Allaboutthebass Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 Hi All, I need some advice from my fellow Chatters. I have a very nice passive P which does the P thing really well. (**I know…. The shame of having only 1 bass**). I'm looking at joining the church 'happy clappy' band later this year and need something with a little more tonal variation. I also want something different for a bit of fun and to try some chord/classical music. All of the current band players (they rotate) have 5 strings, so that would seem a good place to start. So I'm thinking :- 5 String Active (3 band) 35in scale, but with a thinner (depth) neck. Jazz/Soaps/Humbuckers/Splits (not PJ) Smaller body than a P Maple fret board (nice and bright) The second hand market seems to be pretty bad at the moment for sellers, but it’s a good place for buyers, and there a number of bargains on this very boutique, e.g. Spector's, Yamaha's, Peavy's and Ibbys of course. I'm not tied to any brand so happy to consider anything, I'm looking at a £600 budget with a further £150 that my wife knows about and another £150 that she doesn't, but don't really want to spend it all. Any advice gratefully appreciated from current church players, or those who could point me in a good direction. Thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProjeKtWEREWOLF Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 Have you looked at the Ibanez Multiscale 5 strings? Really nice sounding B strings on the BTB series. There's one for sale on Bass Direct for £800. Pretty colour too. Pretty sure the big man would approve. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 MTD Kingston is the first that springs to mind. Good range of models and you can get them for your initial budget of £600. Heck, I got my most basic one for £250 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 1 hour ago, BassApprentice said: MTD Kingston is the first that springs to mind. Good range of models and you can get them for your initial budget of £600. Heck, I got my most basic one for £250 Winner Winner church band dinner. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 You have a P with 34" scale and 19 mm string spacing. You say you want a 35" scale and probably get something with 17 mm string spacing? A small bodied 5 string, well your equation is not the easiest with your current budget. Similar ergonomics here would help you with the change. Do trials based on the ergonomics rather than pickups, or eq. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pn_day Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 Yamaha BB. I think they are mostly 34". Yamaha TRB did a few 35s. Or save even more and look for a Sire 5 string! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy777 Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 (edited) MTD Kingston Andrew Gouche 5 would be absolutely perfect. MTD’s have that proper Gospel sound. There’s a used one on Bass Direct at the mo for £1,399 which is a snip for how good the bass is, and it comes with Bartolini pickups & preamp as stock EDIT - just noticed the budget restrictions. I would still look for an MTD, perhaps a used ZX5 or Saratoga 5 which would easily fall within your budget Edited April 29 by Paddy777 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwilym Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 https://www.promenademusic.co.uk/mtd-kingston-z-5-string-bass-trans-ruby-red-secondhand/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy777 Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 Just now, Gwilym said: https://www.promenademusic.co.uk/mtd-kingston-z-5-string-bass-trans-ruby-red-secondhand/ Hell of a bass for the price! - honestly the MTD Kingstons made the last few years are fantastic, and you couldn’t get a more authentic Gospel sound 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwilym Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 I've never played a Kingston, but if they're anything like my Grendel, they'll be very nice. I did hear a Kingston being played live in a band on a French camp site in Brittany back in 2023. It sounded fantastic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 I play in my church most weeks. Sometimes on 5 string if there’s going to be songs in Eb or Bb. Otherwise I find the 4 string basses including a FendervP suffice. My 5 string is the Gibson EB5, passive humbuckers with pull pots to change them to single coil”Jazz” type. I got mine for a price within your budget. I used to also use a Spector Spectorcore 5 which was 35in scale and that additionally had a piezo in the bridge offering a very different palate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allaboutthebass Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 I really appreciate the recommendations, chatters never let me down. I might have a chat with the folks at BD/Promenade, as I have a POD Go I could trade as well, which should add a few quid to the size of the spending pot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobiewharton Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 16 hours ago, itu said: You have a P with 34" scale and 19 mm string spacing. You say you want a 35" scale and probably get something with 17 mm string spacing? A small bodied 5 string, well your equation is not the easiest with your current budget. Similar ergonomics here would help you with the change. Do trials based on the ergonomics rather than pickups, or eq. Good advice. In electric bass terms, 4-string P to 5-string modern super-long scale is a bit of a jump. The transition can be helped by opting for tighter string spacing. Equally, don't dismiss shorter scale lengths - in my experience, a consistent or 'tight' B string is not limited to 35" or above. A brass nut or zero fret will help with consistent clarity too. Most extended range basses will have shallower necks anyway and asymmetrical neck carves are also common. Expect at least 45mm at the nut. As a result of this, ergonomics are very different and really necessitate certain techniques (no thumb wrapped around the fretboard unless you have enormous hands!). Sound-wise, you can't go wrong with soapbars and MMs will be fine too. Modern voiced single coils if you want less welly. Be wary of option paralysis with complex onboard preamps; a simple 2-band eq (even boost only) is plenty as the kinds of pickups in these basses are naturally 'scooped' in the mids. This is generally great in a gospel context where there is much more sonic space for bass guitar; relative lack of chord-heavy and distorted guitar parts really help with this. Modern, clean amps are the way to go with this; think Class D and 10s or 12s. A lot of prominent American players use GK. The role of bass in contemporary gospel means a good grasp of music theory is a big advantage and ear-training is a necessity. Band MDs (often keys players) will call changes; songs are often started by vocalists in their chosen key; music starts and stops at different times, often with very short notice; spontaneous key changes are common. The Nashville Numbers System will be your best friend! A final thought - listen to lots of music! Some artists: Fred Hammond William McDowell Tamela Mann Yolanda Adams Donnie McClurkin Marvin Sapp Kurt Carr Tye Tribbett Mary Mary Israel Houghton Kirk Franklin Darwin Hobbs Donald Lawrence Hezekiah Walker Anthony Evans Some bass players: Justin Raines Andrew Gouche Sharay Reed Fred Hammond Lots of great online content too. I hope some of this helps and enjoy the journey! Tobie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Don't get fixated on the neck length, fretboard material, or the number of bands of EQ. There's plenty of Ibanezes that would be somewhere near your requirements, plus the Peavey Cirrus BXP. