Newfoundfreedom

Yeah, definitely good advice. Sadly though as stated above, simply not an option.

Ah if only that were a option. My nearest decent music shop is over 200 miles away, and even then, they're highly unlikely to have much of a selection. It's more a case of mail order, suck it and see.

I was looking at that just yesterday. The reviews are petty good, and it looks good too, if that's your kind of thing.

Has anybody done this. Basically skipped 5ers altogether and just gone straight in the deep end with a 6? I've only ever played 4 string basses, but lately I've been fancying delving into 5's. Then I thought, sod it! Why not go the full hog and try a 6er? I play a bit of guitar (badly) so it's not like having 6 strings is totally alien, even though the tuning is different. Here's my thinking. 1) I like my 4 string. I like the way it looks, the way it sounds, and the way it plays. If I buy a 5, I will either like it, and therefore it will make my 4 string redundant, which would be a shame. Or I won't like it as much as my 4, therefore it would be a wasted purchase. There's not "that" much difference between a 5 and a 4, whereas (in my mind at least) a 6 is a different beast entirely, and would be an addition rather than a replacement. 2) My old band was a 6 piece, where I was playing alongside 3 guitarists, and therefore sonically "full" sounding. My new band is a 4 piece, with just me and 1 guitarist, and while I much prefer the creative side of the new band (all original material) I sometimes feel that the overall sound is a little hollow. Maybe I could add to it with some of those sweet top end bass chords. So. Would I likely be biting off more than I can chew. Does it make sense to go straight for the 6, or am I just trying to justify my GAS?

It's all I ever use. I still can't get over how good it sounds.

I've had one in my basket for a couple of weeks, patiently waiting for it to come back in stock just after new year. Then the car went in for MOT and that's that. The bit of money i'd managed to put away is now gone.😞 The Christmas curse strikes once again.

Nope. Heart and Vixen pretty much nailed it years ago. 😉

I've never been a fan of black guitars, but that looks great with the satin finish alongside the dark wood of the neck.

But it looks like you've got the HBZ 4000 NT there. I'm after the 5 string. What do you reckon to it? Is it as good as the reviews suggest?

I've got my eye on the HBZ-5000 NT. Above the price range of the OP, coming it at about £270. But they look ridiculously good for the money. https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_bz_5000_nt.htm Just need to get some funds together now. 😞

Two free beers then. 😉

In that price range i'd look for a second hand Vintage (the brand). They're stupidly good for the money, and you can pick a second hand one up for next to nothing.

For me, it's more of a "position" thing. Even playing a light bass would give me back ache. The worst I've ever put my back out was leaning forward to clock in at work (seriously) 😂. I'm not playing festivals or 2 hour sets, so within reason, I'm hoping it's not going to make a massive difference.

Yeah that seems like a nice weight. Is that a 4 or a 5er?

Yeah I've considered it. But where I live there's zero second hand market, and everything that does come up is massively overpriced. Buying second hand from the UK is a risk, because if there's damage in transit then there's no comeback. Plus, I've never seen anything in that price range, even second hand, that comes anywhere near the level of quality of the HB I posted above. I'm not a brand snob (I actually can't stand Fenders) and at that price range, I don't really care about resale value.

I'm seriously considering one of these for my first foray into the world of 5 strings. I don't want to spend too much because a) I'm skint, and b) I might not take to it. Forget the name tag. These things look stunning, and the reviews are outstanding! At around £265 for a bass that looks and sounds this good (seriously, look them up on YouTube), I don't really see how you can go wrong. https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_bz_5000_nt.htm

Thanks for the replies. The last two comments just go to show the difference in personal taste / comfort. With one preferring 16.5 mm and another preferring 19 mm. I must admit. I have absolutely no idea what my preferred spacing is. I don't think I have enough experience with different basses to have developed a preference, and unfortunately, as I said above, going to a music shop to try them out is a none starter. I'm hoping I can just adapt to whatever I eventually buy.

Theoretically the lighter the instrument the better. Especially if, like me, you suffer from a dodgy back. But I've always liked my basses to feel "substantial". I've recently been looking into buying my first 5 stringer, and a lot of reviews comment on how heavy it is. Which got me curious about the weight of my current basses. So I weighed my main two today, and within a few ounces they both came in at around 9lbs. Is this considered particularly heavy? I must admit, they don't seem that way to me, even with my glass back. The 5er I'm considering comes in at around 10lbs. Is this particularly heavy for a 5er? Am I really going to notice the difference between a 9lb and a 10lb bass?

Yeah I can't argue with that. In an ideal world I would always try before I buy, and get a feel for the bass in question. Unfortunately, my nearest half decent music shop is over 200 miles away. Even then, they're unlikely to stock anything I'm interested in.

Thanks. The string spacing on the bass I'm considering is 16.5'm. I'll have to measure my go to bass tomorrow and see how it compares. Although I play a bit of acoustic guitar as well, so hopefully adapting to a new spacing won't be too much of an issue.

I must admit. String spacing is not something I've ever worried about or even considered. I pick up a bass, play it, and soon get a feel for it. Having said that, I've only ever played four stringers, where strings spacing is probably not really much of an issue. Now I'm thinking about delving into the world of 5 stringers, and a lot of the reviews I read on the various basses I'm looking at, concern strings spacing. So where do I even measure string spacing? Is it at the nut, the bridge, or a certain fret? Is there generally a massive difference between string spacing on a 4 and 5 string?

Yup. That's me. 2000 plus posts and 11 days won. I'm a proper troll. I won't tie up the thread by commenting further. Good night!

Yeah this is a cracking deal. Class D amps are often underrated and overlooked. Can't go wrong at that price.

Ok. Bored now. Shoo fly!

Cracking! This one gets my vote. 😉