LearnGospelMusic.com Community
Gospel Instruments => Bass Guitar => Topic started by: TPCPastor on July 06, 2006, 03:27:37 PM
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Hey Folks,
I am new to the forum and was wondering where to look for a good high end, 5 string used bass? Any Ideas?
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Where do you live?
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Hey Folks,
I am new to the forum and was wondering where to look for a good high end, 5 string used bass? Any Ideas?
Talkbass.com
Bassgear.com
bassnw.com
basscentral.com
lowdownsound.com
thelowend.com
If you consider a Music Man Bongo 5 string high end, pm me ;)
Peace,
James
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I live in East TN...Johnson City to be exact.
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Whats your price range?
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Well...as far as price...I am thinking 2500...ish
If the bass was right and all I might squeeze out another penny or two ;D
Thanks for the sites James!
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I agree with James on the places he listed. Although I am partial to BassCentral in Fl. I have first hand experience with them and they are just great. Alot to choose from and have almost all the gear posted on their site.
For 2500.00 you will be able to get a great bass. You might check out Roscoe basses b/c they offer some great basses for around that range.
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http://www.bassemporium.com
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Anybody know anything about Alembic?
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mtd
pedulla
pre-gibson tobias
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Anybody know anything about Alembic?
Now you're speaking my language. I've owned six, still own two. In my opinion, they are the Stradivarious of bass guitars. As with most instruments, they aren't for everybody. If you have an opportunity to play a Signature, a Rogue, an Essence, a Europa, or a Series I or Series II, you should do so to make certain that it is something you'll like. Off hand I can't think of anywhere in Tennessee that stocks them, but I understand that Gruhn Guitars has a really nice 1977 Series I.
I'm not too familiar with Epic or Excel models. Distillate, Elan, and Spoiler models are all "discontinued", but at Alembic, they'll make you just about anything on a custom order.
The small body short scale basses (Stanley Clarke Signature, small bodied Series I / II) are notorious for having neck dive issues. I've had three small bodied Alembics. All three had some neck dive, only one was what I would call troublesome. The two I still own are both standard size (large) bodies. I'm playing one of them in the picture in my profile. As you can see, that neck ain't diving.
Here's a picture from a few years ago. I sold the small bodied bass in the middle, but I still have the other two. The 5 string is pretty much my main bass. In fact it's the one I'm playing in the avatar picture. It's a Mark King Signature with Series II electronics and a few other custom options. Both 4 strings are Series I basses.
(http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss348/martinjlm/Alembic%20Basses/ThreeSeriesBasses.jpg)
If you hang out at the Alembic Club newsgroup, you'll see used ones pop up from time to time. There are also used basses popping up on eBay. Hang out at the Alembic Club and you'll quickly figure out which of the eBay posts are scams. There is zero tolerance for eBay scams in that group. >:(
Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions.
Peace,
James
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www.thegrooveshoppe.com
The Groove Shoppe is also a high end dealer. Check em out.
God Bless,
-J
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Shopping online may get you a bass quicker, but it will also probably be more expensive simply because they're exposed to more potential buyers. I'd keep an eye on some of the good local shops in your area to see what they get in and also just let folks know what you're looking for. Someone may know someone who needs money and is selling a top end bass.
Another problem with many of the boutique types of basses, like Alembic, is that they're custom made, and you won't know what you're getting, or what it sounds like until after you've spent your money if you buy them online.
You can also order new and get some good deals. Smith and Warrior (a Christian luthier) both make quality basses in the $2-3000 range.
I also wouldn't overlook some of the niftier models of G&L and Music Man. At any rate, I got great deals on everything below right here locally.
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c27/play4zero/Triplets.jpg)
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Try ebay. That's where I got my Warwick Rock Bass at a good price.
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Try ebay. That's where I got my Warwick Rock Bass at a good price.
