TRBboy

[quote name='stringintheshade' post='1279942' date='Jun 23 2011, 06:18 PM']Interested in that with the natural finish. And an easy upgrade. But the pups would add another 100 unless I can find one second hand. Could always do the pups later. The Ibanez SR500 shape looks verrrry similar... much between them?[/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=121667&hl=best+%A3200+bass+ever"]Best £200 bass ever![/url] If you check out my thread there, I bought one in VGC for £70! The whole project cost £200; Bass, pickups, CTS wiring kit and Wilkinson bridge!!! I owned a BB414 before, and IMHO this RBX is better sounding. I felt the BB was lacking a bit of grunt sonically.

I know I bang on about it but..... Yamaha RBX270 and some Dimarzio Model P/Js. Versatile, punchy, easy to play, well built, etc, etc. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=121667&hl=best+%A3200+bass+ever"]Best £200 bass ever[/url]!

I've got Ultra Jazz in mine and they are killer! Silent and mega punchy and responsive, although if you're after a vintage sorta sound I would look elsewhere. They sound incredible, although not like a trad single coil sound. I've tried various pickups in my jazz including SDs and the Dimarzios are by far the best IMHO. I've also got model p/j in my RBX, although obviously I can't really do a direct comparison for you. I picked my Ultras up for 89.99 a couple of months ago, and there were a few places online doing them for that price. Incredible value!

So I guess that as I've got split coil pickups I wouldn't notice any difference anyway! I'll find something else to spend my hard-earned on.... ......like another sandberg! ;-)

Definitely doesn't seem worth the money to me then.

Hey people, just noticed this on ebay. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Texas-Customs-Gold-Jazz-Bass-controls-also-fits-fender-/300570078757?pt=Guitar&hash=item45fb5f6e25"]Texas Customs Gold[/url] Anyone seen or used one of these before? Seems a lot of dosh for a passive control system, I can't believe they really sound THAT much better than a standard CTS wiring kit.

Definitely a Yamaha RBX270 IMHO. Better construction quality and playability than Squiers and pretty much anything else in this price range (and some more expensive instruments!). Easy to modify (see mine [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=121667&hl=best+%A3200+bass+ever"]Best £200 bass ever![/url]). You can get a brand new one for about £180 (last time I looked) and a decent used one for comfortably under £100. Great value! The 270 is definitely better than the 170; solid alder body and better tuners.

Sandberg California JM or JJ Supreme. Awesome, awesome basses for the money. True passive bypass on the Glockenklang preamp with no volume drop. Check it out..... You'd probably have enough change for a bit of DIY too!

Evening all! Just wondered if anyone might like to hazard a guess at how much my USA Standard Jazz might be worth. Owned from new ('98) in good condition for age. Couple of dings on the back of the neck. Lake Placid Blue ( V nice!) with rosewood 'board, through-body stringing, brand new Dimarzio Ultra Jazz pickups fitted and would give the stock pickups with it. I could sell it for less with the original pickups back in, and sell the Dimarzio's seperately. Comes in original hardcase which is a little battered and all the feet have snapped off (still, I'd rather the case take a battering than the bass!) Answers on a postcard......

Red tort or black without a doubt!

I think I find the rbx neck a little slimmer than my jazz, but not as slim as an ibanez.

[quote name='Kongo' post='1253376' date='Jun 2 2011, 12:20 AM']Difference it has over the RBX170 is a pan pot and single volume instead of 2 x volume.[/quote] And it has a solid Alder body instead of Agathis, and better quality tuners, just for the info of the OP. If you can afford a little more, the Ibanez SR300 is absolutely unbelievable for the money! I think there was a favorable review in BGM a while back (should be on their site). IMHO it's about the best [b]active[/b] budget bass around.

That looks awesome dude! You really got lucky with the wood on that one! Doesn't look dissimilar to the current SR600 actually.....

If I was doing a modded/bitsa Fender style bass, I'd want it to stand out and be a bit individual (hence why I voted 3). I'm kinda surprised that such a high proportion of people would go for the "off the shelf Fender copy" look. TBH though, they're all ok but I know where my personal preference lies!

Ok, I know a lot of [b]Metal[/b] players choose the SR's, but does anyone here have any opinions about using them as a good all-round rock bass, covering everything from late 60's/early 70's through to now? I am particularly interested to know about the SR500/600/700 sorta models, as that is the pricepoint I would be looking at. I tried out a SR700 briefly last year and was blown away, but unfortunately just ended up noodling funk/slap (which I'm pretty poor at!), and didn't try it with a pick or playing any of the rock basslines that I usually play. There's nowhere very close to me that stocks them, so I'd appreciate your opinions/experiences. Thanks for your help. EDIT: After just looking a bit more, the SRX430 looks like a possible contender too...... any thoughts? I like the look of this one best!

Yamaha RBX270 is the best cheap bass IMHO. Having worked in stores selling a lot of cheap basses (Squier, Vintage, Ibanez, Yamaha, Aria, etc, etc), I'd say Yamaha are well ahead not just in terms of build quality, but the quality of the components used as well. This results in a better feeling, better sounding bass. See my "Best £200 bass ever!!!" thread to see what I did.

