Lightweight 5-string basses?

[NicoMcJ]

On 25/03/2022 at 16:44, NicoMcJ said:

Obviously I haven’t done a 3 hour gig with it yet but my first impression is that it’s the most comfortable instrument I’ve ever played.

 

Not just the weight, but the balance is incredible.

Ok, I have done a 3 hour and 10 minute gig with it now. It was incredible. It was like I was wearing nothing at all.

 

It sounded awesome too.

 

All other basses are stupid.

 

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[Hamster]

I quite like the look of the Spector NS Pulse 5 - they come in at around 8lb 8oz.  EMG pickups and a tone pump preamp

[40hz]

9 hours ago, Misdee said:

My Yamaha BB2025  weighs about 9 1/4 pounds and is a fantastic bass. Well worth investigating if you can find a used one. The X version is significantly heavier because of the additional scratchplate, metal knobs, control plate ect. That's why I got the non-X version. Very similar nut width to an EBMM Stingray V but wider 18mm spacing at the bridge. And the strings don't keep coming of the edge of the fingerboard!

 

Also, the USA-made Lakland basses tend to be lighter than the Skyline counterparts. I have seen plenty of 55-94 that were under 9 pounds in weight. A used one could come up at a reasonable price.

 

Otherwise, considering you like graphite, have you thought about a Status Stealth 5 string? All- graphite , lightweight and very comfortable to play.

Status Stealth. Great call. I'd imagine rare and probably out of budget, though? 

[40hz]

1 hour ago, Hamster said:

I quite like the look of the Spector NS Pulse 5 - they come in at around 8lb 8oz.  EMG pickups and a tone pump preamp

The Pulse is a lovely looking thing - EMGs are my favourite type of pickup and the tonepump on my old Spector Euro was excellent. It's on the list (I think Bass Direct might have one in).

[40hz]

3 hours ago, NicoMcJ said:

Ok, I have done a 3 hour and 10 minute gig with it now. It was incredible. It was like I was wearing nothing at all.

 

It sounded awesome too.

 

All other basses are stupid.

 

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

For me, it's a similar thing to the Musicman Bongo - It's so mental and weird that I love it. That is a heck of a lot of bass for the money.

 

[LukeFRC]

On 26/03/2022 at 16:42, 40hz said:

Thanks again for the further suggestions and offers (nothing taking my fancy though).

 

In theory a Steinberger would probably be the ticket. Especially as I'm a graphite hound, but I just can't get past the looks. 

 

I like basses with Stingray-esque tones, so a humbucker with active electronics is a preference.

.

my Lakland 55-94 is 9lb ish (I've not super accurately weighed) I've got a East Uni pre in it ....I borrowed a Pre EB stingray for a bit and decided not to buy as I could dial a pretty similar tone in on the Lakland

 

Also as well as weight balance is important - I've played some light basses that don't balance well and they were more of a pain than heavier  ones that did.

[Shiveringbass]

Hello,

 

Obviously, the first that came to my mind was the Sandberg Super light. Plenty of bass for the money and a pretty "classic" tone with the TT or TM. My TT and TM5 are right at 3kg and well balanced.  

 

Alpine also makes some great "classic" instruments made in France and fairly light

https://www.alpineguitar.fr/

 

Opinions about them are very high.

[40hz]

I'm off on a jaunt Saturday to try out GuitarGuitar's stock and Bass Direct. Looking around at websites, I'll be hopefully getting to try at the very least;

 

Ibanez SR Premium range

MTD KZ5

Spector Pulse 5

G&L Tribute L2500 (I know this is likely to be an absolute anchor, but the tone is wild)

Sadowsky MetroExpress

 

I've been scouring the 2nd hand market on here and eBay/Gumtree FB marketplace, daily, but there really isn't a lot that takes my fancy at the moment. Sods law I guess!

 

I know that this time in a fortnight, someone will list a beautiful Lakland under 6lbs, located in the same town as me and giving out free beer with every sale. 🤣

 

I'll keep you all posted. And thank you again for all suggestions and comments.

Edited April 6, 2022 by 40hz

[40hz]

Just got back, with a new Bass in hand!

 

So, I tried a fair few basses, and found the following ;

 

G&L L2500 tribute. - Stunned by this, for the wrong reasons. QC was shocking, out of the box. Wobbly pickup selector switch, a set up that meant the B-string was almost resting on the polepieces, causing distortion and popping. The neck had a large, prominent white scuff under the lacquer, possibly from a poor sanding job. Even if it had been a good one, the string spacing was way too close for my tastes - I kept tripping over myself on quicker lines.

