Returning bass player - instrument advice needed

[hopkinsgm]

Hi there

So I'm kinda new around here. I've played guitar for some years now - blimey, just done the maths and it's about 20 years now. Anyways, I've not been getting so much out of that of late, and I used to play a bit of bass back in the dim and distant past. I figure why not have a change of scene, so I'm looking to get myself a bass and add an extra string to my bow. Or lose one or two strings, as the case may be.

I used to play an old Jazz copy - a Satellite which was later replaced by a Tokai - and I always got on well with Jazz Bass necks. I never really quite liked Precisions, but that may have been the stubborn anti-populist git in me. Anyhoo, I set myself a notional (i.e. fairly flexible) budget and figured that looking at Jazz Basses would probably be a reasonable starting point.

I had a brief look in a local music shop the other week and tried a Fender Jazz - a Mexican one, I think - and was amazed at quite how heavy it was. I guess my previous ones must have been similarly heavy, but I don't remember them being quite as hefty. I'm not as young as I used to be and the years have not been kind on my back. I can't/won't play a Les Paul for any length of time on a strap, so the Jazz Bass was suddenly looking less appealing. So I had a wee noodle on a few other things they had in, including one thing that I really rather liked, which was a Yamaha BB615. Nice sound, balanced well, not too weighty and seemed to play pretty nicely. Now, those that know their Yamaha numbers will note that this is a 5-string. And that's where it all gets a bit tricky.

I'd never really considered getting a 5 string to start with - as I say, I'm just coming back to bass after years of guitar playing, and was thinking I would get a 4 string and maybe worry about more strings sometime down the line if it seemed necessary. Given my musical tastes the low B may be no bad thing, though I know there's more to 5 strings than just being able to go low - there's the extra fingering options, etc...

I guess what I'm wondering is whether having the 5th string is likely to confuse me? Would I be better getting to grips with 4 strings and then switching to 5, or am I better just taking the plunge now? Part of me suspects that if I go 4 strings now and then switch to 5, I'm unlikely to use a 5 string to its' potential because I'm basically quite a lazy person and will probably be reluctant to relearn what I already "know".

Any thoughts greatly appreciated - also if there's anything else at a similar ballpark price (say around £300 to £400-ish) that I should be looking at. I'm going to be after something fairly versatile as I listen to a fairly broad range of music, so the Yamaha's EQ certainly struck me as being a useful sort of thing.

Thanks in advance!

G

[The Funk]

[quote name='hopkinsgm' post='453330' date='Apr 3 2009, 01:20 PM']I guess what I'm wondering is whether having the 5th string is likely to confuse me?[/quote]

If you're coming back to bass you might not be that used to 4 strings anyway, so why not just go straight into 5?

If you don't play a lot of 4 and 5, it can be confusing when you switch from one to the other.

[Born 2B Mild]

[quote name='The Funk' post='453336' date='Apr 3 2009, 01:25 PM']If you're coming back to bass you might not be that used to 4 strings anyway, so why not just go straight into 5?

If you don't play a lot of 4 and 5, it can be confusing when you switch from one to the other.[/quote]

+1

A starter/re-starter has the advantage in getting to know a five string afresh. And personally, I think it's worth it to go for the fiver. I've played 4 strings exclusively for 35 years and gone to 5's and 6's in the last year, and can't see myself going back.

[Rich]

I agree with the two gentlemen above, go for it. Dive straight into a five, as it were The Yamaha is a really great bass, but try everything you can find in your price ballpark. I suspect you'll be hard pushed to better the Yam in terms of VFM though.
And welcome to the Engine Room!

[51m0n]

+1 to the above.

I more or less started on a 5 then swapped back to 4, took a break came back, got a 5 took me about 2 weeks to 'get used to it', and I dont mean I'm absolutely at one with it, but I'd gig it happily.

