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Top 5 Basses around $1500

~Ethan~

~Ethan~

Dec 3, 2008
258
2
Abilene, TX
#1
I recently watched a short interview with Mark King and something he said got me thinking. He was asked what tips,ect. he had for begining bassists and such, and one thing he said was to get the best bass you can get. That it will really change your tone, playability, and make it much more enjoyable to play.
So I took this to thought and realized that higher end basses are much easier and a pleasure to play. Not that you have to have a $5,000 bass to get that mind you.
But I realized I need to upgrade. Currently playing a Squire P-bass. It's my baby and it's more comfortable for me to play than most of the basses at guitar center.
But it is leaving me feeling limited. I've come to the conclusion that if I'm going to be a better bass player, I need a better bass.

So, to the main point.
I'm about to be getting a job and will be saving up. My budget is going to be around $1500.
What I would like from you, is to list your top 5 brands. No fender, gibson, ect. I'm thinking along the lines of Fodera, Peavey Cirrus, Kingston, ect.

BTW, I'm looking for a 6'er.

Thank you.
 
#2
fodera NYC
Warrior dran michael kings closet.
Warwick thumb 5 NT
Tobias 5 (nashville,or made by mike)
I know you said no fender..but..I like the roscoe beck five and just tried the 62 fender american jazz at sam ash..dam it sounded badass..jaco tone all the way.
 
#6
That's a pretty drastic jump going from a Squire P-bass to a 'best $1500 bass'.

Honestly... and personally... I'd test some different models and designs of basses prior to committing to a $1500 6-string bass. The jump from a basic P-bass to a 6-string is pretty large, and unless you're ready 'technically' you may find that you end up primarily playing hte old Squier and the 6-string sitting idle.

IMHO.

.
 
#7
You can scratch out Fodera, even the NYC's. They'll run you $2000+ used, and the Imperials, Emperors, Monarchs, etc. will run you $5000+ used on a good day. I was actually in your shoes, kind of, after I played a Fodera Emperor BO 6'er. I loved the feel and the tone of that bass, just couldn't afford the $5000 it took to buy it used. I shopped around for a decent 6 string and a Peavey Cirrus 6'er fell in my lap at $800 BRAND NEW!!! I lie not. It has a redwood top and a maple FB. there's a maple top one in the classifieds for around $950 I think. They can be had for around the price you're looking to spend.

There's also Gibson Tobiases, Elricks, Warriors (as mentioned), MTD's (not USA), etc. Look around during your time of working and saving. Also, shop around and play stuff too. AND DON'T, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, SETTLE FOR SOMETHING LESS!!! YOU'LL HATE YOURSELF LATER.

Here's a pic of my 2 week old Cirrus:

CIMG1332.jpg
 
#9
Sherwood said:
You settled for something less, though, right? Or do you consider the Peavey to be the equal of the Fodera?
Click to expand...

I knew in my mind that I wasn't going to be able to afford any kind of Fodera any time soon so I opted for a high quality bass, in which I got. What I mean by don't settle is to not see a bass after saving for a few months and snag it up just because you can afford it when you're really saving for something else. If he's saving $1500 for a bass, don't settle for a $500 MIM Fender or Ibanez.
 
#12
capnsandwich said:
What I mean by don't settle is to not see a bass after saving for a few months and snag it up just because you can afford it when you're really saving for something else. If he's saving $1500 for a bass, don't settle for a $500 MIM Fender or Ibanez.
Click to expand...

Ah, gotcha. Good advice, without a doubt. I spent way the heck too much money on my bass, but I can't put the thing down, and I can't imagine a world where it's not absolutely top shelf.

To that end, look for a used Dingwall AB II-6. I love my 5.
 
#18
Dan Knowlton said:
Lakland.....
Click to expand...

I would have totally said that too... but too bad he's looking for a 6 string.

In that price range, the choices get exponentially bigger than if you were buying in the beginner's bass range.

What kind of music do you play? How long have you been playing? What other preferences do you like? And mind you, like the poster above, I agree with him that the jump from a Squier to a 'high end' 6-er is pretty big.

Might I suggest looking for a 5-er?

In any case, my votes go out to a used USA Peavey Cirrus, or MTD Kingston KZ6
 
#19
~Ethan~ said:
So I took this to thought and realized that higher end basses are much easier ... to play.
Click to expand...


Absolutely untrue.

Some high end basses are better than more "standard" basses, some aren't. High dollar value doesn't necessarily equate to "the best bass for ME".

Take your $1500 and try every single bass you can with a value up to around $2000 - $2300. See what YOU like. If it is above your budget, you can look for a used one. If you happen to like something less expensive, great ! Don't get hung up on what the bass costs... get hung up on how it feels and sounds to YOU.

Things like Foderas, Ritters, etc are great basses, but if they were the "be all, end all" basses, you wouldn't ever find used ones. Remember... "best bass" is only the "best" if it applies to YOU.

My $.02
 
#20
When I was 17 I tried the Jump from 4 to Six String. I now have a six string that remains ~useless. I paid $500 for my Lightwave saber - that thing is damn good for the price and I am now looking to upgrade to a 5 ~$1,000.

be wary if the high C String, in my country those frequencies are too high for bass players to deal with. I also once dreamt of a low F# (correct me if I'm wrong 27Hz), but you can't just slap a string like that onto any 34" scale bass.

I don't know if you've seen the new Dingwall Combustion - I'm waiting to see what the general consensus is on those before biting the bullet and getting myself a real Dingwall. I'll have to give up optical pickups (which I love), but you can not complain about a 37 inch B (32 Hz I think).
 

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