FENDER ROSCOE BECK SIGNATURE 5 STRING (3-Color Sunburst) - This was my main bass for use with my band ROAD TRIP for years. This bass feels like "home" to me... This Sunburst bass seems to have a "bassier" tone than the Shoreline Gold model I had from 1997-2001 (see below). Fender only lists the RB 4 string model on their site now, I'd hate to see this model discontinued. Great tone, love the string scaping, the look... Great bass!
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY SUNBURST ROSCOE BECK

1969 FENDER JAZZ BASS - GREAT bass. I have it modified with a Badass bridge, brass nut, and a Fathead. Vintage 4 string Fenders are still my favorites, especially Jazz basses. I bought this bass in Cudahy, WI from the original owner and it's in great shape. The only thing better would be a pre-CBS (1964) Jazz bass. KILLER sound in the studio. You just CAN'T go wrong with vintage Fender basses - they're fantastic.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY 69 JAZZ

FENDER HIGHWAY ONE PRECISION BASS - Bought this bass in 2008 after seeing several players using P Basses and just loving the tone. It won't get much use at gigs as I tend to use my 5 strings when playing live, but for certain things this bass plays and sounds great. The P bass was one of my first loves, so it's always nice to have one around.

HOFNER 5000/1 DELUXE BEATLE BASS - I had the opportunity to go through Boosey & Hawkes in 1999 - they are the North American distributor of Hofner Guitars & Basses. I really like the Deluxe Beatle Bass. The ebony fingerboard is great and this would be an excellent choice for bassists with small hands as well. Great classic tone with flatwounds!
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY HOFNER

IBANEZ AEB305E ACOUSTIC 5-STRING BASS - Bought this bass in 2008 to use with Buzz Meade when we did acoustic shows, then he decided to take the year off. It plays great, don't like the string spacing much and you can't get very high past the 12th fret with any type of ease. It's OK, but I really preferred my Ovation acoustic (see below) to this one, at least so far...

LAKLAND JERRY SCHEFF SIGNATURE 5 STRING: SKYLINE SERIES - This bass immediately became my #1 bass for stage use after the first show I did with it - WOW! Wow... It PLAYS great & it SOUNDS *REALLY* good. I usually don't like active basses all that much, but what I do with this one is run it with the tone controls almost all flat (little extra treble sometimes) through my MESA 400+ Head and HO-LY CRAP this bass sounds great! VERY even sound throughout the neck, even in the 7th fret "D" area of the G string where most passive basses have a bit of a dead spot. Two Kent Armstrong lipstick tube pickups set in different areas of the bass than most Laklands - they're further apart. I can't rave enough about this bass... REALLY LOOKS COOL, too - I own TWO of them, one is candy apple red with a rosewood neck - the other is silver with a maple neck... GREAT basses.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY RED LAKLAND JERRY SCHEFF SIGNATURE 5 STRING: SKYLINE SERIES
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY SILVER LAKLAND JERRY SCHEFF SIGNATURE 5 STRING: SKYLINE SERIES

LAKLAND DARRYL JONES SIGNATURE 5 STRING: SKYLINE SERIES - I traded my Music Man Stingray 5 for this bass and should receive it August 29, 2006. And it's been a GREAT trade for me as I totally prefer the DJ bass to the Music Man! Plays great, love the way it looks with the block inlays. And black is my favorite color, too. Sounds awesome, this bass will be with me for a long, long time.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY LAKLAND DARRYL JONES SIGNATURE 5 STRING: SKYLINE SERIES

MODULUS QUANTUM 6 TBX NECK-THROUGH W/EMG PICKUPS - Well, I owned a Quantum 6 once before that I really liked but it didn't have fret dots. I started playing in 1974 and played Fenders for so long I don't like playing basses without them. So I traded my old Modulus on a Curbow 6 which had three great strings, the B, E and A. Too bad about the D, G and C - they just didn't cut through at all (see below). So I traded it for a neck-through Modulus with FRET MARKERS! The Quantum 6 basses are very nice and even, killer B string, this is a GREAT bass! I almost traded it for a couple of Warwicks, but I wound up backing out of the deal - I just COULDN'T get rid of this bass...
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY MODULUS QUANTUM 6

