Four String Five String? Now NBD. Why is nobody surprised?

[BreadBin]

3 hours ago, Maude said:

In that case can a skinny necked four string never sound like a chunky necked four string? 

Genuine question as I've never considered the neck dimensions having an impact on tone, just playability preference. 

I imagine so, my point was that comparing 4 and 5 string versions of the same bass you won't get the same sound. This was my experience, others may disagree. My sound engineer brother is of the same opinion.

Edited June 28, 2020 by BreadBin

[Maude]

28 minutes ago, BreadBin said:

I imagine so, my point was that comparing 4 and 5 string versions of the same bass you won't get the same sound. This was my experience, others may disagree. My sound engineer brother is of the same opinion.

Interesting because after all these years of playing and trying all sorts I've never really considered whether a neck size has a bearing on tone, don't know why. I much prefer a skinny neck and I wonder if I'm missing out on something by not having a big old baseball bat of a neck. 

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Skinnyman said:

I think it’s the overall width of the neck. I’ve had a couple of Dingwalls and a Yamaha and I can play them and I adjust to them quite quickly - it’s just that they feel clumsy, particularly from the eighth fret upwards. No matter how much I’ve persevered, I can never “gel” with them.

Interesting - that's pretty much what I thought you were going to say.

In which case the Ibby SR Premium range with 16.5mm spacing was designed with you in mind! An incredibly playable neck for a 5 string. And IMO a pretty tasty rest of the bass too!

[Skinnyman]

19 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Interesting - that's pretty much what I thought you were going to say.

In which case the Ibby SR Premium range with 16.5mm spacing was designed with you in mind! An incredibly playable neck for a 5 string. And IMO a pretty tasty rest of the bass too!

I’ll check them out, thanks

Checked them out - I think I’d need to find a used one! Nice looking basses though

Edited June 28, 2020 by Skinnyman

[Silvia Bluejay]

14 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

In which case the Ibby SR Premium range with 16.5mm spacing was designed with you in mind! An incredibly playable neck for a 5 string. And IMO a pretty tasty rest of the bass too!

Agree about the wonderful Ibby necks. @Skinnyman, make sure you're comfortable with tight string spacing. though (I love it, but I do have small hands).

Incidentally, what's this eighth fret of which you speak? One of the advantages of a good fiver is that you can go lower, rather than higher, with your basslines, and play across the neck rather than along it. Depending on the genre, you may not need to go further than the 8th fret at all.

[Al Krow]

2 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Agree about the wonderful Ibby necks. @Skinnyman, make sure you're comfortable with tight string spacing. though (I love it, but I do have small hands).

It is a fair point about the string spacing. Several of my 5'ers are 18mm spacing, my Spector is 17mm and my two Ibbys are 16.5mm. But in my experience, and I don't have particularly small hands, it doesn't take more than a couple of mins to get into the "zone" and adjust to the string spacing of the bass I'm playing. 

[Al Krow]

17 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

Checked them out - I think I’d need to find a used one! Nice looking basses though

Yeah, you can often pick one up in vgc and less than a couple of years old for 30% to 40% discount to new. 

Very decent active EQ (although some folk prefer just to play them in passive, which is also an option) : 3 band plus variable mid EQ selector switch. And personally I would go for a Premium with their juicy Nord Big Singles over the Standard range every time - but then I like my basses to growl! 

Edited June 28, 2020 by Al Krow

[Skinnyman]

10 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Yeah, you can often pick one up in vgc and less than a couple of years old for 30% to 40% discount to new. 

Very decent active EQ (although some folk prefer just to play them in passive, which is also an option) : 3 band plus variable mid EQ selector switch. And personally I would go for a Premium with their juicy Nord Big Singles over the Standard range every time - but then I like my basses to growl! 

It’s time to start watching the YouTube reviews 😁

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 5, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Skinnyman]

4 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Yeah, you can often pick one up in vgc and less than a couple of years old for 30% to 40% discount to new. 

