need 5-string bass advice
Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Do any of you guys know >>of any 5-string basses that’ll give me a nice sound along w/ some >>reliability that’s under 500 bucks? > Another vote here for the added flexibility of the 5-string. Ive been playing > and collecting basses for 16-years, the third bass I ever owned was a white > Peavey Dyna-Bass bought way back in 1988. At the time, I had never even seen a > 4+ stringer and bought it strictly for the gimmick. At the time production > 5-strings were very rare. For 6 years that was my only bass, and you know > what: I hardly ever used the ‘B’. Not until I started gigging out again and > found to me is the best and most useful feature: songs in the key of Eb or D. > While my guitarists had to take their sweet time detuning I was ready to go, > and occassionally I even found a riff that sounded sweet going down from E > instead of up. My advice: buy one. > As for potential axes: Washburn, Ibanez, and even Samick make decent low-budget > 5’s, but again my advice: suck-up the extra few bucks and buy one of Peavey’s > new G-basses or Forum’s. These basses feature a 35in scale for killer ‘B’ > sound and are made in the USA. Those features are usually only found on > high-price axes. > Good luck.
I agree with the Peavey Suggestion. The Ibanez’s seem somewhat cheeply made, at least the ones that I have played. See if you can find a used Peavey Axcelerator 5. It has a 35" scale and active pickups running off of two 9V batteries, and an active bass and treble control.. The sound is hard to beat, as is the price. I bought one new a few years ago, for $550 ($750 retail) and I have been very happy with it. The finish is a metal flake enamel, and can not be scratched no matter how hard one tries. The 35" scale is definitely a plus, as 34" scale 5- strings sound somewhat twangy. Good luck! Josiah Bartlett Bass Guitarist, Washington State University Crimson Company Show Band and Choir
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I can not begin to sing the praises of five strings. Think of it like this. Imagine a drummer who goes from a four piece kit to a seven piece kit. Wow look at all the new stuff they can do. The same is true for extended range basses. You have to retune less and hell your range increases at least 4 notes. I love my 5 string, and find it dificult to play four strings now. Ha imagine that……
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I think getting a 4 string with a hipshot would be a much better investment. There is enough to do on a four string as a beginner, plus the fact that most five strings under $800 are absolute crap. A hipshot will give you those sought after two notes (low Eb and D), wihtout having to retune everytime. Not to metion most inexpensive five strings have awful string spacing. Rocco
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My two main axes are 6 stringers so you can guess I’m not going to say "get the four". I think the story that 4 strings are "easier" for a beginner is just plain wrong. 4 stringers are harder to play because to travel any range your hand is shooting up and down the neck instead of just across it. The low range below E is max cool but more importanly for a beginner, having a 5 string helps you learn the patterns the scales make as you go across the strings. They are less obvious on a 4 string. And who says a bass *has* to have 4 strings. It’s just a carry-over from the upright days and isn’t a requirement on a bass-guitar. Hey, even the *upright* cats are starting to dig having 5 strings… But lastly let me note that some of this depends upon what you are into. For slappy funk a 4 string is much better. You need the spacing and the E not being blocked by the B to get around easy. I do not slap the 6 stringers much if at all. For that I use my 5 stringer which I have strung with a high C rather than a low B. Works pretty passable, but one of these days I may get a 4 string just to increase the string spacing a bit. — Benjamin Jacoby | "Some rob you with a six-gun and some with (SPAM GUARD! Delete the no spam letters in name to email.)
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>My two main axes are 6 stringers so you can guess I’m not going to say >"get the four".