ARIA PRO II AVB-40 - This bass was extremely light, it had an alder body, a bolt-on maple neck, 24-fret rosewood fingerboard and PJ pickups. For a cheap bass it played very well. I had it set up as a tenor bass (tuned A, D, G, C) to use partly just for fun, and also to work on some of Victor Wooten's stuff from the Bass Extremes series. It's really fun to fool around with this tuning, try it whenever you can! I never used it much and wound up selling it though...
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY ARIA PRO II AVB-40

ASLIN DANE AMB-200 - This is a cheap Music Man copy bass, but it's THE best inexpensive MM ripoff I've ever played. The pickup is passive (which I prefer), but to get that MM "active" sound I usually play this bass with my Sadowsky outboard preamp - the combination sounds GREAT! WOW! Even without active electronics this bass sounds very good though for popping and slapping as well as fingerstyle or pick playing. And it PLAYS good, too! It has the "feel" of a bass that would cost WAY over the $260 I paid for mine (with a gigbag). If you're looking for a MM style bass and don't want to spend a lot of CASH, this would definitely be my recommendation! Don't even waste your time looking at "Jay Turser"... (see below)... They are available at most "Music-Go-Round" stores, at least here in Wisconsin anyway... I wound up giving this bass away to my stepson March 2008 after picking up a Fender P Bass.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY ASLIN DANE AMB-200

BONGO STEALTH HH 5-STRING - I purchased this bass from Bass Central on 11/14/05. Close string spacing, 2 octave neck, very cool all black look. Never could get a sound I liked from it, so I traded it away on 5/26/06.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY BONGO STEALTH HH 5-STRING

CURBOW INTERNATIONAL PETITE 6-STRING - I never really bonded well with my Curbow bass. I really like the sound from the B, E and A strings. The top strings (D, G and C) would just get BURIED, though - they were very weak. Bartolini pickups... I really liked the feel of the neck as well - WIDE fingerboard! The body shape and the top three strings made me trade this in on my current MODULUS six string (see above).

FENDER AMERICAN DELUXE PRECISION BASS 5 STRING - I'm usually not a big fan of active electronics, but I really like this bass. I played it on 1/19/01 at a music store in Wisconsin through an Ampeg SVT Classic head and 4x10 bottom & I DIDN'T want to stop. I bought this bass on 1/22/01 and had to sell one of my Roscoe Becks to pay for it (see below)... something I never thought I'd do. It plays great! The one I bought has a maple neck and sunburst finish - a classic Fender look and feel. And there ain't NOTHING wrong with that! Fender's got another winner here! List price is $1650 - this bass is a STEAL at that price! Better than many of the higher priced basses I've played. About a month after purchasing this bass I got a deal on a passive Lakland 5-string (see below) that I couldn't pass up and this bass wound up getting passed on to my stepson (still in the family anyway)...
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY PRECISION BASS 5 STRING

FENDER AMERICAN DELUXE JAZZ BASS 5 STRING - The deluxe Jazz has a three-band active EQ electronics system. It's set up a little closer to a 4 string Jazz bass, but still feels a lot like the Roscoe Beck. Both have graphite reinforced necks and Pao Ferro fretboards. The bridge seems to be a standard Fender bridge with strings through the body. The first weekend I used this bass I had more people asking me about my system and complimenting my sound and playing than I'd had in the entire year before that. Coincidence? Maybe. I liked this bass, but wanted a Lakland 55-94 (see below) enough to trade it in on 3/18/99.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY 5 STRING JAZZ

