New bass -> options, options, options

[EddiePlaysBass]

Yes, I know: try before you buy You can spare me that part, I've been around here for long enough now

 

Bottom line: I wanna buy a new bass. One which will cost me a ridiculous amount of money, one which I'll be drooling over for years to come.

 

Only problem (money aside ) is ... I don't know if it'll be a 5-er or a 6-er. I love to play 5-string bass. I love the feel of a nice wide neck (somehow I find that more comfortable, despite my relatively small hands) and if you have a B-string, you'll use it. So I figured the same would go for a 6-er: if you have the high C, you'll use it

 

The only thing is, spending an hour in a store won't give me a definite idea about whether or not a 6 is a good choice. I'd need to get one, play it and evaluate after a certain time period whether or not this is "my thing".

 

So ... I thought I'd go and spend anything between 500 - 1000 euro's (or slightly less) on a reasonably good bass, to see if I like it. Downside here is (1) I'm down 500 - 1000 euro and (2) I'll have an extra bass which I might end up not needing and / or not wanting, but unable to sell (no one wants a 6 )

 

But that's my concern, not yours Here are the basses which I have thought of. All of them would come through online shopping so no chance to test them

 

- Peavey Grind 6

- Yamaha TRB 1006 (second-hand)

- Spector Legend 6

- Fame Baphomet 6 (a budget line of Mayones)

 

I don't know if a Warwick Corvette would fall into the budget as well, but then you never know

 

Any thoughts on any of these basses?

[davio]

Sorry Dave, I'm not familiar with the basses but if I might offer some strategical advice: shop around for a 1/2 decent used 6 in a lower price range. Play it for a while and if you decide you like the high-C try to sell it just to recoup your losses (before or after buying the one you really want). If you can't sell it locally I'm sure you could find a buyer on eBay. If not there you can always use it as a project bass and Frankenstein it out whenever you have a crazy idea.

 

Either that or take your time and shop around local music stores and play every 6 you come across and really waste time on them. Annoy the sales guys and keep coming back to ones you think you like until you reach a conclusion.

 

Either way, take your time!

 

I'm sure you could find a way to make good use of a 6 but let your fingers be your guides.

[Texian]

I own a Yamaha TRB-6 (earlier version of the 1006) and think it's great. The neck is wide enough to land a small airplane on. The B string is one of the best I've ever played. The C sounds good, nice and clear, but I honestly rarely use it (that's just me). The tone, IMHO, is very natural sounding. My bass has a very light finish, almost like a stain on the body. I've played some other TRB's before that had the normal thick laquer finish and didn't like them nearly as much.

 

I've played a 5 string version of the Spector and thought it was a really cool bass. Also liked it's B string, but that might be due to the 35" scale (or not, see earlier post on this subject). Anyway, thought it was a cool bass and would have bought it if I wasn't specifically in the market for a Stingray.

 

I've played the Peavey. I'm not against Peavey gear, I've owned enough of it. Didn't care for the bass, personally. String spacing was closer (I'm use to the TRB) and the sound was too "active" or processed, if that makes any sense.

 

Never heard of the Fame Baphomet.

 

Even though I just mentioned that I never use the high C, I still recomend getting the 6 string just to see if you like it and what you will do with it. I'm glad I bought mine. If I had originally just bought a 5, then I'd still be jonesing for a 6 string, wondering what it's like.

[Seamy ALB]

Ed go for the six!! Don't mess about with another 5 ya have that one down, its time for something new. A quality bass will also hold its relative value also. The offer is there to come and try mine for a weekend!!

[Nicklab]

I saw an amazing used DR Heartfield 6 string listed at BassNW . My teacher had one of these, and it was a fantastic instrument. I got to play his a few times, and I think it really held it's own against instruments of similar build, like the Yamaha TRB-6.

 

When I saw this one listed, I was very tempted to pick up the phone and buy this one. But the reality for me is that I don't play as much 6 string as I used to, and this instrument might go to waste. Maybe this could be an opportunity for you though?

[EddiePlaysBass]

Thanks for the tip, Nick! But idunno, I'm not to keen on ordering from too far abroad. Germany and if really necessary the UK, but in both cases I can still go over there if need be.

 

Still got my eye on the Yamaha, as it is in my price range. A very, very nice ESP LTD B-206 came by the other day but I think I'd be spending too much at this point.

 

Plus, ya gotta regret something later on in life, no?

 

Seamy, I'm definitely gonna give 6 a try. Thanks for the offer of coming over, some day I'll take you up on it Not yet, though, as I'm trying desperately to find my way to Norway on of these.

[PhilMan99]

For a 6, one you didn't mention is the Ibanez SR506. I've got the older SR496, which came-out before they changed to the 506 which has "barts" for the pickups/electronics.

 

I'll stay out the "which brand is better", and "how much should I spend" topics, but observe a few things:

* On a 6, the neck can get REALLY wide. The string-spacing on an Ibanez is more manageable, since the SRs have really tight string-spacing; but forget about slap. I really like the close string-spacing for fast playing; the spacing on a Fender J or P seems primitive by comparison. [Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a good Fender J Deluxe V, American!]

