Good 5 strings

[DBras]

So after looking around I'm seeing what I'm looking for in a bass is apparently not that common. I want something similar to my btb 405qm. Bolt on, 35" scale, active.... But I can't seem to find what I want. I thought about looking through eBay for another 405, but I've only seen one. Any suggestions? I prefer them to not be too pricey if possible

 

[uOpt]

Re: Good 5 strings

How about that spalted maple LTD? I played a 6string of it in GC. Liked it.

 

[DBras]

Re: Good 5 strings

How did it feel man? Like the neck and weight and everything?

 

[uOpt]

Re: Good 5 strings

How did it feel man? Like the neck and weight and everything?

Well it was the 6 string version to it was too heavy and the neck too wide

But it had good fretwork and all the notes did ring properly.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Good 5 strings

German-made Warwick five string bass guitars are usually 35" scale.

Some of the Peavey Grind models are 35" and available cheaply pre-owned.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Good 5 strings

http://www.guitarcenter.com/ESP-LTD-F-5E-5-String-Bass-Guitar-516186-i1829630.gc

Probably about as good as you can get.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Good 5 strings

http://www.guitarcenter.com/ESP-LTD-F-5E-5-String-Bass-Guitar-516186-i1829630.gc

Probably about as good as you can get.

Nice in most repsects, except the cheesy 'skeletal finger and thumb' cuaways, designed to appeal to teenagers. i wish they wouldn't have done that.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Good 5 strings

Nice in most repsects, except the cheesy 'skeletal finger and thumb' cuaways, designed to appeal to teenagers. i wish they wouldn't have done that.

Yeah. Not a fan. But It's checks all the other boxes and that's about the best that I've seen.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Good 5 strings

Yeah. Not a fan. But It's checks all the other boxes and that's about the best that I've seen.

+1. Too bad they crapped it up. The other features are nice. I'm so sick of the doom and gloom thing, it's so worn out.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Good 5 strings

+1. Too bad they crapped it up. The other features are nice. I'm so sick of the doom and gloom thing, it's so worn out.

Most doom and gloom people are sick of it too. Tom Araya is probably one of the few who still uses a skeletal shape like that. Most people use a J or P bass shape. Only a few use anything outside of those and the rest are Thunderbird shapes or Warwick styles.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Good 5 strings

Some of the Peavey Grind models are 35" and available cheaply pre-owned.

I played one of those that ripped my hand open from frets sticking out into the upper cutaway. Total garbage. And not US-made if anybody thinks that because of the Peavey label.

 

[One Bad Monkey]

Re: Good 5 strings

German-made Warwick five string bass guitars are usually 35" scale.

Standard Warwick scale for their basses is 34" (German or otherwise), but with how the bridge is set up, you usually have to use strings made for a 35" scale bass or the silked end will go over the nut.

You can get a 35" scale through the Custom Shop, but it's not standard production.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Good 5 strings

Honestly, finding a decent 35" scale length 5 string is going to be hard. Like you said just keep digging through FleaBay for a used one or go with a 34".

 

[One Bad Monkey]

Re: Good 5 strings

Honestly, finding a decent 35" scale length 5 string is going to be hard. Like you said just keep digging through FleaBay for a used one or go with a 34".

+1.

To my knowledge, all of the MTD Kingston series 5 strings are 35" scale (their 4 strings are 34"). Those might be an option if you can get a good deal on a used one.

 

[jtougas]

Re: Good 5 strings

For the most part, they're going used for ~$600... I've been staring pretty hard at one of their 5 string fretlesses...

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Good 5 strings

+1.

To my knowledge, all of the MTD Kingston series 5 strings are 35" scale (their 4 strings are 34"). Those might be an option if you can get a good deal on a used one.

I'm so used to a 34" bass, if I picked up a 35 I probably would be back to square one.

 

[Liko]

Re: Good 5 strings

Try a Yamaha MIK TRB-1005; they're not sold in the U.S. anymore but there's a halfway-decent used market (there's one on the Bay right now for $500), and you'll also find a few Japanese dealers for the MIJ variant that's still being produced (kinda spendy though; 'bout $1200 for the 5-stringer while the MIKs were about $800).



They're 35", they're bolt-on, they're active, and they play really well; the only bass under about $2000 that I'd give mine up to have is an Ibanez BTB775 (Barts, mmm, that and the heavily-figured woods you get at this level over the 6-series).

You are right that bolt-on XL-scale basses are uncommon; bolt-ons are usually 34" while XL-scales are typically neck-through. If you're willing to live with one or the other (I'd go neck-through personally) the opportunities really open up.

 

[Liko]

Re: Good 5 strings

I'm so used to a 34" bass, if I picked up a 35 I probably would be back to square one.

It's really not that different; the strings are more solid, which is the point, but the width between the nut and first fret is less than 1/16" longer than on a 34" A few runs up and down a scale or blues box and you won't know there is a difference except in the sound; much tighter, better sustain.

Where the extra length really helps is up in the upper octave; the frets are just that much wider apart so you get a more positive feel that you're fretting the note properly.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Good 5 strings

It's really not that different; the strings are more solid, which is the point, but the width between the nut and first fret is less than 1/16" longer than on a 34" A few runs up and down a scale or blues box and you won't know there is a difference except in the sound; much tighter, better sustain.

Where the extra length really helps is up in the upper octave; the frets are just that much wider apart so you get a more positive feel that you're fretting the note properly.

Makes sense. I'm still so attached to my Stingray though. I don't think I'll ever buy a 35.