What Five String

[philw]

So, this New Wave covers project I’ve got myself playing bass in would probably benefit from a five string. So, who of you would like to recommend something up to about £500. Is, for example, the Sterling SUB Ray 5 any good? Or what about the Sire basses? Or maybe a Squire Jazz 5?

 

What does basschat wisdom reckon?

 

Thanks

Phil

[Bigwan]

If you keep your eyes open you MIGHT get a Lakland 5501 at the top of your budget or very slightly over. Best 5 string costing that kind of money that I've owned. The neck is just sublime.

 

Sire are great, but I'm not a great fan of their preamp. Also make sure you play before you buy as there are occasional QC issues (binding, etc) and some are like boat anchors (my Alder/Rosewood V7) was knocking on for 11lbs/5kg, although balance was good which helped a lot).

[Norris]

The original preamp in the Sterling Sub Ray5 is not much cop. Chuck a Retrovibe Stinger 2-band preamp in there and it becomes an awesome bass and probably still within your budget.

 

Sire P7-5 is also an excellent choice. I personally don't mind the preamp but 3-band with sweepable mid needs a bit more thought. Again it's well within your budget.

[Terry M.]

I recently bought a brand new Squier Affinity Active Jazz Bass V for £279 and can't find a single thing wrong with it. For reference my main basses are German Warwicks. If you're not a gear snob you'll find Squier are giving these away at that price. It even has the audacity to have a decent B string. Your money your choice 😊

[Bass4real]

An IBANEZ bTb 745 ntl 

or

a 94 to 99 PEAVEY FOUNDATION 5

 I can recommend them as being 2 of the best basses I've ever had , and they are not crazy expensive .

[PaulThePlug]

Q Classic looks and 20/21 frets or Universal and 24 fret?

Ibanez SR305 - Bang For Buck, Comfy, Awesome Necks

Edited December 29, 2024 by PaulThePlug

[Raslee]

No affiliation with the sellers but the Peavy Cirrus BXP or the Yamaha TRB in the for sale section by a country mile. 

Edited December 29, 2024 by Raslee

[philw]

13 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

Q Classic looks and 20/21 frets or Universal and 24 fret?

Ibanez SR305 - Bang For Buck, Comfy, Awesome Necks

No real need for anything beyond 20/21 frets so something traditional is probably more likely. Having said that, if something modern or even headless came up that was unmissable, that’d be cool too.

 

p

[OliverBlackman]

Sire have you covered. 34” scale so not completely alien to a 4 string, passive or active, maple or rosewood, ash or alder, jazz or precision, and if you get one with the roasted neck and rolled fingerboard they’re loverly to play.

[Bigwan]

Oh, and if you can find an MTD Heir or Kingston they're also worth a shout...

[andruca]

IF you're considering the Jazz route and/or Sire, check the MarkBass Gloxy GV5. I changed my Sire V3 for one of those and couldn't be happier. No Sire I've played (mostly V7s and V3s) plays nor sounds like it. It's a pretty classic sounding '70s spaced JB, minus the offset body, with an active onboard that can be switched off. Neck is a skinny C profile and it takes less digging to get wild/growly than Sires. You should be able to get one for 400£ used.

 

 

[Terry M.]

12 hours ago, andruca said:

IF you're considering the Jazz route and/or Sire, check the MarkBass Gloxy GV5. I changed my Sire V3 for one of those and couldn't be happier. No Sire I've played (mostly V7s and V3s) plays nor sounds like it. It's a pretty classic sounding '70s spaced JB, minus the offset body, with an active onboard that can be switched off. Neck is a skinny C profile and it takes less digging to get wild/growly than Sires. You should be able to get one for 400£ used.

 

 

Really decent basses these. I tried one in Andertons and really dug the sound. Just a shame I'm not really a fan of separate volume controls 😉

[franzbassist]

Hello Phil. I hope you’re doing well.

 

The choice is really good these days.  Personally, I’d go with Sire or Cort.

 

[miles'tone]

After owning the 4 string, I'd plump for a used Yamaha BB605. The Nathan East preamp is sick.

[andruca]

On 31/12/2024 at 09:23, Terry M. said:

Really decent basses these. I tried one in Andertons and really dug the sound. Just a shame I'm not really a fan of separate volume controls 😉

It's all mounted in 2 PCBs (one for every row of knobs). In my case the main con was knobs where too close to the strings, terrible for picking (which I sometimes do). I desoldered both volume pots to move them down, out of the way of my picking. Came out great. I think changing to a volume+blend config (instead of 2 x volume) shouldn't be complicated nor expensive.

[Terry M.]

58 minutes ago, andruca said:

It's all mounted in 2 PCBs (one for every row of knobs). In my case the main con was knobs where too close to the strings, terrible for picking (which I sometimes do). I desoldered both volume pots to move them down, out of the way of my picking. Came out great. I think changing to a volume+blend config (instead of 2 x volume) shouldn't be complicated nor expensive.

