Good affordable 5 string bass for recording?

[Josh Burgess]

Thinking about getting a 5 string bass to have around for recording and looking at a few... here's criteria:

1. playability
2. good hardware and hopefully good sounding stock pickups
3. not too expensive... think mid-priced used. I'm mainly a guitarist. Just want a bass to have around.

Really looking at the Spector basses... maybe picking up an older used NS2000/5 or used Euro 5 LX.

But I'm keeping options open, and although I don't really like Schecter guitars, the Schecter Elite-5 looks like it might be a pretty nice bass for the money... what do you guys think? Anything else in particular I should be looking at?

 

[Ben Johnson]

The Spector Euro is a fantastic bass. It has a big, fat neck and the sustain is unreal (not that sustain is all that important in a bass instrument - to me anyway). It has a really nice growl to it, which really matches well with an Ampeg SVT type of sound.

I used to have a Peavey Cirrus 5, which was also 35" scale. It played really well too, but I wanted something a bit more aggressive sounding, and unfortunately a pickup change wasn't going to be possible as Peavey use proprietary pickups, and something like EMGs wouldn't fit without routing.

So after a ton of research, I decided on a Spector Euro 5LX, and I couldn't be happier!

 

[JBroll]

I'd go for one of the two Brice basses at http://www.rondomusic.com/bassguitars5.html . If you're open to a 6, however, I have one of their six-stringers ( http://www.rondomusic.com/hxb40635.html ) and it's one of the nicest things I've ever played.

Jeff

 

[Razorjack]

Spector Euro, you won't regret it - tight low B, punchy, even volume across all strings, solid tone. If you can't get a Euro, go for a Legend classic - they are beasts and cost around half of what a Euro does!!

 

[Josh Burgess]

Spector Euro, you won't regret it - tight low B, punchy, even volume across all strings, solid tone. If you can't get a Euro, go for a Legend classic - they are beasts and cost around half of what a Euro does!!

How is the Euro Rebop 5? It's bolt-on whereas the Euro 5 LX is neckthrough...... for the korean ones, I've read that the Legends are the old Q series with a new name, and that the neckthrough NS2000/5 was an all around better bass than the Q5... but it seems that they don't have a neckthrough korean model now...

The natural Rebop 5 and natural Euro 5 LX both look pretty awesome to me, but I'm not too sure the differences between bolt-on and neckthrough for a bass

For pickups, I see some use EMG-HZ's, and some use EMG-SSD's... should I be trying to get one with the SSD's?

 

[sparkyness]

Bought a used Spector Euro 4 LX a few months back...stunning instrument.

Haven't tried the Euro 5 or Legend series, but if it's anything like the Euro 4, it'll do the business nicely.

 

[Meisterjäger]

Cort Curbow's are quite nice, though I've only ever played a 4 string. At the moment, I have a 5 string Yamaha bass which is sounding pretty sweet on recording I've done with it so far.

 

[ConspiracyBass]

Ibanez ATK or a Cort B5.

The Ibanez has that gritty, aggressive tone and the Cort would have more of a even, smooth tone. You may not like the neck on the ATK as its more of a fender profile. Its not like the Soundgear basses at all. Though, you may like the fact that string spacing on it is pretty tight (16.5mm I think).

 

[Radd]

I was set on the Spector legend but don't know about the basswood body for recording.

 

[Metaltastic]

I would think Basswood would be great for a bass, cuz it's got great definition - IMO it's a very underrated wood, check out the description here

 

[TruNikkaz]

i might get flamed for it but i don't care

the peavey grind is a neckthru 4-6 string bass and you can get the 5 string bass new for like $460

ima guitarist adn i see where you are coming from, you dont want an amazing bass but one that works

you won't be disappointed in that


btw, the guy above me mad a great point, basswood is very midheavy which is what i prefer in my tone anyways


my 3 fav woods are Mahogany, Swamp Ash, and Basswood

all have amazing qualities and worth being in your collection

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I'd go for one of the two Brice basses at http://www.rondomusic.com/bassguitars5.html . If you're open to a 6, however, I have one of their six-stringers ( http://www.rondomusic.com/hxb40635.html ) and it's one of the nicest things I've ever played.

