looking for some advice

[Jay J.]

I would like to purchase a new bass this summer, and have the money to do so. I currently have a fender american p bass (4-sting). Part of me really wants to get a rickenbacker 4003 which is something I've been eyeing for a while now. and another part of me thinks it would be wiser to get a five string for around 600 bucks and save myself some money. I've have been considering this for some time now and am not sure what to do. I guess I would just like to know what other people think I should do here.

 

thanks for any input.

[BagBass]

Myself i would go for a good 5 string bass...the reason......whichever other 4 string bass you get you will still be playing the same but maybe different tones. Add an extra string (B) you'll find you will learn a different style of playing and a different sound and this will add to your bass knowledge (like if you were a rock player and decieded to learn double bass). tecniques and styles differ........GO FOR THE 5..

[Ryan Griffith]

I'll second the vote for the 5. I asked around alot lately & since you already have a 4, a 5-string is a good move. It's becoming more of a standard now. I've noodled around with a couple & borrowed one for a practice, and it really is nice to have the option of playing down to a D or C, I found it makes my lines more linear. As for the pricepoint, I just put a down payment on a MTD Kingston Heir, which costs me... $600. That's about what your price is, no? It's quite a bass, I must say... find a store with one near you & go play it, I bet you'd be impressed! Mine's on layaway & I can't wait till I have it!

 

Regards,

~Griff

[gbenner]

The MTD Kingston is a great bass, but you might also check out the new Lakland Skyline, its 700, I played one the other day and its unreal,its a little over your budget, but i've read on the net its the best buy under a grand, I don't know about that but its nice. Also the Schecter Robert DeLeo (model T) is a GREAT buy its also about 600 for the five string. I have the DeLeo four string, I picked it over an mia p I thought it played better and had the j pickup also. there's a lot of good midpriced five strings out there. good luck

 

George

[Jay J.]

thanks for the advice, you guys are right about getting a 5, rick's are cool but when it comes down to it the thing would probably be more of a wall ornament than something I would play a lot. I have not had a chance to check out the lakland but it looks pretty cool, I've also been looking into carvins some they seem to have some nice features.

 

I was also woundering what people thought of the ibanez and esp basses for around $600.

[bassaddik]

another vote for the Lakland Skyline -

Mcgryff- theres an MTD Heir in ebay right now for $300 reserve met- greeat buy!! i sell MTD and Lakland- i would jump all over the one at Ebay if i were you- however- i really dig the Skyline for all its eq-

[Ryan Griffith]

Bassaddik,

Is that a 5 string Kingston? Argh... I just put a down payment on one here in town! It's not a bad price, but $300 would be better, surely. But what's done is done, I s'pose. Only now I'm trying to budget getting my hands on it sooner, it's driving me nuts! I have 6 weeks to pay off the balance, but I'd really like to own it now! Ah well, they say patience is a virtue. I hear the Skylines are nice, but I really dug the Heir, it's right up my alley. I'm coming from the Fender camp so it's still nice & warm, but has a touch of modern to it. Anyways.. thanks for the heads-up about ebay!

[Wickerman]

Warwick's Economy line just came out. The RockBass by Warwick Corvette Classic 5 is amazing! Just bloody awesome! Same MEC Gold pickups as in Warwick Prolines but with a maple neck and alder body (AAA flamed maple top) instead of a ovangkol neck and maple body. Then again, while I adore the ovangkol necks, if I can get a RockBass Corvette for $550, I'll take the $700 off! Those RockBasses sound just like their most expensive counterparts too. The neck feels different but it's still real fat and feels real nice...

[dcr]

I say give the Ric a whirl. It is a truly distinctive bass; I don't think I could ever part with mine. Still, if it's not what YOU want...there's no point. (Bass NW has new ones for $1k, wow!! Good used ones should be available in your budget. They're on eBay all the time, & there are some good specialty sites--check out The Rickenbacker Registration Page, & links.) Ric *does* come in a 5-string, although they're much harder to find, & RIC has recently stopped producing them. Also, I'd prefer the 4003 to the older 4001, as the 4003 neck is stiffer.

