Tight budget, serious bass?

[J_Bass]

currently only jazz (on my double bass)

Ah, so you play double bass.

In this band you don't want to use the DB, but also don't want the sound to be to "electric", is that it?

If so, Precision bass with Flatwounds like Labella Precision Flats, tone knob middle way or less and, if needed, some foam on the bridge. You don't need to search more.

It will serve you well for that purpose and you will have the most consensual bass there is.

 

[knight of ni]

One last thought - over the decades, Yamaha has always impressed me as providing tremendous value and quality control at any price point.

^this, exactly.

 

[Pedro Carvalho]

Just found an American Professional Jazz Bass for just under 800... Should i do it? (Add some flats on it maybe)

 

[SgtHulka]

Just found an American Professional Jazz Bass for just under 800... Should i do it? (Add some flats on it maybe)

I wouldn't call $800 "a tight budget". There are tons of those MIA jazzes out there and that is not *that* good of a deal. At around $800 I'd be looking to get a Reverend Mercalli for one, and there are lots of very high quality options beyond a jazz. Ask @jd56hawk how nice they are.

There is a Yamaha 734 in the classifieds right now that I would take all day for $525 over the jazz.

 

[GIBrat51]

I have around a 700$ budget... Looking for an "upright bass-y" sound for my big band, but also something versatile for other opportunities that might come along ..
was thinking:
site P7 / M7 line
Yamaha BB734 or TRB1004J
Fender Player Jaguar
ESP AP4
Sandberg Electra vs4
Sterling by Musicman Ray Classic 24
(5 strings are also an option)

what would you say to be the best out of these, and what would you add?

For your stated uses? Personally, I wouldn't buy any of them (they are all nice ones, though); but, if I had to pick one? A Sire P7. An active bass, with flat wounds, should sort of do what you primarily want it to do... Again, personally? Since you're going to buy from Thomann, a cursory look at their UK website turned these up. They're all semi-hollowbody basses; which, in my experience, do a better job of faking an upright bass than any solid body bass:
- D'Angelico Premier
- Thomann RB 414CS
- Thomann HB-60 WB
The Gretsch Electromatic would be a good one, too; but that's a little pricey. Same for the Hofner Club bass; and, a Hofner, with a floating bridge and guitar sized tuners, has issues you may not want to deal with... Out of all my basses, the one that, to my ears, comes closest to the upright sound, is this old, Korean-made Rogue VB-100, with a set of Rotosound TruBass 88 tapewound strings on it. But, I'd be the first to admit that versatile, it's not...