Edited April 3, 2009 by 51m0n

[Geek99]

Dive straight in - worth buying a book / dvd so you get most out of it imho

[Lfalex v1.1]

If you think a fiver might suit you, I'd go straight for that.
Personally, I find the transition from 4 to 5 and back again more comfortable than drop-tuning and retuning the same bass. That really can be confusing!
Yamaha instruments are a sound buy, and before anyone else jumps in, Ibanez are also worthy of a look, too - Particularly something like the SR500. That'd fall into your budget.

[hopkinsgm]

Thanks for the replies folks - I guess my concern was to do with thinking in terms of positions I'm comfortable with on the guitar. Just need to break free of that guitarist mindset and start thinking as a bassist! Will take another look at the Yamaha and try to find a few more things in the price range but, as one replier noted, it's likely to be a tough act to beat. I think the only other thing that had popped up on the radar in a similar price bracket was some of the Warwick Rock Bass options - Rock Bass is Warwick's budget brand, right? Like Squier are to Fender?

Thanks,

G

[Geek99]

Yes that's right
I found scale length significant when looking at 5 strings

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='hopkinsgm' post='453485' date='Apr 3 2009, 04:30 PM']Rock Bass is Warwick's budget brand, right? Like Squier are to Fender?

Thanks,

G[/quote]


I've never tried a Rock Bass (I dislike Warwick but that's just personal preference) but it might be worth looking at Squier they have really gone up in the world.

[Huge Hands]

I remember that when I was first learning to play bass, I had a home-made useless thing so I went out to buy a "proper" bass.

I told a bass player I knew I had seen a 5-string in the shop for ok money, he said "It's up to you, choose one way or the other, you won't be able to do both" (or words to that effect). I believed him, and played exclusively four strings for years.

I then started working as a sound engineer and met loads of bass players who told me that actually, "it was a piece of p*ss to swap between the two", so I decided to go out and buy a 5.

I was conscious of not forgetting how to play a four, which is why I've probably developed my RH technique of still resting my thumb on the E string (when not playing it), as I would if playing a four. This way my hand has learned it needs to shift upwards to play the B string.

I presume someone will decimate me for that technique, but hey, it works for me. I'm not playing 32 notes at 1,000 BPM metal!

What I'm trying to say is, I don't think it's as hard as it sounds. I stick only to my 5 strings when gigging because having the low notes and ability to keep to scale shapes when playing in keys such as Eb is preferable for me. I still have my old JV Jazz and my upright which are four stringers to keep me reminded of where it all started though!

[mrcrow]

if you have played before what did you thing then about using a 5...was it necessary?
strings cost more and you may not use the B a terribly lot
but
if you get a 5 you will never wonder if you should get one
i have done the 5 thing and reverted to the 4 after 2 1/2 years...it was useful
but i am more alive on the 4...and i can see all the strings especially on my new 51P boutique bass

[The Funk]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='453483' date='Apr 3 2009, 04:27 PM']Ibanez are also worthy of a look, too - Particularly something like the SR500. That'd fall into your budget.[/quote]

I'm seriously impressed with those basses: tone, playability, finish and price.

[hopkinsgm]

[quote name='mrcrow' post='453577' date='Apr 3 2009, 06:12 PM']...if you have played before what did you thing then about using a 5...was it necessary?...[/quote]
Lets just say that as a teenager, my musical focus was considerably narrower so it never seemed necessary. My tastes have matured and now take in a much greater range of musical styles. It's not all about guitar-based rock these days. It's also worth factoring in that affordability has a lot to do with it - quality vs cost of "cheap" musical instruments, particularly guitars and basses, is way better than it was 20 or so years ago. Also don't forget that 5 strings were generally considered far more exotic BITD and that was generally reflected in the prices. Also, now in my 30's and not a student any more, I've got a bit more disposable income.

