heady

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1448048558' post='2912773'] I am a bit confused though... the tracks you've listed are modern basses...like a a Sei or Smith but you call yourself a Fender type of guy..? [/quote] Sorry for the confusion! I suppose what I'm saying is that I've really outgrown the 'Fender sound' in the last year. My ability and the projects I'm working on have become far more technical and thus demanding of something with extra versatility and finesse. I've also really missed having a low-B. [quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1448051731' post='2912809'] Also bear in mind that different strings have different tensions! Everyone's experience of different scales, different makes & different strings, not to mention how they play (a lighter touch negates needing as high a tension), means that it's all very subjective [/quote] All the discussion on scale length versus string tension has been really helpful! Thank you. It's been a long time since I've tried out loads of basses at the same time and so a trip to Bass Direct, Bass Gallery and Bass Gear is in order before I go any further and end up making a bad decision, most definitely. [quote name='visog' timestamp='1448055406' post='2912844'] You don't need to spend £4.5 to get a great bass. You just need to have the patience to try a few to see what suits you. All the names suggested are good. I'd add Goodfellow, who I can testify to, make great 5's where the B becomes part of the whole and can be played all up the neck without a difference in tone to the other strings. Bare this in mind when you play 5's which have a good natural 'b' but the fretted notes become 'flubby' up the neck. [/quote] Agreed and as I mentioned before, £4500 is really the maximum of my budget. If I try out a heap of guitars and the £500 one feels right, then that's fantastic! [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1448057516' post='2912856'] Buy a nice 5er and then spend a couple of grand on some lessons. You'll end up sounding a lot better. [/quote] It's a fair assessment! As I said before - that's the kind of money I will be able to accept parting with if it really is something special. We all hope that moving onto another guitar will help us improve as musicians - again that doesn't necessarily mean spending £6000. I just know from experience that there is generally a huge difference in a bass priced at say £1000 to one at £2500, and upwards. Not always, but most often.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1448022894' post='2912368'] IME it's all about the stiffness of the neck and the rigidity of the neck joint. [/quote] That's really interesting - do you think that a wider neck, say for a 6-string, could have an effect on the way a low-B plays?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1448021839' post='2912347'] BTW construction is far more important than scale length when it comes to getting a decent low B string. My 34" Sei Bass has the best low B of any bass I've ever played. [/quote] Thanks for your advice. You're right and that's exactly what I'm going to do in the coming weeks. It's interesting you spoke about construction over scale length when it comes to a decent low B string - what exactly is more important about the construction? I can't remember who (either Fodera or Mattisson I think) build basses where the B goes through the body at the bridge, making it's scale 35" on a 34" guitar. edit: grammar

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1448016445' post='2912261'] Whereabouts in the country are you? [/quote] I live and work in London. [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1448017442' post='2912277'] You could perhaps try several basses you mention from the BC marketplace, one at a time, buy one try it out, move it on... would take a year or so but you'd have a much better idea of what you were after following the experience. This is pretty much what I did before arriving at Wal. [/quote] It's definitely the most sensible approach! A visit to Bass Direct is probably a good place to start and at least get some idea of what I [i]don't[/i] want. It's hard to predict how any of those basses will feel once they're under my fingers. What other retailers would you suggest, in line with BD? Does anywhere in the UK stock Fodera? Just so I know what £7000 feels like!

Thank you so much for your patient responses! I probably should have spoken a little bit about what I'm currently using. I've always been a stock Fender kind of guy... used to own a P-bass, then a Jazz, and now I use a Jaguar mainly. For what it cost me a few years ago it's surprisingly versatile - I don't use the on board pre-amp much, if at all these days as I have a Lehle Basswitch with a 4-band parametric EQ, and together with the series / parallel switches on the guitar I can access lots of different 'nice' tones. Enough to get me by I suppose, but I've just outgrown it in the last year. I'm using flats at the moment as opposed to roundwounds, which are fantastic for a lot of the stuff I play but do compromise in areas where I need greater amounts of sustain and/or attack. The problems I have with the Jag are the following: Only 20 frets on the neck, its 30" scale which means the strings are sort of close to being flabby (I'd say more 'non responsive'), it's only got 4 strings, and finally it just generally sounds a bit flat and dead, unless I'm playing the hell out of it. Let me also clarify some of the points I made in the OP. I am mortified at having to spend anything close to £4/5000, I would of course prefer to spend less and am well aware that I could get something decent for half that budget, BUT I have perhaps wrongly come at it from the perspective of this being a long-term investment, and with a lot of research and testing (yes I agree!) I can't imagine choosing a guitar that I later regret massively. But maybe I'm just being naive. A trip to Bass Direct is definitely in order! That was always the plan - if I have the opportunity to play a Ken Smith for example before parting with several thousand pounds, then I'm going to jump at it, of course. But with other basses that could potentially come into the top end of my budget - Mattisson, Fodera for example - I just don't have that opportunity for a play before you pay.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1447979622' post='2912088'] Have you played a 5 string before ? [/quote] Played but not owned!

Hi everybody! So, I'm in the market for a 5-string. My budget is somewhere around £4500 (give or take) and I live in the UK - making import an option, but not ideal. I've looked at several options for luthiers in England and Scotland - ACG, Shuker, Overwater for example - but nothing has inspired me, certainly not enough to part with that kind of money. One thing I'm sure of is what I want out of the bass. My style and the current project I'm working on is very versatile, sonically, and can involve anything from thumby atmospheric stuff to groove-based funk, jazz and progressive. I generally aim for a great fingerstyle tone - think neo-gospel, R&B, jazz tones. I don't do any slapping. I've listed below some examples of bass tones that I absolutely LOVE. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2N_zRXxghI"]Henrik Linder[/url] [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GESlrRSPIjA"]Timon J. Timothy[/url] [url="https://youtu.be/HgL7WCE-eZo?t=2m46s"]Skuli Sverisson (Bass solo at 2:46)[/url] It's really about that slightly aggressive energy in the low-mid / mid range but equally having a natural sounding top end is important. A tight low-B string is [u]essential[/u] - so 35" scale is probably the way to go? (correct me if I'm wrong!) The bass has to be responsive! I don't want something that sounds like I'm thumbing all the time, with no colour in the upper frequencies, but in the same way, do not want something that is overly bright and buzzy. I hope that makes sense! It's got to be natural and open and punchy when it needs to be! I'm happy to have a guitar custom built if it my best possible chance of fitting those specifications. I would love to hear peoples suggestions, experiences and questions. If you can point me in the right direction of a fantastic luthier who will meet those requirements, you are a star! Peace ! J