Sleeper/ Unheralded basses in the $500 range?

[4mal]

I have a Classic 50's Strat that is a killer guitar. If the basses are as good - that's a great bass. $750 for a Tribute ? Everywhere I've seen them , the tariff was 549 to 599, in gig bag. That was for the L2000, L 2500, SB-2 or JB-2.

Used there Tribute L2000's, SB-2 and JB-2 between $370 and $400. See the GFS sections at www.talkbass.com or www.badassbassplayers.com


(disclaimer - one of those for sale is mine. I'm unloading a couple of J necked PJ's - there are a few other Trib's up for sale at those sites though.)

[Geoff738]

Originally Posted by 4mal

I have a Classic 50's Strat that is a killer guitar. If the basses are as good - that's a great bass. $750 for a Tribute ? Everywhere I've seen them , the tariff was 549 to 599, in gig bag. That was for the L2000, L 2500, SB-2 or JB-2.

Used there Tribute L2000's, SB-2 and JB-2 between $370 and $400. See the GFS sections at www.talkbass.com or www.badassbassplayers.com


(disclaimer - one of those for sale is mine. I'm unloading a couple of J necked PJ's - there are a few other Trib's up for sale at those sites though.)

Yeah, $750 for a Tribute. I'm in Canada. I think they're the only G&L dealer in town, and the price is probably pretty close to, if not at, list. Either that or they haven't adjusted for our dollar's rise over the last year. Either way, I ain't paying it. Oh, and no gig bag here in Canada.

[Shoved BassVIII]

Originally Posted by Geoff738

active or passive (I'm not a huge fan of active circuits on guitars - maybe I'll like 'em more on bass?)

I hate actives on guitar, but love them on bass. Active seems right on a bass. EMG Ps are the best for me, but ten to each their own.

[4mal]

Originally Posted by Geoff738

Yeah, $750 for a Tribute. I'm in Canada. I think they're the only G&L dealer in town, and the price is probably pretty close to, if not at, list. Either that or they haven't adjusted for our dollar's rise over the last year. Either way, I ain't paying it. Oh, and no gig bag here in Canada.

From Toronto you could hop a bus to NYC and go visit Matt at Guitar Man ...

[broadcaster]

Used Lakland 44-01 and 55-01 series basses. Fantastic playing tone machines.

[Geoff738]

Originally Posted by broadcaster

Used Lakland 44-01 and 55-01 series basses. Fantastic playing tone machines.

The last used Lakland I saw around here was @ $1000 - more than my limited budget, alas. And I think it wasn't one of the American ones. They do look very nice though.

[broadcaster]

Originally Posted by Geoff738

The last used Lakland I saw around here was @ $1000 - more than my limited budget, alas. And I think it wasn't one of the American ones. They do look very nice though.

Youre right, it probably wasn't an American made model, those would probably go close to two grand, used. With inflation, the price of everything has jumped considerably in the past year or two, including the cost of used basses. Used 44/55-01 Laker Skylines may be hard to find @ $500.00 used now.

[4mal]

01 & 02 models are Lakland Skyline import models. The 01's go under 6 pretty regularly. 02's tend to be a bit pricier. IIRC it's the 94 & 95 models that are built in Chicago, as in 55-95 or 44-94.

FWIW - I've had 2 Skyline and both need what I considered to be significant work to make them right. Both necks were actually mis-aligned. I'm pretty fortunate to have not 1 but 2 gifted luthiers nearby and the fixes on each were not too costly - but next Skyline I buy will get a serious look over before I plunk down - which means it won't be an internet buy...

IMO the G&L Tributes are every bit as good as the Skylines and for significantly less dough ... and I haven't had to re-align any neck's on the G&L's - yet ... I can say that after the work was done - the 44-02 was a great bass, the Bob Glaub was roughly equivalent to a Highway 1 P but cost about $400 bucks more.

Lakland has a loyal following and I can only assume that I got unlucky twice.

[Geoff738]

Picked up my Classic 50s P-bass today.

Looks nice, feels and plays well. The output seems a bit low perhaps, and the volume pot in particular is not very smooth and even (the useful range is from approx 8 - 10). Probably going to replace that sooner rather than later. Otherwise, first impressions are favorable.

Cheers,
Geoff

[pacrock]

i will second the ibanez atk. they can be found for cheap. the triple coil pickup does a good mimic job of a musicman stingray. i've had people poke fun at me because it is an ibanez, but when they close their eyes and use their ears, they stop making jokes. it is an excellent 'recording' bass.

[teleclarkster]

The Peavey T-40 from the late 70's early 80's might be a good choice. They can be kind of heavy though. They sound good and play well and can be had for around $200-250.

[bnjp]

Thanks to all who suggested the G&L Tribute L-2000. I actually found one on clearance at Musician's Friend and It's great. I don't know why it was on clearance, but I'm glad I found it. I understand it is Indonesian made in April of 2007. I second all recommendations for this bass!

[kalipigeon]

When it comes to the active/passive thing, I prefer passive pickups and an active EQ. I've never found an active pickup that has the same lo-fi snap that a good P-bass pickup gives. The Fender Jaguar is a nice example of this, and since you can switch it from active to passive, if a battery dies on you - you just hit passive mode and all is good at the gig.