FENDER MARCUS MILLER JAZZ BASS - I really liked this bass the first time I played one, it has some features I thought were very good. You can switch from active to passive, a Badass bridge is standard and it has two volume controls as well as a separate bass and treble control when using it in the active mode. They all have maple fretboards. I got it to use mostly for slapping and popping, but I found that I don't like the active sound as much as I had hoped I would. And I got some weird static/electrical noise if I take the pickup cover off. I traded this bass in on my Lakland 55-94 (see below) 3/18/99, which had a much better sound for slapping and popping, and could be used at live gigs as well!
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY MARCUS MILLER JAZZ

FENDER ROSCOE BECK SIGNATURE 5 STRING (Shoreline Gold Metallic) - This was one of my main basses for use with my band ROAD TRIP, for 4 years (1997-2001). I need the low B too much to use a 4 string at gigs. Nice features, humbucking or single coil pickups, strings through body or bridge, 22 frets, Gotoh bridge. Feels like a Fender Jazz. I think Roscoe Beck basses are the best passive five strings I've ever played - I really like them! I used it one three or four songs for our CD COWBOYS AND MANIACS and almost all of our 2001 release PLEASE DISTURB - it's a good bass for studio use. VERY nice bass. I wound up selling this bass on 1/30/01 to pay for the purchase of my Fender Deluxe Precision five string. TOUGH to do! But I still have my other Roscoe Beck and owning two of them seemed redundant...
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY SHORELINE GOLD ROSCOE BECK

FENDER STANDARD JAZZ BASS (Fretless) - It's no secret that I love Fenders, especially Jazz basses. I usually wouldn't foray into the world of the Mexican made Fenders, but since I don't often use a fretless bass except for noodling around this bass was fine for that. It was the first fretless I ever owned with the fake fret markings - certainly made it easier to stay in tune, especially in the upper registers (where I seem to have the most problems). Very nice bass for $500 list. I sold this bass on eBay (1/23/01) to help pay for my new Fender Deluxe Precision 5 (see above)...
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY STANDARD JAZZ FRETLESS

GIBSON NIKKI SIXX SIGNATURE BLACKBIRD/THUNDERBIRD BASS - This is a VERY cool bass! I don't like 97% of the basses made by Gibson but I've always had a soft spot for the Thunderbird bass - it's a GREAT bass for rock & roll! The Nikki Sixx bass features ONE control - an ON/OFF toggle switch. That's it! VERY cool! Who needs knobs? It's ALL black and comes with a well made hardshell case that has a cover for the bass when stored with the Thunderbird logo. Played & sounded great - I got one cheap and sold it on eBay right away but I'd consider owning another one some day! :)
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY BLACKBIRD

LAKLAND CLASSIC 55-94 5 STRING - I traded in two Fenders for this bass (see above). Laklands are great basses, there are many different settings are available through the Bartolini active electronics designed specifically for them. The feel is very Fender-like. This was my main bass for playing with my band Road Trip. I had Bartolini pickups in it when I got it (3/18/99) and I switched over to Seymour Duncan Basslines on 4/15/99. I liked them better for my style of playing (straight rock, no slapping and popping). I have never liked Bartolini pickups for live gigging - they did sound GREAT for slapping, and I used this bass on four of the songs on Road Trip's CD COWBOYS AND MANIACS while the Bartolinis were still in it - the engineer I was working with LOVED the sound of it. I liked the Basslines pickups better for live shows, though. Laklands are very high quality instruments all the way around - they play great & look cool. And they seem to be an excellent company to deal with as well, it's nice to know you can talk with them if & when you need to and they'll do whatever they can to help you with problems &/or modifications to your instrument. I had the opportunity to pick up a Warwick Streamer Stage II 5-string on 6/23/99 and had to trade this bass in on that deal, though. The Warwick was short-lived (see below), and I have since purchased (and sold) a passive 5-string Lakland and I also have a Jerry Scheff signature model on order (see above)...
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY LAKLAND 55-94 5 STRING

