Which 6?

[P-T-P]

I feel very much at home on my 5 string basses, but it's taken a long time to get there in terms of finding the right instruments.

I've wanted to get into 6 string bass for a while now, to the extent that I've owned both a TRB1006 and an early TR6 but neither really worked out for me. I enjoyed the freedom of being able to reach more notes from one position as well as the greater fun available at the dusty end, but when it came time to just be the bass player in a covers band, I found the TRB's were just that little bit too big (body and neck width) and heavy for me.

I'm looking for suggestions then for alternative 6-ers I should consider and the only real guide I have is to look at what I like about my 5 string basses and don't like about a lot of other bassses.

In general I dislike fat necks, and by that I mean the depth from back of neck to fretboard.

I prefer a more oval shape to the neck profile. More this "("than this "C" and definitely not this "D"

I prefer the fretboard not to be overly flat.

I like the 19mm string spacing at the bridge on my Laklands and also like the more tapered effect that has on the neck. I particularly dislike Fender Vs for their lack of this, to me they feel like I'm playing a blunt instrument.

I like the feel of the smaller than normal jazz body of my DJ5.

I know when others ask similar kinds of questions, budget is always something that respondents cite. I don't have one as such. I likely wouldn't spend more than about £800 but would be more comfortable spending in the £300-£500 range and would always be more inclined towards second hand rather than new.

Any suggestions much appreciated.

[Kiwi]

I'd suggest a Tobias Toby Pro 6, you can pick them up for about £400-ish second hand. The pickups and electronics are a bit crap but the woodworking is fine and the bass is really easy to play.

[cheddatom]

I tried one of those Tobias' in sound control and didn't really like it. I got my schecter studio 6 (or whatever model they are) for £300. I really like it, but i've only played about 5 6 string in my life and I own 2 of them.

[Golchen]

Way out of the price range, but someone posted a pic of their new 6 string headless staus the other day and I thought it looked amazing! Most 6's look a bit like a plank of wood fretboard to me, but it just looked Soooooo right.

[eude]

There's always a few decent examples on ebay.

My first 6er was a Washburn and it was great, kinda still slightly regret getting rid.
Here's what they're doing cheap just now >>
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Washburn-BB6-Bantam-Bass-Guitar-Gun-Metal-Finish_W0QQitemZ300211248141QQihZ020QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Washburn-BB6-Bantam-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Aria's are never that bad >>
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-SB-Series-6-String-Electric-Bass-Guitar-Black_W0QQitemZ280215022268QQihZ018QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-SB-Series-6-Str...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

There's one of these in the bass porn section right now >>
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HUDSON-PBS-6-NOP-6-STRING-BASS-SPALT-BASS-NEW_W0QQitemZ250233277517QQihZ015QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HUDSON-PBS-6-NOP-6-S...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Check out the cheaper Spectors too and the Schechter ones are very nice for the money.

Even better, if you can stretch to it, there's a very very very nice Overwater here >>
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Overwater-Perception-6-string-bass_W0QQitemZ330224690675QQihZ014QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Overwater-Perception...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]
A proper Pro-Level bass there.

Even better than that, if you could up your budget a wee bit more you could probably get a custom 6 string to your specs, I'll drop you a PM.

Cheers,
Eude

Edited April 4, 2008 by eude

[David Nimrod]

Ibanez SR1006EFM neck thru... or the cheaper bolt on SR506?

[eude]

[quote name='David Nimrod' post='169789' date='Apr 4 2008, 01:43 PM']Ibanez SR1006EFM neck thru... or the cheaper bolt on SR506?[/quote]

Spot on, I totally forgot about the Ibanez Soundgear range.
The neck are wafer thin and the bodies are tiny, making a really easy playing lightweight bass, only problem is that the string spacing is pretty tight, I think it's 16.5mm, don't quote me though...

Cracking basses for the money.

Eude

[Dood]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='169708' date='Apr 4 2008, 11:45 AM']I'd suggest a Tobias Toby Pro 6, you can pick them up for about £400-ish second hand. The pickups and electronics are a bit crap but the woodworking is fine and the bass is really easy to play.[/quote]


As it happens, I am thinking of selling my Tobias Pro 6, with hard case for around £350. It has been upgraded with EMG active pups. I'd invite any PMs in the meantime.

[steve-soar]

Buy this bass. £350 Toby Pro, £160's worth of EMG'S thrown in, derrrrr.

