bassarama19 Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Im going to the university of Manitoba to get my B of A in music with the intent of teaching bass and doing some session work here and there. Ive gotten in touch with Steve Kirby leader of the jazz faculty and bassist, and me and him are going to create a course for me my question is I have a bunch of different basses ranging from a 4 string mexican fender to a 6 string custom fretless with alembic PU's in it. Im looking for something I can play on any gig, and something comfortable. I dont want another 6 string, but I really want the low B So im thinking of a 5 string fretted fender Jazz with passive PU's http://www.fender.com/products/show.php?partno=0136600 or what about the American series one.... http://www.fender.com/products/show.php?partno=0193560 is it worth the extra cash or what about the active PU's http://www.fender.com/products/show.php?partno=0194680 Also how good is the B string? I want a bass with a good even tone from the low B all the way up the neck. Ive played 5 or 6 string basses with low B strings that get farty, dont sustain or are full of harmonic overtones and not enough fundamental pitch. Any help appreciated. THE ace of bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I would think that any of those three Fenders would work. If you can, play all three types at a store. Pick the one you like the best. Also, I believe all three have passive p'ups, just that the third one has an active preamp. Some of the evenness across strings can be accommodated by carefully selecting string gauges. D'Addario has a handy chart about string tension on their website. Another way to accomplish it is through varying scale length. Dingwall does it by having the fanned fret system and different scale lengths for each string. Some others do it by having 35" or 34.5" scale basses -- this doesn't help with evenness of feel across all 5 strings as much as it helps the low B feel tighter. If you want this instrument to offer potential as "the one", then I would recommend trying only to buy one that you actually play, and really liked, rather than testing different models and ordering one -- which could show up at your door and not feel or play or sound as good as one that you tested. If they made a 5-string BenLoy model, I'd vote for that! Peace. --SW spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
way2fat Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Those farty B-strings may be due to the cab or amp and not the bass. Remember that if you decide that it has to be a 5-string you will need the rest of your rig to be able to accurately reproduce that low B. www.ethertonswitch.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 The good news is that it seems to be getting harder to find crappy basses. It's also getting harder to overprice basses. As SW said, any of those would probably be great (although it's important to buy the token, not just the type). I'd also advise getting to as many shops as you can (I'm not sure what's available in Winnipeg; where I live, it's not so great, but tolerable), & trying as much stuff from as many makers as you can. (If I were in Canada, I'd be all over those Godins!) Don't let appearances, price tags, or brand names fool you. Buy what you like best for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassarama19 Posted January 30, 2005 Author Share Posted January 30, 2005 Thanks for the help guys, I want a really good high end "working mans" bass but dont want to have to sell a kidney or an eyeball to get it. Ive always loved the way fenders sound and feel. Ive just needed a reason to plunk down some serious cash on a good one. THE ace of bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73 P Bass Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 No one would want one of my kidneys! If you can, I'd checkout Lakland's Skyline series; Joe Osborne 5 string in particular. But there are tons of great basses in the same price range as the Fender's. Bass shopping's Fun! "Start listening to music!". -Jeremy C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 You could get a Sadowsky Metro. It would cost twice as much as the Fenders you're looking at but would be worth it. On the other hand, if you have a bunch of basses already, why not just bring them all with you to college? Or are you unhappy with the basses you have? Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassarama19 Posted January 30, 2005 Author Share Posted January 30, 2005 I actually dont own a fretted instrument with a low B on it anymore. I have my fretless 6 wich I play mostly on my gigs. And after playing the fretless 6 going back to the fretted 4 is just so easy, I dont have to worry about extra string muting and intonation etc. However I need the low B string so I think a great fender 5 string would be an excellent compromise. Ive heard lots about sadowsky basses, im interested..... what scale length do they have for there 5 strings? THE ace of bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Sadowsky basses are 34". All of them, 4's and 5's. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I see that you're in Winnipeg. I have a friend there, and he's told me that the temperature range can be from 100 degrees in the summer to minus 50 in the winter. Based on that, I would definitely suggest that you get something with some sort of graphite reinforcement in the neck. It might help you quite a bit with the drastic change in the climate at your school. I know one bass that Fender offers with that feature. It's my main bass, in fact. It's a Roscoe Beck V string. They also make it in a 4 string version, and both of them have a graphite reinforced neck. Oh, and it plays like a dream, too. I see that two of the instruments you posted have that feature as well. I'd check those out, definitely. