1980's 5 string - were they common/about at this time?

[Wilco]

If I were to buy another 4 string now, it would be either a Westone Thunder 1A or a Peavey T-40.

I would also like to buy another 5 string at some stage. Can anyone suggest a comparable 80's 5 stringer to the Westone or Peavey? I took up bass in the 80's but honestly can't remember if 5 stringers like we see these days were about back then. Getting older & memory loss is a wonderful thing...............

[icastle]

[quote name='Wilco' post='1340149' date='Aug 14 2011, 10:50 PM']If I were to buy another 4 string now, it would be either a Westone Thunder 1A or a Peavey T-40.

I would also like to buy another 5 string at some stage. Can anyone suggest a comparable 80's 5 stringer to the Westone or Peavey? I took up bass in the 80's but honestly can't remember if 5 stringers like we see these days were about back then. Getting older & memory loss is a wonderful thing...............[/quote]

Nope.
Cheaper manufacturers didn't get onboard with 5 string basses until the early 90's.
In the 80's the only production models that I can remember being available with 5 strings were Alembic, Steinberger and Yamaha.

[noelk27]

Well, if you're sticking with the Japanese marques, then Aria introduced the RSB Deluxe 5 in '84, and Yamaha introduced the BB5000 in the same year. Westone had a few 5-ers in its line-up, although the only model I'm certain of was the Spectrum, which first appeared circa '88.

[noelk27]

[quote name='icastle' post='1340162' date='Aug 14 2011, 10:04 PM']Nope.
Cheaper manufacturers didn't get onboard with 5 string basses until the early 90's.
In the 80's the only production models that I can remember being available with 5 strings were Alembic, Steinberger and Yamaha.[/quote]
Well, you might be right in that more players started using 5-ers in the early 90s, but my memory is telling me that by '88/'89 there were a lot of production models available. Guess it depends what you define as production, but the likes of Zon, Tobias, Spector, Smith, Pedulla, Peavey, G&L, Fernandes, Carvin, Warwick, Vigier, Larrivee, Tune and Ibanez all had 5-ers in their line-ups. Seem to recall the Peavey model being called the "TL-Five", and although I never tried that one I'd either played or owned various models, including a Zon Legacy Elite and a G&L L5000, both of which I still own.

[AttitudeCastle]

About? Yes, common? No

Antony Jackson had his Six stringer Tuned B-C in '75 if i remember correctly (from books! I was bron 20 years after )

[icastle]

[quote name='noelk27' post='1340194' date='Aug 14 2011, 11:38 PM']Well, you might be right in that more players started using 5-ers in the early 90s, but my memory is telling me that by '88/'89 there were a lot of production models available. Guess it depends what you define as production, but the likes of Zon, Tobias, Spector, Smith, Pedulla, Peavey, G&L, Fernandes, Carvin, Warwick, Vigier, Larrivee, Tune and Ibanez all had 5-ers in their line-ups. Seem to recall the Peavey model being called the "TL-Five", and although I never tried that one I'd either played or owned various models, including a Zon Legacy Elite and a G&L L5000, both of which I still own.[/quote]

By 'production' I mean mass produced instruments for a mass market.
I'm working from memory but the difference between 1989 and 1990 seems a lot smaller than a year 20 years on...

[chris_b]

5 string Wal mk2 basses were introduced in 1986.

[icastle]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1340239' date='Aug 15 2011, 01:08 AM']5 string Wal mk2 basses were introduced in 1986.[/quote]

Yep - but not really comparable to Westone or Peavey.

[noelk27]

[quote name='icastle' post='1340201' date='Aug 14 2011, 10:49 PM']By 'production' I mean mass produced instruments for a mass market.
I'm working from memory but the difference between 1989 and 1990 seems a lot smaller than a year 20 years on... [/quote]
In which case Aria (RSB Deluxe 5 - '84; Integra CST/DLX 5 - '88), Ibanez (Roadstar II 885 - '85; Soundgear SR05/SR925 - '87/'88), SGC Nanyo (Bass Collection 300/500 - '86/'87), Tokai (W775 - '88) and Yamaha (BB5000 - '84; TRB5 - '88) all makes/models that fit the bill, and all pre '89. Could be that the Japanese makers were earlier in developing and marketing 5-ers (leaving aside that Fender were there first, in '65, with the Bass V).

[BigRedX]

I have two Overwater 5-string bass which date from 1983 and 1985.

My first 5-string bass was a Washburn ABT105 which I bought in 1989. At that time I was already well aware of 5-string basses so my local musical instrument store must have been selling them for several years by that time.

Edited August 15, 2011 by BigRedX

[Delberthot]

The Peavey Tim Landers TL-5 & 6 basses were about in the 80s and the Stingray 5 was released in 1987 as well

[Conan]

[quote name='Delberthot' post='1340382' date='Aug 15 2011, 10:24 AM']The Peavey Tim Landers TL-5 & 6 basses were about in the 80s[/quote]

Yes. In fact Tim was the first player I ever saw using a five, at the London Bass Weekend in October 1987. Joe Hubbard was a close second, as he was next on the bill!

