4 to 5

[rmshaw37]

hey there, i'm looking at turning my 4 string affinity precision, into a 5 stringer

i want to keep the same neck (around 45mm at nut), just have a narrow string spacing, similar to a schecter!

is it as simple as swapping the pup, bridge and nut?

its just a tester really, and will make my own body if it works!

any thoughts are appreciated!


(thinking about putting a mm pup at bridge position too - can't remember who's bass it is but looks ace! thanks for the idea!)

[mcnach]

[quote name='rmshaw37' post='942599' date='Sep 1 2010, 08:19 PM']hey there, i'm looking at turning my 4 string affinity precision, into a 5 stringer

i want to keep the same neck (around 45mm at nut), just have a narrow string spacing, similar to a schecter!

is it as simple as swapping the pup, bridge and nut?

its just a tester really, and will make my own body if it works!

any thoughts are appreciated!


(thinking about putting a mm pup at bridge position too - can't remember who's bass it is but looks ace! thanks for the idea!)[/quote]


Not sure the neck will be wide enough at the bottom...

My P-bass measures 63, 57 and 50mm at the 20th, 12th and 5th frets, across the fingerboard. I have a Peavey 5-string with 16mm inter-string distance at the bridge (narrowish) and it measures 68, 61 and 54mm respectively... so the B and high E strings would be on the edge with this bridge and would probably be pretty bad to play. You may find a narrower bridge, but I'd definitely measure things before starting.
I personally hate very narrow spacing and prefer 19-20mm separation at the bridge, just like on my 4-string basses. The extra width is easier *for me* to get used to than adapting my playing to strings that are very close together.

[chris_b]

Not worth it. You'll have to replace the bridge, pickups, nut, and tuners, cut new holes for all of them and then watch the neck bow because the truss rod can't handle the extra pull.

Spend less and get a ready made 5 string, or make your own from scratch. Either way you'll end up with a much better bass.

[Alien]

One of the hardware manufacturers (Wilkinson possibly?) used to do a kit for this very conversion. Consisted of a replacement bridge and nut, an extra machine head and (I think) a new string tree. Pickup shouldn't be a problem as there's a fair bit of crossover at the centre.

A

[Alien]

AHA! Found it! It was Hipshot.

[url="http://ns2.one-dom9.com/4to5.htm"]http://ns2.one-dom9.com/4to5.htm[/url]

A

[Gust0o]

Good spot.

For my thoughts, I still reckon you'd find yourself running out of room on the neck - sure, you could get the conversion done; but could you still play it?

Hipshot were looking at c.$230, and that's s good deposit on a dedicated five, to my mind.

[Fat Rich]

The low B hangs off the edge of the neck a little after the 12th fret but it would sound pretty useless up there anyway. String spacing at the nut feels really nice, like a 4 string Jazz. 18mm string spacing at the bridge is a little tight but very playable. The bass has Jazz EMGs and sounds and plays pretty fantastic - it just looks a bit rough! I gigged it pretty much exclusively for about 10 years.

It's been a 5 since I've had it (about 20 years) and the neck is still straight and the action is actually the lowest of any Fender I've ever played, no buzzes, no problems. There's still plenty of adjustment left on the truss rod and I use 130 - 45 guage strings.

But I'd still recommend you get a proper 5 stringer rather than convert, there are some great basses out there for not much money. Edited September 2, 2010 by Fat Rich

[absolutpepper]

You'd be better picking up a slimmer neck 5 string. You certainly risk making the bass completely unusable. Its certainly not a mod i'd be advising any time soon.

[JTUK]

I wouldn't do it..there is more to a 5 than squeezing in an extra string.

I think you will ruin the bass you have for no gain...or the bass conversion will be not that useable..IMO.

[rmshaw37]

thanks for all the replies - i've been eyeing up a schecter omen extreme and then swapping out the pickups (plays like a dream, sounds gash!)

i just know it has the same nut width as a precision 4.

cheers all!

[rebo213]

I were going to post this on a separate topic but it can help you... years after
http://www.3dentourage.com/425/425.htm
I think the guy has plenty of money and time to mess with pricey ricks but looks very good.