String spacing, basic question

[Newfoundfreedom]

I must admit. String spacing is not something I've ever worried about or even considered. I pick up a bass, play it, and soon get a feel for it.

Having said that, I've only ever played four stringers, where strings spacing is probably not really much of an issue.

Now I'm thinking about delving into the world of 5 stringers, and a lot of the reviews I read on the various basses I'm looking at, concern strings spacing. 

So where do I even measure string spacing? Is it at the nut, the bridge, or a certain fret?

Is there generally a massive difference between string spacing on a 4 and 5 string? 

 

[Bass Culture]

Generally string spacing on a 4 string would be 19-20mm (at the bridge, string centre to centre).  That sort of spacing on a 5 string could make for a neck that was potentially too wide for some players so many 5 string basses tend to be 17-18mm.  What works best for you is entirely down to what you personally find most comfortable.  I've only got small hands and only play 4 stringers but tend to look for a spacing of about 17 - 17.5mm if possible.  I think I've seen some of Mark King's Status basses were 16.5mm.

 

[Newfoundfreedom]

5 minutes ago, Bass Culture said:

Generally string spacing on a 4 string would be 19-20mm (at the bridge, string centre to centre).  That sort of spacing on a 5 string could make for a neck that was potentially too wide for some players so many 5 string basses tend to be 17-18mm.  What works best for you is entirely down to what you personally find most comfortable.  I've only got small hands and only play 4 stringers but tend to look for a spacing of about 17 - 17.5mm if possible.  I think I've seen some of Mark King's Status basses were 16.5mm.

 

Thanks.

The string spacing on the bass I'm considering is 16.5'm. I'll have to measure my go to bass tomorrow and see how it compares. Although I play a bit of acoustic guitar as well, so hopefully adapting to a new spacing won't be too much of an issue. 

[BigRedX]

String spacing is traditionally measured at the bridge but you really also need to know the spacing at the nut as well as the scale length to get an accurate picture from the numbers. In the end the best thing to do is to play the instrument in question. You’ll either like it or you won’t and you’ll find out much quicker than you would be looking at the specifications.

[Newfoundfreedom]

Just now, BigRedX said:

String spacing is traditionally measured at the bridge but you really also need to know the spacing at the nut as well as the scale length to get an accurate picture from the numbers. In the end the best thing to do is to play the instrument in question. You’ll either like it or you won’t and you’ll find out much quicker than you would be looking at the specifications.

Yeah I can't argue with that. In an ideal world I would always try before I buy, and get a feel for the bass in question. Unfortunately, my nearest half decent music shop is over 200 miles away. Even then, they're unlikely to stock anything I'm interested in. 

[Pinball]

I play with a pick and finger style and I'll happily play basses with different string spacings all day long, until it comes with slappiing. Then I struggle with anying tighter than a 17mm spacing.

If you don't "slap a da bass" it may not be an issue

Note: My slap technique is bad enough anyhow

[fleabag]

My two main basses are 4 bangers,  one  ( Aria Proll SB900 ) is  16.5mm by default, and the other  (  AJR  of basschat )  built the body and i chose the Schaller 3 way bridge, which has an adjustment that can set the gauge to 16.5 mm,  so both of them have that string spacing

[BreadBin]

I have quite chunky hands, and struggle with anything under 18mm at the bridge. 19mm is preferred.

[Newfoundfreedom]

Thanks for the replies.

The last two comments just go to show the difference in personal taste / comfort. With one preferring 16.5 mm and another preferring 19 mm. 

I must admit. I have absolutely no idea what my preferred spacing is. I don't think I have enough experience with different basses to have developed a preference, and unfortunately, as I said above, going to a music shop to try them out is a none starter. I'm hoping I can just adapt to whatever I eventually buy. 

[4000]

Two of my three 4 strings are 16.5mm, one is 17mm. I can play basses over that, but 16.5mm is my preference however many strings.