LAKLAND SKYLINE 55-02 ACTIVE 5 STRING - I got a chance to play this bass at a store here in Wisconsin and was VERY impressed with the job Lakland did in making an "affordable" version of their 55-94 series basses. The Skyline series is made in Korea, but it's a HIGH quality instrument. List on the 55-02 is $1599, they also make a Skyline 55-01 bass that lists at a mere $999! Holy crap! The 55-02 really feels, looks and sounds like the 55-94 Classic bass at less than half the price. If you're a bass player on a budget you GOTTA check these out! I have a SILVER one with a rosewood neck, I also have Duncan pickups (special order direct from Lakland) instead of the standard Bartolini pickups on mine. Many people have commented to me how nice this bass sounds out front since I started using it!
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY LAKLAND SKYLINE 55-02 ACTIVE 5 STRING

LAKLAND CLASSIC 55-63 PASSIVE 5 STRING - I picked this bass up on 2/14/01, the serial number is #6! Laklands PLAY great, they have the Fender "feel" that I like, but I think they actually play better and they're a very high quality instrument as well. This bass has two Duncan Bassline "J" style pickups, a maple neck (Lakland's maple necks KICK ASS!), and volume and tone controls that match a Fender Jazz bass. Great looking and sounding bass & the alder body is a few pounds lighter than my Fender Roscoe Beck bass listed above... As is the case with my Roscoe Beck bass, I ran this bass through a Sadowsky outboard preamp then directly into my Ampeg SVT setup for live shows. Sold it 9/5/05 to get the short lived Bongo "Stealth" bass (see above)...
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY LAKLAND CLASSIC 55-63 PASSIVE 5 STRING

LAKLAND JOE OSBORN SIGNATURE 5 STRING: SKYLINE SERIES - Well, in July 2003 I went Lakland crazy and purchased THREE new Skyline series basses, including the JOE OSBORN model. The US made basses are great, I've owned several, but I gotta say - for the amount of abuse I put a bass through i'm almost more comfortable playing a Skyline series on stage. This bass plays GREAT, sounds GREAT - I love it! AND - Laklands LOOK cool, too (mine is sunburst with a maple neck)! This bass is passive, a lot like a Fender Jazz bass. The Fralin Pickups *really* sound good. All my Skyline basses sound good. These are VERY nice basses at an extremely fair price, The Skyline Osborn 5 lists for $1499. $120 extra for the Lakland SKB hardshell case, I got one for all my Skylines - I actually like the SKB cases better than the tweed cases that come with the US models (I always break the latches on the tweed cases). Sold this bass on eBay 7/13/06 to pay for a new Music Man Stingray 5.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY LAKLAND JOE OSBORN SIGNATURE 5 STRING: SKYLINE SERIES

MODULUS FLEA SIGNATURE 5-STRING - I saw this bass on eBay and I just HAD to check it out so I bought it on 7/5/01. It was unusual because it had a MM/J pickup configuration and was also a custom silver flake color. Modulus doesn't advertise this pickup option and they told me they've only made about 12 Flea's this way. The pickups and the color made this a ONE OF A KIND bass! I'm not a big fan of Bartolini pickups OR active electronics, though - so I pulled the active circuitry out and made it a passive bass. I liked it a LOT better passive (one of our sound companies said it was the best SOUNDING bass I've ever used!). The string spacing was a little closer than I'd like and the bridge wasn't so great as the low B and E strings were very hard to load through. Modulus has informed me that they are aware of the problem and will be replacing the current bridge style with a new bridge design by 2002. As is you can NOT use a tapered B string on this bass. You also cannot string through the body. VERY different bass for me. I didn't own it very long.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY MODULUS FLEA SIGNATURE 5-STRING

