1st 5 string guidance needed

[josie]

Right, so don't be afraid of going into guitar shops and really thoroughly testing anything you like the look of. There are plenty of good B strings out there as well as bad ones. Any place that specialises in basses and has good staff should be willing to help you. 

Best wishes and let us know what you decide on 🙂 

[alyctes]

6 hours ago, Booga13 said:

Hmm, looks like I could spend weeks at the Bass Gallery😂

I was thinking of making the journey to Bass Direct anyway, I've got a couple of OLD items that Andertons wouldn't take in PX (preamp too old and they couldn't find a guide price for the bass!) so was thinking of using their sell on commission option.

So the scale length makes a huge difference to the B string?

Tks DH, decidedly average won't give me a good first experience, Q5 off the list.

It's not the weeks you spend ...

Yamaha fan here, but try everything you can lay your hands on (as others have said).

[Booga13]

20 minutes ago, alyctes said:

It's not the weeks you spend ... 

 

That's my other concern😅

[chris_b]

43 minutes ago, Booga13 said:

That's my real worry, that I'll buy something that suffers from flobby B and it'll put me off 5s for good.

IMO if you let something like that put you off you shouldn't be looking at 5 string basses in the first place. Just changing the strings can make a bad bass sound and feel good. There is a lot you can do, but if you discover in the end the bass you just bought doesn't feel or sound how you want, don't blame the bass. If you can't return it or fix it, just sell it and buy one that does the right job for you. We all sell basses when we think we have found something better.

I've never owned a bass with a bad B. I've had a couple which needed a good set up before they were to my satisfaction, but that's personal and what the previous owner though was a good set up certainly wasn't mine. Then again, the bigger your budget the wider your market place will be and the more chance you'll have of finding a suitable bass.

[kendall]

I have a Squier Jazz Bass Deluxe V.  I've always liked it I find the neck comfortable and the sounds it can create pretty decent for the price.  When I put some Elixir Strings on it a few months back, it really came alive for me.  The tension was just that bit better on the B.

[Booga13]

I hear you, so long as it's strung appropriately the B shouldn't be an issue, so it's more important to concentrate neck/string spacing to suit me than worry about floppy Bs.

Good point on being able to sell, I know a bass isn't necessarily for life!

[Al Krow]

On 13/08/2018 at 10:55, Booga13 said:

I hear you, so long as it's strung appropriately the B shouldn't be an issue, so it's more important to concentrate neck/string spacing to suit me than worry about floppy Bs.

Good point on being able to sell, I know a bass isn't necessarily for life!

If you're buying something quality used, then most of the "hit" on price is usually borne by the guy who had the privilege (and funds!) to buy new.

Exactly half of my basses were sourced s/h from fellow BCers and I've been very happy with them. I managed to get a couple for discounted end of line prices and have ended up only getting one "full fat" new, and then simply 'cos I was really keen to get my hands on it and there weren't any going anywhere for a couple of months s/h! On the plus side, it did mean I finally parted with a slug of cash at Wunjos instead of being my usual "window shopper" there

So, provided you look after it, you shouldn't suffer much, if any, loss when you sell on something you bought used. 

Edited August 14, 2018 by Al Krow

[BigRedX]

Scale length is an irrelevance unless you have a general preference for a particular scale length irrespective of the number of strings.

What is important is the construction of the bass in particular the neck and how it attaches to the body and the strings that you choose. Strings are tricky things. IME what works well on one bass doesn't necessarily work at all on another, and also IME most budget (sub £500) 5 string basses come with terrible low B-strings.

Unfortunately the level od construction required to make a decent 5-string bass comes at a price and generally unless you get a second hand bargain you are unlikely to find anything really satisfying under the £500 mark. The cheapest decent 5-string bass I own cost £700 and it was only that price because it was an EOL model that had been reduced from its original £1700.

Go to the Gallery and play all the 5-string basses you can get you hands on including those that are outside your current price range and you'll find what suits you and what doesn't. Don't buy something you don't really like just to test it out because that's all you can afford. AFAICS most people who buy a 5-string bass and then give it up do so because the bass wasn't very good in the first place. If you've tried lots you'll get a feel for how much you need to spend to get something you will be happy with, and if you can't afford it now put off your purchase until you can.

[mic mac moe]

I'd have a Cort any day of the week. Plus, for what it's worth, my mate shelled out for a sire s7 with a fancy top and Marcus Miller on the head. This bass is awesome but to my eyes, its a cort. I may be wrong, but I'd rather pay less for it not to have another blokes name on it

[Booga13]

Thanks for the advice all, I'm going to hold off on a purchase until I've had a chance to really explore and build up a bigger budget (unless a ridiculous bargain shows up on Ebay of course)