 

Yamaha BB435/735 - both were nice playing and had a good tone (especially the rear pickups), but ultimately a bit uninspiring. Heavy as well.

 

Sadowsky Metro-Express PJ5 - light, poorly set up, tone was quite flat sounding. Bass felt dead acoustically.

 

Ibanez SR1405 - Light, superbly finished and set-up. Felt professional compared to the others and had a great, growly tone. Ultimately I didn't dig the finish that much. But that's a 'me' thing. Would have happily bought this in a sombre colour.

 

Sterling SUB Ray 5 - Flat, lifeless tone. Had loose tuners and pots. Poor QC.

 

Sterling Ray 35 - Great neck profile, tone was a bit thin for me on the upper strings, didn't really feel it was worth the asking price (£1100).

 

Then went to Bass Direct.

 

Musicman Bongo 5 - It was bloody loud. But, ultimately not for me. Suffered from neck dive. Nice neck profile, though.

 

Sandberg TT5 - light, great tone, nicely finished, but was surpassed by something else.

 

MTD KZ5. 

 

Yes. All the yes. 

 

B-String was much more defined and tighter than anything else I'd played (likely due to 35" scale), with much more articulation to each note. It weighed 8lbs 5oz, so, easy on the shoulder and back. The tone was deep and rich, with exemplary string balance. Beautifully finished and set-up, it was not even up for debate - this was the best bass I played all day by some margin (and exactly what I was looking for), so, I bought it!

Edited April 10, 2022 by 40hz

[Owen]

Excellent news!

[Woodinblack]

not seeing any pictures here? 

 

[40hz]

Ask and ye shall receive!

[Owen]

Asymetric neck carve?

[40hz]

1 hour ago, Owen said:

Asymetric neck carve?

It does indeed, and supremely comfortable for it. Makes higher register playing even easier, too.

[Owen]

1 hour ago, 40hz said:

It does indeed, and supremely comfortable for it. Makes higher register playing even easier, too.

Yummy! My MTD Kingston has the most comfortable neck I have played. I am old and have played a lot of basses.

Edited April 9, 2022 by Owen

[Gwilym]

6 hours ago, 40hz said:

Just got back, with a new Bass in hand!

 

So, I tried a fair few basses, and found the following ;

 

G&L L2500 tribute. - Stunned by this, for the wrong reasons. QC was shocking, out of the box. Wobbly pickup selector switch, a set up that meant the B-string was almost resting on the polepieces, causing distortion and popping. The neck had a large, prominent white scuff under the lacquer, possibly from a poor sanding job. Even if it had been a good one, the string spacing was way too close for my tastes.

 

Yamaha BB435/735 - both were nice playing and a had a good tone, but ultimately a bit uninspiring to me. Heavy as well.

 

Sadowsky Metro-Express PJ5 - light, poorly set up, tone was quite flat sounding. Bass felt dead acoustically.

 

Ibanez SR1405 - light, superbly finished and set-up. Felt professional compared to the others and had a great tone. Ultimately I didn't dig the finish that much. But that's a 'me' thing. Would have happily bought this in a somber colour.

 

Sterling Ray 35 - Great neck profile, tone was a bit thin for me on the upper strings, didn't really feel it was worth the asking price (£1100).

 

Then went to Bass Direct.

 

Musicman Bongo. It was bloody loud. But, ultimately not for me. Nice neck though.

 

Sandberg TT5 - light, great tone, nicely finished, but was surpassed by something else.

 

MTD KZ5. 

 

Yes. All the yes. 

 

B-String was much more defined and tighter than anything else I'd played, with much more definition to each note. It weighed 8lbs 5oz, so super easy on the shoulder. The tone was deep and rich, with exemplary string balance. Beautifully finished and set-up, it was not even up for debate - this was the best bass I played all day by some margin (and exactly what I was looking for), so, I bought it!

Gotta love an MTD bass. Did you by chance try a Super 4/5 at BD?

[40hz]

9 hours ago, Gwilym said:

Gotta love an MTD bass. Did you by chance try a Super 4/5 at BD?

I didn't try one - once I had played the KZ5, I instantly knew it was the one, so didn't bother to try a couple more that I could (and probably should of). 

 

I did look over the Super 4 as it was sat in the rack, however. The finish and feel of the bass was extremely impressive.