Advice on what to do with my life (buying a 5-string Fender or not)

#41
Mastiff_5 said:
The 1k budget sector is murky.. you have the 200-375 sector, the 400-7/800 sector, the 650- 800 sector, the 1000-1500 sector, the 1800 sector, and then you move up from there.
Honestly, the Ibanez offerings in the 650-800 sector could satisfy what you are looking for… there are others, and you’ll have to get very focused on what you want in order to figure out bang-for-the-buck… but here’s my suggestion:
At the $1,000 budget you have two choices:
The 650-800 sector from the manufacturer who meets your requirements the most, use the balance between your budget and the cost of the bass to either upgrade electronics, or get a hard case, accessories, etc.
choice 2:
But the best bass from the manufacturer Used that you can, get your accessories later. Going choice 2, you are looking for a fire-sale/divorce/sell-off that will get you into one or two tiers higher than the $1,000 sector… PATIENCE will pay off with choice 2. Don’t discount foreign brands, nor should you ignore high end low-sector basses that could be modded.
And that’s all the news from Lake Woebegone…
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I can go a little higher than 1k. The lakland DJ5 I saw is being sold used for 1000, but I could stretch up to 1150 for the right thing.

The problem is that in all honesty I don’t really know what would be the right thing for me in terms of a 5 string. I play 4 string precisions and they serve me great, but I now need a 5 string for another kind of music. Sometimes I think should just get any inexpensive 5er and call it a day, but at the same time upgrading to a better bass would be nice and I miss having a jazz for it’s bridge tone. Perhaps having a stingray tone within reach would be nice… you see why I need advice? Haha

That’s why, when all is said and done, I’ve been considering the DJ5. Is that 1k used even a good price, by the way?
 
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#42
40Hz said:
I personally think there’s much better choices for a fiver out there than a Fender. So you might want to look at a bigger pool of candidates besides a Fender style 5-string before you pull the trigger. Just my 2¢ anyway. :)
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For example?

As a side note, I feel I’m prejudiced against Ibanez. I don’t even know why. I think they look too 90s, perhaps… and I’m prejudiced against Fenders because even though I’ve had many, they all seem to be lacking, with their spotty QC, for their price…
 
#44
zelig.audio said:
For example?

As a side note, I feel I’m prejudiced against Ibanez. I don’t even know why. I think they look too 90s, perhaps… and I’m prejudiced against Fenders because even though I’ve had many, they all seem to be lacking, with their spotty QC, for their price…
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When I was first looking at fivers back in the early 2Ks I must have tried most of what was out there. And in the end I opted for a Euro Spector.

A lot more companies have since added 5-string basses to their product line. And I’ve tried more than a few of them. But I kept coming back to Spector. They have the sound and feel I look for in a 5-string bass.

Spector’s USA (around $5K) and Euro (about $2800) models are on the pricey side although used prices are about a third less. But their Legend series is quite affordable (~ $600 new street) and gets that same sound and feel. And after having owned some neck-through basses in the past, I found I much preferred bolt-on necks.

If I were to buy a second fiver I’d definitely be shopping for either a used Euro or a new Legend. But that’s me and what I like. And that’s not necessarily the sound you’re looking for.
 
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#45
Clark W said:
Last month I bought a 1997 Jazz V for 500 out the door, and two weeks later I went back and grabbed the new, 2021, Player Jazz V that was sitting next to it for 700 out the door.
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Thoughts on your older vs. newer (Player) MIM P? What's your favourite headstock design? They're actually the same size, correct?

It looks like the fretboards are almost the same colour in photo, with the older rosewood one looking quite bright, though it might be due to exposure, contrast with black and white bodies or fretboard conditioning.
 
#48
IF this is 'I THINK I need a five-string so I'll buy one to find out' (in other words, a fling but maybe not real lasting love), I'd recommend . . .

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Squier Classic Vibe 70's Jazz Bass Five.