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 What kinda music will you be playing? Can you play it on a P bass or is it the Sharay Reed type gospel vibe? Also - this thread might be useful... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 3 hours ago, tobiewharton said: In electric bass terms, 4-string P to 5-string modern super-long scale is a bit of a jump. The transition can be helped by opting for tighter string spacing. I had lots of issues in my transition just because my muscle memory did not like that narrower (17 mm) string spacing. Now my fivers have 19 mm spacing, and I couldn't be happier. True about those scale lengths: my old five string MG Quantum Custom became far better when I found the right B string (.120"). I thought fatter would be better, but no. Be open and do trials. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAgent Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 My advice would be try to find a second hand Lakland. Any type will do. Excellent built basses, necks to die for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Another vote for MTD here, although it looks like that Z5 at Promenade has sold now (perhaps bought by OP ?!). I have a Super 5 fully Bartolini'd and I use it in a hard rock band. I recently had a Z6 also which was a little too refined for what I do - but had a great sizzle to it. An MTD Z5 is definitely ideal for what has been specified though. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy777 Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 (edited) 35 minutes ago, Machines said: Another vote for MTD here, although it looks like that Z5 at Promenade has sold now (perhaps bought by OP ?!). I have a Super 5 fully Bartolini'd and I use it in a hard rock band. I recently had a Z6 also which was a little too refined for what I do - but had a great sizzle to it. An MTD Z5 is definitely ideal for what has been specified though. I’d love an MTD Super! I bought an MTD Saratoga 5 from @tobiewharton last year with all the Bartolini upgrades and it sounds epic, I’ve probably done at least 50 gigs with it and it’s so comfortable to play, but they just sound SO good. Talking of Sharay Reed - I picked up a MIM Fender Jazz Deluxe V made in 2000 for £450 with the Suhr pickups (single pole pieces like Delano often do) and this also sounds absolutely fantastic particularly for your requirements - not massively like a jazz bass but a super modern, clean tone that is perfect for Gospel and was played by Reed in that famous clip. The B string is great, no reason to ‘need’ a 35” scale for a good B, but these Fender Jazz Deluxe 5’s are out there for not a huge amount of money - they’re very good and have the exact kind of tone you’re after (however if you put a gun to my head to choose I’d got for the MTD). Obviously the one I got for that price was “well gigged” 😆 but its great - it came with the Suhr designed preamp separately as it had been converted to passive (so yeh it has an input on the body too) but I’ll either stick that back on or an East Retro on it, but it doesn’t sound like any other Fender Jazz I’ve had - and I’ve had loads. There’s a USA made version too but they’re over a grand usually 😮💨 🔥 🔥 🙌 Edited April 30 by Paddy777 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 A Super 5 is probably where I'd go if I had to have one bass for me. Overkill on everything but so versatile. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dclaassen Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 16 hours ago, Grahambythesea said: I play in my church most weeks. Sometimes on 5 string if there’s going to be songs in Eb or Bb. Otherwise I find the 4 string basses including a FendervP suffice. My 5 string is the Gibson EB5, passive humbuckers with pull pots to change them to single coil”Jazz” type. I got mine for a price within your budget. I used to also use a Spector Spectorcore 5 which was 35in scale and that additionally had a piezo in the bridge offering a very different palate. That same Spectracore is currently on offer…. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy777 Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Here’s an idea!…..💡 The Ken Smith Design Proto J was like the Ken Smith version of the Sadowsky Metro Expresses - Check em out on YouTube, they don’t sound bad at all and they get some really good reviews. There was some complaints about them from some people but I think back in the day but that was cos they weren’t that cheap new imported into the U.K - they’re basically a really decent Jazz bass that sound perfect for you & they’re popular with some of the Gospel playing Bass YouTubers from the US like Johnny Lee Long etc. Couple of them here 👇 but there’s loads out there Anyway the 5 string is 35” scale and there’s on for sale on here (that I’ve been tempted by myself several times, but I just don’t really need it - although it doesn’t usually stop me hah) that has been upgraded with a John East 2B J-Tone preamp, which I can tell you from experience is absolutely immense, for only £400!! (The preamp alone is £180 inc VAT and worth every penny) You can then use the remaining money from your budget to stick in some Bartolini B-Axis pickups in, which are absolutely made for your type of sound - you’d then have a very nice 35” scale Ken Smith 5 string jazz bass with a combo of John East preamp & Bartolini B-Axis pickups in it which would sound amazing, and you’d potentially have change from £600, which is nuts! I genuinely don’t know the BC’er selling it but he should definitely put me on commission 🤣 Here’s a video of a guy playing that combo of a John East preamp & Bartolini B- Axis pickups - sounds pretty impressive 👇 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Thanks to this I just found Sharay Reed’s YouTube channel - he’s playing a fodera now - but honestly by the time it’s in the mix I think any 5 string with jazz pickup positions, played over the bridge, would get you close enough…. Even a stingray you could make work. the bigger issue would be playing as well as he does! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javi_bassist Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 What about a Schecter CV5? I love mine. The neck feels amazing and the pickups offer a great variety of sounds. 17mm string spacing. https://www.schecterguitars.com/Cv-5?quantity=1&custitem_color_master_list=433 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 On 29/04/2024 at 15:46, Allaboutthebass said: Hi All, I have a very nice passive P... I'd love to know how it would go down with the flock if you turned up with one of these: 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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