Soulkeeper
Well-known member
After losing my SR5 almost a decade ago (it was stolen by some creature for which I have no words suitable for a public forum), I finally treated myself to a "new" SR5 about a year ago. It was a used HH with a maple neck, and at a great price.
Despite the fact that it was a SR5, in my world the ultimate bass, the instrument just didn't feel right in my hands. I decided that it was the extra pickup altering the feel of the whole setup. So a couple of weeks ago I bought a single pickup 2002 SR5 with rosewood fretboard (looking almost identical to the one I lost). And I'm absolutely astounded by the difference in feel. The 2002 bass definitely feels right for me, as opposed to the HH. I don't know if it's just the lack of the extra pickup that does it, or maybe the rosewood fretboard, or if it's visually induced placebo or some strange mojo voodoo thing, but for me a SR5 HH with a maple neck is a totally different beast from a SR5 H with a rosewood fingerboard ... apparently. I don't understand it, but it is what it is.
But the story isn't over yet. After spending so much time on various used instrument sites online, I noticed this nice fretless SR5 H that was being sold for a very reasonable price. I read some online reviews and comments about the SR5 fretless, and unsurprisingly everybody seemed to think it's a great instrument. I've always wanted to learn to play a fretless properly. Many years ago I actually ruined a cheap five stringer (my first bass) in an unsuccessful attempt to convert it into a fretless. (It's still salvagable, though, just give me some years and a wood workshop.)
Anyway, by now I was so deeply entrenched in my "scouring the Internet for used SR5s" process, that I found I couldn't stop myself before I'd also bought the fretless, which is hopefully en route right now. I had to present myself with two excuses; The fact that I've wanted to play fretless for almost 20 years now, and the fact that my birthday was just around the corner. But it worked. I had successfully persuaded myself.
So I ordered my fourth EBMM SR5 bass, and soon I'll have three SR5s in my possession. I do not run a music shop or a studio. I am not a professional musician. So, now to the real question: Should I go have my head examined?
Despite the fact that it was a SR5, in my world the ultimate bass, the instrument just didn't feel right in my hands. I decided that it was the extra pickup altering the feel of the whole setup. So a couple of weeks ago I bought a single pickup 2002 SR5 with rosewood fretboard (looking almost identical to the one I lost). And I'm absolutely astounded by the difference in feel. The 2002 bass definitely feels right for me, as opposed to the HH. I don't know if it's just the lack of the extra pickup that does it, or maybe the rosewood fretboard, or if it's visually induced placebo or some strange mojo voodoo thing, but for me a SR5 HH with a maple neck is a totally different beast from a SR5 H with a rosewood fingerboard ... apparently. I don't understand it, but it is what it is.
But the story isn't over yet. After spending so much time on various used instrument sites online, I noticed this nice fretless SR5 H that was being sold for a very reasonable price. I read some online reviews and comments about the SR5 fretless, and unsurprisingly everybody seemed to think it's a great instrument. I've always wanted to learn to play a fretless properly. Many years ago I actually ruined a cheap five stringer (my first bass) in an unsuccessful attempt to convert it into a fretless. (It's still salvagable, though, just give me some years and a wood workshop.)
Anyway, by now I was so deeply entrenched in my "scouring the Internet for used SR5s" process, that I found I couldn't stop myself before I'd also bought the fretless, which is hopefully en route right now. I had to present myself with two excuses; The fact that I've wanted to play fretless for almost 20 years now, and the fact that my birthday was just around the corner. But it worked. I had successfully persuaded myself.
So I ordered my fourth EBMM SR5 bass, and soon I'll have three SR5s in my possession. I do not run a music shop or a studio. I am not a professional musician. So, now to the real question: Should I go have my head examined?
Oh and Congrats...
