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Which five string for me?

N

nboyer941

Jul 22, 2008
528
13
Burnsville, MN
#1
I know you guys seem to hate these questions, but I think I can be fairly specific.

I played a MIA 08 4 string fender pbass with Lindy pus for the last 8 months. About 1.5 months ago I got picked up for a working dance variety band. They immediately said I needed a new "rig." I knew this wasn't the case, (carvin bx500 and gk 212 neo cab) but they didn't like my tone and I didn't either.

I borrowed an ibanez sr1200 from a friend and absolutely love it. The entire band noticed a huge difference in tone and everyone is happy, including me.

Now, its time to get into a five string because a hand full of songs call for it. I've never really owned one and I'm stumped on where to go. I'm testing out a peavy accelerator fiver right now. I like it, but would like to see what else is out there.

I think I'd like to stay away from fenders. It needs to be active with good tonal options. It needs to be light weight because I don't like heavy basses for 4 hour gigs.

price range $400-$800. (if there is something higher end that I really like, I could sell the fender and I'd have about $1500 to spend.)

I look forward to hearing ideas. thanks.
 
#2
wow - I have a '04-ish P w/ lindy's and I cant imagine anything I couldnt over w/ it (except lower notes :D)

for that $$ I'd check out the new rock basses from warwick. I played one a while back and was blown away. I believe the price tag was under 1k. something amazing about wick necks. . .

i've seen people rave about g and l tributes too. played a used one and it wasnt bad. smaller than I thought, oddly, but didnt get to spend much time w/ it
 
#4
pasta4lnch said:
wow - I have a '04-ish P w/ lindy's and I cant imagine anything I couldnt over w/ it (except lower notes :D)

for that $$ I'd check out the new rock basses from warwick. I played one a while back and was blown away. I believe the price tag was under 1k. something amazing about wick necks. . .

i've seen people rave about g and l tributes too. played a used one and it wasnt bad. smaller than I thought, oddly, but didnt get to spend much time w/ it
Click to expand...

That is what i thought too. But when I tried the sr1200, it was like bass notes from heaven....soooo much better sounding, more round, colorful, yada yada.

I really wanted to keep my fender in action because I was attached to it, but it just doesn't have the tone we're looking for.

Also...Note that I've only been playing for about 3 years, so I don't have a ton of experience.
 
#9
If you have the local resources go try out a Lakland 55-01. It's one of the best basses I've ever owned and it's very versatile for different types of styles. They start around $800 and you can probably pick one up used for $600. I own some high end 4 strings and I went shopping around with about $1,500 for a good 5 string and after playing about 20 or so different basses I picked the 55-01. The only issue I have with it is that the pickups seem very touchy being the Bartolini MK1 series I'm always changing the preamp between songs but some people like that sort of thing.
 
#10
Sounds like an Ibanez 5-er is right up your alley, the only this to consider is the narrow string spacing. They are very light and comfortable, have nice slim necks, some have great looking natural woods if you're into that, and almost all of them are active. But their string spacing at the bridge is about the tightest that you can find, so you really need to try before you buy. If you do nothing but fingerstyle it's probably not an issue but many people have a hard time trying to slap with them. IMO, I really wish I could play one, because I love everything else about them, but the string spacing is a deal breaker for me. You may not care though, once you've tried it.

I'm curious about you're friend's that you played, what vintage is it? I thought the 1200 was an older model but I could be mistaken. If it is, the electronics on the newer ones are quite a bit different.
 
#11
Infidelity said:
I think I'd like to stay away from fenders. It needs to be active with good tonal options. It needs to be light weight because I don't like heavy basses for 4 hour gigs.

Why not get an ibanez if they want the tone of an ibby there's nothing wrong with that?
Click to expand...
rock bass is by warwick. and they're pretty damn light. you can also get them active, and they have good tonal options.
 
#17
DaLoCo said:
Rockbass...the new 2010 model, look for an Corvette $$ or a Streamer $$ model. very easy to play with lots of space for tone. I also own a Ibanez BTB, and my Corvette $$ Rockbass beats it in all areas, including weight. (maybe not looks)
Click to expand...

+1 for Ibanez BTB (i.e. 405QM), but it's a 35" scale as opposed to P-Bass which is 34". Try to check one out in a shop and make sure you're comfortable with it.
 
#18
Infidelity said:
really? All of the warwick basses I've tried is either boat anchor or neck dive machine.. Thats just my experience with wicks..

I have to say go with Ibanez they are really good for the price you are paying.. :)
Click to expand...

I've read this a lot too . . . and all of the wicks I've ever played seem really light. maybe it was by chance (or I have a high threshold for heavy?)
 
#19
just got back from GC. I tryed an ibanes sr 505. I was very impressed. Had bartoleni m1 pus.

I really liked it. It was $570 and they offered me a 15% coupon.

I dislike buying big items from them.



I tried a warwick and was turned off....Mainly from how it was setup and had dirty old strings. I really like the ibanez.
 

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