Buying my first 5 string, advice?

[benroch]

Hi all,
I am a student and play 4 string bass, i have been playing for 5 years and am now needing to have the lower B string more, not to mention i just fancy a bit of a change...
I have a budget of up to about £750 but to be honest itll take me a while to get to that amount as i am only on £315 right now...
Any suggestions for good 5 string basses to play Rock and Jazz mainly? Been looking at fender style basses and at modern styles
probably looking second hand rather than new!
Thanks,
Ben

Edited September 18, 2017 by benroch

[Hobbayne]

Have a look at the SUB Ray 5. Very good for the money, I used to have one it was well made and easy to play.
https://www.guitar.co.uk/sterling-by-music-man-sub-ray5-walnut-satin

[BigRedX]

You will need to go and try as many 5-string basses as you can, and don't limit yourself to basses within your budget, because you will need to see if your £750 is going to be enough (IME it may not be unless you get very lucky).

Too many bassists buy a cheap 5-string and quickly get disillusioned with it because it simply isn't a very good bass. Unfortunately there is a lot more to making a good 5-string bass than taking an existing 4-string design, putting a wider neck, and an extra machine head on it. To get an articulate and pleasing sounding and feeling low B string construction and neck stiffness are far more important than they are on a 4-string bass.

Personally I wouldn't bother with anything with a bolt-on neck unless it has been made by either Mike Lull or Jens Ritter. Good through neck construction is the way to go. Also string type becomes a lot more critical when it comes to the low B-string. IMO the tension on the low B in a standard 5-string set is too low, so you need to experiment with different string types to find the one that best suits your bass.

Good luck!

Edited September 18, 2017 by BigRedX

[benroch]

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1505754352' post='3374058']
Have a look at the SUB Ray 5. Very good for the money, I used to have one it was well made and easy to play.
[url="https://www.guitar.co.uk/sterling-by-music-man-sub-ray5-walnut-satin"]https://www.guitar.c...y5-walnut-satin[/url]
[/quote]

Hi,
I will go and try one of those as im not too many miles away from Glasgow can i ask why you got rid of yours?
Many thanks,
Ben

[benroch]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1505754516' post='3374059']
You will need to go and try as many 5-string basses as you can, and don't limit yourself to basses within your budget, because you will need to see if your £750 is going to be enough (IME it may not be unless you get very lucky).

Too many bassists buy a cheap 5-string and quickly get disillusioned with it because it simply isn't a very good bass. Unfortunately there is a lot more to making a good 5-string bass than taking an existing 4-string design, putting a wider neck, and an extra machine head on it. To get an articulate and pleasing sounding and feeling low B string construction and neck stiffness are far more important than they are on a 4-string bass.

Personally I wouldn't bother with anything with a bolt-on neck unless it has been made by either Mike Lull or Jens Ritter. Good through neck construction is the way to go. Also string type becomes a lot more critical when it comes to the low B-string. IMO the tension on the low B in a standard 5-string set is too low, so you need to experiment with different string types to find the one that best suits your bass.

Good luck!
[/quote]

Hi,
I have been going into a music shop local to me to try basses a couple of times, the only problem i find is they have a very limited selection of 5 string basses, i will continue going and trying them but i was kind of wondering if people could recommend brands or models so i could work out a varied list of things to go and try at a music shop further away from me, rather than going several times,
I will certainly keep trying lots of basses.
Thanks,
Ben

[Paul S]

I would look seriously at a Yamaha BB425 if I were you. I bought one new for under £350 as a cheap back up for my main 5er - which cost me over £1K more secondhand (plus even more with fettling...) - but it is pretty darned good. Had I bought the Yammy first I may not have bothered getting the expensive one.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Paul S

[dannybuoy]

+1 to the BB range, the 425s are being sold at discount right now too due to being discontinued, so you can grab a bargain. Warwick Rockbasses are solid too, both have laminate necks to increase stiffness.

You certainly don't need to spend £4k on a boutique bass to get a decent 5er.

[Cuzzie]

yes to yammy's

if you want to get a Musicman SUB, get a USA on second hand, can be around £4-500 and then get a Vintage Nordstrand MM pick up slotted in, great tone

[fretmeister]

Marleaux bolt ons are amazing. But alas out of the price range.

[HowieBass]

I haven't played one but there's a lot of love on here for the Sire Marcus Miller jazz basses - hopefully an owner of a 5 string will come along to add their opinion.

[chris_b]

Good used Lakland Skylines are a lot of bass for the money. Keep checking the classifieds.

[chris_b]

Ben, keep saving and checkout my Sadowsky.

Ad below.

[Al Krow]

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1505756567' post='3374093']
I would look seriously at a Yamaha BB425 if I were you. I bought one new for under £350 as a cheap back up for my main 5er - which cost me over £1K more secondhand (plus even more with fettling...) - but it is pretty darned good. Had I bought the Yammy first I may not have bothered getting the expensive one.
[/quote]
[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1505757398' post='3374102']
+1 to the BB range, the 425s are being sold at discount right now too due to being discontinued, so you can grab a bargain. Warwick Rockbasses are solid too, both have laminate necks to increase stiffness.
[/quote]

Another +1 Yahama 425 (if you can still find one new) or pick one up second hand. A LOT of bass for the money. Very much still enjoying mine which I picked up a few weeks back. (I posted a reasonably detailed review fairly recently on the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/302794-yamaha-bbx24-5-seriesend-of-the-line-bbx34-5-on-the-way/page__st__150"]Yamaha thread[/url] - see#163 if you're interested). Well within your budget, in fact you could get one now without saving further!