This was at a time when everyone else wanted to be Mark King and the Goodfellow stand sounded like a typing pool.... But that's another story!

[stingrayPete1977]

Funny how in some threads the Ray 5 is classed as boring because it's been around so long yet to many has become the industry standard 5 (not my words btw) yet no one has mentioned them yet unless I missed it? Full mass Market afaik production models start from 1987

[bartelby]

The first cheapish 5 string I remember seeing was an Aria Pro II Magna series near the end of the 80s. My mate had one, it was horrible.

Edited August 15, 2011 by bartelby

[crez5150]

There were definitely some from Aria mid to late 80's..... Had some in the music shop I worked in back then.... One of them even had a tremolo unit.... Sure I have some catalogues somewhere

[JTUK]

5 st became more common late 80's but most I tried around that time..the B st was a lottery even on the better names.
So, with all due respect, I wouldn't expect some of the cheaper lines to be any good now...not saying all, just most, so that would be even more of a factor back then.

I recall going to a shop/luthier and trying Yamaha's, Smith's and Sadowskys early 90's and none were good enough to buy..even with the more exotic as they came with £3000 price tags, which I couldn't go to anyway.

So, what I am saying is... if these very good makers could sometimes get it wrong..then forget the cheaper makes.

I think you will still be taking some sort of risk today, paying £1500, if my recent experience is anything to go by

[Wilco]

Thanks for all the posts guys - all useful stuff.

The early 80's Aria RSB Deluxe 5 sounds very interesting. A Matsumoku 5 stringer - yes please!!

Bet they're as rare as rocking horse s**t though. Will have to start saving my pennies just in case! (Yamaha BB5000 looks cool too)

[noelk27]

[quote name='Wilco' post='1341285' date='Aug 15 2011, 09:41 PM']The early 80's Aria RSB Deluxe 5 sounds very interesting. A Matsumoku 5 stringer - yes please!!

Bet they're as rare as rocking horse s**t though. Will have to start saving my pennies just in case![/quote]
The RSB Deluxe 5 was designed to be strung with a high C (although the catalogue of the time notes that, alternatively, it can be strung with a low B ). There's at least one on the boards, so its owner can possibly clarify if it was ever manufactured at the Matsumoku facility, as circa '85 Aria had other factories building for it. The top of the Aria line was the Integra CST 5 (definitely not Matsumoku).

That's another point to bear in mind when looking at 80s 5-ers, that many were designed to be strung with a high C, not a low B. These instruments were most usually 34" scale length. It's the combination of those factors that lead people to comment on the weak "B" string.

Edited August 15, 2011 by noelk27

[Delberthot]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1340883' date='Aug 15 2011, 05:09 PM']Funny how in some threads the Ray 5 is classed as boring because it's been around so long yet to many has become the industry standard 5 (not my words btw) yet no one has mentioned them yet unless I missed it? Full mass Market afaik production models start from 1987 [/quote]


[quote]Posted Yesterday, 10:24 AM
The Peavey Tim Landers TL-5 & 6 basses were about in the 80s and the Stingray 5 was released in 1987 as well[/quote]

The very first copy of Guitarist I bought when I began playing in 1987 featured the very first UK review of the stingray 5 in a lovely transluscent dark red

[Lfalex v1.1]

Personally, I'd like one of the Fender 5s from the 60's. Tuned E to C, 15 frets. That one. Definitely not your usual.

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='1341556' date='Aug 16 2011, 09:55 AM']Personally, I'd like one of the Fender 5s from the 60's. Tuned E to C, 15 frets. That one. Definitely not your usual.[/quote]

I never really understood that; it's as if they were decreeing that basses should have no more than 3.9167 octaves. I know what people are going to say "you only play the first 5 frets" yes i know but why not just make basses with 5 frets then if that's the case? Anyway I thought the problem with having only 15 frets is the fact that the body ended up being really HUGE to compensate for the short neck. It just looked really weird.

Edited August 16, 2011 by EdwardHimself

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='1341960' date='Aug 16 2011, 02:43 PM']... It just looked really weird.[/quote]


Yup.

Weird is good!

And it would confuse everyone no end, especially (hopefully) guitarists!

[darkandrew]

[quote name='noelk27' post='1340168' date='Aug 14 2011, 11:12 PM']Well, if you're sticking with the Japanese marques, then Aria introduced the RSB Deluxe 5 in '84, and Yamaha introduced the BB5000 in the same year. Westone had a few 5-ers in its line-up, although the only model I'm certain of was the Spectrum, which first appeared circa '88.[/quote]

Westone Spectrum ... my first bass. I remember thinking how futuristic it looked at the time (angular / bevelled pickups, metallic black paint with black hardware, graphite nut, etc), it had the lowest action of any bass I've ever played since and even sounded pretty good with the right strings (strangely it was very sensitive to the strings you put on it, all the nickels I tried sounded awful, Ernie Ball slinkies were all "zing" and no bass and if I remember right I settled with Rotosound Swing Bass which sounded just right but ate the frets up).