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Which bass would you chose?

If you had $4,500 to spend on a bass, what would you chose from below (feel free to suggest one)

  • Total voters
    200
#61
Although I voted Sadowsky, here’s what I would do…

Go to Scott’s Bass Lessons and join the 2-week free trial. Get the 10%off discount code for Elrick basses and buy this bass. It’s 34” scale, handcarved by Rob Elrick himself, lightweight, and some of the best action you’ll ever play. Also, the Bartolini electronics are hard to beat (and if you buy it, I can stop looking at it).

https://www.elrick.com/product/e2024/

IMG_8971.webp
 
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#62
tb-player said:
Although I voted Sadowsky, here’s what I would do…

Go to Scott’s Bass Lessons and join the 2-week free trial. Get the 10%off discount code for Elrick basses and buy this bass. It’s 34” scale, handcarved by Rob Elrick himself, lightweight, and some of the best action you’ll ever play. Also, the Bartolini electronics are hard to beat (and if you buy it, I can stop looking at it).

https://www.elrick.com/product/e2024/

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I already had an Elrick, I did not care much for it! Great basses, I was not a fan of the tone
 
#63
ragetoca said:
I already had an Elrick, I did not care much for it! Great basses, I was not a fan of the tone
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Did you have a jazz? Or one of his basses with soapbars? The soapbars are very different from the jazz pickups.

If Elrick’s not your deal, then +1 for Mike Lull. I’ve owned a few of their basses and they’re absolutely spectacular.
 
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#64
tb-player said:
Did you have a jazz? Or one of his basses with soapbars? The soapbars are very different from the jazz pickups.

If Elrick’s not your deal, then +1 for Mike Lull. I’ve owned a few of their basses and they’re absolutely spectacular.
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Thanks! I am seriously considering a Lull, my Favorite bass Player Adam Nitti swears by them! I would need to find a 34" scale......I would probably change the preamp to a Sadowsky
 
#66
ragetoca said:
Thanks! I am seriously considering a Lull, my Favorite bass Player Adam Nitti swears by them! I would need to find a 34" scale......I would probably change the preamp to a Sadowsky
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A bit off-topic, but if you decide to change the preamp, the Trickfish J Core Jazz preamp is my new go-to preamp. I installed one in my M5V and I couldn’t be happier.

Drop-in style, crazy easy installation.
 
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#69
ragetoca said:
Thanks! I am seriously considering a Lull, my Favorite bass Player Adam Nitti swears by them! I would need to find a 34" scale......I would probably change the preamp to a Sadowsky
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The Sadowsky pre has such a baked-in tone. You might as well just get a Sadowsky. If you're getting a Lull, I say go with the Trickfish pre. That's what they're putting in everything now and it's fantastic. I had it in my last M5V and it was literally perfect. I wish I'd kept that one.
 
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#73
Maaaannnn… This is tough, for sure. This won’t be helpful because I don’t know your situation. A feel like an F-Bass would be a wonderful instrument but you can go wrong with a NYC Sadowsky. Lulls are also amazing.

Where are you at, man? Are you gigging? I’d be hard pressed to bring a $4500 bass to a gig or on the road. The Saratoga would be an amazing modern sounding bass IMO.

My situation… I’ve had some amazing basses. MTD, Benevente, Sadowsky, Zon, Lull. When I gigged I would take my cheaper basses, a G&L L-2500 and Mexican P-bass deluxe. Recently I don’t play with anyone and have sold my expensive basses, my most “precious” one being a MTD Kingston Super 5. I recently bought a Yamaha BB734, an interface and MacBook M4 and Novation LaunchKey 37. I have a couple guitar and make my own music. I guess what I’m saying is that for $4500 you could get a solid recording setup and I really can’t tell you how inspiring that is in spite of a bit of a learning curve. Whenever I’ve bought a really nice bass it gives me goosebumps for a few months then I’ve got a pretty piece of $4500 wood sitting on a rack.

I guess what I’m saying is “do whatever inspires you”. Big love
 
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#74
BHughes81 said:
Maaaannnn… This is tough, for sure. This won’t be helpful because I don’t know your situation. A feel like an F-Bass would be a wonderful instrument but you can go wrong with a NYC Sadowsky. Lulls are also amazing.

Where are you at, man? Are you gigging? I’d be hard pressed to bring a $4500 bass to a gig or on the road. The Saratoga would be an amazing modern sounding bass IMO.

My situation… I’ve had some amazing basses. MTD, Benevente, Sadowsky, Zon, Lull. When I gigged I would take my cheaper basses, a G&L L-2500 and Mexican P-bass deluxe. Recently I don’t play with anyone and have sold my expensive basses, my most “precious” one being a MTD Kingston Super 5. I recently bought a Yamaha BB734, an interface and MacBook M4 and Novation LaunchKey 37. I have a couple guitar and make my own music. I guess what I’m saying is that for $4500 you could get a solid recording setup and I really can’t tell you how inspiring that is in spite of a bit of a learning curve. Whenever I’ve bought a really nice bass it gives me goosebumps for a few months then I’ve got a pretty piece of $4500 wood sitting on a rack.

I guess what I’m saying is “do whatever inspires you”. Big love
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I do travel a bit and when I do I bring my japanese sadowsky (blue on my wall) - if I buy this bass I would use it for local playing. Thanks for the advice!
 
#77
Kinda depends on how much coin you want to drop on one of these instruments. On the practical side I've never played a Lakland Bass
that I didn't like, I own two 55-94's which is a hybrid of the Music Man and Fender Jazz Bass that bass is their sweet spot. The pickup configration
lets you get either of the Fender Jazz pickup spacings. I think if I wanted a 5 string jazz then the Sadowsky would be my choice. It would also depend on where I lived in respect to the builder. I live nearest Chicago so Lakland is it for me. If I lived east it would likely be a Sadowsky. If west a Mike Lull. Just my take however
 
#79
I haven't played all of those and haven't owned any of them, but every Lull I've played has been spectacular so I'd have 100% confidence buying one.

For my J5, I bought a Sandberg TT-5 Superlight, which meets all your criteria and could be worth a try. It's well under your budget. The build quality and playability are excellent, and apart from slightly weak output on the A string (through some rigs), the tone is great too. It might be closer to traditional than you want, but some Sandbergs come with Delano pickups, which might provide something you'd prefer. Also, even the regular weight models are often around eight pounds, which is great.

Mine is exactly like this one:

basscentral.com

Sandberg TT-5 SuperLight, Matte Black / Maple *6.9 Lbs. On Order, ETA Aug. 2025

Sandberg TT-5 SuperLight, Matte Black / Maple *In Stock, 6.5 Lbs.!
basscentral.com basscentral.com
 
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