I'm considering this back and forth... and since trying the thing out is not an option, I need to make a "blind" decision.

As Status (the man, not the bass :D ) knows (from bassworld), I've got the lead on a Status Shark 5 here locally in Norway. Asking price is £250.

So, should I grab it or not? Although there are some issues I don't fancy to much with this bass (chrome covered, single and passive pickup and the scratchplate are my main gripes), I wonder if I'll be able to get a better bass for this kind of money at all. Afterall, it is a highly regarded brand name, and Rob Green and his crew build a lot of nice basses.

For the same price, I presume I can probably get an Asian mass-produced bass... would probably be a lesser bass, I guess.

So... convince me... I'm 85% there already, but need the final push. :D

Any objective information regarding the Shark would be highly appreciated.

I'm thinking it should be possible to add a bridge pickup (Status) and remove the scratchplate... does anyone know how the routing looks under that scratchplate?

Shoot! B)

I had one, I sold it and now I regret it. I would like another and if I could find a nice one for £250 I'd rip their arm off. Much better than the equivalent priced Asian produced basses.

Go for it, you know you want to. ;)

Yeah, i sort of know that... :D Just sold a Dean bass for £500, so I've got the cash for it, too... and I'd still have another £250 leftover! :D

You have modded this bass... how's the routing done under the scratchplate? Is it a "tray" routing, like most P basses have, or is it a "tight" pickup routing? I guess what I'm trying to ask is if I can remove (or reduce) the scratchplate easily... :D

I routed out under the existing scratchplate and had to drill an extra hole for the additonal pot. Even with that one of the pots had to be stacked. Have a friend who is a luthier and it didn't take him long to do the routing for me (about 5 minutes). I did the rest.

OK, you guys have convinced me. I've made a deal with the seller. Will probably take another week or so before the bass finally arrives... Really looking forward to it! B)

Then I'll be a full member of the Statii club! :D

I'll play around with it as it is for a little while, then I'll consider things further. Gotta see if it's really necessary first! It may work perfectly fine as it is!

Thanks for your help!

Good man. You know it makes sense. £250 for a bass with such pedigree is an absolute bargain.
To quote Lock Stock: "It's a deal, it's a steal, it's Sale of the f***in' Century". :D

B) OK MrWalker now you are really welcome !!!

hehe Thanks :)

The reason I came down in favor of the Shark, is simply because it has some character. :) There are some solutions I don't like, but it's a bass with identity. The mass-produced ones have none of that built in "mojo". :)

Looking forward to getting her in the house! :) Will post a review!

Ok, so finally the money from my bass sale came in, and finally the Shark owner responded. But the deal is underway, and I hope to have the Shark in the house early next week. :)

I'm anxious to hear how it sounds and what state it is in. I'll prefer to keep it stock, and I think I'll rather invest in an external preamp rather than modding the bass itself to accomodate a preamp.

And I hope the sound is ok with the pickup location.

BTW, is the pickup in the Precision-position or in the Music Man sweet-spot location? It seems to be more "P" than "MM" from the photos I've seen. Anyone know?

It depends which version of the Shark you're getting (though £250 sounds like a bargain for any of them). The original Shark had scratchplate-mounted controls; the Shark 2 has a smaller scratchplate and body-mounted controls. The pickup positions vary between them too; the single pickup is 'P'-like on the Shark 1, more 'MM' in the Shark 2. With twin pickups they're closer together on the Shark 1; one pickup seems to be in the same position as the single pickup.

Thanks :)

It's a one-pickup Shark 1, so I then it's probably mounted in the P-position. It's the chrome-covered pickup. I thought it looked like it was more in the P than MM position, so...

I think it's a good price. I discussed the bass with the owner yesterday, and the bass has never seen any gigging action. So it should be close to new condition. I think the low price is caused by a very slow bass market up here North, where the only instruments that really catch good prices are old Fenders and Music Men. It's strange... but from a buyer's perspective, it's of course a good thing that you can get good instrument cheap. But if I need to sell it again, I'll be putting it up here instead (and delete this thread) :D :D

Thanks for your input. :)

Sounds like the same model I had. Mine played and sounded a lot like a Stingray. Similar build quality at a fraction of the price, and it is a Status of course! :D

So, you'd say more like a stingray than a precision?

That's definately promising! :) and given the price I'm paying, it's close to 1/4th of the price, in fact. :D