bass build -pickups/electronics versatility

[normm]

I am playing a jazz (copy) now and am looking to buy or build a 5 string.  I have been really interested in putting a Warmoth Gecko together.  Does this strike you as a good place to start for a bass with a wide tonal variety? 
What pickups and on-board electronics would you think would be good for all types of sound, from old school P/J sound, to some growl and occasional slap cutting through.  Mostly I am playing standard CCM, but I don't have a big inventory of basses, so I need one that can "cover the bases".    I am leaning toward active, with 2 or 3 band EQ, and passive capability.  Thanks for any ideas.
 
(I do like the looks of Lakland/MTD, etc, but I was trying to build or buy an American-made instrument, and for those the $ is too high for me...  55-02 is tempting, though...)

[1954bassman]

Hey Norm, and welcome to the forum.

I set out recently to 'build' me a bass from the ground up, and I also ran into the $$$ problem. One can sink a lot of cash into a build project, and then there is the fear of not being satisfied with the end product. I ended up scraping the complete build idea. I bought a Lakland 5501 at a good price, it had the ash body I wanted, and I really like Lakland necks. I have slipped a set of DiMarzio Ultra-Jazz pickups in, I plan on an Audere preamp, with a custom pickguard and knobs. I will still have right at a grand in it. But if I do not like it, I will probably have no trouble selling it, where if I had went with an exotic body, with all my personal embellishments, I would most likely have trouble selling it, if I even could.

Mark

[normm]

If I end up going with a stock bass, instead of building, do you know how a Lakland would compare with a Carvin, or some other bass in that range?  I hope to get something with a good balanced, versatile, and controllable sound, with quality, quiet electronics.  I probably need to be in the $750 - 1250 range for used or new.
Can anyone highlight any drawbacks to using Bartolini?

[mousekillaz]

 Hi Norman, I can relate to your desire to buy an American product. I have always been a a proponent of supporting the working men and women of our great nation of which I am one. I would heartily recommend any Warmouth product I have played enough of them to see quality in every example and they also hail from Puyallup Wa  very near from where I grew up. A  young Lady from my church plays a custom built that has a Warmouth neck and Bartolini's, it was designed to utilize a B-E-A-D tuning on a 4 string dispensing with the G string  (after all we are bass players) It is an oustanding instrument. So I play Ibanez  Basses and I love them. reason being is that while I would prefer to buy American I couldn't afford to at this time . I wish Ibanez would build them here and keep their prices the same!

[1954bassman]

The necks on Laklands and Carvins are completely different feeling. My 55-02 has barts (J / MM setup) and to my understanding, they are made in the USA, and I really like them. The bart pickups and electronics in 55-01s are Korean made, and I have owned three 5501s, and none of them sounded good to me.

I have also owned a Pedulla with barts, and it sounded good.

But none of the bartolinis I have ever tried sounded near as good as G&L MFDm (Magnetic Field Design) pickups.

The DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pickups have a better sound than barts to me also, but all this is a personal taste matter.

[normm]

Thanks for the comments.  One difficulty with this process is the lack of good bass stock in stores that I can get to.  It becomes an exercise in comparing various features of various instruments, but never finding something that is "all good".  I drove an hour on Saturday to try some basses at Guitar Center, but they did not have in stock the MTD's, Music Man's, or other 5's that I was told would be there.  Useful tryouts at local stores have been:   Ibanez necks that seem to play well for me, but the string spacing is a little narrow;  really liked the sound of Music Man pickups;  high-end Fenders did not do much for me.

>How would you describe the difference between a Lakland neck and a Carvin neck?

Probably at least as it looks now, Lakland, Warmoth, and Carvin are at the top of the list.  I guess there are others that should be considered like Yamaha, G+L, Peavey, etc., but I just don't have anything else to go on.  It is very important to me to have quiet, reliable electronics, and a good clean sound.

[1954bassman]

I have only played Carvin basses a couple of times, and never owned on. And it has been a while. If memory serves me correctly, Carvin necks are thicker, with tighter string spacing, whereas G&L and Laklands are slightly thinner, and somewhat wider. I personally do not like Fender 5 necks either.

I will admit that G&Ls are not the most quiet preamps around. I run all my G&Ls passive, except my L5500 which has EMG dual coils.

If a really really quiet bass is a major concern, then you should probably go with EMG pickups and electronics.

Mark

[mishicoco]

I am playing a jazz (copy) now and am looking to buy or build a 5 string.  I have been really interested in putting a Warmoth Gecko together.  Does this strike you as a good place to start for a bass with a wide tonal variety? 
What pickups and on-board electronics would you think would be good for all types of sound, from old school P/J sound, to some growl and occasional slap cutting through.  Mostly I am playing standard CCM, but I don't have a big inventory of basses, so I need one that can "cover the bases".    I am leaning toward active, with 2 or 3 band EQ, and passive capability.  Thanks for any ideas.
 
(I do like the looks of Lakland/MTD, etc, but I was trying to build or buy an American-made instrument, and for those the $ is too high for me...  55-02 is tempting, though...)

warmoth is a great way to start ,the key is to pick the right woods. If you are going for a classic all around sound you need go  no farther than  the fender example ,since most music has been done with  fender basses as far as i know . most fenders are made of alder core body woods or swamp ash with either maple fretboards of rosewood fretboards with  good passive electronics or active ,if you really are into that to make it sound more MODERN, youll have a quality bass for many years to  come ,that can handle any job! i  like the thought of having those warmoth stainless steel frets.  duncan basslines are awesome pups for actives ,but i think they discontinued them

[normm]

Well...  I am going to try a Carvin XB75P.  It should arrive this week.   Always tough to order something like this from afar, but I tried to apply all of the particular elements that I liked about various instruments that I was able to sample, which was only a few.   I'll let you all know how it goes.  If it seems like it's not for me right off the bat, I can always ship it back... (but I don't want to toss the chickens out before they hatch...)