[budget bassist]

I'd say try out a tobias toby pro 6. Yeah they're not the best, but i have one (5 string) and it sounds pretty nice, you could swap the pickups out and it would sound great. Also it has the nicest neck I've ever played. It's just so fast and every note just feels so natural and easy. Not the best finish (hand rubbed oil, so not too bad) but it has the oval shape you're looking for and it's asymmetrical so it fits your hand perfectly, seriously give one a try! There's a couple on ebay now at the £300 mark.

EDIT: seems i'm not the only one that has said that, i'd say go for dood's toby, VERY nice basses and that seems well worth the money if it's got EMGs.

Edited April 5, 2008 by budget bassist

[Kev]

iv just bought a hudson pbs 6 string off shockwave

its a brilliant bass, its lighter than my fender, and has a wonderful neck to play on

they only sell them at cranes music in cardiff, but theres one ebay at the moment

they sell for £599 in store

[Dood]

Thanks for the posts guys! I feel slightly guilty for not putting a proper ad up in the for sale section! I'll do some pics and spec list for all interest parties!

[Kiwi]

Rich had a Toby Pro 6 I tried with the same EMG pickups and it sounded pretty good

There's one on ebay too but with standard pickups

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/tobias-toby-pro-6-string-bass_W0QQitemZ110240225675QQihZ001QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/tobias-toby-pro-6-st...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

[P-T-P]

Thanks for all the input guys, not actually in a position to purchase right now but the info will serve me well.

Thinking back, I owned a Toby Pro 6 for a brief few days following a part-ex deal. Was a nice enough bass but was definitely lacking a bit tonally for my taste.

This is actually all crazykiwi's fault for letting me try his Smith 6 at the SE bash back last year, it has haunted me ever since.

[matty589]

The Toby Pro is not a nice bass, feels like it has been made to a price. I had a bubinga one for a while and it really felt like a cheap instrument. The wood was very oily, hadn't been dried properly. Pickups very weak output and poor finishing - Korea can do much, better than this (Lakland Skylines for example). The Ibanez SR506 is OK, but look at the BTB556 as well. For less than £400 you get a 35" scale, mono rail bridge, Bartolini mk1 pickups with 3-band vari-mid eq, and good quality fit and finish. I have played probably 3-400 different six strings over the last 20-odd years and, short of going up to the next price level, there isn't much to top the BTB. The looks are little more acquired than the SR506 but it's a much better feeling and sounding bass (and the spacing is only 0.5mm wider than the SR506).
I bought a Warwick Corvette Ash 6-string s/h for £650 recently. One of the best 6's I have ever owned, believe it or not. Ovangkol neck, wenge fingboard, MEC soapbars and 2 band eq. I run it passive with pan halfway between neck PU and centre. Instant Anthony Jackson! So maybe check out ebay for some bargains - there is a Dingwall afterburner on there at £500 at the moment!
It is best to try out a bunch of different 6-strings - but hardly any bass shops stock more than 1 or 2. However the Bass Gallery in Camden had (last time I looked), 2 Ibanez BTBs, a Warwick Streamer NT, Overwater Progress, Fodera Emperor, Jaydee Celeste, F-bass BN6, Status Stealth, Yamaha TRB, Sandberg fretless, and a Scott. Whilst most of these are probably out of your range, it would at least let you decide what kind of 6-string you'd be most comfortable with.
Best of luck
Mat

[budget bassist]

I prefer the sounds of my toby to the sound of any ibanez i've ever tried. Way over-trebled and too much string rattle. Admittedly i've only tried up to about the £450 mark, but that's the same range as my toby and i know what i'd rather have.

[matty589]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='172597' date='Apr 8 2008, 09:07 PM']I prefer the sounds of my toby to the sound of any ibanez i've ever tried. Way over-trebled and too much string rattle. Admittedly i've only tried up to about the £450 mark, but that's the same range as my toby and i know what i'd rather have.[/quote]
The BTB isn't over-trebled and string rattle on any instrument is a setup issue. I owned a bubinga Toby Pro 6 and it was a very poor sounding bass. B was flappy and undefined (even with £40 DR's), pickups were weak as and oiled finish was very cheap-looking. I tried a couple of other Tobys too and the general fit and finish was nowhere near what Ibanez offer. You could of course swap the pickups but a couple of EMG or Bart soapbars will be 50% of the original price of the bass, taking it into a different price bracket. I saw some other Tobys in what looked like quilted maple with a gloss finish, maybe they were better? The irony is that both brands could well be made in the same factory in Korea!

[chris_b]

[quote name='P-T-P' post='169703' date='Apr 4 2008, 11:39 AM']....I've wanted to get into 6 string bass for a while now....[/quote]
After being inspired by a £2000+ Ken Smith are you really going to be happy with any £300 bass? I'd get a bank loan to make up the difference and go for one of the, at least half a dozen, top 6 string basses currently for sale on BC right now.