Very decent active EQ (although some folk prefer just to play them in passive, which is also an option) : 3 band plus variable mid EQ selector switch. And personally I would go for a Premium with their juicy Nord Big Singles over the Standard range every time - but then I like my basses to growl! 

I’m loathe to spend a lot on another five string that I may well end up selling (again!) but the GIO GSR205 looks decent for not a lot of money. There’s something about the orange metallic that keeps calling me. I’m sure the premium range is a much better bass but it’s also a lot more money and I’m really not sure I can justify it. I’d rejected a lot of entry-level fives because of the weight and the neck width but the Ibbys all seem to have the 16.5mm spacing. 

The hunt is on....

[Al Krow]

That makes very good sense in terms of trying out an Ibby. Can't comment on the GIOs as I've never tried one; I'm sure other folk will hopefully be able to shed some light. But, as you say, you're taking much less of a punt at that price point. 

Besides orange is the new black. And it should be good for metal(lic) 😁

[Grangur]

I had an ESP LTD 5 string. It had a great, really narrow neck. Pretty cheap too.

https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/right-handed-bass-guitar/esp-ltd-b-5e-natural-satin-5-string-bass-guitar?gclid=CjwKCAjw_-D3BRBIEiwAjVMy7GOV2mkx4Hx4vm9msyiESTTeNfepUT81UWL2vtqOyTccWuw5tyMidRoCP38QAvD_BwE

[Paul S]

I have a Peavey Foundation V and that has an incredibly narrow string spacing.  I find that is great for pick playing but not so good my for rustic sausage finger-style.  Ditto the Hohner B2V, very tight string spacing.

[Skinnyman]

53 minutes ago, Grangur said:

had an ESP LTD 5 string. It had a great, really narrow neck. Pretty cheap too

 

21 minutes ago, Paul S said:

have a Peavey Foundation V and that has an incredibly narrow string spacing.

 

21 minutes ago, Paul S said:

Ditto the Hohner B2V, very tight string spacing.

Aargh! Choices, choices!

My usual approach to this sort of quandary would be to get one of each but this time, I tell myself, I will be strong.

Instead, I will see this as an opportunity to calmly and rationally consider a number of alternatives before I make a calm and rational purchasing decision*. I will weigh up all of the pros and cons of the various candidates and when a suitable buying opportunity presents itself either in the used marketplace or new, I shall be an informed buyer, able calmly and rationally to choose the best bass for my requirements.

Thank you all for your suggestions....

 

* I’m fooling nobody but myself, am I?

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Grangur said:

I had an ESP LTD 5 string. It had a great, really narrow neck. Pretty cheap too.

https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/right-handed-bass-guitar/esp-ltd-b-5e-natural-satin-5-string-bass-guitar?gclid=CjwKCAjw_-D3BRBIEiwAjVMy7GOV2mkx4Hx4vm9msyiESTTeNfepUT81UWL2vtqOyTccWuw5tyMidRoCP38QAvD_BwE

I really like the look of that ESP! But there again, I'm a sucker for good looking neck through basses (ok I'm shallow). 

Couldn't see what the string spacing at the bridge was from the spec or whether it had the possibility of switching to passive mode. Any insight on these?

[Cuzzie]

35 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

 

 

Aargh! Choices, choices!

My usual approach to this sort of quandary would be to get one of each but this time, I tell myself, I will be strong.

Instead, I will see this as an opportunity to calmly and rationally consider a number of alternatives before I make a calm and rational purchasing decision*. I will weigh up all of the pros and cons of the various candidates and when a suitable buying opportunity presents itself either in the used marketplace or new, I shall be an informed buyer, able calmly and rationally to choose the best bass for my requirements.

Thank you all for your suggestions....

 

* I’m fooling nobody but myself, am I?

If string spacing is your nemesis, but there is a bass you like you can always get said bass and pop something like a Schaller 3D bridge on it which allows you to set your string spacing, I did it when I routed a jazz to accept Rickenbacker pick ups

Edited June 29, 2020 by Cuzzie

[chris_b]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

I really like the look of that ESP!