EBay is okay, but you have to be very careful. There are a lot of situations where people repost someone else's auctions. They use the same descriptions and pictures to "sell" something they don't have. It typically happens on the more exotic and hard to find instruments. We catch them all the time on the Alembic Club, since a lot of guys recognize other members' basses from pictures posted in the photo gallery there. Nothing like getting an email from another member saying "Did you know your bass is on eBay?
Three pieces of advice when considering buying a bass on eBay....
- Since you'll be spending a lot of money, try to only deal with people who have high feedback or who you know from other dealings on the internet
- Only deal with people who will accept Paypal as payment. Money orders and Cashier Checks as only form of payment should be a red flag
- Ask the seller to email you a picture other than the pictures posted on the ad. Preferably something that shows a serial number or that shows a recent date (newspaper / magazine) so that you can confirm that they actually own the instrument.
Peace,
James
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EBay is okay, but you have to be very careful. There are a lot of situations where people repost someone else's auctions. They use the same descriptions and pictures to "sell" something they don't have. It typically happens on the more exotic and hard to find instruments. We catch them all the time on the Alembic Club, since a lot of guys recognize other members' basses from pictures posted in the photo gallery there. Nothing like getting an email from another member saying "Did you know your bass is on eBay?
Three pieces of advice when considering buying a bass on eBay....
- Since you'll be spending a lot of money, try to only deal with people who have high feedback or who you know from other dealings on the internet
- Only deal with people who will accept Paypal as payment. Money orders and Cashier Checks as only form of payment should be a red flag
- Ask the seller to email you a picture other than the pictures posted on the ad. Preferably something that shows a serial number or that shows a recent date (newspaper / magazine) so that you can confirm that they actually own the instrument.
Peace,
James
This is really informative. I was not that aware that they had problems of that magnitude. I got burned slightly on one bass and pretty bad on another on ebay, but at least I got the instruments.
Excellent information.
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Hey Everybody...
Super Info...I was not aware of the ebay issue either...THANKS!!!!!
Well...If anybody here on the forum knows of anybody that has a Smith or an MTD for sale holler. I have been shopping around and I really like what I have read about thses two brands.
Should anybody have nay feedback on Smith and MTD...let me know!
Thanks!
Pastor
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Hey Everybody...
Super Info...I was not aware of the ebay issue either...THANKS!!!!!
Well...If anybody here on the forum knows of anybody that has a Smith or an MTD for sale holler. I have been shopping around and I really like what I have read about thses two brands.
Should anybody have nay feedback on Smith and MTD...let me know!
Thanks!
Pastor
If you go to the Eden forum (www.eden-electronics.com) there's a poster there called fretlessboy whois a professional musician. he recently bought a Smith and liked it so well he bought a second one and then ordered a third one direct from Smith. This guy knows a ton about equipment and makes his living playing bass.
Smiths are quite reasonable for boutique basses and part of that is because Smith has a warehouse of wood that's been curing for a couple of decades and so he's not gotten stung for the higher costs of the exotic woods, unless you order a wood that he doesn't have.
Another brand that you might check out is Warrior. They're very attractive, sound good and ae made by a Christian luthier.
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Can't go wrong with either Smith or MTD. They both have thier own definitive / unique sounds that sit well in the worship setting.
I've played on both and would really like to have a Smith but opted for the MTD. It would be worth while to drive somewhere to check them out IF there is a dealer close to you.
You might also consider a Peavey Cirrus, custom shop model. They have a sound similar to that of a Smith. I used to have one and loved it. They are cheaper than Smith or MTD but are still "hand-made" here in the US.
I know you said you wanted a 5 string but they do have a 6 string Smith posted for sale in the TalkBAss.com sales section. ($2800.00)
And beware of the Ebay scams as someone has said.
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THANKS!!
I sent off an email to fretlessboy...I hope to hear from him soon. I am on my way now to search out Warrior basses....
As far as a 6 string...whew.....I think I would be lost!!!!! :P it looks good though! Sharp!
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THANKS!!
