Best 5 string bass you've ever owned and why?

[Al Krow]

25 minutes ago, itu said:

Well, I just took one, so here you go (I put her on top of orange bottles, which can be seen, sorry):

 

You can see two marks in the lacquer. Between the neck pickup and the neck, under that G-string and another at the upper left corner. They are common according to other owners and the factory. The top is made of cultivated cocacola (Dalbergia retusa) from Mexico, not stolen from rainforests.

Vol, Blend (Noll Mixpot), T, B, and two rotary switches for ser/par/single coil. Lots of sounds from super sharp to thick'n'thumpy.

Lovely, and sounds like an amazingly versatile tonal palette.

But far too much use of soft drinks for one bass 😁

 

PS and you, do of course, mean cocobolo which provides such a gorgeous top to any bass.

Edited August 15, 2019 by Al Krow

[Horizontalste]

Not high end or boutique because I'm not really into that but my fave is my Skyline 55-02.

I didn't get why weight was an issue for so many players until I played this, it was like a lightbulb moment.

It's ridiculously light with a great neck & frets & no real dead spots. Great tone & harmonically rich, a proper workhorse!

[itu]

7 hours ago, Horizontalste said:

...my fave is my Skyline 55-02.

I didn't get why weight was an issue for so many players until I played this, it was like a lightbulb moment.

It's ridiculously light with a great neck & frets & no real dead spots. Great tone & harmonically rich, a proper workhorse!

Two days ago I was visiting a local dealer. I tried 5 different 5-string Laklands and a Mayones Feraud unamplified. Every one was very different. Usually I hate maple fretboards, but similar to yours was very good. Another blue Skyline was also fine sounding, but three others did not fit my fingers. Not at all. Same neck, same body, but not the same feel.

It was somewhat strange, because I haven't been doing such testing in years, if not in decades. One instrument just talks to me and the other - so similar looking - is good for fireplace from my point of view. My herd acts in a certain way and that is what I am used to expect from my dear instruments. An instrument has to be tested. Always. The first impression may give a very good hints of what is coming.

If there was a possibility to change strings to my preference, some things might have changed. An instrument may work better with certain blend of strings. My Quantum needed few string trials to get the best out from the low B. GDAE was an easy 40 - 100, but that B started to live with a 125. For example 135 was a nightmare.

Weight, well, I have seen lighter instruments than Laklands. But most of those I tested had exceptional balance that made them feel far lighter than they actually were. That's some very good design.

[Horizontalste]

1 hour ago, itu said:

Two days ago I was visiting a local dealer. I tried 5 different 5-string Laklands and a Mayones Feraud unamplified. Every one was very different. Usually I hate maple fretboards, but similar to yours was very good. Another blue Skyline was also fine sounding, but three others did not fit my fingers. Not at all. Same neck, same body, but not the same feel.

It was somewhat strange, because I haven't been doing such testing in years, if not in decades. One instrument just talks to me and the other - so similar looking - is good for fireplace from my point of view. My herd acts in a certain way and that is what I am used to expect from my dear instruments. An instrument has to be tested. Always. The first impression may give a very good hints of what is coming.

If there was a possibility to change strings to my preference, some things might have changed. An instrument may work better with certain blend of strings. My Quantum needed few string trials to get the best out from the low B. GDAE was an easy 40 - 100, but that B started to live with a 125. For example 135 was a nightmare.

Weight, well, I have seen lighter instruments than Laklands. But most of those I tested had exceptional balance that made them feel far lighter than they actually were. That's some very good design.

I have two Laklánd basses, the 5502 & a 5501, the necks & the way they feel are identical really with the only differences being the weight & the fact that one has flats & one has rounds.

When the 5502 arrived (internet purchase) I thought it must be an error as the box felt too light to be a bass, I'll weigh it one day to see how light it actually is. The 5501 on the other hand is heavy but balances nicely.

I bought them both around the same time & was playing a Yamaha BB before that weighs as much as a small hippo.

[ped]

After several basses I’ve come to the realisation that I’m not really a good five string player (or four string for that matter). However I’ve really had fun on the journey and will probably buy another one day because I keep thinking it’s useful to have one. 

My two faves were: 

Bacchus TwentyFour. 

Smith BT5.

Can’t find a pic at the moment!