Like wise – if you are starting bass, and are considering a five string, you are much better off to start on the five string and use it from day one. Bassist, Stickist, EURB for Spelling Tuesday System admin, etc in my spare time http://www.pipeline.com/~jjmon/spellingtues.com http://www.pipeline.com/~jjmon/spellingtues.htm http://www.pipeline.com/~jjmon/Spellingtues.com (Under Construction)
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> I think getting a 4 string with a hipshot would be a much better > investment. There is enough to do on a four string as a beginner, plus > the fact that most five strings under $800 are absolute crap. A hipshot > will give you those sought after two notes (low Eb and D), wihtout > having to retune everytime. Not to metion most inexpensive five > strings have awful string spacing. > Rocco
Hey budy I have what most people would consider a bargain bass (a modified Ibanez SR 505 it’s got the varimed preamp for only $650), and it sounds baetter than Many Tobias, Modulus, and Alembic basses I hear out there now. and IMO i think it plays better to boot. Peavey is making some really fine Instruments under the $800 mark besides, there is more to a five string than the added Four notes. You end up with countless new ways to play material. You are right a beginner should not go out and buy a five string. They should learn a four string inside out first. But I think that a Five string is an instrument that most serious players should look at.
Response:
> My two main axes are 6 stringers so you can guess I’m not going to say > "get the four".
Hear, hear. I started out on a four and my third (current) bass is a custom Treker 6-string. I don’t even play my fours anymore, it’s kind of sad. > I think the story that 4 strings are "easier" for a beginner is just > plain wrong. 4 stringers are harder to play because to travel any range > your hand is shooting up and down the neck instead of just across it.
When I got my 6 my biggest problem was being one string off high or low with either hand, but it only took me a few rehearsals to get that figured out. A lot of the time I’ll rest my thumb between the B and E strings. > The low range below E is max cool but more importanly for a beginner, > having a 5 string helps you learn the patterns the scales make as you go > across the strings. They are less obvious on a 4 string. And who says a > bass *has* to have 4 strings. It’s just a carry-over from the upright > days and isn’t a requirement on a bass-guitar. Hey, even the *upright* > cats are starting to dig having 5 strings…
True, but have you seen the Alembic 6-string stand-up? One fat axe! > But lastly let me note that some of this depends upon what you are into. > For slappy funk a 4 string is much better. You need the spacing and the E > not being blocked by the B to get around easy. I do not slap the 6 > stringers much if at all. For that I use my 5 stringer which I have > strung with a high C rather than a low B. Works pretty passable, but one > of these days I may get a 4 string just to increase the string spacing a
bit. I don’t know about that. I have Bartollinis (sic?) on my 6 and I slap all the time. I think the biggest factor is string spacing and my 6’s neck is plenty wide. Alembic has two pickup brands on their 5’s, Bartollini and one other I forget which. I suggest going to Guitar Center or some other place with a selection and trying the same bass with different pickups. You’ll be surprised at how the difference in tone drives your playing style. — By Day: Information Systems Technician At Large http://www.halcyon.com/khilse/ By Night: Bass Player http://www/halcyon.com/khilse/time_in_trees/
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> But lastly let me note that some of this depends upon what you are > into. > For slappy funk a 4 string is much better. You need the spacing and > the E > not being blocked by the B to get around easy. I do not slap the 6 > stringers much if at all. For that I use my 5 stringer which I have > strung with a high C rather than a low B. Works pretty passable, > but one > of these days I may get a 4 string just to increase the string > spacing a > bit. > I don’t know about that. I have Bartollinis (sic?) on my 6 and I slap > all > the time. I think the biggest factor is string spacing and my 6’s > neck is > plenty wide. Alembic has two pickup brands on their 5’s, Bartollini > and > one other I forget which. I suggest going to Guitar Center or some > other > place with a selection and trying the same bass with different > pickups. > You’ll be surprised at how the difference in tone drives your playing > style.