MUSIC MAN STINGRAY 5-STRING (NATURAL) - Well, even though I had one before and didn't like it, then tried a BONGO STEALTH 5 and also didn't like it - I still bought yet ANOTHER Music Man 5 on 6/26/06. This one I really liked to play, it's so COOL looking and it plays great. Natural finish, shell pickguard, maple neck. Great looking and playing bass, never got used to the string spacing or sound so I traded it for a Lakland DJ5 in August 2006 after only owning it for two months.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY MMSR5

MUSIC MAN STINGRAY 5-STRING (SUNBURST) - I never bonded well with this bass - I only kept it for about two weeks. I did use it on "The Chocolate Song" from ROAD TRIP's 1999 release "COWBOYS AND MANIACS" and it sounded pretty good in the studio. I never got used to playing it live, though. I guess I like a split pickup design better than just having one pickup. And the strings were spaced pretty close together, too - closer than I'm used to. I think the Stingray basses are better for players who do a lot of slapping and popping, this isn't the bass for me... On the plus side, it is definitely a quality instrument and I'd consider getting a Stingray or similar design 4 string to use as a slap/pop bass - GREAT for that!

OVATION CELEBRITY CC074 ACOUSTIC BASS - I was looking to get a five string acoustic bass, but I got a deal on this bass that I just couldn't pass up. We did an extra set on New Year's Eve 1998 "unplugged", so it gave me the incentive to finally pick up an acoustic bass. This is one of the least expensive models out there, but seems to be very good quality for what I spent. List is around $800, I got it for less than half that new. Acoustic basses are a lot of fun to play, I really enjoy having one in my collection. Gave this one to my stepson March 2008 when I picked up an Ibanez 5-String Acoustic Bass (see above).
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY OVATION

REVEREND RUMBLEFISH 5L - I bought this bass off eBay and I liked it a lot, but I already had two other 5-strings that I preferred for live shows (Lakland 55-63 passive and Roscoe Beck 5 listed above) so this bass became expendable rather quickly. Well made, fairly inexpensive and VERY cool looking basses! They play nice, too. My only complaint is that the Rumblefish 5's don't come with single-coil as a pickup option. If I was going to keep this bass I would've modified it so that one of the switch positions would be single coil instead of neck pickup only. I believe that the Reverend Brad Houser bass has the single coil pickup option, but I've never seen one to try at all.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY REVEREND RUMBLEFISH 5L

RICKENBACKER 4003 - This bass was made in March 1997 - I bought it in August of that year and never really used it much. It wound up with my stepson when he started playing bass and that's where it stayed until he got my Fender Deluxe Precision 5 string. I've always liked the Rickenbacker look and feel, but since I prefer Fenders & Laklands I sold this bass to help pay for my passive Lakland 5-string (see above)!
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY RICKENBACKER

WARWICK STREAMER STAGE II 5-STRING - Warwick is making some of the BEST bass gear I have ever seen. Because their basses usually don't come with fretboard dots I never looked at them seriously, but the Streamer Stage II comes with dots as a standard feature (and they're really COOL yin-yang dots as well!). I traded my Lakland 5 string in on this bass, I liked it THAT much. It played GREAT - it made me WANT to play. The string spacing was a little closer together than I'm used to, I guess I prefer a wider spacing even though my hands are small for a bass player. I liked the sound of this bass as well. Why did I trade it? A combination of things - I had a problem with it right away, liked the sound of the Roscoe Beck basses better than this one, and wanted to get some other things that I wound up trading this for. I traded it on a Roscoe Beck 5, Standard Jazz fretless 4, X-Wire wireless, and a Roland CD recorder to go with my VS-880EX recorder.

YAMAHA BBN4F FRETLESS BASS - Cheap fretless bass for farting around with. Lined so a guy who stinks at playing fretless (such as myself) has a fighting chance to be SOMEWHAT in tune. Didn't last long in my collection - felt "cheap" to me.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY YAMAHA BBN4F FRETLESS BASS

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