[JapanAxe]

On 14/08/2019 at 19:10, krispn said:

Dingwall Super P5

Amazing neck with a modern flat radius  and very comfy to play. It nailed the p bass tone and was a very well balanced bass. The B string was great as you’d imagine with a multi scale/fan fret bass and it felt very even across the neck with all strings feeling at the right tension which is something not often taked about with a multi scale bass. It was my main gigging bass for over 4 years and it was light and resonant and at 3.9kg just the right weight for a bass regardless of the amount of strings. Expensive yes and I’d never have been able to afford a brand new one but really a cracking bass. Dingwall combustion’s also have a good rep and a really comfy neck. If a smaller,  more modern neck profile is your thing and you like the look they are worth trying out however they are certainly a more modern sounding and looking instrument!

I now own this bass, and it is also the best 5-er I have owned. Actually I have only owned one other, a G&L L1505. The Dingwall is easier and more comfortable to play and control, and sounds like variations on a P-bass. Which is what it is! Resonant, responsive, and the weight just feels right.

[krispn]

Without a doubt @JapanAxe I find it funny when people talk about heavy 4.5kg+ 5 string basses! Lighter basses are more resonant and responsive and all this talk of sustain- it’s great to have a bass which will feel lively and responsive in the hand when playing but I’ve never yet needed a bass to sustain a note for ‘that long’ and definitely not on a soul or Motown classics!

I’m not needing a 5’er just now but would happily play another one if the gig requires it especially if I could nab another Dingwall!! I had a lot of fun on my 5’er and it was my main gigging bass for quite a few years but have to say going from a Dingwall to a JMJ Mustang has been very rewarding. It’s always good to change things up and the JMJ just nails so many aspects of sound and feel which is really working for me right now. It’s funny as we spoke about Mustangs when we did the hand over/meet up for the Ding. I’m really digging the ‘stang!

Edited August 16, 2019 by krispn
Lazy typos. I dislike phone keyboards

[Bigwan]

Best I've owned is my current ACG. Honorable mention for the Dingwall AB1 I had a few years back. It was pretty awesome too!

[thodrik]

I have only owned (and still own) two five strings. 

A Vigier Arpege V string, one of the 'modern' Series IV with a bolt on neck rather than neck through. There is a 3 band EQ on each pickup set up which is mad and a composite 'phenowood' fingerboard. In terms of design and fit and finish it is nearly flawless. My only gripe is that the space between the front pickup and the end of the fretboard is pretty small so you have to play pretty accurately when slapping and popping. Not sure I like the monorail bridge system compared to the big hulk of metal that is the Vigier Excess bridge. 

Drawback of the Vigier is that lots of guitarists listen with their eyes and don't like a bass that doesn't look like a Fender. I have had this bother a few times over the years. 

Sadowsky NYC Jazz Bass. Sadowskys don't get the glowing praise on Basschat that they do on Talkbass, but I personally love them. The two band EQ plus VTC on the Sadowsky doesn't offer the flexibility of the Vigier, but I love the slightly more vintage voice of the Sadowsky which the Vigier just can't really do with the pickup, phenowood fingerboard and 10/90 carbon neck system. It also looks like a Fender so aforesaid guitarists don't get uncomfortable.

I don't have pics readily to hand.

Other fivers I want to try but I am unlikely to own:

Musicman HH - they just look cool, I would also happily own a four string too. 

Wal Mk II - my favourite Wal shape

Clover Xpression 5 - I just think that they look like a great all round bass, but I don't know of anybody who actually owns one. 

I will probably buy a six string before I buy another five string bass. 
 

Edited August 16, 2019 by thodrik

[Bobthedog]

6 months ago I would said my Roscoe Century 5 (without looking back, I may well have said so here). Comfort, string spacing, tone and looks all did it for me. When it came to reducing my bass count, the MM Stingray 5HH was the first 5 to go, followed by my Dingwall Combustion 5. 

Now the response would be my Dingwall AB1 5 with Super Fatty pickups. The tone, oh the tone, weight and looks are, subjectively, the best I have ever played ( I did audition other makes too before taking this one home). Odd but I never gelled with the Combustion. 

[Lfalex v1.1]

Another one for Vigier;

Mine's a Passion V series III from 1996. I've had it from new, and it's never put a foot wrong.

Can sound a little too strong in the upper mid in isolation, but that just shines through in the mix and helps give it its voice.

Impeccable fit, finish and playability. 

As previous posters have mentioned,  they don't do "vintage" very well.

 

Also rans; A Warwick Fortress Masterman- excellent balance and a Stingray- matching tone if you want it. Not very pretty, though.