I'm personally useless with electronics but you're right,it shouldn't be too complicated or expensive. 

[Ed_S]

After a fair bit of trial and error I've worked out that there are some build specs for scale length, board radius, nut width, string spacing and overall weight that give a really strong prediction as to what I'll find comfortable. Of course it's a given that some people will favour different numbers, some people probably just won't notice or care, and sometimes you'll pick up a bass that 'should' suit and it just doesn't - or vice versa. That said, I've found it a reliable enough indication that my advice would be to visit a shop where you can try a few different instruments without worrying too much about what they look like or cost, and just see if something stands out as being instantly comfortable. If it does, then look up the numbers and see what's similarly constructed and in-budget.

 

My own recommendation would be to see if you could hunt down a deal on an Ibanez SR605e as it's what I personally call comfy, and I think the 'big break' pickups sound great.. even if the name has me humming the theme to the 90s TV show.

[SteveXFR]

I didn't like my SUB Ray5 much at all. Poorly made and the preamp is really weak. 

For a top value 5 string, just get the highest model Ibanez you can afford. If you don't like close string spacing then go for a Yamaha. 

My favourite 5 string was the Ibanez SRMS805. A bit over budget but I've seen them for £650

[lemmywinks]

Go and try a few to find out how particular you are about string spacing at the bridge and neck profile.

 

£500 buys you a lot of bass these days, especially on the used market.

[Paddy777]

There’s a Peavey Cirrus on here for £300 which is really good value for money - excellent 5 strings. I’d swerve the Ray 5’s or any Squier 5 strings IMO, i have had 2 decent Sire 5 strings and I’ve seen Yamaha BB1025’s for about £500 and they’re absolutely excellent. Alternatively I have also heard good things off a friend about the Markbass Gloxy 5’s but haven’t played one myself - they sound good on demos I’ve heard, decent B, and you may get a Cort Modern 5 second hand for that money and these are lovely basses too - loads of choice but IMO avoid SUB Ray 5’s, Squier and MIM Fenders (although some people like them, I’ve never liked the B string on them)

Edited January 3 by Paddy777

[Terry M.]

10 hours ago, Paddy777 said:

There’s a Peavey Cirrus on here for £300 which is really good value for money - excellent 5 strings. I’d swerve the Ray 5’s or any Squier 5 strings IMO, i have had 2 decent Sire 5 strings and I’ve seen Yamaha BB1025’s for about £500 and they’re absolutely excellent. Alternatively I have also heard good things off a friend about the Markbass Gloxy 5’s but haven’t played one myself - they sound good on demos I’ve heard, decent B, and you may get a Cort Modern 5 second hand for that money and these are lovely basses too - loads of choice but IMO avoid SUB Ray 5’s, Squier and MIM Fenders (although some people like them, I’ve never liked the B string on them)

Squier and Fender B strings whether Mexican or American are hit and miss. Some American B strings are worse than some Mexican ones. I've proven this in stores. I would advise to try one of any and then deciding based on end result. Good ones definitely exist.

Edited January 3 by Terry M.

[Paddy777]

Just now, Terry M. said:

Squier and Fender B strings whether Mexican or American are hit and miss. Some American B strings are worse than some Mexican ones. I proven this in stores. I would advise to try one of any and then deciding based on end result. Good ones definitely exist.

Yeh I don’t doubt this - I’ve heard it off many people but haven’t played enough US 5 strings to really pass comment, I’ve played a U.S. Fender Jazz 5 Deluxe and the B was alright TBF but I know they can be hit and miss. The OP will not likely find a US Fender in his budget anyway so it’s a bit of a Moot point 

[Terry M.]

This is why I think trying before buying is the best option. I tried a Cort Modern 5 in a store and the B string IMO was awful on it,and that's a 35" scale bass! 

[Terry M.]

3 minutes ago, Paddy777 said:

Yeh I don’t doubt this - I’ve heard it off many people but haven’t played enough US 5 strings to really pass comment, I’ve played a U.S. Fender Jazz 5 Deluxe and the B was alright TBF but I know they can be hit and miss. The OP will not likely find a US Fender in his budget anyway so it’s a bit of a Moot point 

Yes it's very unlikely to find an American Fender in his budget that is true. I mentioned it just for the sake of highlighting that the Mexicans can actually be excellent basses if the right one is found. 

[Paddy777]

Ah I played one and thought it was pretty good! Probably indicative of the fact that at the cheaper end of the market there are some fantastic bases, but consistency/QC can be poor so as always said - it’s best to try them! 35” scale isn’t the be all and end all when it comes to a good low B, the bridge is also important and the general design of the bass - Stingray 5’s are 34” scale and aren’t really thought of as having a poor low B. As I said before, I’ve had 2 great 5 string Sire’s - the P7 (Active PJ bass) was the better of the two, but the V7 (Active Jazz bass) was pretty good too