I'll try and have a look at a few more things tomorrow, and take it from there. Will investigate Ibanez, see if I can find a RockBass to try and will see if it was just a knee-jerk reaction to the weight of a regular Jazz. Thanks all for your contributions, has helped me sort out my own thoughts on a few things. Which was kinda the point of posting in the first place!

Cheers,
G

[EdwardHimself]

One of my regrets about bass playing is that i didn't just get a 5 in the first place. Also these days most guitar based rock is in some sort of lower deviation from standard E tuning so even for that style a 5 string is very useful. Not to mention all the other sorts of music you can play with the lower string.

[hopkinsgm]

Just a bit of an update as I've been to try a few things today and as is often the way with these things, salespersons did their best to try and push the notional budget north but I managed (for the most part, anyhoo) to keep things in check... Tried a RockBass Streamer and was generally underwhelmed - body didn't feel particularly comfortable sat on my knee and the neck was a bit of a whopper too. Had a go on a Squier Affinity Jazz 5 and was surprised at how lightweight it was compared to the MIM Fender the other week, but found it tonally dissappointing. That's tonally, not totally... :blush: Couldn't find the Ibanez model suggested above, but was persuaded to have a noodle on a budget-breaking Ibanez BTB675 - cracking instrument, seemed nicely put together, good pickups and actives, generally a lovely sound but just a bit of a shame about the neck which seemed excessively wide to me (the fact it was nearly 50% over budget helped salve my ). I managed to avoid the Lakland 55-01 that was also suggested as that was stretching the brief a little too far and from what I've read on here, there's a reasonable chance I might have been smitten. Coming back within budget (well, just about), I also had a blast on a Rockbass Corvette 5 (the one with the active EQ) which played beautifully, nicely proportioned neck, good and comfortable and a nice weight, made a pleasant noise with the EQ flat but winding the EQ up from flat a little suggests it may be a touch on the fierce side. So I came home thinking that for me, the Corvette is probably the only real competition for the BB615.

And then get home, have a look on here and spotted [topic="45674"]this[/topic] MIM Jazz 5 in the classifieds that could be a go-er and is well within budget. I've generally tended to buy used instruments in the past with only a couple of exceptions which were bought new as such things came up so infrequently or 2nd hand values didn't seem too far off a well shopped around new pice. So that's where I'm at, and about to go and sleep on it. Decisions decisions...

Hoping to get hooked up pretty soon and really looking forward to it. :brow:

Cheers,

G

[noelk27]

In addition to the BB615, take a look at the Yamaha TRB 5-string. Also worth taking a look at the G&L L2500 - although the neck might be distinctly flatter and wider feeling than what else you've tried. Both might be over your budget new, but you'd get used for the money you have available.

[Golchen]

I only play 5's. I get lost on a 4. Although I'm happy playing a 5, I realize now that there's a LOT more 4 stringers out there, so a lot more choice when looking for basses!

[Faithless]

Go for a 5, no worries here, mate..

[leschirons]

Dive straight in to the 5. No point in going with a four if you think you're likely to use the B. Check out the Hohner 5 string basses. Good build quality, great price and some of the lightest basses I've ever picked up. Having said that, the greater the neck mass, the better the sound.

[MartyBRebelMC]

I recently bought a 5 string bass mainly because there were a few songs i wanted to play that used either a drop tuning or needed a B string.

Since buying it a month ago I haven't stopped using it and simply don't go near my 4 string any more - in fact I'm thinking of selling it. I used to play guitar before taking up bass a couple of years ago and have to say I think I feel much more at home on a 5 string - the extra flexibility and options that a B string provides particularly being able to transpose fingering positions up the neck make it well worth having.

I bought a Squier jazz V deluxe active which for the money is a fantastic guitar although it does have the widest neck known to man (2 inches at the nut) , however, I've found this very useful in forcing me to tidy up my otherwise sloppy technique.

As for weighty instruments - the 'comfort strapp' is absolutely fantastic.

[6stringbassist]

Get a 6, makes a lot more sense