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Thinkin bout a cheapo 5er

#21
USA Peavey....i love USA Peavey in general but i literally stole a mid 90's USA Foundation 5 with the VFL's for under $100....stupid cheap, only cosmetic thing was a huge belt buckle rash on the back....weird because this particular pawn usually prices things fairly (below Ebay) but never hits the floor this cheap.....BUT the bridge was slightly off center and perfectly playable action, i went ahead and pulled the bridge and moved it over just a bit, filling the holes and redrilling....its perfect now......ive compared to many $500 to $1000 basses and overall it needs nothing, bridge is solid, pickups excellent, neck excellent, tuners etc.

Nearly the same deal with a Dean fretless 5er.....Korean built, 3 piece neck and sounds very good overall....dont know the model exactly (pulled the trussrod cover off, its not close at hand) but this particular bass was street priced at around $400-500 range new....under $200.
 
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#23
Wademeister63 said:
REALLY! I had no complaints about the pickups from playing in the store, but developing neck issues on two out of three basses is definitely cause for some concern. Tell me more, like what issues developed and how severe? I may actually consider returning the bass on the way home from work today based on your info :(
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THIS is why i buy used basses at least 10 years old or more......ive never encountered neck issues i couldnt work out myself....i dont trust new wood as much as many folks.
 
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#26
Alfonso Alba said:
Glad you found your bass!

I'm also considering a fiver and I'm torn between the Sterling (by MusicMan) SUB Ray-5 and the Squier VM Precision V. Tried the SUB 5 at a store and it sounded and felt very good. Currently own a (4-string) Squier VM Jazz Fretless.
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Before buying my SUB I was in the same situation, but in my case it was a VM Jazz instead of VM Precision. Although i chose the SUB I think VM are pretty good too. I think you should choose depending on the sound you want, as both of them are good instruments and same price (at least here, idk in usa)
 
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#27
Looks like lots of love for the stingrays. I had an EBMM Stingray 5 once and never got along with that one too well. Was heavy as heck and I really missed not having a neck pickup. I'm kind of on the fence now between either returning my affinity and going pawn shop hopping, or just hanging onto it in hopes that mine doesn't develop issues later. I don't go for super low action so what might be a problem for some guys may not bother me at all...
 
#28
Wademeister63 said:
REALLY! I had no complaints about the pickups from playing in the store, but developing neck issues on two out of three basses is definitely cause for some concern. Tell me more, like what issues developed and how severe? I may actually consider returning the bass on the way home from work today based on your info :(
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Well, I believe the issues both of the necks had were there from the beginning...and not that they formed over time. It seemed that when I tightened the truss rod, the area of the neck at the 1st fret started to back-bow before the rest of the neck straightened out. This caused the strings to buzz when fretted on the 1st, but then were fine on the 2nd and above.
I have seen other Affinity basses with necks that were straight as arrows, just so happened that mine were a bit whacky.
I think that if your neck is dead-straight, then it will be fine for the long-haul.
 
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#31
I have a Schecter Deluxe 5 I picked up used at the same time my son picked up his Yamaha TRBX305.
Both these basses were bought used - the Schecter for $150, the Yamaha...for $100. :)
In comparing the two, the Schecter was actually the better bass in my opinion for the following reasons - the Yamaha is good too, just not the right bass for me.

-it's 35" scale not 34" so that extra length means the B string is tighter. No floppy B string.
-Light in weight.
-Neck is sweet and slim in comparison (you can visibly see it in the picture-some like it slim, some want more string spacing)
-Quality is really good, sound is great considering the price - the Deluxe is the most inexpensive line I believe and it still sounds pretty darn good. Elite and Studio use EMG pickups.
-Used, these go for a great price.

Being that I'm primarily a 4 string player, I didn't want to spend all that much on a fiver so I have owned a MIM Fender Jazz V, various Ibanez five strings, Peavey Grind, a Squier, Sterling Sub V and imo, the Schecter is better bass in that price range, for me anyway. a good used MIM Fender Jazz V a very close second, only issue I had with that was the wide neck in comparison. The Schecter totally smokes the Squier I once had.If I were to look into Squier basses, I would probably opt for a VM or CV.

I'm really loving this cheap Schecter I may consider staying with 5 string basses and perhaps trading some of my four string basses for higher model Schecters.

Edit: The op already bought the bass but considering returning it.


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#33
There are some great used Spector, Yamaha, Ibanez and Musicman basses in that price range. The Korean made Spectors are actually very nice. Don't assume that used basses are junk that other people are trying to get rid of. I almost always buy used. As long as you know what you're looking at you should be fine.
 
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#34
electracoyote said:
For my money, the words, "You Get What You Pay For" were never more appropriate than with a five-string bass.

I bought a budget model to see if I liked it, re-sold it and recovered my total investment, and then spent serious coin on a serious fiver. Sooo glad I did.
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It can be the opposite in pawns in my area....i've seen a fairly big number of mid to higher grade import 5er's the past year or 2 for a fraction of new street price BUT, they are usually the Washburn, Schecter, Dean types etc..

Otoh, At music stores i rarely see deals on 5er's in my area....but i dont see many 5 strings in general.

When you can find USA Peavey and mid to upper end Korean stuff used, those are the deals in my area...i avoid most Chinese but some of the Indonesian stuff is looking good used.

$200 to $300 used will buy 90's Peavey USA and some of those are killer basses.
 
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#36
Had an even shorter honeymoon!! Bought the Squier at lunchtime and returned it after work. Never even took it out of the box while I owned it, sheeeeze.... Stopped at 3 different places on my way home and found nothing interesting. But you guys have given me lots of ideas, thanks. I'm thinking I'll keep looking for something around town. Maybe eventually I'll run across something nice at a good price if I keep at it. I especially like the Peavy or Yamaha suggestions, but you just never know what might turn up. Or if nothing else, I could always grab the Squier from GC...
 
#38
I had a Peavey (BXP?) grind 6 at one time and it seems like it was a decent bass. Maybe the neck heel was kind of clumsily made, which was aesthetically displeasing but the function was fine. 6 strings was just too much work for me though. I think that's the one more than any other that pushed me back toward preferring 4's.
 

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