Nice choice. I’d like one myself but I play 5-string mostly. Ric used to make a fiver but, IIRC, with the same 33″ scale neck. My low B flobbles on 34″ (some go for 35″ scale on a five) so 33″ might be a prob. Only ever seen one lefty fiver for sale. I do like the Ric sound, though and have some pups of theirs. I might put them in something one day.

Especially if you’ve got gigs lined up, consider having a tech ditch the ancillaries and replace them with a Switchcraft jack and CTS pots, with decent soldering and wire. Not usually necessary on a US-made bass, but it can do wonders with Korean gear. As for a chick-tar, I’m not an expert, but you can’t get shinier than a mirror-fronted Iceman.

Tim (annoyingly often) makes a good point.

Because the bass (IME) doesn’t sustain forever and keeps you busier, rhythmically, than the usual guitar, there’s not a lot of time for knob-fannying in the middle of a song. I envy those gitists who strike a chord then fiddle with the V+T, switch pups, floss their teeth and pick their nose. For me, I have half a sec at most. Quickest way to change tone? Move/alter the plucking hand (right in his case, left in mine). Nail or plec directly over the pup for most attack and treble, thumbpad close to or over the neck for opposite effect. Pup switches and knobs come in handiest if the set is pretty varied and you can twiddle at the start to suit a particular song’s feel.

That’s just me, though. Some people can twist their knurled knobs in the blink of an eye and hit the spot. I can’t, I mustard mitt.

Glad the gig went well.

Also glad (in a sick kinda way) someone else can’t be bothered with the knob twiddling…my new set up will be PJ pups, 3-way switch, master volume. any aditional tone adjustments I can make with my right hand.

On standard rigs I basically would second 1BL but I would lean more towards the PJs, try a few…try active too, don’t like it myself for practical reasons but sound-wise it can help cut through if that’s your concern.

Thanks for the update (and nice new avatar, BTW). The SVT is a great live rig. I thought the OLP had basic tone knob electronics rather than any complex cut/boost treble, mid and bass thing. If you were struggling to get a likeable tone, then the OLP pup must be letting you down.

As I said before, the Musicman Stingray and the Ric 4003 have very distinctive (I like them, but the keyword is distinctive) sounds. Try the US Jazz and, as Tim suggests, a good quality PJ style bass; preferably plugged into an Ampeg. I thought you were in the US, where those GC-type stores make it easy to try the options. Still, Oslo’s a big city and you should get the chance to try your options for the money you want to spend.

The Jazz has a single coil quite close to the neck which gives a warm and soft tone I like. The bridge pup can be dialled in for more attack and honk. On a PJ, the Jazz pup is at the bridge and the P is in its usual, middish position. This is a more punchy, attacking arrangement (especially if you use plectrum). You’ll find out yourself which suits you better. The ‘ray and the Ric are bright and punchy but this can go very well with the Ampeg and harder rock. Active electronics can be worth trying because a 20db bass boost really does change the sound coming out. A lot depends on what music you’re playing.

🙂 , a Rick 4003 is certainly something to try; they have a distinctive tone (personally, I like them very much) and is within your budget. With the money you are wanting to spend, I think you should physically handle the contenders. If you have a Guitar Center or such like nearby, they should have the US Jazz, Stingray and 4003 instore. The twinbucker Stingray is less likely to be available hands on. I wouldn’t buy something, then gut it for chisel+solder operations just yet. It’s a major pain 🙂

The sound’s not for everyone, definitely a ‘try before you buy’.

Not a fan myself, a lot of people do play them, mainly seems to be indie bands…and Lemmy.

Hi and welcome 😀

The SVT Classic is a great amp; pity you can’t take it gigging with you. The Officially Licensed Product mm2 is made in Korea, with local electronics and (IIRC) no active preamp. Every Korean bass I’ve owned had a lousy jack socket exactly as you describe. A cheap option is to have all the electronics upgraded (Switchcraft jack for starters) and, by coincidence, I bought a Seymour Duncan MM pup with the 4-knob EQ and pull-vol slap contour off eBay because they came unused from a dealer with a ridiculously low BIN price. Trouble is, the OLP doesn’t have the required number of holes and, anyway, you’d still have the naff OLP logo.

If you like the Stingray (I certainly do) and would consider 2nd hand, you could look for the now-discontinued Musicman Sabre. This had two pups fitted so you can mellow out at the neck as well as the classic Stingray sound. The Ernie Ball Bongo can also be had with twin pups (and the series/parallel/single coil switch) but it’s a gonky looking thing. I’ve also just had a look at Musician’s Friend and they have the twin-bucker Sterling within your budget (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Music-Man-Sterling-HH-4String-Bass?sku=515513 and Stingray HH (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Music-Man-StingRay-HH-4String-Bass?sku=515511). BTW, did replacing the OLP ‘bucker with a piece of wood really improve the tone? I didn’t realize they were that bad 🙂

I’d certainly try the US Fender Jazz. Better electronics than the Mexican and I like the range that can be had from the neck and bridge pups. The Jap-made, US pickup’d Geddy Lee Jazz is a possible. I won’t bore you with the details, but Leo placed the bridge pup in the mathematically ideal position and most P-J style basses also have the bridge pup in the right place. A lot of twin-soap basses, to my mind, have them too close together and there’s not a lot of difference switching from one to the other.

I can think of plenty of others but it’d be better if you filled in with some preferences. Do you prefer traditional looks or this that not such an issue?

Hey, yeah I find the PJ setup more flexible. The foam or springs under the pups are actually there to allow you to raise or lower (with the screws) the pup changing the distance between them and the strings, I guess if you’ve found a piece of wood the right size this won’t be a problem! Personally I have mine at some weird angles as they’re pretty shot so I have to try and equalize the volume across the strings.

I do also rest my thumb on it so I’m looking to fit a thumb-rest soon, maybe a better solution?

The humbucker is in the same position as the Musicman, probably to add some attack to an otherwise fat sounding Pup, I think the Musicman Bongo bass has a single coil closer to the neck to add more variety to your sound, I assume this has also been cloned…

Also consider “I don’t have a lot of guitars…just one big one” 😀

TBH, I would seriously recommend trying as many basses as possible, the MM2 is basically a Stingray clone and they have a pretty distinctive sound, personally I prefer a PJ setup with some form of ‘blendability’ over the 1 humbucker and an onboard EQ style basses.
However if you’ve always played the latter it could take a while to ‘find your tone’on a PJ. Bear in mind on a PJ, upgrading the Pups is much easier and this can make a good bass sound fantastic…

Makes: I love my Aria. Within your price range Warwick get some glowing reviews, I’m yet to try one, but if I had your budget I would be doing.

Speaking of budget, I stick firmly to the principle of buying second-hand instruments, I wouldn’t go over the $1000 when you could be saving for an amp 😉 and don’t be tempted to cop out and buy a Fender Precision.

If I think of anything else when I’m soberer, I let you know! Good luck!

And welcome BTW!

Tim.

keep the Bass and spend your money on a decent amp.