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Originally posted by Nicklab: I see that you're in Winnipeg. I have a friend there, and he's told me that the temperature range can be from 100 degrees in the summer to minus 50 in the winter. Based on that, I would definitely suggest that you get something with some sort of graphite reinforcement in the neck. It might help you quite a bit with the drastic change in the climate at your school. This is a good thought from Nick. You should look at the Roscoe Beck 5-string -- I've heard good things about it from other people besides Nick. I think all the newer American Fenders have graphite neck reinforcement. Also, if you go with a jazz style bass, think about whether you're concerned about single coil hum or not. You can, however, always replace pickups at a later date. However, a MIJ BenLoy 5 would probably kick some serious butt. Alas, Fender hasn't developed it yet. horse> I think a Sadowsky Metro 5, as Jeremy has suggested, would kick some serious butt. Also, along with the Lakland Skyline Joe Osborn 5, you should see if the Lakland Darryl Jones 5 is on the market yet. Just some other J options for ya'. Peace. --SW spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassarama19 Posted January 30, 2005 Author Share Posted January 30, 2005 Yes Winnipeg is almost smack dab in the middle of North America Geographically spaeking Far away from any large body of water so there is no moderating effect, translation = extreme weather. Frost bite occurs to exposed skin within 45 seconds in the winter time, and going for a brisk walk in the summer time without a water bottle is a great way to pass out from dehydration. Im very weary of basses being shipped to me. And something else that troubles me is that Fender is notouriously bad for variability in there assembley line. I havent personally seen many (read:any) 5 string fender jazzes in Winnipeg, so I would probably have to order mine through a local dealer. Basically this boils down simply to me makeing the haul down to a couple different places in the city and inquiring and trying a couple different axes. I appreciate all of the help, and ill keep you updated in my search. THE ace of bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikertrash Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Originally posted by jeremy c: You could get a Sadowsky Metro. What he said. Sadowsky pretty much defines the "Be all, end all" Fender-esque 5-string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbanks Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Let me suggest a G&L L-2500, a very flexible bass.(get the small neck) http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/pics/large/L2500_Blueburst_full.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onelove Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Originally posted by Nicklab: I see that you're in Winnipeg. I have a friend there, and he's told me that the temperature range can be from 100 degrees in the summer to minus 50 in the winter.Ahaha your friend is a funny guy... I live in Winnipeg too. Temperatures are extreme but not THAT extreme. My instruments have survived quite a few summers and winters here, one of them without a single truss rod adjustment (besides changing string gauge). Bassarama... L&M and Mother's usually have some Fender 5's in stock... I'd be interested to know how Steve and the U of M work out for you... it's something I've considered too. Dave P.S. check yer PM's bassarama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Talk about extreme--I moved out here (Kansas) about 5 years ago from Arizona, in the summer; I came from wicked hot & dry, to wicked hot & humid. It can get well over 100 in the summer, and good-god-a-mighty-i-hope-my-pipes-don't-freeze cold & icy in the winter. I haven't done a THING to the neck on my Ric bass, since a few years before I left Arizona. Now THAT is stable. There's something to be said for good reinforcement & truss rod technology. My MM Sterling just needs a very little tweak once or twice a year. That's good. As much as I love my BenLoy bass, it's neck does move a bit (and has to be removed to be adjusted!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 The Sadowsky "Metro" basses , which are made in Tokyo, are probably the most professional-quality instruments you'll find in their price range. Other makers I'd say are comparable are Ernie Ball and G&L. Fender makes great instruments, but they're hit or miss...some of 'em are incredible, while some of 'em are...well...not incredible. If you're limited to mail order, I'd recommend a Sadowsky Metro mainly because you're practically guaranteed to get a good instrument. Roger doesn't make "assembly line" instruments. His bodies and necks are outsourced, true, but his people in Japan (a staff of 5, I believe) carefully select the ones that end up as instruments, and they do the assembly, fretwork and preamp wiring by hand in small batches. With that level of attention paid to each instrument, even though they're techincally outsourced to Japan, you can pretty much feel safe ordering one sight unseen. There are few other makers you can say that about that are charging less than $2500 for their instruments. I don't own a Sadowsky Metro (I'm tryin' to make up my mind between a Metro or a Mike Lull right now), but for your situation I'd recommend a Metro without even thinking about. They're awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Originally posted by BenLoy: (I'm tryin' to make up my mind between a Metro or a Mike Lull right now)Trust me, I feel your pain... spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Originally posted by BenLoy: I don't own a Sadowsky Metro (I'm tryin' to make up my mind between a Metro or a Mike Lull right now), but for your situation I'd recommend a Metro without even thinking about. They're awesome.I was surprised to see a Sadowsky Metro hanging at the Guitar Center on 14th street at the most recent Low Down Lowdown get-together. I didn't try it out, but I admit I was almost shocked to see that someone had parted with one so soon. You never know what the circumstances are when someone decides to sell an instrument, but I think the Metro series hasn't been out all that long and it was strange to see one being sold secondhand already. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 If I were you, I'd go for one of THESE or one of THESE (Skyline version) . The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassarama19 Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 Im gettimg some severe GAS for that Sadowsky vintage 5 J bass. How much will that run me after shipping and everythingÉÉÉ THE ace of bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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