[cheddatom]

I have played a washburn 6 - it was a very nice bass to play. I can't remember the sound of it but it was deffinitely very easy to play. They come up on Ebay and i'm always so tempted!

[kingforaday]

[quote name='matty589' post='173907' date='Apr 10 2008, 01:44 PM']I saw some other Tobys in what looked like quilted maple with a gloss finish, maybe they were better?[/quote]


spot on. the bubinga one is the 'pro6B custom'. the 'toby pro6' are much older, gloss finish ones that were sold through music yo years ago. they then briefly introduced the custom ones and the acoustic toby's (which now seem to have disapeared of the face of the planet, much to my annoyance) then stopped selling them which is when they started to be sold through sound control i think...

i've got a pro 4 and its realy nicely finished, though the pickups are still poor as of all the korean tobias', and it doesn't have an asym neck, whereas the pro custom's do.

i've never tried one of the custom ones, so can't really comment on it but i have no complaints regarding the finish or sound of mine (for the money), its just that the pickups are very weak.

not sure what model dood has but for that money with the EMG's in it (and a hard case), it sounds like a great buy to me

Edited April 10, 2008 by kingforaday

[Blink]

If you liked the TRB but want something physically smaller try the RBX JM2. I purchased one of the first few in the UK (thanks to Terry at PMT).

I wanted a standard production bass for playing pub gigs that I would not cry over if it was damaged or stolen. I find it easy to play and the band thinks it sounds great (not just for Dream Theatre covers).

Plus points - its a Yamaha, not very exciting but works very well. Cost about £550.

Negatives - choice of colours is limited to silver or plum (mine is plum).

Give it a try, you might like it.

N

[Matty]

Im selling my Peavey Grind 6.
Contact me if your interested...

[budget bassist]

[quote name='matty589' post='173907' date='Apr 10 2008, 01:44 PM']The BTB isn't over-trebled and string rattle on any instrument is a setup issue. I owned a bubinga Toby Pro 6 and it was a very poor sounding bass. B was flappy and undefined (even with £40 DR's), pickups were weak as and oiled finish was very cheap-looking. I tried a couple of other Tobys too and the general fit and finish was nowhere near what Ibanez offer. You could of course swap the pickups but a couple of EMG or Bart soapbars will be 50% of the original price of the bass, taking it into a different price bracket. I saw some other Tobys in what looked like quilted maple with a gloss finish, maybe they were better? The irony is that both brands could well be made in the same factory in Korea![/quote]
To me they were over trebled, it's not a fact, it's opinion.
And it's funny how every ibanez i tried in that price range had string rattle isn't it?

[budget bassist]

[quote name='kingforaday' post='173954' date='Apr 10 2008, 02:36 PM']spot on. the bubinga one is the 'pro6B custom'. the 'toby pro6' are much older, gloss finish ones that were sold through music yo years ago. they then briefly introduced the custom ones and the acoustic toby's (which now seem to have disapeared of the face of the planet, much to my annoyance) then stopped selling them which is when they started to be sold through sound control i think...[/quote]
Do you know how long it's taken for me to hear that? The music shop i bought mine from (it's the bubinga toby pro) knew nothing about it, i emailed gibson, they told me it was a toby pro 5 and sent me a copy of the original ad which mentioned nothing about bubinga.... i emailed them again twice more and they just danced around the question like i hadn't asked it. I have to say, gibson customer service is appalling in my experience.

So mine is the toby pro5B custom? (also i don't think it's as bad a bass as matty589 is making it out to be)
thanks

[matty589]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='174189' date='Apr 10 2008, 10:14 PM']To me they were over trebled, it's not a fact, it's opinion.
And it's funny how every ibanez i tried in that price range had string rattle isn't it?[/quote]
SR is rather trebly. BTB isn't. The notes do have a definition that perhaps is a little more subtle on a £2000 bass, but there is always some compromise if you're paying £300. The BTB also a lot more versatile. Ibanez basses now come with horrible Elixir strings, which accounts for the extra presence. Mine had no string rattle, and if any bass does it needs a setup. Hardly a reason to purchase or not purchase any bass - any shop worth it's salt will set up a bass if you are interested in buying it. The Toby I bought needed a fretstone just to play nicely. Having actually played and owned both basses there was no contest. It's a shame as I owned an old Classic with Barts once, and a Killer B and they were both fine instruments. The Toby is a Tobias in name only.