Oddly, My Ibanez EDB605. Yes. A plastic Ergodyne. Neutral to the point of being sterile-sounding, but very flexible (and cheap!!)

[Al Krow]

3 hours ago, Bobthedog said:

Now the response would be my Dingwall AB1 5 with Super Fatty pickups. The tone, oh the tone, weight and looks are, subjectively, the best I have ever played ( I did audition other makes too before taking this one home). Odd but I never gelled with the Combustion. 

I'm guessing, from what you've said, that the AB1-5 has better pups than the Combustion?

It seems to me that these are so often the key in transforming a good bass into an outstanding one, and it's the pups that really differentiate the budget lines from the high end lines of the same make and body shapes. Ibanez SR Std --> Ibanez SR Premium is obvious one that comes to my mind, but there must be a ton of other examples. 

Edited August 16, 2019 by Al Krow

[Bobthedog]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

I'm guessing, from what you've said, that the AB1-5 has better pups than the Combustion?

Certainly part of it, but also the weight, the fit, the balance and overall build quality was superior too. The AB1 just feels a superior bit of kit. 

[krispn]

@funkle finally someone got the reference nearly three years later. Probably too much of an ‘in reference’!

[krispn]

I stand by it though!

[Al Krow]

On 26/12/2016 at 22:09, krispn said:

I was lucky enough to grab a Dingwall SuperPZ5 from these very forum pages. It's a 5 string P with a great neck, it's lightweight, great intonation and it sounds like a P bass it's got a cool tone knob which can do p bass, thump and a 'scooped' slap sound should one desire. 
It's my only bass and every time I consider getting another bass I play this and find myself asking do I really need another bass. Am I GAS free? Nope but this is like Subutex (Subutex is an opioid receptor modulator that is used to treat people with opioid addiction). Basically buy a Dingwall P5 and you've basically got a mixed partial agonist to prevent you buying another 'unnecessary' bass.

Just so folk know what young master krispn is referring to...  

I need to go check out Subutex and its use in the manufacture of Dingwall basses (which btw are continuing to get a lot of love on this thread as you will have noticed!)

Edited August 16, 2019 by Al Krow

[krispn]

It appears you don't know what I was referring to

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by krispn

[Al Krow]

12 minutes ago, krispn said:

It appears you don't know what I was referring to

Won't be the first or last time that happens, will it? 😄 

[krispn]

Snarky puppy?

 

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by krispn

[Al Krow]

1 minute ago, krispn said:

Snarky puppy?

Are you confusing the two threads we are currently bantering on? Or am I just plain confused if so...

3 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Won't be the first or last time that happens, will it? 😄 

😂

[krispn]

it's meta

 

[funkle]

1 hour ago, krispn said:

@funkle finally someone got the reference nearly three years later. Probably too much of an ‘in reference’!

It definitely is mate. Only known to docs and nurses lmao

[Al Krow]

Kinda interesting reading back through the earlier comments in this thread from a couple of years' back. Not least in the fact that for a lot of us our thinking has changed and evolved, which is clear from some of the more recent posts.

This particular comment clearly had a bigger influence on my sub-conscious than I realised at the time, although it was 18 months after these posts that I jumped on one. Too much gold bling for some, but clearly not for all!  

On 11/12/2016 at 11:30, stingrayPete1977 said:

Them Nathan East BBNE2 Yamahas are the best quality basses I have ever seen in the flesh, that includes the Foderas.

On 11/12/2016 at 17:17, M@23 said:

Yeah, absolute monsters! And, in white, possibly the best looking bass going?!

Has been usurped very recently as my #1 5er in my herd, though! 

[drTStingray]

Here's my favourite 5 string of all time. It's by far the heaviest bass I have but sounds great - I used it for two gigs at the weekend and even my late middle aged frame didn't have a problem with the weight - mind you it balances perfectly on a strap anyway. Using the treble and mid controls as tone controls and to get/dial out the Musicman treble shimmer, this bass is simply thunderous - growls for England - simply full of tone, sustain and resonance. Makes you smile all night.

And if I decide to buy into the lightest is best theory, I use this one - also thunderous but not quite so growly as the ceramic SR5 - but also excellent. 

The Musicman Stingray 5 is definitely the grand daddy of all 5 string bass guitars! 

Edited August 19, 2019 by drTStingray

[songofthewind]

Wow, nice basses. I wish I could get on with a five string.