599 View attachment 2928600 View attachment 2928601
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The btb basses are pretty good basses for the money in my opinion. Not the be all end all, but as good or better than most basses of the prices. Should really be a personal decision. How's it feels for you. Does the neck and string spacing feel good?
 
#29
Killed_by_Death said:
I guess my solution should have been to work on my core & then I wouldn't notice how heavy they are, but I've sold two great basses due to weight.
Both were great joys to own at first, but then over time I realized why I wasn't playing them as much as the light cheap bass next to them, LOL!
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Nephilymbass said:
The btb basses are pretty good basses for the money in my opinion. Not the be all end all, but as good or better than most basses of the prices. Should really be a personal decision. How's it feels for you. Does the neck and string spacing feel good?
Click to expand...

In terms of bass weight all I have to compare is my Squier which is pretty heavy compared to my other guitars, particularly my Fender Strats/Teles. Probably lighter than my Gibson Standard Les Paul. I'll have to weigh the Squier when I get it back tomorrow night.

@Nephilybass... The one thing about neophites (me)is that they don't have the experience to know what they truly like until they get some more experience. I thought it was time to graduate to a more serious bass, but without breaking the bank. This one just happened to come along. It wasn't even listed for sale! Without disclosing what I paid, it was less than a Fender MIM 5 string and wasn't all that much more than had I bought a new Squier VM 5 string. I played it all day yesterday and while of course an adjustment, I didn't find anything that was objectionable except for a very few sharp fret ends which I've taken care of (I'm insane about sharp frets). I guess I'm going to have to work with it in some real bass amps so see how I like the sound. Again, I've got 44 more days to decide.

Edit: I got to play it a short while paying attention to the neck. It seems that the width shouldn't be an issue as my fingers are long enough to get to the 5th string without having to roll my hand over the fingerboard for reach. The neck reminds me of a modified version of the Wizard II neck that I had on an Ibanez guitar a couple years back. The radius of the back of the neck appears to be compound graduating from a thin C shape at the top to a flat D shape up the neck. It will be interesting how I transition from 4 strings to 5.
 
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