Jeff

Yeah but how does it sound? I want to know that. Not that it's a huge deal pickups and pots can always be replaced.

You have me interested that's all.

 

[Josh Burgess]

Ibanez ATK or a Cort B5.

The Ibanez has that gritty, aggressive tone and the Cort would have more of a even, smooth tone. You may not like the neck on the ATK as its more of a fender profile. Its not like the Soundgear basses at all. Though, you may like the fact that string spacing on it is pretty tight (16.5mm I think).

Oh, I should've added it will be for mostly clean playing.... I don't usually like distorted bass tones... just smooth, warm and punchy. lots of subs and mids...

 

[JBroll]

Yeah but how does it sound? I want to know that. Not that it's a huge deal pickups and pots can always be replaced.

You have me interested that's all.

I don't have any clips handy, but... great. Through a driven amp it's got a lovely growl, and the clean sound is just amazingly 'alive'. If 006 pops in he'll comment I'm sure, but we jammed for a while at some point on some blues rock stuff, and with the bass going straight into a DI (maybe a little compression, but I don't even think that was there) it was warm enough for a jazz bassline. I'm going to try new pickups at some point but this is one of maybe five pieces of gear I own that haven't made me want to switch anything out.

Jeff

 

[Ben Johnson]

Oh, I should've added it will be for mostly clean playing.... I don't usually like distorted bass tones... just smooth, warm and punchy. lots of subs and mids...

I think you'd love a USA Peavey Cirrus then.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I don't have any clips handy, but... great. Through a driven amp it's got a lovely growl, and the clean sound is just amazingly 'alive'. If 006 pops in he'll comment I'm sure, but we jammed for a while at some point on some blues rock stuff, and with the bass going straight into a DI (maybe a little compression, but I don't even think that was there) it was warm enough for a jazz bassline. I'm going to try new pickups at some point but this is one of maybe five pieces of gear I own that haven't made me want to switch anything out.

Jeff

Thanks man, I'll probably pick one up for the birthday. I had to give the american J back to my cousin. He let me have it for more than a year though so it's all good.

 

[ConspiracyBass]

Oh, I should've added it will be for mostly clean playing.... I don't usually like distorted bass tones... just smooth, warm and punchy. lots of subs and mids...

I should have mentioned that the ATK has three settings which uses the pickup differently. The bass can go from full on grit to smooth with the flick of the switch. I love my ATK a lot. I also own a Fender Jazz Deluxe and a G&L 1505 (those are just the five stringers I own).

If you want some sound samples just let me know.

Plus, just look at it....

 

[everybody's x]

Yeah but how does it sound? I want to know that. Not that it's a huge deal pickups and pots can always be replaced.

You have me interested that's all.

I don't have any clips handy, but... great. Through a driven amp it's got a lovely growl, and the clean sound is just amazingly 'alive'. If 006 pops in he'll comment I'm sure, but we jammed for a while at some point on some blues rock stuff, and with the bass going straight into a DI (maybe a little compression, but I don't even think that was there) it was warm enough for a jazz bassline. I'm going to try new pickups at some point but this is one of maybe five pieces of gear I own that haven't made me want to switch anything out.

Jeff

Sounds like this http://www.allcapsrecording.com/media/ncnc/el_chupacabra.mp3

the brice bass surprised me because I didn't know they were "cheap" basses until after I recorded it.

 

[Metaltastic]

Plus, just look at it....

Dude...I think those might be the most hideous things I've seen in awhile - that truncated pick-guard just looks castrated, and that huge chrome bridge plate uke:

 

[JBroll]

Plus, just look at it....

Those are pretty hideous, especially next to

Jeff