Warwick, Spector or Ibanez?

[RevDrucifer]

I’m blowing my stimulus on a new bass and it’ll either be one of the 3 brands.

My biggest issue is with lower tunings and getting a decent tone from the bass, which has gotten me interested in a multi-scale bass. I’ve put, literally, 10 different packs of strings on my Warwick in the last year and I got close, but that thing just isn’t balanced from low to high. It’s a lower-end Warwick, to be fair, but still. It gets unusable once drop-tuned, despite the gauge/type/brand of string.

I LOVE the sound of Warwicks and the same goes for Spector. Obviously, bass players have used their standard basses for years without issue. Ryan Martini from Mudvayne has had no problem staying in drop C on a 4-string and I’m really tempted to go that route. But I’m nervous I’ll end up with another bass that is shit in the low end and the fact that multi-scales exist is making me think I should just go with a multi-scale and not worry about it at all.

While I don’t love the sound of Ibanez basses, they do the job and I can score a multi-scale for under a grand with the SRMS800. But then I’m missing out on the tones I really love with Warwick/Spector.

I HAVE MONEY BURNING A HOLE IN MY POCKET HELP ME SPEND IT

[Leon]

My Ibanez SR500 lives in drop C#, and every so often I'll dunk the C# down to Bb for shits, and it actually holds up really well.

That said, if I weren't having a friend build me a nice 4 string, I'd probably plunk down for a StingRay5, and, obviously, a pair of Funk Fingers

[RevDrucifer]

My Ibanez SR500 lives in drop C#, and every so often I'll dunk the C# down to Bb for shits, and it actually holds up really well.

That said, if I weren't having a friend build me a nice 4 string, I'd probably plunk down for a StingRay5, and, obviously, a pair of Funk Fingers

You know, for years all I wanted was a Stingray. The first bass I ever played that I went “HOLY SHIT” with was a 70’s Stingray and just breathing on the low E would shake walls through a small amp. It was nuts. I’m not sure why I’m not considering one right now, to be honest with you. I think it might be an aesthetic thing as I don’t find them as pleasing to look at as a Warwick or Spector. 3

[desertdweller]

What about something like this Yamaha or Sterling? I don't know about multiscale, but these are the two standard scale basses I was looking at last year:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...-natural-satin



Sterling:
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass...-5-string-bass



I wound up with the Yamaha and have been very happy with it. Paired with a Dark Glass preamp, it's gets fantastic lows.

[Megametal7]

I wish I could help you but I'm not qualified to advise, because I have no clue. that been said, I'm sure more knowledgeable people here will help you to get a nice kick-ass base.

good luck

[Leon]

Allow me to share with you my StingRay5 GAS.

[RevDrucifer]

Allow me to share with you my StingRay5 GAS.

You're swaying me.

They still don't look as cool as a Warwick or a Spector though.

[schantist]

Spector ✅
Multiscale✅

https://www.spectorbass.com/series/dimension-series/

[Chris]

I've owned all 3 of these brands and I have a Spector now. In my experiences:

Ibanez: Plays really well, sounds middle of the road.
Warwick: Sounds great, doesn't play very well. Hard to get comfortable on.
Spector: Sounds great, plays great.
EBMM: I had a 5 string Stingray for a short while and it was just really awkward to play. It was really disappointing because I'm a big EBMM guy.

The Warwick I had probably sounded a liiiiiittle bit better than the Spector I have now, but the playability and comfort on the Spector just can't be beat. Mine's the Legend 4 Classic in Trans Black Matte. Mine's $899 but the black cherry version is on sale for $629:

https://www.samash.com/legend-4-clas...02510000339195

[Iron1]

I’ve only ever owned Ibanez basses - on my 3rd one now, so I’d vote you get an Ibanez 5 string. For me at least, they’re comfortable, easy to play and I get the sounds I want from them. YMMV.

Either way, happy hunting!

[Drew]

For whatever this is worth, I ended up selling a multiscale Dingwall Afterburner 5 and keeping a Squier P-Bass with J-bass electronics, simply because I thought the Squier sounded better, and because it was kind of a pain in the ass to find strings, especially coated strings, that you could use on a 37" low B. I have an old Warwick of Chris's - it sounds nice, especially with the pickups split (seriously, I cant stress how good singlecoils sound for bass, especially at lower tunings), but I don't really use it much because it has a couple of high frets that I really need to get taken care of, otherwise it just buzzes like mad at "normal" action.