I'd suggest steering clear of the cheaper "Carolena" Warwick Rockbasses which are literally made of (Carolina) [u]pine[/u], which being a soft wood as you can imagine won't whistand much without damage. In fact I'd go further and say avoid Rockbasses altogether, the pots are underpowered (so will need replacing unless you want to put up with a low output bass) and the tone is IMHO meh. A second hand German Warwick for the same price as a new Rockbass, however, a very different matter - these are quality basses and can be picked up second hand (just) at the top of your range for £750+.

I personally couldn't get very excited about Lakland Skylines - I just found them a bit bland (and the new one I tried out disappointing in the quality of its finish). But I'm sure you will find as many fans on here as detractors - probably true for most basses in fact!

+1 also to Cuzzie's comments about Nordstrands (although choice of PUPs is, of course, ultimately down to personal preference). If you can get a used Ibanez SR Premium with big single Nordstrand PUPs you will have a bass that is light with one of the easiest to play necks and IMHO a great tone.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Al Krow

[CameronJ]

There's an upgraded MTD Saratoga 5 (Jazz style but sexier) going for a very good price here at the moment. Definitely worth a look.

[Hobbayne]

[quote name='benroch' timestamp='1505755187' post='3374072']
Hi,
I will go and try one of those as im not too many miles away from Glasgow can i ask why you got rid of yours?
Many thanks,
Ben
[/quote]

I didnt really need it. Most of the stuff I do can be easily done on a four string. And I needed the cash

[Pinball]

I'd look for 2nd hand Ben, you will get something nice if you keep watching the adds on here. A G&L tribute is almost in reach. My own Bass Collections are around that price

[chris_b]

[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1505770981' post='3374254']
I personally couldn't get very excited about Lakland Skylines - I just found them a bit bland [/quote]

Surprising as they use the same pickups and pre amp as the US models.

[MarshallBTB]

100% pre owned, another nod to Yamaha...if you can find a BB605, they're the best budget 5 in my opinion.
Also might be worth looking at an Ibanez, you'd be able to afford something like an SR505 which sound and play great.

Edited September 18, 2017 by MarshallBTB

[Conan]

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1505771762' post='3374262']
I'd look for 2nd hand Ben, you will get something nice if you keep watching the adds on here. A G&L tribute is almost in reach. My own Bass Collections are around that price
[/quote]

There was a beautiful USA G&L for around £900. I think it was withdrawn. Widely regarded as outstanding basses at that (or any) price!

The Sire Marcus Miller V7s are also very highly regarded by several members on here. And a fair bit cheaper too

[Bigwan]

Not much to add that hasn't been mentioned already really.

I've owned a lot of 5 strings over the years. I'd say 50/50 based on your budget (as in half above, half below). Lakland were always a firm favourite of mine. Owned 2 of their 5 strings. The 5501 I had was superb and was well under your budget. Compared favourably with every other 5 string I've ever played, regardless of budget.

I also had a Sire 5 which was also very good. A tie with the Lakland in a lot of areas, but it's flaw for me was that the fretboard radius meant the B and G strings (when set up correctly) were louder than the rest as they were MUCH closer to their respective pickup poles, especially the B. If that were easily corrected it would be a stonkingly good bass for the money.

Recently had a Yamaha 425x and again, excellent. Ergonomically it wasn't perfect for me as the string spacing at the nut was tighter than I like, but might suit you perfectly.

A left field choice if you can find one, is a used ACG Graft 5. I owned one briefly (the briefly bit was intentional - wanted to check out Alan's work before committing to a custom build!) and Alan's work is exceptional. When they appear they are typically within your budget.

Happy hunting!

[Marc S]

Definitely try as many as you can, and yes, keep an eye on the marketplace here
I'm really a 4 string player, and don't tend to play my 5'er much
But I tried several, and found that it was tricky to find something that had good (wide-ish string spacing) yet didn't have an overly wide neck
.... and also a bass that didn't weigh a tonne

I had a perfectly good Squier 5 string P bass. I felt like an upgrade and got a Yamaha TRB 5 stringer, which is lovely
Good luck with your search

[Bigwan]

Certainly buy used. Your money goes MUCH further, and you stir the GAS around the community...

I would add that although they're not my cup of tea, the now discontinued USA Musicman SUB 5 is also an excellent option (not talking about a Sterling SUB or SUB RAY5, 35 or whatever confusing article they produce nowadays). Having owned a Musicman 5 as one of my first "big money" 5 strings, I'd say the USA SUB 5 I played a while back was every bit as good as the full fat version and, features-wise, closer to a 5 string version of a true Musicman than the actual Musicman 5 string is!

Edited September 19, 2017 by Bigwan

[Musicman20]

Sire 5 string, or save and get a second hand USA Musicman.

[benroch]

Awesome thanks for all the advice guys, im probably going to try and find a sire bass v7 to go and try, ill also try to find a yamaha to try!
if anyone sees any nice basses on the 2nd hand section the please send me a link!!
Thanks,
Ben

[CameronJ]

Double post.

Edited September 19, 2017 by CameronJ