wildfins

Thanks Dave, based on your feedback, I took a look at the Marcus Miller Sire V7 basses and read a lot of favorable articles and reviews on these, very attractive basses especially at a such price tag. The MM Sire V7 come with either Alder ($400-$500) or Ash ($500-$600), would it worth to spend $100 more on the Ash? I can also get a new old stock Lakland 44-01 (w/ old case) for around $500 as well. As both are in the same price range and if I can only have one bass, which one would you recommend then?

Sorry, I did actually mean G&L SB-2 as I was thinking about the G&L JB-2 in my head Hamfist also gave me a very detailed and valuable feedback from his real life experience so I'd take the initiative to share with other newb who might be wondering the same questions... "I assume you mean the G&L SB-2, which I would class as the least competent of these 3 basses. It's OK, but simply nothing special IMO. Tonally, it just felt weak to me. Who knows, I may have got a bad one as others speak highly of theirs (although these are mostly the USA ones, not the tributes). I felt that the basswood body and an overly flimsy neck affected the tone negatively. The TRBX504 excels if you really like a twin humbucker bass with a slim, Jazz-type neck, and light weight. For me the active preamp (the pickups are not active, just the preamp, like the 44-01) in the Yamaha is nothing particularly special, although it's OK. As a bass, I preferred the Lakland, though, although it is fairly heavy (whereas the Yamaha is really light). The Lakland has a slightly wider, chunkier neck, which you may prefer or not.It is still nothing like a Precision neck though. I thought the neck pickups on the TRBX504 and the 44-01 were both glorious for dirty rock tones. The Yamaha becomes less competent the more of the bridge pickup you dial in. I just didn't get on with it's bridge pickup really at all. The 44-01, I still really liked a lot of it's other tones than just the neck pickup one. If someone offered me one of those basses I'd go for the 44-01, but the TRBX is a very competent bass and so much comes down to personal preference and taste." Again, thanks everybody for your feedback... and I am now waiting for an opportunity to jump on an 44-01... -Wild

I PM Hamfist on this topic (as he used to own all of these) but would think that it's reasonable to post it on public forum to seek and share with other owners opinion as well: I am a beginner and into pop, country rock, bachata... style (no hard rock or metal alike) and considering either a Yam TRBX504 or a [s]J&B[/s] G&L SB-2 or a Lakland 44-01 (all in the same price range). I am leaning toward the Yam TRBX504 for its active pickup, built quality and versatility based on what I read on various forums and youtube demos but I have also heard a lot of good stuffs about the other two basses as well as the Squier CV Jazz. Would you mind enlighten me as to how these instruments compare/differ from each other and what would be your personal preference/recommendation - considering that I would probably only have this one bass for years to come? Thanks, Wild