If you ignore the difficulty in finding srings (DAddario XL scale strings fit, barely), the playability was pretty normal on a multiscale, with one critical exception - anything involving playing two notes on the same fret, one on a higher string and one on a lower string, or worse one note on a lower string and one note a fret or two back n a higher string, was extremely wkward. Something like this:

|---------------|
|---------------|
|---3----2----5-|
|---------------|
|-3---3----3----|

...is damned near unplayable on a fanned fretboard. Everything else was pretty straightforward and while you feel the longer scale on stretches a little - I mean, 37" is fucking long - it's at least manageable, but that kind of fingering simply doesn't work because your fingers are basically in each other's way. If the Dingwall was a straight 35" scale I might have kept it, it had a split mode that sounded pretty good too, but the Squier was just easier to live with and easier to get that sort of sound out of, and was a fuck of a lot less money to keep wrapped up in an instrument I'd only pick up every once in a while. One of these days I should probably find a better bass, maybe an American J-bass or bvuilt a warmoth mongrel partscaster (I even have a set of Duncan Quarter Pounder J bass pickups I was going to put in this one, but as it turns out they're a non-standard size so I'd need to do some routing to make it work) but for a bass I bought new for $200 back in like 2000, it's actually a surprisingly decent sounding instrument.

Also, how low are you downtuning? And when you talk about it "not being balanced," is that a feel thing or is it a tone thing?

[Chris]

That warwick really does sound great. It's 34" scale, the same as the EBMM Stingray that I had but for whatever reason it's a shiload more comfortable and easy to play.

[Flexkill]

A Fender Jazz or P Bass is always a great choice.

[RevDrucifer]

For whatever this is worth, I ended up selling a multiscale Dingwall Afterburner 5 and keeping a Squier P-Bass with J-bass electronics, simply because I thought the Squier sounded better, and because it was kind of a pain in the ass to find strings, especially coated strings, that you could use on a 37" low B. I have an old Warwick of Chris's - it sounds nice, especially with the pickups split (seriously, I cant stress how good singlecoils sound for bass, especially at lower tunings), but I don't really use it much because it has a couple of high frets that I really need to get taken care of, otherwise it just buzzes like mad at "normal" action.

If you ignore the difficulty in finding srings (DAddario XL scale strings fit, barely), the playability was pretty normal on a multiscale, with one critical exception - anything involving playing two notes on the same fret, one on a higher string and one on a lower string, or worse one note on a lower string and one note a fret or two back n a higher string, was extremely wkward. Something like this:

|---------------|
|---------------|
|---3----2----5-|
|---------------|
|-3---3----3----|

...is damned near unplayable on a fanned fretboard. Everything else was pretty straightforward and while you feel the longer scale on stretches a little - I mean, 37" is fucking long - it's at least manageable, but that kind of fingering simply doesn't work because your fingers are basically in each other's way. If the Dingwall was a straight 35" scale I might have kept it, it had a split mode that sounded pretty good too, but the Squier was just easier to live with and easier to get that sort of sound out of, and was a fuck of a lot less money to keep wrapped up in an instrument I'd only pick up every once in a while. One of these days I should probably find a better bass, maybe an American J-bass or bvuilt a warmoth mongrel partscaster (I even have a set of Duncan Quarter Pounder J bass pickups I was going to put in this one, but as it turns out they're a non-standard size so I'd need to do some routing to make it work) but for a bass I bought new for $200 back in like 2000, it's actually a surprisingly decent sounding instrument.

Also, how low are you downtuning? And when you talk about it "not being balanced," is that a feel thing or is it a tone thing?

100% a tone thing. As in there is no tone, I just get a useless fundamental pitch that sounds like OOOOOMMMM, then you get the to higher strings and it’s clear as a bell, punchy, defined, etc. I can’t get lower than drop D before it appears. The Peavey actually handles this pretty well, I just don’t dig the overall tone of it, very 2 dimensional and just boring. But the low E and B strings on the Warwick, unless I’ve got light strings on it in standard tuning, are completely useless. It’s even a bitch in standard tuning to get any definition in those strings and on certain frets I just end up with that fundamental.

Right now I’m really, really leaning towards a Spector. Been getting some info from TalkBass about the myriad of models they’ve got out and I’m mainly looking around the Pulse basses (4 is 34”, 5 is 35”) and the Euro LX’s (35” and neck thru). I had no clue they had so many fucking models.

If I can keep this under a grand, I’ll be REALLY stoked, so I’m not ruling out the Legend’s yet, I just see a lot of mixed reviews and they seem to be like Ibanez Premiums in that you’ve got to play a few to find a great one. I just want to be able to hit those low notes and have them stand out as well as everything past the A string.

[Chris]

100% a tone thing. As in there is no tone, I just get a useless fundamental pitch that sounds like OOOOOMMMM, then you get the to higher strings and it’s clear as a bell, punchy, defined, etc. I can’t get lower than drop D before it appears. The Peavey actually handles this pretty well, I just don’t dig the overall tone of it, very 2 dimensional and just boring. But the low E and B strings on the Warwick, unless I’ve got light strings on it in standard tuning, are completely useless. It’s even a bitch in standard tuning to get any definition in those strings and on certain frets I just end up with that fundamental.

