Recommend me a bass guitar

potatolord · 12 Jul 2021 at 19:07

The boy is playing bass, he's just about competent now. I used to play, but my knowledge is 20 years out of date.

He wants a 5 string fretted. He's playing punky stuff at the moment, but is starting to get into jazz and funk.

Budget around £800 to absolute top at £1,000.

I want to prioritise tone and playability over appearance.

Second hand is acceptable.

Recommendations, please!

potatolord · 15 Jul 2021 at 13:56

AgentCyclone said:
Currently selling my Aria Bass Guitar on eBay if anyone is interested https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/38427548...ep_vectorid=229508&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg

Not for me- I need a 5 string.

inogen · 15 Jul 2021 at 14:02

The world of bass doesn't really change. If I was buying a 5 string, I'd be looking at a Fender Precision or a Jazz at that price range.

Lakland make a nice bass but I don't think you'd get one for under a grand. Have a look on https://www.basschat.co.uk/forum/19-basses-for-sale/

eg, you might be able to snag this one with a bit of persuasion... https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/451039-fender-american-professional-precision-v-1100£/

edit: Damn Brexit!

People are a very friendly bunch on there. Much friendlier than they are on here

potatolord · 17 Jul 2021 at 20:17

Ta, I've pointed him at basschat. There are some lovely things on there.

He's decided to be sensible and not go for some weird fan fret thing, because it might be harder to sell if he gets bored of it.

Malevolence · 17 Jul 2021 at 21:06

ESP F-205 are just shy of £600

inogen · 21 Jul 2021 at 10:34

potatolord said:
Ta, I've pointed him at basschat. There are some lovely things on there.

He's decided to be sensible and not go for some weird fan fret thing, because it might be harder to sell if he gets bored of it.

Yeah, the marketplace there is a dangerous dangerous place to hang out.

I wouldn't worry too much about going weird. Buying 2nd hand takes most of that worry out of the equation.

dirtychinchilla · 27 Jul 2021 at 13:55

Did you make a decision in the end? I would strongly recommend a Sire Marcus Miller. I have this one and it's really good. Great tone for almost anything you could think of, almost I use mine mostly for rock/punk stuff. (PS. I like Andertons because it's local, but I got mine cheaper from Thomann)

I would be cautious about the jump from 4 to 5 strings though. It's not that it's uncomfortable - it's that he may find he never uses the B string and that it is just a hindrance.

inogen · 27 Jul 2021 at 14:05

dirtychinchilla said:
I would be cautious about the jump from 4 to 5 strings though. It's not that it's uncomfortable - it's that he may find he never uses the B string and that it is just a hindrance.

Yeah, I've been toying with the idea of getting a 5 string for ages, but haven't exactly for this reason. I'd play it, but would be for novelty. I have a Bass VI that I don't play that often either, to scratch that itch.

I couldn't see myself playing one with my band and especially not gigging with one. Would involve me completely changing my tone and technique I reckon. I play a P bass with big fat flats and the treble rolled completely off. Getting that low E amplified correctly needs proper power and serious speaker cabs. Doing that down to a B would be... interesting...

dirtychinchilla · 27 Jul 2021 at 14:08

inogen said:
Yeah, I've been toying with the idea of getting a 5 string for ages, but haven't exactly for this reason. I'd play it, but would be for novelty. I have a Bass VI that I don't play that often either, to scratch that itch.

I couldn't see myself playing one with my band and especially not gigging with one. Would involve me completely changing my tone and technique I reckon. I play a P bass with big fat flats and the treble rolled completely off. Getting that low E amplified correctly needs proper power and serious speaker cabs. Doing that down to a B would be... interesting...

Honestly man, I got a 5 string because I wanted to justify to myself (the wife) how different it was from my 4 string P bass. I don't think it was a worthwhile change to be honest. I should have got a 4 string and a Hipshot Detuner and just stuck with that.

Bass VI must be pretty cool. I don't know how I'd manage that though really!

What kind of music do you play? I find my B not to have much to it...perhaps it is an issue with my kit. Fortunately, I don't use it a great deal. I do like the E on the B string though.

SexyGreyFox · 27 Jul 2021 at 14:20

inogen said:
The world of bass doesn't really change. If I was buying a 5 string, I'd be looking at a Fender Precision or a Jazz at that price range.

This 100%.

inogen · 27 Jul 2021 at 14:22

dirtychinchilla said:
Honestly man, I got a 5 string because I wanted to justify to myself (the wife) how different it was from my 4 string P bass. I don't think it was a worthwhile change to be honest. I should have got a 4 string and a Hipshot Detuner and just stuck with that.

Bass VI must be pretty cool. I don't know how I'd manage that though really!

What kind of music do you play? I find my B not to have much to it...perhaps it is an issue with my kit. Fortunately, I don't use it a great deal. I do like the E on the B string though.

Yeah, I think that's the benefit. Playing a Low E and around there without having to use an open string.

I play in a Neil Young / Crazy Horse tribute. So everything from light acoustic, folk and country to heavy dirge rock.