I am currently trying to increase my slapping abilities. I thought there was little difference until I pulled my four string out of the closet and blew the dust off of it. I found it far easier to slap on the 4 string. Other techniques such as Victor Wooten’s thumb up/thumb down technique are virtually impossible on a normally spaced 6 string. 8^) Dave
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I’m looking to buy a 5-string bass, and i’ve played 4 stringers for a little bit. I haven’t really had a chance ot play a variety of different brands besides a little fender jazz bass. I’ve been playing for a little bit, and I feel the need for a five stringer. Do any of you guys know of any 5-string basses that’ll give me a nice sound along w/ some reliability that’s under 500 bucks? I don’t think i’m ready (or rich enough) for the KS’s but if you know if a nice one, please let me know!! thanks much George
Response:
Hi George, Thought I’d throw my two cents into the discussion…… I have been playing bass since 1979, and I have been collecting basses for almost as long. I currently own about 40 basses and a few guitars, and have played most of them on gigs. Out of all of these basses I have just 1 five-string, and the only reason I bought it was because it was a truly exceptional instrument. However, I never use it when playing live. At all. I have yet to see how that "B" string adds anything that can’t be done on a four string. I constantly hear bass players around here calling me a "dinosaur" because I don’t use a five string. Most of the critics have never played a gig in their lives, either. The ones who do play out, and who I’ve seen, never even use their B string! Well, it makes a better thumbrest than a pickup….. I don’t want to knock 5 string basses, because they can be fun to play when you are sitting around experimenting, but as far as being practical, or cost effective, forget it. Basically, all that you’d get for the money that you are willing to spend would be either a new bass that is a four string design hurriedly modified to accept a fifth string, or a used 5 like an Ibanez, which aren’t very good instruments to start with. I would suggest spending your $500 on a nicer used 4 string. As I said before, the only 5 that I own is quite a bass, and it cost me well over $2000. 5-string technology just isn’t there unless you spend big bucks on a bass like a Ken Smith or an Alembic (BTW, my 5 is a Neuser bass) and even bigger bucks on an amp like a SWR designed to handle the lows. Take care, Rob
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Do any of you guys know >>of any 5-string basses that’ll give me a nice sound along w/ some >>reliability that’s under 500 bucks? >Another vote here for the added flexibility of the 5-string. Ive been playing > and collecting basses for 16-years, the third bass I ever owned was a white > Peavey Dyna-Bass bought way back in 1988. At the time, I had never even seen a > 4+ stringer and bought it strictly for the gimmick. At the time production > 5-strings were very rare. For 6 years that was my only bass, and you know > what: I hardly ever used the ‘B’. Not until I started gigging out again and > found to me is the best and most useful feature: songs in the key of Eb or D. > While my guitarists had to take their sweet time detuning I was ready to go, > and occassionally I even found a riff that sounded sweet going down from E > instead of up. My advice: buy one. >As for potential axes: Washburn, Ibanez, and even Samick make decent low-budget > 5’s, but again my advice: suck-up the extra few bucks and buy one of Peavey’s > new G-basses or Forum’s. These basses feature a 35in scale for killer ‘B’ > sound and are made in the USA. Those features are usually only found on > high-price axes.
I second that. I also bought an ‘88 Dyna-Bass and it’s great. I’d buy another Peavey 5 in a heartbeat. -Phil
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Conversion necks can be alot less expensive….. I manufacture the 425tm and 426tm Bass Conversion Necks, which fit into a four string neck pocket with no routing to your existing bass!!! If you don’t like five strings, you can always revert to the original four.
Response:
>I’m looking to buy a 5-string bass, and i’ve played 4 stringers for a >little bit. I haven’t really had a chance ot play a variety of different >brands besides a little fender jazz bass. I’ve been playing for a little >bit, and I feel the need for a five stringer. Do any of you guys know >of any 5-string basses that’ll give me a nice sound along w/ some >reliability that’s under 500 bucks? I don’t think i’m ready (or rich >enough) for the KS’s but if you know if a nice one, please let me know!! >thanks much >George
Check out Peaveys. I got my Dyna-Bass for $600 in ‘89 and it is still kicking. Sounds great, plays nice, and the B isn’t very floppy. It’s a solid insturment. The Axcellerator is a pretty solid bass. I’ve played one and was pretty impressed for the casho. I’ve also heard that Carvins are nice. Yamaha and Ibanez would be worth checking out also. You won’t regret going for a fiver. even if you don’t like it you’ll be glad you gave it a try. -Phil Hamm
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>Do any of you guys know >of any 5-string basses that’ll give me a nice sound along w/ some >reliability that’s under 500 bucks?
