5 Strings

[deanbean502]

I have never owned a 5 string bass. and I may be perhaps looking to order a custom 5 stringer

I do like to drop tune and this can sometimes be an inconvenience so i am thinking a five stringer is the way to go

what do you guys think?

[stingrayPete1977]

Do it

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I wasn't sure if I'd get much use of a 5er, so I got a cheap Peavey Millennium 5 to see whether I took to it. I since bought an NS CR5M & an Epiphone Thunderbird pro-V and sold the peavey. Had I not got on with the extra string I'd have only spent a small amount of money (which I got back when I sold the Peavey), but had I bought a custom 5er and not got on with it, I'd have made a fair old loss.

So I'd say why not get a cheap (but decent) 5er such as a Peavey Millennium - secondhand if possible so you'll be able to get what you paid for it back, & see whether you get on with it before spending big bucks.

[JimBobTTD]

As above, I bought an old 5er at a great price to see if I liked it. I did and then went on to buy a good one later. Had it not worked out, I would have been down £150 (less what I would have got for the bass).

No regrets...I later sold my 4-string basses except my first one.

[deanbean502]

[quote name='JimBobTTD' post='1240427' date='May 22 2011, 03:48 PM']As above, I bought an old 5er at a great price to see if I liked it. I did and then went on to buy a good one later. Had it not worked out, I would have been down £150 (less what I would have got for the bass).

No regrets...I later sold my 4-string basses except my first one.[/quote]

Forget the 5er I want one of them grinning dogs!

[stingrayPete1977]

Just play it all the time for a few months and lock all your 4's away until its in the bag, After that you can swap around and play all them Eb's without any fuss

[Ou7shined]

I'm falling back in love with my 5er - been playing it (and tweaking - installed a few new homemade mods) non stop over that last few days.

[Bloc Riff Nut]

I'd definitely follow the advice of those suggesting you first buy a cheaper 5 string before commiting to a boutique model.
More often than not there's a Yamaha TRB 5'er for sale on here. They usually go for around 500GBP. I have one of these and I must say they (Yamaha) are very,very, under rated instruments. They are 35 inch scale.


Good luck.

[BigRedX]

Go for it.

I am no loner buying any 4-string basses and if I can find suitable 5-string versions of some of the ones I currently own then the 4-stringers will be going up for sale.

Edited May 22, 2011 by BigRedX

[markstuk]

5 string only for me these days.. Dingwall ABZ and Ibanez SR765...

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1240521' date='May 22 2011, 05:02 PM']Go for it.

I am no loner buying any 4-string basses and if I can find suitable 5-string versions of some of the ones I currently own then the 4-stringers will be going up for sale.[/quote]

[Rayman]

Do it. I couldn't be without a 5er now. As above, I tried a cheap 5er first, in the shape of an OLP Tony Levin, and never looked back.

[gjones]

Might be a good idea to shop around. I'm no expert but have read a few reviews and on some basses the B string can lack tension and flap around so you don't get a very tight sound when you play lower down Fenders seem to be one of the culprits.......apparently.

Edited May 22, 2011 by gjones

[louisthebass]

I'd say do it, but get a 35" scale if you can, cos the low B really kicks out (IMO).

Cheers,
louisthebass

[dc2009]

[quote name='gjones' post='1240578' date='May 22 2011, 05:48 PM']Might be a good idea to shop around. I'm no expert but have read a few reviews and on some basses the B string can lack tension and flap around so you don't get a very tight sound when you play lower down (something to do with tension). Fenders seem to be one of the culprits.......apparently.[/quote]

Warwicks do not suffer from this. My old band played a tone down for our first ep, then an extra semitone down for the second, my warwick handled A and Ab just fine! However, it is german made, i can't vouch for the cheap asian stuff.

5 strings seem to be standard for basses these days tbh, well worth it too imo! A great deal more versatility in just 5 extra notes!

[Happy Jack]

I definitely agree that you should buy a (relatively) cheap 5-string before getting carried away and spending shedloads, but also be aware that 5-string basses bring issues that aren't so important with 4-string basses.

The 35" scale has already been mentioned. I love Lakland 5-stringers for this reason, but going for a 35" scale isn't for everyone, and it does restrict your choice.

More important (IMHO) is string spacing. I'm most comfortable with classic 19mm spacing, but in a 5-string bass that tends to give you a very wide neck & fingerboard, so most manfacturers prefer to bring the strings closer together. If you're used to playing, say, a Precision then you'll find 17mm string spacing a real shock to the system.

I recommend starting by looking to see who you know with a 5-string and try as many different types and configurations as you can.

[BigRedX]

IMO 35" scale is a red herring. Good construction is far more important than adding 1" to the speaking length of the string.