Bass VI is great fun. It's a bit like a normal 6 string guitar up around 12th fret, but then a bass at the bottom. It's an octave lower than a guitar and an octave up from a bass. I've never played it out of the house though!

dirtychinchilla · 27 Jul 2021 at 15:56

inogen said:
Yeah, I think that's the benefit. Playing a Low E and around there without having to use an open string.

I play in a Neil Young / Crazy Horse tribute. So everything from light acoustic, folk and country to heavy dirge rock.

Bass VI is great fun. It's a bit like a normal 6 string guitar up around 12th fret, but then a bass at the bottom. It's an octave lower than a guitar and an octave up from a bass. I've never played it out of the house though!

Ah OK, the flats and the tone rolled off make sense now then. I do literally the opposite - clankiest strings I get get and full tone at all times, with a good amount of mid. That sounds like a cool band to be in though.

Interesting...we're auditioning a baritone guitar player shortly and I guess I'm thinking of them as similar sort of things. I've never played a 6 though. I could probably pop into Andertons and have a go at some point.

inogen · 27 Jul 2021 at 16:45

dirtychinchilla said:
Ah OK, the flats and the tone rolled off make sense now then. I do literally the opposite - clankiest strings I get get and full tone at all times, with a good amount of mid. That sounds like a cool band to be in though.

Interesting...we're auditioning a baritone guitar player shortly and I guess I'm thinking of them as similar sort of things. I've never played a 6 though. I could probably pop into Andertons and have a go at some point.

yeah, they play like guitars, but sound like basses. I’ve seen YouTubes of people using them as baritones. Any band with a baritone sounds like a good one

dirtychinchilla · 27 Jul 2021 at 18:25

inogen said:
yeah, they play like guitars, but sound like basses. I’ve seen YouTubes of people using them as baritones. Any band with a baritone sounds like a good one

pretty cool. I’m going to check them out on YouTube

potatolord · 27 Jul 2021 at 18:53

dirtychinchilla said:
Did you make a decision in the end? I would strongly recommend a Sire Marcus Miller. I have this one and it's really good. Great tone for almost anything you could think of, almost I use mine mostly for rock/punk stuff. (PS. I like Andertons because it's local, but I got mine cheaper from Thomann)

I would be cautious about the jump from 4 to 5 strings though. It's not that it's uncomfortable - it's that he may find he never uses the B string and that it is just a hindrance.

No decision yet. He did mention the Sire Marcus Millers, so it's on the list.

I used to have a 5 and used the D at third fret a lot. Being able to do that low D is very useful. It also meant I could play across the neck to an E, which is great as I am very lazy.

He's been warned off a six string, by me. Dreadful things. If you're using that high C, you should be playing guitar instead!

SexyGreyFox · 27 Jul 2021 at 18:55

inogen said:
I play in a Neil Young / Crazy Horse tribute

Ooh, rate my Like A Hurricane, this was the first run through - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTrlWz9q5bc

dirtychinchilla · 27 Jul 2021 at 19:30

potatolord said:
No decision yet. He did mention the Sire Marcus Millers, so it's on the list.

I used to have a 5 and used the D at third fret a lot. Being able to do that low D is very useful. It also meant I could play across the neck to an E, which is great as I am very lazy.

He's been warned off a six string, by me. Dreadful things. If you're using that high C, you should be playing guitar instead!

That’s the one other thing I use it for!

potatolord · 27 Jul 2021 at 20:34

dirtychinchilla said:
That’s the one other thing I use it for!

I liked my 5. It was surprisingly easy to get used to, and use, that extra string.

I bought a 7 string guitar many years ago and have never been able to use that. It languishes, unplayed, in the corner.

BigStevieTT · 27 Jul 2021 at 20:46

Lucky boy, if that's his budget :O
Completely understand the lust for MOAR strings, but does he get everything out of 4 yet?

simisker · 27 Jul 2021 at 22:40

An important question that no-one's asked yet is: how big are his hands?

If he's got small hands - or simply prefers tight string spacing (16-17mm) - then Ibanez or Cort always give a huge amount of bang for buck, even when bought new.

e.g:
https://www.peachguitars.com/cort-b5-element-open-pore-natural.htm
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/prod...ersona-5-bass-limited-edition-blue-resin-burl
https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/45...-year-anniversary-semi-hollow-goodness-video/

For larger hands - or a preference for wider spacing (18-20mm), which makes slap easier - then these are some 5-ers that have caught my eye recently over on Basschat's For Sale forum:

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/452490-yamaha-trb1005j-caramel-brown-red-£700/
https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/451727-lakland-55-os-as-new-price-drop/
https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/452605-maruszczyk-elwood-5a/

If I had larger hands, I'd be seriously considering buying that Maruszczyk myself.

While it goes without saying that buying second-hand requires due diligence, It might also be helpful to mention that I've bought and sold thousands of pounds' of bass on Basschat without any issues whatsoever. Hope that helps!