James L Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Hi there, I'm in my second year of a music performance course and I'm looking to purchase a 6 string bass. I would only have £400 maximum to spend on one as I'm also buying a new rack but I've chosen that already. What would be the best sounding and quality bass in this price range? I play a lot of progressive and metal but I'd also like it to be versatile when playing slap and jazz pieces. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I think for a good 6 in that price range you really need to be looking at buying secondhand. If you want new, you can get a Peavey Grind for about £400 and an ESP LTD for around £450 which could be worth looking at, but I think the secondhand market is the best place to look.It'll certainly give you more options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 As above really Also keep a good look out for second hand Ibanez basses! And actually, the Harley Benton offerings are surprisingly good for the money (around £200 IIRC) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 6 strings = wrong forum alert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I agree on the Ibanez. I've got a BTB 6 (which I've fitted with a Roland V Bass) which is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 There's a Yamaha John Myung for sale on here in the basses for sale section. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/242727-yamaha-john-myung-rbx-jm2-plum-pearl/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/242727-yamaha-john-myung-rbx-jm2-plum-pearl/[/url] They're quite nice. If that's your maximum budget I'd look for Yamaha or maybe Ibanez, and buy used, and try as many as you can until you find the right one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 (edited) I forgot about Yamaha! They don't work for me but they're very well made and in the right hands they sound beautiful Edited August 9, 2014 by chrismuzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James L Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Thanks guys. Going to test a few sixes at my local music shop in the morning including the Peavey Grind 6 NTB which is really taking my fancy! I also love Yamahas so I'm going to see what they have in that department too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 The newer grind basses aren't as great as the old vietnamese ones but they're still really comfortable to play. Just sound a bit thin on the upper strings. I'm currently looking at a pickup upgrade for mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 [quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1407595124' post='2522158'] And actually, the Harley Benton offerings are surprisingly good for the money (around £200 IIRC) [/quote] When you say this, are you referring to the older models which strongly appeared to be rebadged Shine basses? They have revamped their 'modern' range recently and the six string is different. I must admit that while I haven't seen one in the flesh, the HB does look a bit 'cheap' to me. It's good if a playable six string bass can be bought for £123.03 so that someone can give 6 strings a go without breaking the bank. If the OP is a music student who has £400 to spend, couldn't they do better? There are no ratings or reviews of the new HB six string on Thomann, so who knows how good it is. A lot of HB instruments are said to be very good for the price, but not all of them. Again a bass I haven't played so I'm just working from visuals and reputation, but LTD basses are mentioned above. A LTD D6 with fancy stripy through neck can be found for £427 new. They turn up on ebay sometimes, so are available second hand. Isn't this going to be a better bass than the HB, and also if the OP is making his/her way in the music business, wouldn't this give a more professional impression? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 [quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1407668267' post='2522691'] When you say this, are you referring to the older models which strongly appeared to be rebadged Shine basses? They have revamped their 'modern' range recently and the six string is different. I must admit that while I haven't seen one in the flesh, the HB does look a bit 'cheap' to me. [/quote] Actually yeah, the older "Shine" one was my first ever 6er. I still kind of wish I hadn't sold it! The new ones look a little bit like those ropey H&S branded ones that were doing the rounds on ebay a few years ago. Couldn't shift that quick enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 (edited) [quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1407670701' post='2522733'] Actually yeah, the older "Shine" one was my first ever 6er. I still kind of wish I hadn't sold it! The new ones look a little bit like those ropey H&S branded ones that were doing the rounds on ebay a few years ago. Couldn't shift that quick enough [/quote] I have an actual Shine, that I bought for £60. It really needed work, but I suspect that mine was at the lower end of the quality variability that you get with inexpensive basses. It has improved with work on it, particularly filing down the nut slots. I had a look for reviews of the newer HB sixer, and found a review in German that Google Translate seemed to do a good job on. [url="https://translate.google.com/translate?§sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonedo.de%2Fartikel%2Feinzelansicht%2Fharley-benton-b-450550650-progressive-series-test.html&edit-text=&act=url"]https://translate.go...t-text=&act=url[/url] I'm disappointed by the sound samples (only play on the original German page). I feel that I've learnt something about the reviewer's soloing style, but not enough about what the actual basses sound like. Perhaps the beginning of the review looks a bit too friendly to Thomann, so I'd like to see more reviews. But if we take the review at face value, the B-650 appears to be a reasonably well designed and well made (for the price) generic six string modern active bass. The main problem (apart from IMHO the bass not looking very nice which others may not agree with) seems to be upper fret access, for those who want to go all the way up there. A plus seems to be a push-pull knob to switch between active and passive mode. The review lamented the fact that only the six string model had this. Edited August 10, 2014 by Annoying Twit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Hmm that review does make it look very good! The thing that winds me up about it though is the upper fret access (even though I'd probably never go up there ), and those monorail bridges. With how aggressive my picking hand is, if I don't have the bass strung through the back of the body I tend to pull the bridge saddles out! I could blame my technique, but a bad worker always blames his tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Oh! Theres a dude on here selling a Cort A6 for £425. Less than half the retail price! They're incredibly well made and worth a look... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 (edited) Update: There's also this new 6 string Harley Benton model coming out: Looks much, much, better than the 'progressive' model posted earlier in the thread. In my opinion. Edited August 10, 2014 by Annoying Twit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 John Myung Yam's are currently going around £350/3400 mark. VERY good basses, one of the best 6'ers I had back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 A secondhand Grind 6 would set you back £125. Well, the one I sold went for that anyway <small sob>. Wouldn't have sold it if I actually had a use for a six. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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