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Thread: The thread for us to talk about gear we've tried out

  1. #1
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    Default The thread for us to talk about gear we've tried out

    Thought it might be fun for us to have a place to talk about gear we've tried out, but maybe haven't bought.

    This weekend, I tried two cool basses:

    1) 1980's era Yamaha BB1600 - one piece maple neck, alder body, weird pickups. From my research afterwards, this bass was made in Japan and was intended to be both a P and J. I'm not kidding when I say this might just be the nicest playing bass I've played. The sound was decent, but the neck was divine and the action crazy low without any noticeable buzz. It had a really unique bridge design that looks like it would be a snap to intonate. Cheap, too. Definitely a bass I'll keep my eye open for in the future. This one had been much loved, and looked it.

    2) Roscoe 4-string - Found this in the used section at a Guitar Center, believe it or not. This guitar had the most amazing burst finish I think I've ever seen. The base color was copper, like a penny, bursting out to black. It was gorgeous. It had really nice hipshot tuners, and a one-piece neck, maple fretboard. The pickups were Barts. Fretwork was nice. Unfinished neck, which isn't my favorite. Picking it up, you could definitely see all the little details that made this a gorgeous, well-made guitar. Sonically, it didn't do much for me. I think I may just not like Barts. It sounded nice...just didn't make me want to bring it home.

    3) Takamine 4-string Acoustic - I have yet to find an acoustic bass that I like, although I keep trying. My hubby plays Tak guitars (both a 6 string and a 12-string), and they're gorgeous sounding, well made instruments. The bass is equally well-made, but does nothing for me sonically. I find my arms are too short to play an acoustic bass comfortable, as well. Eh, I'm OK if I never find an acoustic bass. All electric for me!

    So what have you tried out lately?
    Last edited by Nicki; 05-20-2013 at 12:28 PM.

  2. #2

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    Great idea. Let me think of a few I've tried over the years. Be back with a list later.

    Anybody else?


    - low life -

  3. #3

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    Thinking about it, I have only tried a few. I tried that snappy candy apple red Anniversary Fender Jazz. I've tried a Godin with the long thumb rest. I've tried a few kinds of Ibanez. I tried a hollowbody (other than the Godin), but I can't recall the brand - it was similar to a Gretsch... maybe an LTD or something. A Fender Jaguar, and a Thunderbird bass. I think that's the lot.

    Anybody else...?


    - low life -

  4. #4

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    Not too long ago I tried out a Sterling by Musicman S.U.B. Ray5, and I must say it was a pretty sweet bass. It played great, looked cool (can't go wrong with a black/maple combination), and was a real pleasure to play. Plugged in it had that fat warm Musicman tone you would expect. These go for only $299, I almost bought it on price alone! I'm not much of a 5 string player otherwise I may have grabbed it. If you are in the market for an inexpensive 5 string you should definitely check one out.
    Stantonl

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  5. #5
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    Default

    I've been thinking of getting another bass that is less expensive than my Carvin B25, but better than my Yamaha RBX260, that I can feel comfortable taking "out into the wild," so to speak. The Carvin B25 plays great and is a beautiful piece of art. The Yamaha RBX260 plays okay but has serious neck dive issues. I'm going to be attending Roy's Fantasy Bass Boot Camp in Nashville later this summer and I feel comfortable with the B25 at the seminars and the studio, but I'm a little antsy about taking it to the Rutledge. My concern is probably totally unfounded and I totally blame a Talk Bass thread I was reading a while ago where everybody was describing how they dinged/scratched/broke their bass at a live venue. But still, it is an excuse to buy a new bass. So, I was thinking (after some research) that maybe an Ibanez SR505 may be the ticket. I looked around town (Charlottesville, VA) in some of the local music stores but the only store that I found that carried Ibanez only had the GSRM20 short scale basses. I tried these out and they were nice, but I'm not really interested in a short scale bass at this time.

    Having struck out here in C'ville, I decided to take a road trip down to the Guitar Center in Richmond (about 70 miles). I tried an SR505 and an SR500 and enjoyed both. I also tried a used SR700 that was okay, but not in the greatest shape. I think that if I get a new bass that it will probably be an SR505. The only question then would be: new or used?
    Bass Rx When Feeling Blue:
    I I I I IV IV I I V IV I I
    Repeat As Necessary.

    (Minor Variations Allowed)

  6. #6
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    Tried out a Dean acoustic last weekend. It had pretty decent action for an acoustic bass. Still nothing I needed to take home with me, but it was better than many I've tried.

  7. #7
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    I tried out one of the new Musicman Sabres this weekend. The battery was dead in it, so it certainly didn't sound as good as it could have. But, that being said, I really liked it. I'm not 100% sure what the pickup selector selects for, since it has 5 positions. With a dead battery, it was hard to tell. I did really like the sound with the neck pickup solo'd, and I'm generally a bridge pickup player.

    The one I tried was silver with a roasted maple neck and maple fingerboard. It was gorgeous and the fretwork was superb. I think the neck radius is bigger on the MM than it is on my ricks, as the neck felt very flat to me. Nothing that I would consider a deal-breaker, just different.

    Highly recommend giving it a try next time you're near your friendly neighborhood MM dealer.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nicki View Post
    I tried out one of the new Musicman Sabres this weekend. The battery was dead in it, so it certainly didn't sound as good as it could have. But, that being said, I really liked it. I'm not 100% sure what the pickup selector selects for, since it has 5 positions. With a dead battery, it was hard to tell. I did really like the sound with the neck pickup solo'd, and I'm generally a bridge pickup player.

    The one I tried was silver with a roasted maple neck and maple fingerboard. It was gorgeous and the fretwork was superb. I think the neck radius is bigger on the MM than it is on my ricks, as the neck felt very flat to me. Nothing that I would consider a deal-breaker, just different.

    Highly recommend giving it a try next time you're near your friendly neighborhood MM dealer.
    I had the guys at GC change out the battery in the Sabre yesterday. Needless to say, it sounded superb...and it followed me home. Fantastic sounding bass with lots of low end. It doesn't sustain as much as my 4003, but I've yet to meet a bass that does. I'll try to post some pics later.

  9. #9

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    Pix are mandatory.



    - low life -

  10. #10
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    I feel dirty...I tried a P-Bass this weekend, and I liked it. Every P-Bass I've tried over the last year, I've disliked. I always thought that P-Basses just weren't for me. Well, I was in GC this weekend, and they had a ridiculous flashy blue metallic P-Bass with a mirror pickguard. It was so over-the-top, I had to play it. Turns out it was a used Steve Harris signature P-Bass.

    When I first plugged it in, it was mud city. Adjusting the tone knob all the way up sent the muddies flying and I had a great sounding bass beneath my hands. Thumpy, yet very articulate. More mids than I was expecting, which is a good thing to me. The neck is huge...baseball bat huge. Or 70's P-bass huge for those that have played the older models. Despite my baby-sized hands, the big neck didn't bother me at all. It's pretty much as basic as a bass can get. Seymour Duncan split coil pups, singe tone knob, single volume knob, nice Badass II bridge, gloss finished single piece maple neck. The original strings weren't on it, which are apparently Steve Harris' signature Rotosound flats. It was pretty awesome, I gotta say. I'm going to go back and play it this weekend and see what a 2nd playing brings.

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