Newfoundfreedom

Who knows Dave? Usually it takes Thomann orders about 7-10 days to get from Germany to here in Bulgaria. But with the Christmas post and everything it's anyone's guess. Once it arrives, I don't mind getting stuck in and sorting the basics myself. I have no qualms about adjusting truss rods, intonation, bridge height etc. Anything other than that, I've got a good mate a few miles away who builds guitars for a hobby, so any fret levelling, fret edge filing etc, is easily sorted.

Yeah I'm not expecting miracles, in fact I still wouldn't be surprised if it's an absolute pile of crap at that price, but all the reviews (and there are plenty of them) say otherwise. Apparently the fret work is really good, and the electronics are useable, with (supposedly) great tones. Many even saying it's better than basses they own over worth well over a grand. Personally I find that difficult to believe, and even when it arrives I have nothing to compare it to. But as long as it serves its purpose, which is to be a learning tool. Then it'll do for me for the time being. If nothing else, it will teach me whether or not I can play a 6er, and whether a 16mm string spacing is right for me. At £135 that's a cheap lesson. I could buy an expensive bass, sell it on if I didn't like it, and lose that much in shipping costs and selling fees.

Yeah that's another reason why I didn't want to spend much. Until I try, I just don't know what string spacing will be right for me. My feeling is, that I will get on with a tighter spacing and slimmer neck, far better than a wider spacing and fat neck. Time will tell. HB's are just ridiculously good value for money. They're cheap, but barring the odd quality control faux pas, they're certainly not cheap crap. I've looked and been tempted by several, but this is the first time I've taken the plunge. To be honest, with Thomanns 3 year warranty, I can't really see how I can go wrong. If I get a lemon, I just send it back. No harm, no foul.

Well I've taken the plunge and ordered the cheapest 6 string available on the planet. 😂 I'd previously dismissed it as being "too cheap" and assumed it would be just a useless plank, but then I read the reviews on Thomann, and watched a few videos on YouTube, and this thing just seems too good to be true. (Seriously! Check out the reviews for yourselves) So I ended up ordering it as much out of curiosity as anything else. A brand new 6 string bass, which (if the dozens of reviews are to be believed) is not only useable, but actually quite good. Light weight (for a 6 anyway), with a fast neck, good build quality, decent tones, and extremely playable. For....... Are you ready for this?......... Are you sitting down?.......... £135!!!!!! 😱 How is that even possible? I mean, granted it's ugly, but if this thing even gives me an idea about playing a six string at that price I'll be happy. I look forward to reviewing this one when it arrives. https://m.thomann.de/intl/harley_benton_b_650_black_progressive_series.htm?i11l=en_GB%3ABG.EUR%3ABGN

I've just been looking at a V7 5 string in natural swamp ash, that I could pick locally up locally for about £330, but it's not really my thing. From the videos I've seen on YouTube, they sound amazing. I just don't know if I could live with the looks. I really don't like Fender style / shaped guitars.

No. It's not that desolate. 😂

Yeah picking up a cheapy is pretty much the plan. My budget for the whole bass is around £250, so no chance flying anywhere to get one. I can get an Ibanez 6er delivered from Thomann for about that money. Should be good enough for me as a learner. To be honest I wouldn't pay much more than that for a bass anyway. 1, because I can't afford to. 2, I couldn't justify the cost for what is essentially just a hobby. If I was gigging and making money from it then maybe. And 3, The quality of "budget" instruments these days is ridiculous! Once you get above £400 - £500 the returns diminish massively. Yeah admittedly a £2500 bass is always going to be better than a £250 bass, but is it 10X better? The guitarist in my old band had a £3500 acoustic guitar that he wouldn't take to gigs. What's the bloody point? He used to borrow my £50 Freshman and it sounded "almost" as good, and £3450 cheaper.

I doubt it. I live in Bulgaria. 😂 Which is why I also have to rely on shipping / mail order.

Yeah, definitely good advice. Sadly though as stated above, simply not an option.

Ah if only that were a option. My nearest decent music shop is over 200 miles away, and even then, they're highly unlikely to have much of a selection. It's more a case of mail order, suck it and see.

I was looking at that just yesterday. The reviews are petty good, and it looks good too, if that's your kind of thing.

Has anybody done this. Basically skipped 5ers altogether and just gone straight in the deep end with a 6? I've only ever played 4 string basses, but lately I've been fancying delving into 5's. Then I thought, sod it! Why not go the full hog and try a 6er? I play a bit of guitar (badly) so it's not like having 6 strings is totally alien, even though the tuning is different. Here's my thinking. 1) I like my 4 string. I like the way it looks, the way it sounds, and the way it plays. If I buy a 5, I will either like it, and therefore it will make my 4 string redundant, which would be a shame. Or I won't like it as much as my 4, therefore it would be a wasted purchase. There's not "that" much difference between a 5 and a 4, whereas (in my mind at least) a 6 is a different beast entirely, and would be an addition rather than a replacement. 2) My old band was a 6 piece, where I was playing alongside 3 guitarists, and therefore sonically "full" sounding. My new band is a 4 piece, with just me and 1 guitarist, and while I much prefer the creative side of the new band (all original material) I sometimes feel that the overall sound is a little hollow. Maybe I could add to it with some of those sweet top end bass chords. So. Would I likely be biting off more than I can chew. Does it make sense to go straight for the 6, or am I just trying to justify my GAS?

It's all I ever use. I still can't get over how good it sounds.

I've had one in my basket for a couple of weeks, patiently waiting for it to come back in stock just after new year. Then the car went in for MOT and that's that. The bit of money i'd managed to put away is now gone.😞 The Christmas curse strikes once again.

Nope. Heart and Vixen pretty much nailed it years ago. 😉

I've never been a fan of black guitars, but that looks great with the satin finish alongside the dark wood of the neck.

But it looks like you've got the HBZ 4000 NT there. I'm after the 5 string. What do you reckon to it? Is it as good as the reviews suggest?

I've got my eye on the HBZ-5000 NT. Above the price range of the OP, coming it at about £270. But they look ridiculously good for the money. https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_bz_5000_nt.htm Just need to get some funds together now. 😞

Two free beers then. 😉

In that price range i'd look for a second hand Vintage (the brand). They're stupidly good for the money, and you can pick a second hand one up for next to nothing.

For me, it's more of a "position" thing. Even playing a light bass would give me back ache. The worst I've ever put my back out was leaning forward to clock in at work (seriously) 😂. I'm not playing festivals or 2 hour sets, so within reason, I'm hoping it's not going to make a massive difference.

Yeah that seems like a nice weight. Is that a 4 or a 5er?

Yeah I've considered it. But where I live there's zero second hand market, and everything that does come up is massively overpriced. Buying second hand from the UK is a risk, because if there's damage in transit then there's no comeback. Plus, I've never seen anything in that price range, even second hand, that comes anywhere near the level of quality of the HB I posted above. I'm not a brand snob (I actually can't stand Fenders) and at that price range, I don't really care about resale value.

I'm seriously considering one of these for my first foray into the world of 5 strings. I don't want to spend too much because a) I'm skint, and b) I might not take to it. Forget the name tag. These things look stunning, and the reviews are outstanding! At around £265 for a bass that looks and sounds this good (seriously, look them up on YouTube), I don't really see how you can go wrong. https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_bz_5000_nt.htm