You know this anyway but that's usually a scale length + string tension thing. Also brand new strings help a ton here. It's why none of us actually play bass, the strings are too fuckign expensive.

[Drew]

Does it improve with new strings? Even with my Elixirs, my E and, especially, B, get a little less crisp with time, but they're pretty good right out of the package. I suspect that's less scale than it is string composition and core size, but that's just a guess.

[Ryan]

Given the choice of the three I'd probably go for a Spector, but a Warwick would be a close second.

A Fender Jazz or P Bass is always a great choice.

Can never go wrong with a nice Precision.

[Leon]

+1 to strings. I've got coated Elixirs on my bass. I don't think I've changed them in years, and it still sounds great.

[RevDrucifer]

Does it improve with new strings? Even with my Elixirs, my E and, especially, B, get a little less crisp with time, but they're pretty good right out of the package. I suspect that's less scale than it is string composition and core size, but that's just a guess.

Slightly but not enough to make a difference on a recording. I literally went through 10 packs of strings on that bass in about 2 months trying to find the right gauge/brand/type. A bunch of DR’s, they’re Lo-Riders, Hi-Beams, Fat Beams, NYXL’s, GHS, NXT’s, etc. I know plenty of 34” basses have handled lower tunings, but with this bass it’s just not happening. It literally only sounds good and balanced from low-high in standard tuning with a light gauge of strings and even then, the low B is practically unusable.

I shouldn’t be too surprised, it was a $350 bass. If it were a higher end model, I’d be flippin’ out.

[RevDrucifer]

You know this anyway but that's usually a scale length + string tension thing. Also brand new strings help a ton here. It's why none of us actually play bass, the strings are too fuckign expensive.

Yep, that’s why I’m mainly looking at 35” basses right now. Just took a quick trip to GC and Sam Ash and it was the quickest trip to those stores I’ve ever made. They’re just devoid of anything intermediate/pro level at this point. Nothing but beginner guitars or the couple mid-tier guitars/basses that have been there for years.

I think I’m singling it down to the Spector Pulse or a Spector LX. The Spector Pulse 5 is 35”, but the 4-string is 34” so I’m cautious, however, I shouldn’t have too many issues with a 34” in drop-C (as long as it’s not like my Warwick, anyway). And the Euro LX’s are 35” as well. Too many fucking options.

[Lee]

I've got a Spector Legend 5 string. It's great. A little less easy to play than any of the Ibanez basses I've had, but it sounds great. The low B in particular is really nice sounding, and harmonics really pop out on it. I feel like freakin' Michael Manring on it. Funnily enough, I was playing it today. Just bought hard cases for the remaining guitars I had laying about so I could pack them away. Ended up noodling around on the bass for about 20 minutes. It's a nice instrument.

In your shoes, I'd pick one of those up, and use the money for some cool bass pedals or VSTs.

[RevDrucifer]

I've got a Spector Legend 5 string. It's great. A little less easy to play than any of the Ibanez basses I've had, but it sounds great. The low B in particular is really nice sounding, and harmonics really pop out on it. I feel like freakin' Michael Manring on it. Funnily enough, I was playing it today. Just bought hard cases for the remaining guitars I had laying about so I could pack them away. Ended up noodling around on the bass for about 20 minutes. It's a nice instrument.

In your shoes, I'd pick one of those up, and use the money for some cool bass pedals or VSTs.

They’re definitely not out of the running, but not having any around me to actually play puts me in the pay-before-I-play scenario and I’m not generally a fan of that when it comes to used items. As for as amps/pedals, I’m fairly stoked with what I’ve got in my AxeFX and not sure there are any sounds I’m going to go for that I can’t get with it. I have considered snagging some Darkglass pedals though.

That’s good to hear about the low-B, though. I think if I could best describe the tone from mine, it’d be someone humming HMMMMMMM and that’s about it!

[Chris]

I've got a Spector Legend 5 string. It's great. A little less easy to play than any of the Ibanez basses I've had, but it sounds great. The low B in particular is really nice sounding, and harmonics really pop out on it. I feel like freakin' Michael Manring on it. Funnily enough, I was playing it today. Just bought hard cases for the remaining guitars I had laying about so I could pack them away. Ended up noodling around on the bass for about 20 minutes. It's a nice instrument.

In your shoes, I'd pick one of those up, and use the money for some cool bass pedals or VSTs.

That's how I'd describe mine too. Really chuffed with it, as you lot say.

[sgjackson]

This thread makes me want the Spector Legend with the walnut-colored top but I have spent too much on guitars recently

[Darren]

The Spector Pulse 5 does look pretty awesome.