Someone recomend a 5 string bass

B

Byakhee00

New member
I'm GASing for a 5 string bass right now, and i'm not terribly sure which route to go. My biggest problem with just about every 5 string bass (fender, esp, ibanez, warwick, peavy, etc) i've played is that the string tension on the low B string is just too loose, and just kills the clarity of that string, and turns it into flubby mush. I did play a Fodera (which was and still is) way out of my price range that doesn't have this problem, and what i noticed about it is that the distance between the tuning peg and the nut was much greater than on the other 5 string basses that i've played.

Now, aside from going the obvious reverse headstock, does anyone know of a 5 string bass that doesn't have this "low B problem"? all said, i'll probably have around $1200 to play with. I'm currently concidering options with warmoth, usa customs, or having a custom guitar built by GMW or the like.

All said, if i can't settle on somthing that i'll be happy with, i'll probably end up building myself a Tele with a bigsby, or get one of the many, many other things i've been GASing over.
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

have you tried a MM stingray...that's a fine 5 string...

i've played on one a few times...can't recall if it had the problem you are describing or not...it was a solid great sounding/playing instrument though...?!
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

I HATE that loose B... makes me wonder how anyone could even consider downtuning a 5 string...

Maybe try a longer scale length?
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

Ibanez KoRn K-5. don't think just cause KoRn's name is on it makes it a piece of shit
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

italic zero said:
But... aren't KoRn known for their really loose bass sound?
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nah, Fieldy's known for "taking the mids and turning that shit OFF!"
---its a quote from Fieldy himself lol
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

I don't know if this helps, but byakhee HATED the K5 when he had a chance to play it.
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

I love my MIM Fender five-string but I guess it's too flubby for the likes of you, haha..

Umm Music Man basses are stellar, maybe try G&L, they have those new Tributes that're only like $600 so you could get one of those and still have some cash laying around. Or just a straight-up G&L.
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

I loathe the Ibanez K-5. Think of it this way - i'm looking for the string tension on the low B to be right about the same as the E string. I want to avoid sounding even remotely like fieldy korn. IMO, when there's no tension on the low B, the guitar feels cheap to me, regardless of who made it, and the price tag - it seems like it plays more like an awkward clumsy fat string, than an actual useful tool. Besides, i wouldn't call fieldy's bass tone and technique anything other than sloppy, toneless mush. Honestly, listen his strings vibrating against the frets, like his action was too low or somthing.
 
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Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

Byakhee00 said:
I loathe the Ibanez K-5. Think of it this way - i'm looking for the string tension on the low B to be right about the same as the E string.
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use thicker strings

I want to avoid sounding even remotely like fieldy korn.
Click to expand...
don't turn down the onboard mids knob and you won't sound like him at all

that "lose string" sound you hear is from the lack of mids
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

well, that was more of a rant than anything...

Bringing up the tension should a) make the bass feel less like a toy and b) give more precice note definition (i.e. an obvious diffrence between open B and first fret)

so far, here's what i'm thinking for bringing up the tension -

1. Greater distance between the tuner post and the nut (wierd or reverse headstock)
2. Extra Long scale neck
3. compensation at the bridge (angled bridge to get extra distance out of the low b, Kahler Bass Fixed Bridge, ala Warmoth Gecko?)
4. Adjustable tension tuners?

As best as i can tell, doing just one of these things should fix the problem.
Right now, the two kings of my choices are a Warmoth Gecko bass, and a Custom made bass. The only drawback - I've never even seen, let alone played a Gecko bass. The custom bass, i'm sure i could explain in no uncertan terms what exactly i'm looking for, with the added option of probably getting it neck thru construction.
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

DWB2 or DBW3 5 string version Ibanez Bass's are probably my favorite basses on the market besides a Warwick.
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

Our bass player has a five string Warwick Streamer Jazzman (about $2000 on Musicians Fiend) and a 5-string fretless Cirrus. He played a Music Man Stingray 5 and was seriously impressed by it, so I'd have to say check it out too.
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

try one ibanez btb 35" scale 5 string bass...a friend of mine bought it a couple months ago and it´s the best bass for the price you can buy...nothing about loose B...it sounds very defined. all notes can sound with a lot of definition on that string...check this one...
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

I play a Tradition 5-string. Love that instrument to death....Neck-thru, the heel feels great and the switch from 4 was relatively simple and painless.
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

Jonny R said:
Our bass player has a five string Warwick Streamer Jazzman (about $2000 on Musicians Fiend) and a 5-string fretless Cirrus. He played a Music Man Stingray 5 and was seriously impressed by it, so I'd have to say check it out too.
Click to expand...

Music Man is supposed to be fantastic.

I know a local band where the bassist uses a Peavey Cirrus and it sounds great.
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

im a guitar player, so i dont have quite as much experience as all of these bass players and whatnot, but i have always loved the tones that come off of any Warwick 5 string bass. just a thought. they are very pricy tho......
 
Re: Someone recomend a 5 string bass

Perhaps I'm daft, but how can a reverse headstock help this situation? It seems to me that there would be no significant difference. why not just get some "heavy bottom" bass strings. here is my logic (and I am really just shooting in the dark, so please correct me):

1) string tension is a function of three things a) scale of neck b) thickness of string c) note the string is tuned to

2) any increase in string thickness requires more tension to tune to the same note (that's why it's so dang hard to bend jazz guitar strings)

3) any increase in scale length would increase the tension necessary to tune to the same note (longer waves). this seems very difficult to do

4) as the scale of a guitar is a function of where the strings mount (ie bridge and nut), and tension on the string is constant for any scale length on a given string it shouldn't matter how much is above the nut before you get to the machine head. Essentially, you need a certain amount of tension for a string that is a certain length to produce a certain note. for example: say we need 30lbs of tension on a string so that it plays a low e when out hit the open string. There is still 30lbs of tension on the string when you fret the 5th fret producing an "a" note. The distance is just shorter.

I could get a guitar string 10ft long, and as long as I put 30lbs of tension on it, and put it onto a guitar with the bridge and nut at that standard scale it would still play a low e (if you can picture it, think of a guitar that is 10ft long and there is a capo where the nut would normally be. 30lbs of tension would still produce a low "e" note as long as the capo was at the same spot as a nut would be on a regular guitar.

On the other hand, if you put on some fat bottom strings you would have to up the tension on the strings (quite a bit actually) in order to get your low "e" note. Now that added tension should stop the flubber.
 
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