I'm wondering why the Pedulla is selling for so little. Is everything OK with it?
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Which Should I get?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I am expecting my eldest to cover at least 2/3 with grants and scholarships, and hopefully more than that.
pedulla no question. It's as miracle to find an affordable pedulla. You can get a Rick any day of the week. Just my $.02
It’s in a pawn shop in a neighborhood where there is zero interest in a high end fretless. The owner had both a vintage P and the Pedulla. He decided that he only wanted the Precision back.
Clearly, the only solution for your dilemma is to get both basses and have your kids work their own way through college. 
I don't think you are going to be happy with either bass long term. Just my opinion based on being here for years. You are super GASy my friend. I would stash that money and chill for a while. Just my opinion.
I'm not sure I could think of two more different basses, so this is actually a good question.
IMO, totally a reflection of your personality at the time you make the buy. The Buzz is the more buttoned-down, refined, "high-end" bass, while the Ric is the once and current icon of rock & roll bass.
I'd probably go with the Buzz, but only you can make the call for yourself.
IMO, totally a reflection of your personality at the time you make the buy. The Buzz is the more buttoned-down, refined, "high-end" bass, while the Ric is the once and current icon of rock & roll bass.
I'd probably go with the Buzz, but only you can make the call for yourself.
I may have lost track, but why are you wanting to "make" a fretless 5 string your main bass? Is it because the Pedula is available?
I'm not bashing you, I thought about making a fretless 5 string my main/only bass a while back when I had that amazing Roscoe as well. Turns out that while I love that sound, I am better off with what I do now with a fretted. If I only played at church, did jazz and pit gigs, I'd probably rethink it. And yeah, I know that Jack Bruce and others played fretless exclusively and rocked it, but it seems for my cover band gig I need a fretted bass. And it also works fine for church and occasional jazz/pit gigs.
When I quit the cover band thing and just play at church, or do jazz stuff, or just play in my basement, I will think very hard about going exclusively fretless...maybe even just 4 strings.
I once put a Pedulla Buzz Bass in layaway, then let it go because I felt certain I wouldn't gig a fretless much, if at all. It was a great deal on the Pedulla and I have occasional moments of regret, but not much. I do, however, have a couple of Rickenbackers that DO get played. Unless you're pretty certain you're going to want the fretless sound on everything you play, I'd recommend the Ric.
Which axe is likely to be more useful for you right now, and a year or two from now? I have a bias - I think the Pentabuzz is a marvelous instrument, and have never particularly like Rics, but if the Ric really feels like home to you, who am I to judge?
That said, at $995, assuming all is OK (recall that Pedullas require a special truss rod tool, so check and see that the nut works right - apparently the cube of metal that interfaces with that truss tool can easily break off if a regular wrench has been used), you'd have a bass that otherwise goes in the $1800-2400 range on TB. So if the Pedulla does not work out for you, you could flip it and make money. However, I'd really want to make sure that the Pedulla is working as it should, and I'd give that neck and fretboard a serious eyeball for wear or any irregularities - Pedulla repairs are best done by Pedulla himself, which is not cheap, especially with shipping to MA. I'd also want to make sure I'm cool with that body shape for long periods of playing, across the full range of the fretboard.
With the chance to profit if you don't dig the Pedulla, it would seem to be a no-brainer, particularly if you are serious about digging into fretless for a while. But again, what are your needs and aspirations?
That said, at $995, assuming all is OK (recall that Pedullas require a special truss rod tool, so check and see that the nut works right - apparently the cube of metal that interfaces with that truss tool can easily break off if a regular wrench has been used), you'd have a bass that otherwise goes in the $1800-2400 range on TB. So if the Pedulla does not work out for you, you could flip it and make money. However, I'd really want to make sure that the Pedulla is working as it should, and I'd give that neck and fretboard a serious eyeball for wear or any irregularities - Pedulla repairs are best done by Pedulla himself, which is not cheap, especially with shipping to MA. I'd also want to make sure I'm cool with that body shape for long periods of playing, across the full range of the fretboard.
With the chance to profit if you don't dig the Pedulla, it would seem to be a no-brainer, particularly if you are serious about digging into fretless for a while. But again, what are your needs and aspirations?
This is good advice. It does seem almost too good to be true. If it is indeed in working condition, why not buy it for $1,000 and sell it for $2,000? Take the money you made from the sale and use it for the Ric, which is the bass I think you should buy if you have to buy something.
Or, buy and sell the Pedula and use the $1,000 for debt reduction, or a trip, or something like that and keep playing the bass(es) you have. One is a Lakland, right? That's a bass that'll do a lot of tones.
You know I'm a recovering G.A.S. hound so I know where you're coming from, but maybe take a breath and really think about if you NEED either of them. We all know need has little to do with G.A.S. but as I get older and (hopefully) wiser I have tried to be a little more practical about my gear.
My first bass was a Rick 4001. I liked it, I could afford it. A few years later, I ran across Pedullas in the store. Cost a lot more. I didn't buy one. Maye now I should start looking, ads they;re apprently cheaper, and I have more cash now, but...I was always a bit wigged out about the horns on Pedullas. They look like the least little bump would snap 'em off. I've never heard of it being a problem, but I think it'd take me a while to get comfortable with that.
It’s been a very long time since I was unhappy with a bass I bought. I have sold some because I realized I would not use them that much, but I tend to like what I buy.
To be honest, I have been using my $65 Peavey Fury more than any other bass since this summer. That is largely because I use it for lessons and I have been enjoying the P-bass tone.
Really getting good on fretless is something I have wanted to do for years. I have played fretless live enough to be clear eyed about the challenges.
I am going to the shop right now to see if the bass comes with the proper trussrod wrench.
Steve, I certainly don’t NEED a bass, but getting competent on fretless has been a goal of mine for years, and this bass looks like the ticket to me.
I will say this about Rickenbackers. I developed my first level of competence on a Ric. To a large degree, playing a Ric is nostalgic for me. Even my playing on one is largely variations of funk licks I have been playing since 1980. To be honest, I want to go forward, and not hang out in the safe zone forever.
That's great. I was just curious about the emphasis on fretless. Like I said, I get it. My fretless Roscoe was probably the nicest bass I have owned. I wish I still had it. Nothing wrong with pushing yourself. I have thought about pushing myself the other way - getting a passive 4 string P bass. Take away the multiple pickup options, active electronics, B string, a few frets, see what I can do with that.
That is what I done this year by mainly using my Peavey Fury.
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
I'd go for the Pedulla all day, buuuuut some ric models are definitely rarer than your typical "available everywhere" Ric (below is similar to what Killed by Death showed):
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Dr. C... both are beautiful, and of course I'm a little biased (I voted Ric)... I'm thinking each are covering far ends of the spectrum, in terms of what they have to offer... dare I ask price difference between the two?
