Question A little advice for a newbie please :)

[Donan]

Hi folks,
My name is Ronan and I'm about to do something kinda silly but incredibly awesome.
I'm a guitar player mostly but I've played a little bass in a band and always wanted to take it further but never had the cash to splash out on an instrument that really grabs me. Well I've found the instrument and the cash and I was hoping for some advice from you guys if you have a moment.
The base of my dreams is pictured in the link below.

MUSIC MAN STINGRAY 5 HH RWMH SBK - Irish International Cyberstore

I love the stealth paint job and the ebony fretboard brings a tear to my eye. I've been hard at thought as to weather I really need a 5 string because I do like to play a lot of slap bass but I also like to have an instrument with a broad range of functionality.

So firstly I was wondering do you guys think this is the bass for me. Will 5 strings make slapping and popping very difficult? I can slap a few chilli peppers songs quite easily on a 4 string but I'm worried about the smaller string spacing.
Also, the price seems reasonable for a bass of this caliber but can some experienced SR players tell me if this is worth the extra cost over another SR that would function just as well for my needs? Is this bass really as amazing as it seems to me?
The paint scheme, body contours and ebony fretboard are the things that are really grabbing me at the moment, can this be found on another model?

I know this is a very expensive bass for my first one but I'm a bit of an enthusiast so spending the money on the only bass I'll ever need is ok with me.

Well thanks for reading, I welcome any advice. And I look forward to joining your ranks.

Ronan.

 

[adouglas]

Points of advice:

1) Get rid of the notion that this is the only bass you will ever need. EBMM basses are like potato chips... ya can't have just one. Besides, you haven't tried a Bongo yet.... (*evil laugh*)

2) A 5-string is a really good idea for all sorts of reasons, and IMHO you can get used to slapping on one (cue an Ed Friedland video here).

3) Make sure you type "bass" not "base."

4) You should go for it because you will not be sorry you did.

 

[Donan]

Hehe, thanks for your encouraging response adouglas, and thanks for pointing out my little typo. A forum like this should have a spellcheck that checks only for that mistake.

I guess it's naive of me to think it'll be my only bass, I thought that before I bought each of my guitars too.
I've been farming these forums for the last few days looking for a reason not to buy this beast and I've yet to see a single unhappy EBMM customer. I suppose I'll sleep on it once more and hopefully I'll see the light by the morning

 

[nurnay]

I have a 5HH that I got from a guy that did a lot of slapping and he didn't care for the neck pickup, he said it got in the way. I traded him my 5H for his 5HH and he was much happier (and so was I!). Maybe it won't bother you like it did him, but I'd try it out (or try a similar one at least) before plunking down the big bucks.

 

[Donan]

Thanks for the advice nurnay, I've played my buddies double pickup bass a bit without any discomfort so I dont think thiss will be an issue for me.
Another SR has come to my attention today, a second hand SR4 HH on ebay that seems to be in perfect condition and also costs about 1000 euro less! That leaves me some money left over to buy a nice amplifier, Genzbenz shuttle maybe
I've at least settled on the idea that I'm definitely buying a MMSR.
Here's the one I'm considering now:
eBay.ie: RARE !* Ernie Ball MUSICMAN Stingray 4 HH*Cream !* MINT (item 170545992079 end time 27-Oct-10 18:11:27 BST)
Any advice would be great. Does the price seem acceptable to the hardcore SR players here?
Oh and what information should I get from the guy selling this...serial number, etc..?

 

[danny-79]

Try as many as you can an see what works the best for you, what ever you decide on you wont be disappointed
For slap though .... The SR4H has got the reputation for being "The Ultimate Funk Machine!" an its a title that it rightly deserves!
Good luck with what ever you choose an welcome

 

[nurnay]

Any advice would be great. Does the price seem acceptable to the hardcore SR players here?
Oh and what information should I get from the guy selling this...serial number, etc..?

That works out to over $1700, which seems high to me, but I'm not sure if this model is worth it or not. Someone else here would know, though. The bass looks awesome. And it looks like the serial is visible in the pics he included, not sure what else you'd need. I didn't notice the year it was made, I'd like to know that before buying (maybe I just missed it in the ad).