I sent off an email to fretlessboy...I hope to hear from him soon. I am on my way now to search out Warrior basses....
As far as a 6 string...whew.....I think I would be lost!!!!! :P it looks good though! Sharp!
Dennis (fretlessboy) is a real pro and very helpful to others. I will call him. Adam Nitti uses Warriors and has several mp3s on his website.
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WHHEEEWWW!
I checked out the Warriors basses and they LOOK GREAT!
I would love to play one to see how they feel and sound
Still Shopping
Pastor
PS...no response from Dennis yet
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WHHEEEWWW!
I checked out the Warriors basses and they LOOK GREAT!
I would love to play one to see how they feel and sound
Still Shopping
Pastor
PS...no response from Dennis yet
I called Dennis and you appaently got caught in his spam filter. I've sent him an email with your address and copied it to you so you'll have a direct line. Sorry for the confusion. Check out Adam Nitti's site to see how Warriors sound.
http://www.adamnitti.com/mp3.shtml
Good luck in your hunt.
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Hey play4zero,
Thanks for your help...I got the email just now and shot off a note Dennis.
I went to Nitti's site and his music sounded good to me. I guess you have to order them straight from Warrior huh? I downloaded some of the mp3's to my computer.
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Hey play4zero,
Thanks for your help...I got the email just now and shot off a note Dennis.
I went to Nitti's site and his music sounded good to me. I guess you have to order them straight from Warrior huh? I downloaded some of the mp3's to my computer.
No, as a matter of fact you don't. Ed Roman is discounting his Warriors to make way for another line. He has some pictures at:
http://www.edromanguitars.com/avail/bass/avail_wrr.htm
I have a friend who had one and was quite happy with it. It would be hard not to be happy with something that looked that good and had decent electronics. The real choice is which electronics, Bartolinis, or EMGs.
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I played a Warrior 6 string and the neck was way to thin for my taste. I felt that I was going to break it if I played on it any longer than I did, so I put it back down. It sounded pretty good tho.
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I played a Warrior 6 string and the neck was way to thin for my taste. I felt that I was going to break it if I played on it any longer than I did, so I put it back down. It sounded pretty good tho.
The neck on my Alembic is very thin also. The question is what they have it reinforced with. All of them that I'm aware of have some form of truss rod, and in most cases, other reinforcement. I have a Jazz bass that I built with a Warmoth neck that's typical Jass bass, but it has three metal rods the length of the neck. You could pretty much play baseball with it. If you want a beefy neck, the G&L 2500 has a very thick neck, but it almost forces your hand into playing with good technique.
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Hey play4zero,
I am trying to call Ed Roman right now...I saw that he had a 5 string Warrior
What, in your opinion, are the better electronics...EMG, or Bartolini?
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Hey play4zero,
I am trying to call Ed Roman right now...I saw that he had a 5 string Warrior
What, in your opinion, are the better electronics...EMG, or Bartolini?
I prefer the bartolinis, but then again, Victor Wooten seems to do alright with EMGs on his Fodera.
I think if you can get a really good deal (and I have nothing to do with Ed Roman, I just found him by doing a google search) I think either will serve your needs just fine. All of these high end basses have good electronics (Smith, Alembic, Lakland, all of which I think use their own pickups now, as well as those who use EMGs and Bartolinis are wonderful sounding instruments). What they also have is the kind of clarity that comes from not having dead spots on the neck, etc. that you get in less expensive instruments.
Obviously, you're also paying a bunch for all the effort that went into them to make them pretty so it's not mandatory to spend a fortune on an instrument to get a good player, but those Warriors are beautiful, and they're something you'll always be proud of no matter how long you have them.
I'd say pick out the one you like and can get a great deal on and have at it.
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I got ahold of Ed Roman and he has sold all the Warrior 5 string!!! :-[
Oh well....if you run across another sale like that...even if it is used, please keep me in mind!
Thanks again for all the help
Pastor