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Picking up bass again - choosing the right one!


Kjir
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Hi all,
I recently moved to the UK and I wanted to pick up bass again, so I am on the hunt for a nice bass that suits me. I am looking for a 5 string bass since I am going to play some Death Metal and I need that low B, possibly with passive pickups. I am looking mainly in the mid-low range, since I am not sure I will stick with playing the bass, I know I sometimes change my mind pretty quick and I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on something I won't use, but on the other end I also fear that an unsatisfying bass might kill my desire to play it.
I was looking at different instruments, among those are:[list]
[*]ESP B55, which I can find for around 200 £
[*]Peavey Millenium 5 BXP, also for 200 £
[*]Cort Action VA for 179 £
[/list]
I was also looking at other options, even for a slightly higher price, like the Yamaha RBX375 (~275 £), or maybe some Ibanez, Dean and others...
I've also been looking to some Warwick basses, since I really love those basses and hope to own one some day, but they are of course higher up on the price range.

I'm trying to get my hands on some of those basses in the shops around London, although I only managed to try a Warwick Rockbass Corvette $$ (which I loved, 575 £@ The Bass Gallery) because there seems not to be such a great selection of lower end basses in the city; I should check Denmark St. when most of the stores are actually open...

Here are some deals I found online, which I hope some more experienced player can help me sort out to see if I am wasting my money or if it could work for me:[list]
[*]Warwick Rockbass Vampire, check out the scratches: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Warwick-Rockbass-Vampire-5-String-Bass-/190643901053"]http://www.ebay.co.u...s-/190643901053[/url]
[*]An ESP LTD Surveyor which seems too good to be true: [url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/esp-ltd-surveyor-405-bass-guitar-5-string-black/100337901"]http://www.gumtree.c...black/100337901[/url]
[*]And Ibanez GSR205 at a very good price: [url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/5-string-bass/100236568"]http://www.gumtree.c...-bass/100236568[/url]
[/list]
As you can see I have a very diverse selection with very different price ranges, I will definitely try out as many of these as possible, but I would also like to hear the opinion of experienced player so that I may know the tradeoffs I am making with my decision...

Cheers,
Stéphane

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I'd look at getting something like a (possibly used) Squier Vintage Modified P Bass. Neat little basses and Ps can do anything!

This [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Squier-Vintage-Modified-Precision-Bass-P-Bass-Gloss-Natural-Finish-/270968242296?pt=Guitar&hash=item3f16f74078"]one [/url]is about your price range, although there may be import charges applied to it as it's coming from America.

Edited by Jones_Stuff
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you liked the Warwick...Not surprised... you want to play metal.....Easy...You want a bass that plays like a Warwick but looks metal.....

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Warwick-Rockbass-Vampire-5-String-Bass-/190643901053?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c6343127d#ht_2326wt_1185"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Warwick-Rockbass-Vampire-5-String-Bass-/190643901053?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c6343127d#ht_2326wt_1185[/url]

Enjoy!

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About the Squier P Bass: I forgot to mention that back home I have a MIM Fender, one of the obscure Squier series, with BEAD strings. I want something different for a bunch of reasons:[list]
[*]I want to try something else
[*]I want a 5 string
[*]I don't like very much the Fender-ish look
[*]Vintage + Metal = Not really credible
[/list]
But thanks for the tip anyway!

[quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]you liked the Warwick...Not surprised... you want to play metal.....Easy...You want a bass that plays like a Warwick but looks metal.....[/font][/color][/quote]
Basically: yes!
What can you tell me about the Warwick RB Vampire? How does it compare to other RBs and how does it compare to other basses in the same price range? 300 £ for a Warwick seems like a very good price to me, although the scratches on the back are really a shame...

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As with most 5 strings..you need to try them as the B can be marginal.
For the money you have mentioned, you need to be happy playing the bass as the quality
is not a given on all models.

For a 5... the most important thing is the B..if that works, then fine, if not, move on.

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