 

[Donan]

Well spotted on the serial number nurnay. I was looking for it on the bridge for some reason
Im trying to find this same bass somwhere else so I can compare prices at the moment.
I have prised my fathers credit card from his unwilling hands and I'm nervously preparing myself to press the buy button.
After this I'm gonna have to jump into research for a nice bass amp, I wish I could use one of my guitar amps
Oh, the seller just got back to me, he says its a 2007 model..

 

[Donan]

Well I just bought the SR4 HH...
It's gonna be the longest weekend of my life waiting for this to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.
Thanks for the advice along the way guys.

 

[Chuck B]

Congrats, RonanDonan - hope you have a digital camera. If not, borrow one. We want to see your bass!

 

[Manfloozy]

Congrats I hope you love it!

 

[Donan]

Thanks folks

 

[parsons]

Congrats on the new bass. Its tough for most of us to give you an honest market value on your bass because many of us are in the U.S.

I do have a friend who is German who now resides in London who plays. He has always told me that gear over there in Europe is a lot more expensive than it is here. Every time he walks into my gear room when he is visiting his jaw drops at the amount of stuff that I can afford. For example- the Gibson Les Paul Studio that I have hanging on my wall to mess around on cost me $850 brand new, where in Europe that would cost considerably more.

The bass you bought would probably sell here in the states for $1100 to 1375 depending on the condition and few other variables. I would say that what you paid was a fair price from what I know of the market there.

 

[Donan]

Parsons I think you are very right about the price differences, I spent some time looking at retail prices over here and I'm really quite happy with the deal I got. The guy I bought it from seems to be honest and has a real appreciation for musical instruments so I have no doubts that it will be in great condition.
I live in Ireland which can be extraordinarily expensive for instruments, I bought my last guitar, an Ibanez JS1000, in a store here only to find it about 400 euro cheaper on Thomann.de a week later. I'm living on the wrong side of the planet to really feed my hobbies, but I gotta say the price has never taken from the joy of a new instrument.

 

[bovinehost]

I've discovered that you play the thing for a while and, after a while, you forget what you paid for it.

You only think about whether you like the instrument.

 

[Movielife]

I've discovered that you play the thing for a while and, after a while, you forget what you paid for it.

You only think about whether you like the instrument.

+1.

It could have been spent on car repairs or nights out quite easily. As I dont need a car where I live (slap bang in the city) I sold it to buy....yep....more EBMMs.

Ill get a car again soon, when I need to.

Instruments are a good investment.

 

[five7]

It's only money...

 

[BassMent]

Ronan, you bought the one I would have recommended. I play 5's exclusively, but I don't slap. I've tried learning a little slap on my Sterling 5 HH and found it challenging. When I've tried it on a friend's basic 4-string 'Ray or his 7ender J, not really challenging at all. So if slap is a big part of your sound, you've bought yourself the bass that is widely considered king of slap.

Plus, the cream finish is the bomb!

I'm a big fan of buying used if the instrument is minty fresh, especially if I can be the second owner. If you keep that bass in top condition, it will never be worth much less than you paid for it.

Enjoy! I know you will!

 

[nurnay]

Well I just bought the SR4 HH...
It's gonna be the longest weekend of my life waiting for this to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.
Thanks for the advice along the way guys.

Congrats! Can't wait to hear how you like it (I'm sure you'll love it). Man, that is one sweet looking bass. I might have to get a white one now.

 

[Donan]

I just realized this topic had reached a second page, sorry guys I wasn't ignoring you.
Thanks for all the encouragement, my new SR4 arrived yesterday.
I love it so so much! Only problem is the pain in the tips of my fingers on my right hand which means I have to go easy today.
The sound is gorgeous, even though I'm just playing through headphones and the second humbucker gives a great variety of tones.
I need to find a good amp now, if anyone has some suggestions please point me in the right direction.

I'll post a few pictures here when I get a chance, my friend is a photographer so I'll see if I can borrow his nice DSLR camera.

All the best guys, and cheers for the support!