I know one player who occasionally uses an old ESP jazz. I guess I would make it sound totally different, but he gets such a good sound that I actually thought of buying one to find out if the magic would rub off on me. It would have to be a 5 string version, and I've never seen one of those for sale.

[Reggaebass]

Just a suggestion SM ,before you buy another 5,  why not detune to BEAD and see how you get on 🙂

[Skinnyman]

3 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Just a suggestion SM ,before you buy another 5,  why not detune to BEAD and see how you get on 🙂

That’s exactly what I plan to do, Reg. I tried to do it yesterday but Mrs S had plans.

But I must admit that this discussion has given me GAS again. Before I act on it though, I have to sell something to make some room - I’m trying to follow a strict one in, one out policy. 

And while I’m waiting, I’m going to try the BEAD thing

[Osiris]

Mildred my dear, or may I call you Skinnybabes? Anyway, I see you've listed your Magellan (you'll regret that) and are now DI'ing into the PA. I'm going to suggest that you bin the idea of a 5 string altogether and get something like a Helix Stomp instead. Not only will you have a ton of amp and cab models for DI'ing straight into the PA but there's a number of options in there such as the Simple Pitch block that does a very convincing pitch shifting for lower (or upper if that's your thing) tunings. I was using a Stomp with the last band who were on IEM's and used the Simple Pitch for anything lower than an E, it worked a treat and nobody noticed that I was cheating, not even the keys player who was very picky about things sounding right. The Stomp will work out much cheaper than a decent 5 string, will allow you to continue to use your current basses and will also give you a tuner, compressor, HPF and a shed load of other toys in one box. More importantly it has lots of bright coloured LED's on it. 

[Lozz196]

Now that is interesting, I may well look into that.

[ubit]

I have two. One is a Squire Affinity V and the other is an Ibanez K5. The K5 is a nice guitar but the neck is just too thin for me. The string spacing is a nightmare for my sausage fingers. So I always go for the cheaper Squire which is a lovely sounding instrument. So basically. you have to see what you like the feel of rather than go by price or make.

[mr4stringz]

I love having a bass strung BEAD and have had one this way for 20 years or so. 
Can’t comment on any other makes and models but it worked a treat on the two mid-90s Japanese Precisions I’ve done it to.

[Skinnyman]

1 hour ago, Osiris said:

Mildred my dear, or may I call you Skinnybabes? Anyway, I see you've listed your Magellan (you'll regret that) and are now DI'ing into the PA. I'm going to suggest that you bin the idea of a 5 string altogether and get something like a Helix Stomp instead

George, darling, I thought we’d agreed that the George and Mildred soubriquets were only to be used on those ‘special’ evenings that, sadly, have been stolen from since this cursed corona wotsit forced us all into lockdown?

But you make a good point - our guitar chap has both a Helix and, er, the other one - can’t remember it’s name, not a kemper anyway - and he really likes them. 

So now I have a quandary.

Option one. Play songs in such a way that a fiver is not needed.

Option two. Retune one of the less-used basses in the stable to BEAD and hope there’s no need to climb up to the G string (oo-er, missus).

Option three. By an inexpensive fiver with narrower string spacing to see if that works.

Option four. Get a fancy floor unit such as Osiris describes and pitch shift the problem away.

Option five. All of the above in stages over the next few months.

 

Given my propensity for GAS (which has kept many BC members furnished with high-quality, barely-used basses and amps at knock-down prices for several years now), I think we can all see where this is going to end up, can’t we boys and girls?

[Grangur]

5 hours ago, Al Krow said:

I really like the look of that ESP! But there again, I'm a sucker for good looking neck through basses (ok I'm shallow). 

Couldn't see what the string spacing at the bridge was from the spec or whether it had the possibility of switching to passive mode. Any insight on these?

With a nut width of 1.7" or 45mm that would be the same as a Warwick Corvette $$ 5er. I know someone on here who had one....