Got a way to many basses, my wife says They got to go, I have a Marcus V7 5 String, Sterling SubRay4, Harley Benton JB-75MN NA, and Harley Benton Enhanced 25th. Which ones should go, I can keep 2 of them? Which would you recommend should go? I am sure the V7 should go, I have a hard time playing it due to 5 strings. The rest are a toss up. Help me rationalize keeping two of them.
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I’d keep the V7 and one of the more sentimental Harley Benton.
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If you have a hard time playing it: get rid of the V7. The Sterling SubRay 4 seems to be nice, so keep it.
The Harley Benton JB-75MN does not have such a good reputation, so get rid of it (except when you like jazz basses … but who does??!).
The Harley Benton Enhanced 25th seems to be very good. You can even improve it by replacing the pickups with something decent for the money you get for your two basses!?
It will feel like a new bass … and your wife won’t know about it! Get some EMG active PUs … they are easy to install and sound wonderful
@Al1885 can tell you which ones…
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I’m with @Al1885. It terms of overall quality, tone and value, the V7 is a keeper.
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Two basses, or bass plus wife?
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Yeah the minute you let the V7 go you’d instantly regret it. I know I would. I own a jazz bass 5 times its price and have an easier decision letting that one go before the V7.
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But … the best bass is the one you play!
If @weedhopper does not like to play it, it makes no sense, no matter “overall quality, tone and value”.
He can have fun playing two good basses now … and get a 5 string when he feels like it someday.
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Yeah, hard time isn’t it. If I didn’t love her I would keep the basses. I Guess I have GAS problem, I am going to focus more on playing.
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You can keep two basses and stil GAS. Just mod stuff.
Things you can replace easily:
- Tuners
- Nut
- Pickguard
- Pickups
- electronics
- Knobs
- Bridge
- Strings
Your wife will NEVER find out 
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You can get good wall hangers for like $27/ea on amazon then they become “wall art”.
A bass is a wonderful investment and each is only the cost of 3 or 4 meals out which once you eat are gone forever (or worse yet sit around your waist).
Basses last way longer than a morning trip to Starbucks AND playing music is a great alternative to therapy and prescription meds.
How many basses do I need? Well I’ll settle for 1/2 of the number of shoes and handbags she owns 
And by the way guys if I happen to die early please remember to nominate my wife for sainthood. I must be doing something right because it’s not my money or looks 
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You seem to be a fan of my Reverend.
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Yes, I am! But does it sound like a typical jazz bass to you? It does not have this hollow, empty, soulless, mechanical sound that I hate so much
So, with the 3 pickups and being able to select almost (for some reason you can’t select all 3 at once) I can get a whole lot of different sounds. Third position is the one that uses the first and third pickups… so standard J bass configuration. I like that one quite a bit, I use it pretty frequently on the covers that I’ve posted using that bass. That said, those Reverend pickups sound pretty different from a Fender Jazz bass, even in third position.
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Ha! I knew it
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It’s still considered a Jazz bass though, and you made a blanket statement about them. I generally prefer playing non Jazz bases but I found one that I liked.
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Yeah, well, you know me: blanket statements will often start interesting discussions and great entertainment!
I love your Jazz bass, but don’t like the sound of most others.
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Understood.
But…
Our taste and ability goes through their natural cycles, today it’s flat wound 4 string, next month it’s short scale then super long scale (35”), then the ever punchy 5 string, jazz bass, p bass and so on.
Case in point, as much as a PJ fanboi even you change your taste to some humdinger. 
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Seems to be the most logical. I don’t think I will be ready for the 5 string anytime soon. I will unload the the V7 the JB, and keep the Ray4 and the HB 25th, I believe both are good mod platforms like you said. If I get much better I will look for a 5 string later. Thanks, for the holistic overhead view. I am a much better player on Guitar, but I am learning the bass, don’t like showing up to a gig and everyone asks for a bass player and you have 30 people are guitar players only. I assume it’s an instant yes. I feel it’s easy to play lead on guitar, but much more difficult to keep the rhythm on the Bass, you really have be on point to drive the band or everything falls apart.
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I always liked “Humdingers”! My beloved toooo long scale ESP had them.
But I had to go through several cycles to build up the courage to change my bass as much as I do now.
You’re not wrong though: I did discover my love for flatwound recently and even ordered very thin (roundwound) strings for my fretless. Before I liked it FAT and ROUND (strings, that is :-))
So I do learn, don’t I???!
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Maybe not mod the Ray4 - but go crazy on the HB!?
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