Classic Vibe '70s Jazz Bass® V | Squier Electric Basses

Classic Vibe '70s Jazz Bass® V, Maple Fingerboard, Natural
www.fender.com www.fender.com

You can buy these all day long for a pinch under $500, and not hard to find used ones: A lot of guys tried a five, decided it wasn't for them, and they're on the market with low miles. Built to a price, for sure, but easily giggable and upgrade-able if desired. These are the 'entry level drug' for a lot of Fender guys who are THINKING about adding or going to five-string. And relatively easy to sell IF you decide to stay with fours.

On the other hand, the Skyline DJ basses are my-t-fine, but obviously MO MONEY.
 
#49
EmaTheMirror said:
Thoughts on your older vs. newer (Player) MIM P? What's your favourite headstock design? They're actually the same size, correct?

It looks like the fretboards are almost the same colour in photo, with the older rosewood one looking quite bright, though it might be due to exposure, contrast with black and white bodies or fretboard conditioning.
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From an aesthetics and ease of use (tuning) point of view, I prefer the inline 5 over the 4+ 1 headstock design.

The fretboard on the 1997 is darker, especially under the E, A, & G strings, and on the first 5 frets. Someone played this bass a lot.

As far as I know, everything is the basically the same size. I haven't taken any measurements yet but I do have a set of calipers and might take a look this weekend to see if there any differences, body thickness, neck thickness, etc...

Both are strung with rounds. The 1997 the rounds are definitely broken in. The new Player of course the strings are new.

Pickups / controls. Both of course are setup VVT. But the new Player seems hotter, especially when you crank the tone over to the treble side of things. It's definitely brighter and the 97 is darker.

Playability is pretty much the same across both. But the new Player is like a new set of blue jeans, slightly stiff and needs to be broken in. The 97 is like your favorite pair of jeans that are worn and broken in. It has a very comfortable feel to it that the new Player lacks a little of. But we are comparing a used bass that was definitely someone's working bass to a brand new bass. So I would expect that.
 
#50
Well, here’s my final advice on this:
Buy the finest 5 string you can get, that specifically has high-end active pickups that are parallel/single-coil/series switchable soap bars. This way, you have the widest pallet of sounds (including your coveted J-bass [single-coil bridge] tone), the fat p-bass neck tone you are used to, a mid-forward “MM” type tone, and all the modern variations to boot. Fit and finish will be strong.
I play a bass with bass culture 38’s and and a Delano sonar 3 preamp - with this setup, I can happily nail (certainly close enough) this whole pallet of tones, and even switch to passive mode for another set of tones in all modes, and mix the three modes between the pickups. We can mince words here, but the crowd sure as hell doesn’t know you aren’t playing a slightly overwound single-coil bridge pickup from the fender custom shop, or some such thing.
Fit and finish are better, all things considered, with a more boutique (non-factory) builder, so used is probably the way to go.
You aren’t going to be happy with any cheap ‘ol 5, any more than you would be a cheap 4 string.
And if you just have to have an FSO, you can still do any number of non-factory clones used here on TB. Just be patient at the $1,150 price point. Most sellers on here are solid cats who will do you right.
 
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#51
I haven't played any of my other basses since getting this Sadowsky MetroExpress 5. It came with Bartolini picks which sound excellent. The B feels great to me, as good as my G&L 2500 and Stingray. You can find them used for pretty cheap.
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#52
So, for the sake of completeness, I ended up getting the Skyline DJ5.

I totally believe most of the suggestions I got here were great, but the DJ5 was available used in my area. The only Sadowsky MetroLine I found was more than double the price, there were no Spectors, the G&L was in a distant city etc etc., so, as many people were praising the DJ5, I decide to get it. Here’s a pic:
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Sorry for the bad lighting. I like, but I don’t love its looks. It’s fine and it’s been growing on me. However, I’m a little uneasy about the string action. It’s higher than what I’m used to, but I don’t know if it’s a low-B thing. The neck isn’t that bowed (I don’t have an Allen key that fits in the truss rod pocket to change it (the ones I have are too long, so they don’t get into the slot)) and the saddles are pretty low, but still it looks somewhat high. It’s not that bad to play, but it’s definitely higher than what I’m used to and is not an awesome playing experience. What do you all say? Is it all a matter of a good setup or does it look like it requires something else?

IMG_0092.jpeg
IMG_0093.jpeg
 
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