Funk³ Posted May 30, 2015 Posted May 30, 2015 Hey everyone, I've decided that I'd love to get a six string bass but I have no idea how to choose a luthier/company! I have a budget of around £1000-£1500 (maximum). I'm not looking for brands like Ibanez, Peavey or Sadowsky or any brands like that. I'm looking for brands like Prometeus, ACG, Prat. I don't want a P or J bass copy, I'm looking for an original instrument. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks, Funk Quote
bubinga5 Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 why do i get the feeling you should not be looking at custom instruments..? your going to be hard pushed to get a great custom 6 string even at your maximum budget. and Sadowsky don't make 6 strings. if you want to spend that sort of money, stick with a brand that make good choices for you. a Yamaha TRB6 will fit your bill and is probably well within your budget second hand. there are a few about. it is still possibly one of the best 6 strings in the world for the price imo. Quote
bubinga5 Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1433030838' post='2787273'] why do i get the feeling you should not be looking at custom instruments..? your going to be hard pushed to get a great custom 6 string even at your maximum budget. and Sadowsky don't make 6 strings. if you want to spend that sort of money, stick with a brand that make good choices for you. a Yamaha TRB6 will fit your bill and is probably well within your budget second hand. there are a few about. it is still possibly one of the best 6 strings in the world for the price imo. well at any price. its just a superb instrument. [/quote] Quote
ambient Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1433030838' post='2787273'] why do i get the feeling you should not be looking at custom instruments..? your going to be hard pushed to get a great custom 6 string even at your maximum budget. and Sadowsky don't make 6 strings. if you want to spend that sort of money, stick with a brand that make good choices for you. a Yamaha TRB6 will fit your bill and is probably well within your budget second hand. there are a few about. it is still possibly one of the best 6 strings in the world for the price imo. [/quote] I had a really old Yamaha TRB6, it was an amazing bass, really fantastic. What I would add to this though, I've said before a couple of time on here, with a 6 string bass you need to try as many as possible. I sold my TRB6 because of the string spacing, it's something like 19/20mm, which is wide. Mainstream manufacturers make many different models. Ibanez for instance make budget models, but also make far more expensive pro level instruments. A student of mine uses a budget Ibanez 6 string bass. I can't remember the model, but it cost about £300 or something, and it's a great bass. Quote
ambient Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 Check these out [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Mayones_Stock.html"]http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Mayones_Stock.html[/url] They're all handmade by a long established luthier in Poland. There's a thread on here somewhere with a visit to their workshop. I had one of their basses last year, it was extremely well made, and sounded amazing. I think there's a couple in the sale section on here. Quote
CamdenRob Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 Sound advice above... If you're going down the custom route you really need to know what it is you want. Custom builders generally exist to offer you something you can't get of the shelf. If you just want a decent all round bass then you will get much better value buying something from one of the major brands, who can keep production costs down. As to which brand you should get... Well that's a thread in itself. We're very lucky as there are a multitude of great basses at any price point. TRBs are hard to beat and at the cheaper end, I had a Spector legend and it was an astonishing bass for the money. Quote
Truckstop Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 +1 Spend a couple of years buying and selling off-the-rack sixes and find out exactly what it is you want from one. You might find that you might not even need a custom one. Ibanez Prestige range basses are really good, as are Japanese Yamahas. You should also be able to find used Warwicks for that money too. I used a Washburn XB600 for many years, and while the preamp wasn't amazing, it was perfect for me in every other respect. If you are desperate for a custom with your budget, try Rim Basses (Luton). I think Robs less flashy basses should be within budget. The problem with a small budget for custom instruments means that you'll have to forego the little details that make it worth going custom. If you can't afford the 5A top wood and the graphite truss rods and the mother of pearl inlays, you might as well go off-the-rack. Quote
Roland Rock Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 This would be a good start. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/245499-fsft-woodtronics-zoid-6-final-price-1000-l/page__pid__2785423#entry2785423 The price is very good, so if it wasn't for you, you should be able to sell it on at no loss. Quote
dudi8 Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Ken_Smith_Burner_6.html Quote
essexbasscat Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 Ray Against the Machine has a CH guitars 6 string bass for sale on this forum. A very playable instrument with a Quilted top for under £200.00, which is insanely cheap for the instrument that it is - I've played it. It's also in almost new condition. If it was in a shop, it would have gone the day it was put up for sale. Quote
White Cloud Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 (edited) If you read your original post again you will see that the younger you has already answered your original question. Trust him Edited May 31, 2015 by White Cloud Quote
geoffbyrne Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 (edited) +1 for a used TRB6 - the TRB range (if I recall) was originally started with the 6 string - these original models made in Japan, are as good as anything out there, [Statement of Interest] I play a japanese TRB5. [/Statement of Interest] IMHO. G. Edited May 31, 2015 by geoffbyrne Quote
TJ Spicer Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 Another +1 on the TRB6. Picked one up earlier this year from the marketplace for around £500. TRB6II and couldn't ask for anymore from it, especially at that price! They are very wide, but that's a good thing from my perspective... Quote
leschirons Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 The OP's budget will also get him / her a TRB.JP awesome instrument. I guess which version (early or late) will depend on whether the OP wants a 34 or 35 inch scale. Something else worth looking at is the GMR soundboard 6 string. Nice bit of kit that. Quote
AttitudeCastle Posted May 31, 2015 Posted May 31, 2015 Prometeus would be the only brand mentioned who could fit into your budget, and even then with transport costs/import it would likely take you out of your stated maximum, and that would be with no extra cost options pretty much! May I ask why you're looking into a custom 6 string? Nice to see another Jean Baudin fan on here, Binky, another user on BC used to own the famous Pac-9 bass, and I've met Jean a few times, awesome guy! Quote
skelf Posted June 1, 2015 Posted June 1, 2015 Hi My Standard Series falls well within the budget mentioned and I have a Custom 6 for sale at a reduced price at the moment which would again come into the budget but only just.. Alan Quote
pmjos Posted June 3, 2015 Posted June 3, 2015 Go to Alan at ACG! Run............. c'mon! what you waiting for. Quote
charic Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 Yamaha are great basses. If you really NEED / WANT a custom then I would say ACG is probably your best bet. I absolutely love Shukers and will have one oneday but they will probably fall just outside your budget. Just remember that customs come with a nice LONG wait though Quote
White Cloud Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 Alan (ACG) trumps anything else at that budget - his arrival is a game changer. Easy choice now. Quote
Sibob Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 There is, of course, a lot of options available to you at this budget, however the rest of your 'spec' screams ACG Si Quote
Cameronj279 Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 I'm sure everybody knows what I'd say here but just incase... ...ACG is never a bad shout. Quote
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