[quote name='Green Alsatian' post='1250399' date='May 30 2011, 03:39 PM']As others have mentioned, although not 24-fret, the [b]Peavey Zodiac BXP[/b] is a great bass for the money. I had a sunburst/maple and the neck was thin, but a bit chunkier (but not uncomfortable chunky) from front-to-back. Glossy vintage tint to the neck/fingerboard, so it looked as lovely as it played. The stock pickups are really good too - the J-pickup is actually a split-coil and is therefore hum-cancelling. As I picked up the bass cheap, I tried a few different sets of pickups - an EMG PJ-X (there's room for the battery) which I later swapped for a set of DiMarzios (Model P/J), as they were more to my taste and found the J pickup to be lacking in the EMG set, when soloed. I've owned a [b]MIM Fender Precision Bass Special Deluxe[/b], with the three-band preamp and it's a very versatile bass and not too expensive. I liked boosting the bass a little, a touch of mid and dropping the treble a hair and having the pickup blend P-heavy, with just a little of the J in there for clarity. On the cheap front, I've had a [b]Yamaha BB414[/b], which really surprised and impressed me with its sound and quality The P-pickup was suitably burly and the J was nice and burpy - great basses! I had the five-string version, the BB415 at one point and it was just as good, with a great-sounding B. I would like to pick up one of the newer BB424s at some point. The only other PJ I've owned was a SGC Nanyo Bass Collection which had a great pearly off-white colour to it. Two band preamp and a nice thin neck. Wish I still had this one as it was really smooth-sounding![/quote] Thanks for your suggestions. I've done the BB414 but didnt end up getting on with it, the Fender is a good idea but not enough frets, and I like the idea of a Bass Collection, but there don't seem to be many floating about. Apart from that, I find myself still eyeing up the Zodiac........ I wish Ibanez would make an RG series bass! Although cheesy (which I like), it would probably be my ultimate rock bass. Bright yelllow, black scratchplate, pointy headstock, and fitted out with Dimarzio P/Js. Something like this but a bass; [url="http://www.sixstringzone.com/products-reviews/ibanez/RG550-20/rg550-yellow.jpg"]http://www.sixstringzone.com/products-revi...g550-yellow.jpg[/url] Love it!!!

They are truly awesome for the money. I picked mine up towards the end of last year in VGC off Gumtree for £70! I've had various Yamaha's, and for me this RBX hits the spot better than my BB414 did. IMHO the pickups were the real weak point on the BB; I fitted an Aguilar preamp but there was still something missing from the core tone, but there's no way of replacing the pickups without chopping it about. This RBX270 on the other hand, with the Dimarzio's and decent pots, etc. = SWWEEEEET!!!

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1250178' date='May 30 2011, 12:40 PM']Ibanez Soundear should tick all your boxes. P/J (or soapbars, depending on model), 24 frets, slim neck, great sound, rock image. I have an SR1000 (not for sale, so not a plug) which I've had since new from 1990 & has been my main bass since then & you can pick up 2nd hand ibbys for a decent price.[/quote] An Ibanez would definitely tick all the boxes if I could find an older one with p/j pickups that looked ok. All the new versions for quite a long time have had soapbars instead.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='1249997' date='May 30 2011, 10:38 AM']Fender power jazz special, if you get one in good nick. P body with a jazz profile neck. Passive tone, but there is an active bass-treble cut circuit that allows for a wider range of possible sounds. MIJ aswell and built like tanks.[/quote] Just seen the white one you were selling earlier this year - something like that would be perfect, especially white with black hardware!

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1250047' date='May 30 2011, 11:09 AM']What's your budget?[/quote] As little as possible as always! Id be selling my US Jazz to buy something else, so I guess around the £500 mark would be good, give or take a bit. Would love a Dingwall GW, but there's no way I could ever afford one. Not quite "Rock" enough for me anyway I think the pickup spacing cant be far off Fender spacing to be honest. I know a lot of people probably hate them, but a Charvel San Dimas bass would be awesome looks-wise, but Ive no idea what they play like.

Are the BB424s any better than the 414s? I had a 414, and despite it being a great bass, I was never truly happy with the natural response or sound of the ir. I put an Aguilar OBP2 preamp in it, but there was still something missing. Because the pickups are an unusual shape, you can't replace them easily without faffing around chopping wood out. I would really quite like an 80's style rock bass (jackson sorta style, pointy headstock etc) but there don't seem to be any decent used ones about, or anything similar new with the right pickup config. I did see the Peavey Zodiac; does anyone have any experience of these?

I'm REALLY loving my modded RBX270, despite it effectively being my cheap knockabout/backup. As a result, I quite fancy getting a better quality P/J bass, but can't really find anything I like. It needs to have a slim neck and 24 frets (or at least 21). Any suggestions?

In my opinion you really can't get better than the Dimarzio's. I was so impressed with the model p/j in my RBX, I've since upgraded the pups on my jazz bass to Dimarzio Ultra Jazz. I've tried quite a few different pickups over the years, and I much prefer these to anything else I've owned or tried. They really are great VFM.

Welcome to the brotherhood of 'berg! Glad you're enjoying it, it looks awesome. They seem to be growing in popularity at the moment; perhaps someone should start a "show us your Sandbergs" type of thread.............