 

IMHO, a real sleeper bass right now is the Music Man Sterling--just like playing a J bass, only much better. 4-string only, though, but the StingRay comes in a 5--an awesome bass, & similar to a P in feel. I also recommend checking out the Skyline; a friend just got one & it is just amazing. I might have to knock him down & take it away!! Wish I knew more about the ESP 5; I can say that Tom Barney's sounds goooooooooooooooooood!

[Jay J.]

from what I've heard and seen on the net the two fives that I like the most most so far are the lakland skyline 55-01 and the carvin B5. just woundering how these two compare, and any peoples expiearence with them.

[Tom Capasso]

I haven't seen the Warwick's yet, but they're a quality outfit. The Skyline we saw in NY (see E Bastid's frequent rants) did have space in the neck pocket. It might be just that one, or maybe it could be corrected by Lakland. The neck felt pretty good.. I played a Carvin 5 and liked that as well. Ed Friedland is very happy with his.

 

Having said all that, why not get a 5 string Ric to have the best of both worlds? OK, it's a few more bucks (you might get lucky used), but why not?

 

Tom

[Wickerman]

Originally posted by Tom Capasso:

I haven't seen the Warwick's yet, but they're a quality outfit. The Skyline we saw in NY (see E Bastid's frequent rants) did have space in the neck pocket. It might be just that one, or maybe it could be corrected by Lakland. The neck felt pretty good.. I played a Carvin 5 and liked that as well. Ed Friedland is very happy with his.

 

Having said all that, why not get a 5 string Ric to have the best of both worlds? OK, it's a few more bucks (you might get lucky used), but why not?

 

Tom

I saw Mr. Friedland's picture in the Carvin catalouge. Nice looking bass.

[Jay J.]

I was looking at some laklands and there is a little hole at the end of the fretboard. I think it might be a easy access point to the truss rod but not sure. just kinda curious.

[polyt]

I was also woundering what people thought of the ibanez and esp basses for around $600.

I've been playing in ESP C305 for a month or so now and I'm definately falling love with this thing.

 

The tone is excellent. The neck through mahogany body resonates well unplugged. The electronics are quiet. The tone doesn't seem to vary much between each pickup but the two together sound wonderful. That's alright, The 3 band EQ lends plenty of variety. Every time I play with it I love the way it sounds more and more.

 

In terms of quality I'd rate it as decent. There were some minor finish imperfections. The jack nut fell off and a solder came loose in the process of putting it back on. Nothing serious.

 

I'm not sure what I think of the hardware. The bridge saddles "float." They have set screws but to adjust your intonation initially you have to loosen the string and push/pull with your fingers. I thought that was pretty odd but after the initial adjustment they are holding fast with just string tension keeping them in place.

 

The neck is really small. To this day it gives me trouble but it feels really good. It's definately made me more precise and I think it may play faster if I were to actually play fast .

 

The B is very tight and there is no fretbuzz anywhere on this thing. Plus, and I'm not sure if this speaks more to my old Bently, I haven't needed any compression with the ESP either.

[BNC]

Perfect! I have several of the basses mentioned. As for Rics, I bought a new DEFECTIVE bass in '98, the neck would not stay straight for more than a week. The company was useless, I got rid of it and picked up a beautiful '79 in Autumn glow and it has been incredible, I would not part with it for twice the 1100 that I paid. If you want a Ric, I would go for a vintage one, the prices are usually less than a new one. I started with a Hamer 5string (jazz style), it is a good bass, but 5 is just not for me. I have a Carvin LB70F that I love, they are incredible basses and a killer value. I saw you mentioned an American made P. I am selling '57 reissue if you decide to go that direction. I am selling it to get a Warwick, I have not played the Rockbass line, bit judging by their other products I am sure it will be awsome. Basically, it comes down to personal taste. Go play all of the basses you can, and when you find one that you can't let go of GET IT, you will know when it has the right vibe. Hope this helps, good luck.