[chris_b]

My preference for string spacing at the bridge is 18-19mm. That's what I am used to after many decades of playing Fender basses. I prefer my 5 string basses to be the same. I was given a Yamaha to play on a fly gig and it took me 2 days to get used to the 16mm. I didn't enjoy that experience one bit.

[markdavid]

14mm spacing for me

[Hellzero]

The strings (I've put an "s" otherwise there only can be one, so good luck to measure the distance between one string ) spacing is only one part of the equation as mentioned earlier. I was mainly a 6 strings bass player and was feeling that 18 mm at the bridge with 9 mm at the nut and a 34 inches scale was perfect. I tried the longer scales up to 36 inches that I liked very much, but not my right shoulder (capsulitis). I can't play on shorter scale (< 34 inches).Then one day I bought a Yamaha John Patitucci II, with 19 mm strings spacing at the bridge and 35 inches scale and I simply wasn't able to play it, so I sold it even if I liked the sound : there is something in this bass that makes you struggle with it all the time and I'm quite tall with big hands (think wood cutter type).

The most strange part is that I now play 8 strings Extended Range Basses with 20 mm at the bridge, 9 mm at the nut and 34 inches scale, two Noguera basses (one fretless and one fretted). And I have absolutely no problem playing them : they are so easy to play just like my 6 strings 3/4 EUB...

My conclusion is that the lutherie and the ability of the luthier is certainly as important as the strings spacing and scale, or even more. The overall balance is really important too, just like the neck and body shape, without forgetting the weight.

So try as many as you can and find the one that suits you.

[Teebs]

10 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I'm thinking about delving into the world of 5 stringers

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

 

[Ted Theodore Logan, III]

15 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

I now play 8 strings Extended Range Basses with 20 mm at the bridge, 9 mm at the nut and 34 inches scale, two Noguera basses (one fretless and one fretted)

“Showoff..." 

[Hellzero]

Running again out of TLRT's, so 

 

Yep and proud of it, next time I'll play with my feet. 

[CamdenRob]

Some folks don’t even notice but it’s a big deal for me. I can’t cope with closer than 18mm at the bridge.

Someone mentioned 14mm above 😯 (possibly in jest?). On my sixers that would be a 2cm difference in string spread across the set... that’s a big difference in feel. So much of right hand playing - ghost notes / muting etc - is muscle memory, a 2cm difference is bound to affect things.

[BigRedX]

It's weird how those of us who are fixated on string spacing only ever talk about the measurement at the bridge, but since hardly anyone plays right next to the bridge that measurement tells us almost nothing. Without knowing also the string spacing at the nut and the scale length you simply don't know what the spacing is going to be like at either the position your plucking hand does most of the plucking (most likely around the point where the pickup would be on a P-bass), or at the point where your fretting hand does most of the fretting (mainly around the 1st and 2nd positions).

And to assume that neck taper is always the same, and that the other measurements can be extrapolated from the bridge measurement, is simply wrong. 

For instance the bass I had with the widest string spacing at the bridge also had the narrowest string spacing at the nut, so those who like a wide string spacing would have found plucking fine, but the neck would have felt comparatively cramped.

I've played a lot of different basses with very different bridge string spacings, but what I found for the 5-string basses at least was that the point at which I most commonly plucked the strings on each bass had very similar distance between the B and G strings (less than ±1mm over all the basses). For me therefore the important measurements  (if I was going to look at those rather than just play the bass to see if it was comfortable or not) would be at the 5th fret and approximately 7/8 of the string length from the nut, as these are the points where my left and right hands will be most of the time when I am playing.

[Deedee]

13 hours ago, BreadBin said:

I have quite chunky hands, and struggle with anything under 18mm at the bridge. 19mm is preferred.

Same here. I really don't feel comfortable with anything less. I can play them, but I'd much prefer not too.

As far as fives go, Fender/Squier P's maintain the same spacing as the four. I also found Ibanez BTB fives comfortable as they keep the 19mm spacing too (35" scale is the only downside if you're looking for 34").

