If I just had that vintage P-Bass I saw in that one store that one time, I could play just like that one bass player that I really loved at that one show…
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Technically I’m already rocking a vintage P bass. I’ve had it since 1999 I think, and I got it well used and abused with neck and other parts replaced off of eBay back then.
Seconding the Stealth love. I was in GC last week to annoy the employees/try out some of the basses I’ve been looking at, picked up the Stealth on a whim, and was stunned at how good it sounded. Now it’s my other serious contender.
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I love mine and the studio 5
Well, I’m now a 2 bass house. Haven’t taken the protective plastic off the pickguard yet, but so far so good. Definitely feels different than my P shorty. I’ve gotten so used to playing with flats that I’m buzzing the frets like crazy with the new rounds. I’ll need to work on that. And just for S&Gs, I ordered a cheap Leo Jaymzz 4 string that looks like a Schecter/ESP thru-neck. I figure as long as the body/neck is solid and straight, I can modify the various components or finish as needed/if needed. I’ve done it before, so I’m comfortable doing that and it’s cheap enough that I wouldn’t worry about trying to keep original parts for potential resale/collectability down the road. That should be here in another week or so.
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I’m at the same place currently wanting to buy my first e-bass 
I could use a cort b4 plus from a friend that felt huge for me, so I went to guitar shops to figure out what I like. These are the current options:
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Fender player ii jazz bass in birch green. Loved how the neck felt and it would be perfect for the living room wall:
https://eu.fender.com/products/player-ii-jazz-bass?variant=49505802322207
could get it for CHF 870.- -
Cort GB64jj in natural. Could only do a very short test but it felt nice too.
GB64JJ – Cort Guitars
Available for CHF 600.- -
Yamaha Motion MB III (?)
Can test that bass next week, the 32" scale might be better for my tiny hands. Not sure tho if it is the MB II or MB III model:
https://www.tutti.ch/de/vi/zuerich/musik/instrumente/-yamaha-motion-b-mb-iii-80er-made-in-japan-e-bass/74003090
Would be the most affordable option for CHF 470.-
The Yamaha MB’s were classics. Very well made and the MB-III in particular had great pickups. Big cult following.
I’ve owned one and it’s a great little bass.
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Thanks, I really wasn’t sure which model it is because of the low picture quality. I think if the yamaha is in good condition I might get the most value there. I guess it will be difficult for me to compare playability without being able to play them back to back. Do you have any tips what to look for when buying an older secondhand bass, except from crackling electronics?
There’s some Schecter love in the replies to this thread, but none for the excellent Schecter Banshee short scale P bass. I actually like the neck on mine (Carbon Grey). My fit and finish were excellent. The bridge supports both top and through-body string mounting. I strung mine with the La Bella flats designed for the American-made Mustang that is through-body only. Great strings.
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The crackling actually isn’t that big of a deal, easy to fix.
The biggest thing to look out for is the truss rod and the state of the neck. Is there a lot of neck warp, and does the truss rod still rotate in both directions.
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You’ve got some good instruments to choose from, so they’re all solid options.
From what I understood, your main priority is comfort — and that’s where the Yamaha seems to stand out.
Try it out to be sure.
Other suggestions you might want to check out: the Yamaha TRBX174 and the Squier Jazz Bass Classic Vibe.
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Definitely check the neck and the truss rod.
Be careful with instruments that have a very high action — it can hide potential issues.
Also take a look at the bridge; some of them start to bend in the direction of the strings and slowly pull away from the body.
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I actually could take it home for testing, the owner was super nice (or annoyed by my lengthy testing 
). We couldn’t move the thrust rod without disassembling the bass, I think I’ll take it to the shop where I tested the fender to check it and buy the tool for that. I hope they don’t hate me when I do that 
But I’m like 70% sure that I’ll end up buying the green fender 
.
The 32" size of the yamaha is really nice but I’m not a fan of the coloured neck, it feels “sticky” compared to what I played now. Also the horn shape doesn’t really suit me, I need to adapt the way I hold the bass if I don’t want my left boob to get squashed 
.
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Do you mean that the truss rod was stuck and you couldn’t move it, or that the truss rod adjustment is in the heel of the neck and you have to remove the neck from the body to access it?
If it is stuck, I’d pass on that bass. Not a good sign.
If you have to remove the neck to access the truss rod adjustment, I’d pass, but for a different reason. My first bass, a 1963 Fender Jazz that I bought used in ‘67, was like that. It was a terrible pain in the ass to adjust. Loosen the strings a little. Remove the neck. Adjust the truss rod 1/8 to 1/4 turn. Reattach the neck. Tighten and tune the strings. Rinse and repeat until you get the action where you want it. Grrrrr.
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The position is at the heel but should be accessible without disassembly. It seems like he didn’t have the right tool. Apparently a short pipe wrench with a thin wall is needed for the 8 mm nut. The nut has wear at the front and the position is very close to the wood of the neck, so the standard wrench bit would get stuck between the nut and wood. So I’m not 100% sure if it needs a special tool or if somethings wrong with it.
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My MusicNomad toolkit has 3: 1/4”, 7 mm and 5/16”. The 5/16” one would probably work. I have their bundle of 3 different tool sets (truss rod, screwdriver and setup gauges), but you can get the truss rod wrench set separately if needed.
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Both of course.
Do you mean the strings smell? No they shouldn’t … or they’re just not good?
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