* Besides string-spacing, I'd look at scale-length. While a longer string-length makes the B "tighter", it will do this for the higher strings too, which may not be a good thing.

* Pickup type; not all "soap-bars" are the same. My "soap-bars" are actually both P pickups. If you *could* get your hands on one, you can tap the pickups very gently with a screwdrive, while plugged-in; you can easily tell by the click/sound where the magnets are.

* String-to-string balance - you may find your tone-settings don't work so well with a high C. Depending on how you set your tone, you may find the high strings have a different sound or volume level. You may have to adjust both "your sound" and your playing technique. I did...

* The high strings (C especially) sound "thin". You'll be able to shift less, keeping your hand in the same position, but it won't always sound like you'd like. For "real bass sound", the high notes generall sound better on the lower strings played at the 12-14th fret. You quickly learn that the string/fret you choose (for the same note) has a big impact on your sound. The "thinner" sound can be nice for more melodic passages (really!); just don't expect much ol' time "thud".

* I suggest a body/neck made out of *very* hard wood. The soft (low-grade) mahagony on my Ibanez sounds "muddy".

[Rowbee]

Ed, you get the Smiley Award for excessive but appropriate use of emoticons.

[Newf]

Originally posted by EddiePlaysBass:

Only problem (money aside ) is ... I don't know if it'll be a 5-er or a 6-er. I love to play 5-string bass. I love the feel of a nice wide neck (somehow I find that more comfortable, despite my relatively small hands) and if you have a B-string, you'll use it. So I figured the same would go for a 6-er: if you have the high C, you'll use it

I too have small hands but I really like, for example, playing a P-Bass as long as it's not super fast plus I figure it'll get me used to a larger neck should I ever get a 5 or 6-string. Yep, if I had a low B or a high C I think I would use them too. At home if nowhere else. I think a sixer with a 1 7/8" nut width that didn't have excessively narrow string spacing (I do have aspirations of slapping some day ) would do the trick IMHO.

 

Originally posted by EddiePlaysBass: Here are the basses which I have thought of. All of them would come through online shopping so no chance to test them

 

- Peavey Grind 6

- Yamaha TRB 1006 (second-hand)

- Spector Legend 6

- Fame Baphomet 6 (a budget line of Mayones)

 

I don't know if a Warwick Corvette would fall into the budget as well, but then you never know

 

Any thoughts on any of these basses?

Well, the Peavey and the Fame I have no idea about but yamahas seem to keep getting good reviews and I've always been interested in Spectors.

 

As for a Corvette, how about this fiver ?

 

Bottom line: I wanna buy a new bass. One which will cost me a ridiculous amount of money, one which I'll be drooling over for years to come.

Well Eddie, how about a F-Bass ? Oh this one gives me

GAS so very very bad...

 

If you're gonna dream, dream big I figure and yeah, I like the all-blonde look. At least this week anyways.

 

Cheers

Newf

[Nicklab]

Originally posted by EddiePlaysBass:

Thanks for the tip, Nick! But idunno, I'm not to keen on ordering from too far abroad. Germany and if really necessary the UK, but in both cases I can still go over there if need be.

I definitely understand your concerns. I've never bought anything from BassNW myself, but I know that a number of people on the forum have had good experiences with them. You might want to contact the store as well as some forum members to see how they handle international orders, what some customer experiences have been like and what your options might be. Because that bass is a steal at that price.

[SteveC]

I've tried a couple times to like the sound of the C string but never did. Maybe I had the wrong strings, maybe my bass was too cheap, I don't know. I thought I'd like it for solos but I don't.

 

Anyway, I played a Yamaha trB1005 and really liked it. If the 1006 is similar, I highly reccommend Yamah basses.

 

I've had many transactions with BassNW and they are fine guys to work with.

[EddiePlaysBass]

Thanks everyone !!! So far it looks like the Yamaha will be the winner ... And I'll find out soon enough if I have any use for the high C or not.

 

I figure that if I have no use for it anyway, I'll ask whichever store I buy the next bass if I can trade in the Yamaha or something.

 

More to come soon ...

[The Geoff]

Look over in the guitar Forum, in the 'Guitar Family Pictures' thread near the end of Page 1 and you'll see my basses. I have a Yamaha RBX 375 which I can assure you is Good Enough.

 

For Newf's info, the MIJ neck on that Hohner JJ Pro bass is absolutely superb, and with the black nylon covered strings, gives copious thump and is very fast.

 

The Keiper continues to be fun to play.

 

So whatever you decide to buy..... (wait for it).... Good Luck, Eddie!!!!

 

 

 

G.

[Newf]

Very nice Hohner Geoff. Funny you should mention the nylon strings. I just put a set of Fender 9120's, nylon-covered flats, on my p-bass last night and I just looooove the sound now.

 

Cheers

Newf

[...]

Do not tempt me with your talk of 6 string basses. The last thing I need is to start GASing over one myself.

 

That said I'm a huge fan of Spector basses.