[Ted Theodore Logan, III]

3 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Running again out of TLRT's, so 

 

“Well, well, well..."

 

Look who's come crawling back to give me a reaction!! 

Well, it's too late sonny!! This ship has sailed!!! 

 

I don't want your “charity" laughs!!!...

 

 

 

.... No, no, no!!... Just kidding!! Please acknowledge me!!! 

[Hellzero]

It could be worse, I could play tapping with my nose ! Or slap. 😱

[Crawford13]

My 2 cents would be: If you are tuning BEADG and it’s a bass for grooving go for 18/19mm, if you want to tune EADGC and want it for chordal playing  / soloing 16.5mm is the way to go.

[Guest]

I can appreciate that everyone’s different - if you have very large hands then a very tight string spacing at the nut/bridge will be a struggle, and vice versa, but I think some of it is in the mind - if you didn’t know the bridge spacing between two instruments could you really tell a 0.5mm difference?? I’ve played and owned many different basses with a wide range of string spacing and none of them really bothered me - you just adjust. Being pushed to give a preference I would stay away from very tight spacing (<16mm) unless it really suits you, and likewise a 6-string bass with 20mm or above spacing may be a challenge purely in terms of neck width, but I’d be happy with anything in between.

To the OP - a five is just a 4 with an extra string - in theory it shouldn’t matter as you can get fives with many different spacing options. Play a few and choose the one that feels best. It’s more important to get a well set-up bass with a decent sounding low B that has the same timbre as the other strings whilst remaining playable.

[4000]

8 hours ago, BigRedX said:

It's weird how those of us who are fixated on string spacing only ever talk about the measurement at the bridge, but since hardly anyone plays right next to the bridge that measurement tells us almost nothing. Without knowing also the string spacing at the nut and the scale length you simply don't know what the spacing is going to be like at either the position your plucking hand does most of the plucking (most likely around the point where the pickup would be on a P-bass), or at the point where your fretting hand does most of the fretting (mainly around the 1st and 2nd positions).

And to assume that neck taper is always the same, and that the other measurements can be extrapolated from the bridge measurement, is simply wrong. 

For instance the bass I had with the widest string spacing at the bridge also had the narrowest string spacing at the nut, so those who like a wide string spacing would have found plucking fine, but the neck would have felt comparatively cramped.

I've played a lot of different basses with very different bridge string spacings, but what I found for the 5-string basses at least was that the point at which I most commonly plucked the strings on each bass had very similar distance between the B and G strings (less than ±1mm over all the basses). For me therefore the important measurements  (if I was going to look at those rather than just play the bass to see if it was comfortable or not) would be at the 5th fret and approximately 7/8 of the string length from the nut, as these are the points where my left and right hands will be most of the time when I am playing.

But for many people, assuming the spacing down the neck isn’t ridiculous one way or the other, it’s the spacing at the plucking/picking end that’s most important(of course there will be exceptions to this). And the fact that you may not pluck/pick right by the saddle doesn't mean that you can’t get a good idea whether a 19mm spacing or a 16.5mm spacing at the bridge end is better for you. No, you may not be plucking right by the saddle, but you’ll tend to be plucking in the same areas regardless of bass, so it simply extrapolates from the saddle-spacing figure you do have.

Assuming that some people who like wide spacing at the bridge will find an extreme taper problematic doesn’t make sense either, as this basically describes a Jazz, and how popular are they? Your left hand is not moving in the same way or through the same planes as your right hand, so potentially different rules apply. 

I can tell you that a narrow spacing at the bridge is preferable for me because I know how I play. The spacing at the nut end is far less important, although I tend to prefer a relatively parallel spacing, FWIW. 

 

Edited December 19, 2019 by 4000

[itu]

Some numbers:

- bridge spacing 14 - 21.5 mm

- scale length: 30 - 36", excluding fanned fret necks

- nuts, yes, we are...