[markstuk]

Although if you have good construction and a 37" B string the results are astounding as per my ABZ

[stingrayPete1977]

Ray 5 B's are well known for being good and tight and only 34" even the cheap OLP 5's are good there is plenty of love around here for them. The Dingwall B is no more defined than a GB Rumour 5 fwiw although that is a 35" and both are tighter than my Ray but both also cost a lot more money too.

[markstuk]

There, I knew that would bring the dinghaters out Pete, although I'm surprised you've not found a Stingray 5 to have the best B of all

More seriously it's also about string feel (compliance) as well as sound... And all things being equal, 35" B's tend to sound better than 34" B's..

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1240756' date='May 22 2011, 08:25 PM']Ray 5 B's are well known for being good and tight and only 34" even the cheap OLP 5's are good there is plenty of love around here for them. The Dingwall B is no more defined than a GB Rumour 5 fwiw although that is a 35" and both are tighter than my Ray but both also cost a lot more money too.[/quote]

Edited May 22, 2011 by markstuk

[stingrayPete1977]

I'm not a hater but I have compared Dave Swifts Dingwall to a few GB's Spitfires and Rumours, If anything one of the GB's had the edge although all including the Dingwall were great. I'm happy to see weaknesses in my beloved Rays for a 34" they are very good and a GB Rumour is 3 times as much as my Ray 5 cost. There does appear to be some black magic involved in getting a 5 just right, A USA Jazz 5 was the worst I have played by a mile the Laklands are a good compromise to something like my Ray for half the price with my sensible head on I would of bought one of them instead but they don't call me StingrayPete for nothing

[Al Heeley]

I have just recently brought my 5-string Warmoth Gecko back into live play for the first time in years. Trouble was I got so used to the marvellous comfy fast low action neck of the stingray but I was just on autopilot for the gigs and not improving. A couple of hours tweaking the setup of the gecko, it played its first live gigs with me on Fr and Sat, the tone is marvellous - rich and deep, only a couple of songs gave me problems re extra string and I have suddenly had to focus a lot more again on what and how I am playing. Really enjoying it, and the occasional reinforcement with notes on the low B adds hugely to the sort of music we play. Great to start getting more confidence with it.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='1240818' date='May 22 2011, 08:59 PM']I have just recently brought my 5-string Warmoth Gecko back into live play for the first time in years. Trouble was I got so used to the marvellous comfy fast low action neck of the stingray but I was just on autopilot for the gigs and not improving. A couple of hours tweaking the setup of the gecko, it played its first live gigs with me on Fr and Sat, the tone is marvellous - rich and deep, only a couple of songs gave me problems re extra string and I have suddenly had to focus a lot more again on what and how I am playing. Really enjoying it, and the occasional reinforcement with notes on the low B adds hugely to the sort of music we play. Great to start getting more confidence with it.[/quote]
You can't beat dropping in 5ths below the E

[CHRISDABASS]

I'd say buy the best quality 5 you can afford!!

Dont worry too much about scale length though!

My 34 inch scale Sadowsky B string sounds better than my old 35 inch Lakland by quite a way in my opinion!

Try as many as you can!

[aldude]

My experience:

I bought a quite expensive 5 string to replace my ageing 4. However, even after a couple of months I was still struggling with it - the width of the neck, the confusing extra string, and even the changes needed to my string muting technique to avoid multiple strings vibrating. I wished I had bought a cheap one first, and would have ditched the 5 and stuck with 4.

Now, though, after 6 months or so I finally feel comfortable with it and even prefer it to the old 4. But to avoid risk of losing a lot of money I would do what many others have said and buy a cheap one first just to see if you get on with 5 strings, as it's not for everyone. But give it time.

On a side note, regarding scale length, I don't think that 35" is much of a benefit over 34" but do think 35" makes things even harder to play.

[chris_b]

[quote name='aldude' post='1241439' date='May 23 2011, 12:21 PM']....On a side note, regarding scale length, I don't think that 35" is much of a benefit over 34" but do think 35" makes things even harder to play....[/quote]
My experience is that a 35" neck is more difficult if you don't have a good technique. You shouldn't be stretching for the notes; you should be positioning your hand and fingers so that you easily reach the notes. DB players and their 42" scale don't stretch like that!

Some people think that 34" is OK and others think that 35" is better, let your ears judge, but longer bass strings do make a better note. That's why pianos and harps have the string lengths they do. I'm not getting into an argument as to whether that makes a difference in rock and roll or not. Just don't let 35" scare you.

The difference between 34" and 35" at the 5th fret is 13.29mm or approx 1/2". Is that really worth worrying about?