Another vote here for the added flexibility of the 5-string. Ive been playing and collecting basses for 16-years, the third bass I ever owned was a white Peavey Dyna-Bass bought way back in 1988. At the time, I had never even seen a 4+ stringer and bought it strictly for the gimmick. At the time production 5-strings were very rare. For 6 years that was my only bass, and you know what: I hardly ever used the ‘B’. Not until I started gigging out again and found to me is the best and most useful feature: songs in the key of Eb or D. While my guitarists had to take their sweet time detuning I was ready to go, and occassionally I even found a riff that sounded sweet going down from E instead of up. My advice: buy one. As for potential axes: Washburn, Ibanez, and even Samick make decent low-budget 5’s, but again my advice: suck-up the extra few bucks and buy one of Peavey’s new G-basses or Forum’s. These basses feature a 35in scale for killer ‘B’ sound and are made in the USA. Those features are usually only found on high-price axes. Good luck.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi George, > Thought I’d throw my two cents into the discussion…… > I have been playing bass since 1979, and I have been collecting > basses for almost as long. I currently own about 40 basses and a few > guitars, and have played most of them on gigs. > Out of all of these basses I have just 1 five-string, and the only > reason I bought it was because it was a truly exceptional instrument. > However, I never use it when playing live. At all. I have yet to see > how that "B" string adds anything that can’t be done on a four > string. I constantly hear bass players around here calling me a > "dinosaur" because I don’t use a five string. Most of the critics > have never played a gig in their lives, either. The ones who do play > out, and who I’ve seen, never even use their B string! Well, it makes > a better thumbrest than a pickup…..
My experience is totally different. I started playing bass in 1973, and I started playing a 5-string in 91, coz I was tired of detuning the bass or using gizmos that produce that effect. I use the low B string a lot, and not as a gimmick. Songs in D or Eb really benefit from the lower octave. Songs with synth bass lines often use these notes. Recording sessions often call for the bass to double a keyboard. And for ease of playing, well if you’ve played *Green Onions* in F minor a few times, I’m sure you’ll appreciate not having to do that F to Ab stretch 500 times in a row. And yes, it is also a good thumbrest. On the down side, sometimes the low B can get away from you when slapping on the E. The low string also calls for higher action, a lighter touch, and that big fat expensive *B* is the first one to go dead. Careful when you start on a 5-string not to look for every excuse to play down low all the time. That’s a common disease of 5-st. newbies. All things considered, I highly recommend the five, even if it’s for 10 well-placed notes per gig and a killer thumbrest that goes everywhere that YOU go. Hope this helps. -Andy
Response:
>I’m looking to buy a 5-string bass, and i’ve played 4 stringers for a >little bit. I haven’t really had a chance ot play a variety of different >brands besides a little fender jazz bass. I’ve been playing for a little >bit, and I feel the need for a five stringer. Do any of you guys know >of any 5-string basses that’ll give me a nice sound along w/ some >reliability that’s under 500 bucks? I don’t think i’m ready (or rich >enough) for the KS’s but if you know if a nice one, please let me know!!
You’d have to go to the used market, I think. Most cheap five strings have sloppy low B strings (play a few, you’ll see what I mean). Even many high end 5’s have a bad low B. Companies have tried lots of designs to work around this (stringing through the body, 35" scale length) and add tension to the string. The Yammaha TRB-5 has a great low B. I found one used once for $700 (they list at over a thousand). That’s the best five I’ve ever played. I also like the low B on the Ibanez 506, a six string bass. I assume that it would be comparable to their five string version, the 505, but I haven’t played one of those and the extra string/tension on the neck might have some effect (I don’t know; I’m not a physicist). I’m sure you can find 5’s in that price range, but my advice would be to make sure you play several and see if the B string is going to work for you. Even on a good bass, it will have a different feel, but it sould have a decent fundamental tone and it shouldn’t flop around overmuch. Good luck, james
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>I use the low B string a lot, and not as a gimmick. Songs in D or Eb >really benefit from the lower octave.
What lower octave is that, pray tell? You get five additional notes (and a bunch of very useful additional positions), not an additional octave. Michael —
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