5 string basses with 18mm spacing?

[Guinness21]

I've got a Sire M2 5er, bought it to find out whether I can play 5 strings. It's comfortable to play but I'm looking to buy a higher quality bass. I can't get on with really narrow string spacing though, so I'm trying to find out if there are any other basses around with the same string spacing as the Sire; 18mm.

[chris_b]

What is your budget?

Squier basses are pretty good. There are also some good Fenders around these days, but IMO Lakland Skylines (there is at least one in the classifieds) are excellent 5 string basses. If you can wait a few months for the Sadowsky Metro Express models to hit the shops, they might be worth a serious look. Sandberg and Maroooochick (??) look very interesting. I believe all these basses should be 18 - 19mm.

[LukeFRC]

10 hours ago, Guinness21 said:

I've got a Sire M2 5er, bought it to find out whether I can play 5 strings. It's comfortable to play but I'm looking to buy a higher quality bass. I can't get on with really narrow string spacing though, so I'm trying to find out if there are any other basses around with the same string spacing as the Sire; 18mm.

Just measured my Lakland (USA) and that’s 18-19mm

explains why I found it so easy to aw  I switch too!

[pete.young]

Yamaha BBNE2 is 18mm at the bridge.

19mm:

Bass Collection SGC Nanyo

Yamaha TRB 5P MK1

MTD basses - I had  a Kingston but they're all the same spacing. 35" scale length though.

Edited April 2, 2020 by pete.young

[Woodinblack]

The Ibanez SR2405W is made incorrectly and slipped out of the factory with 18mm string spacing (w for WTF is with this spacing?).

[itu]

Status has 18 mm in 5-string basses. Ibanez BTB, broadneck Warwicks, and Modulus Quantum 5W have 19 - 21.5 mm etc.

[NickD]

Maruszyzck do a combination of 17, 18 and 19 on many stock models, obviously you can specify either on customs.

[ikay]

13 hours ago, chris_b said:

 IMO Lakland Skylines (there is at least one in the classifieds) are excellent 5 string basses

+1 All Lakland 5s are 19mm spacing. 

 

[chris_b]

Apparently my Sadowsky is 19mm and 34" and my Mike Lull is 18mm and 35". I can't tell the difference.

IMO when you've got a great sounding bass these small differences become less relevant.

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, NickD said:

Maruszyzck do a combination of 17, 18 and 19 on many stock models, obviously you can specify either on customs.

You can specify whatever, mine is 16.5mm

[Jakester]

I think my TRB1005 is 18mm at the bridge. 

Certainly I was struggling with a 16mm string spacing on a Spector, so chopped that in to get closer to the 19mm on my Warwick 4-string and the TRB is almost indistinguishable.

[OliverBlackman]

22 hours ago, Guinness21 said:

I've got a Sire M2 5er, bought it to find out whether I can play 5 strings. It's comfortable to play but I'm looking to buy a higher quality bass. I can't get on with really narrow string spacing though, so I'm trying to find out if there are any other basses around with the same string spacing as the Sire; 18mm.

Why not look at the m7 or v7/9/10 if you find the Sire comfortable? I really notice the difference between 18-19 mm spacing and 34”-35” scale lengths, and went through quite a few fivers before realising I need 18mm and 34” to be comfortable. 

[Drax]

Loads / majority of 5’s will be 18-19mm, Ibanez and Warwick generally the big brand exceptions. 
 

Echoing @OliverBlackman you can’t go far wrong with the more premium Sires. 
 

Quest for a ‘higher quality bass’ is hugely subjective. BassDirect are good at listing string spacing, would start there and see what you might like. 

[mattbass6]

Vigier Excess 5 has 18mm string spacing. One for sale on here, too 😉

[pete.young]

17 minutes ago, Drax said:

Loads / majority of 5’s will be 18-19mm, Ibanez and Warwick generally the big brand exceptions.

And Musicman, virtually everything they make is 17.5mm and the OLP clones were 16.5mm .  Pretty sure my G&L Tribute was 16.5mm too.

[6feet7]

This is in the For Sale section and it's 18mm -  Maruszczyk Jake 5+ P/MM - Superlight - £875 / Sensible Offers

[Guinness21]

Cheers for all the advice! Good to know about Maruszczyk, I've spent plenty of time on the configurator haha! Didn't know that they were so flexible with requests so that's cool. Wariwck broadnecks are definitely interesting, it seems unlikely that I'd get to try one out before buying though as they don't seem particularly common.

I love stingrays, I have a 4 string. I have played a 5 string but it was 3/4 years ago, at the time I hadn't ever played a 5 string before so the strings seemed super close together so maybe now that I'm accustomed I should try again.

@Drax well initially my eye was on a Spector Euro LX but then the strings are super close together, the only Spector with 18mm spacing is the NS5H2 which is definitely out of my price range hence asking on here

Edited April 3, 2020 by Guinness21

[CameronJ]

The Yamaha BB range have 18mm string spacing too. They’re rather well-loved basses around these parts.