A good 5 string bass maker?

[tbassist4]

Before I say anything else, I did try the search function, but it said it excluded the word "5" or "five" from my search because both were "too common," therefore making my search just "string," which really doesn't help much...haha.

Anyways, I've had a recent fascination with 5 string basses, and I was wondering where I could look into one. I currently own a seriously overhauled "ebass," and am loving it, I've been working on the Eccles so far for a college audition and this bass has done just great, to the surprise of many. I am, however, looking for a new bass to use.

I like the idea of the added depth of a fifth string, it could also help me for playing cello parts, which I do somewhat, but I do play them an octave down. I really like the orchestral possibilities most of all. I also prefer this option to getting an extension on my current bass. First of all, it isn't worth it, considereing the extension and installation would be more than the cost of the bass and original repairs combined.

I'd also like to know what the cons are of such an instrument. I've heard that they do not project as well, because of the added mass and the extra string tension on the top from the low B. There has to be a few good ones out there though, right? haha. I've also heard that they do not work well for solo parts. This would be a major problem if true, because of the fact that I am a student heading to college in a year or so, and will no doubt be doing a lot of solo work...haha.

I have no problems with the extra size. I currently play a large 7/8 size bass, and love the feel and fit of it. My neck is already extremely thick, as in ebay-bass-tree-trunk-thick, so I'm used to that. Is the size the reason why a 5 string is poor for soloing? I couldn't imagine why it wouldn't be good for such. The size and the possible poor projection were the only things that I could think of.


SO, after all of that typing. Could someone enlighten me on the subject? I've already looked them up, so I know the basic things. My questions mostly concern the above, and also the cost of such an instrument. I will definetly need to look at student range priced basses, but I could possibly save up more if it is not possible and if they are all extremely expensive. I would also like to know where to go to get one. My local shops (I live near Minneapolis, MN) carry some extremely nice basses, but don't have many 5 strings, if any at all. Some help would be greatly apprieciated, I apologize if this has been posted on, but I did try the search . Haha, thank you!

[JoeyNaeger]

I used to be interested in five strings as well but my teacher talked me out of it. I've never played one but basically, the spacing of the strings is much tighter than a four string so its difficult to play cleanly. Plus the G string is so far over its an uncomfortable reach with the right arm. Your best bet will be to find someone with a five string locally who will let you try it out.

[toman]

Pollman makes quite a few five strings, and there seem to be plenty of older ones on the market, too. I played one a while back that was for sale, the fully tricked-out model with Busetto corners, fully carved edges, fancy hardware, the whole deal, and it was a very nice bass. A bit on the large and heavy side, but nothing absurd or unmanageable, especially for a five. I think they were asking 18 or 19k for it, though I don't know if that's appropriate or fair or not. I think it was made in the late eighties or so, but I could be wrong there. Overall it'd be a very nice, reliable newer bass that would take little maintenence and only get better (and more valuable) with age...

[tbassist4]

Thank you both. Yes I do understand that it is different than a four string, and even after adjustments made to the bridge and fingerboard to make it more manageable, I do know that it would be different. I wouldn't mind, however, learning to play on this instrument. I know it'd be tougher, but I'd still like to take a whack at it. Thank you as well Toman, I'll have to look into Pollman further, otherwise I have no one locally that I know who even owns a five string. Guess I'll have to shop around. What is a student range instrument priced at? College student, I mean. I was thinking in the 5k on through 12k and maybe up, but I really can't afford more than that. 10k would even be pretty steep for me. Ohwell, guess I'll just have to take a look. Thank you both!

[Jake]

Rumano Solano in Baltimore, MD is a very fine maker. I am not a fan of fivers, but a I saw a 4/4 fiver he made with a spruce top and walnut neck/back/sides. The guy who ownes it is a Nashville pro who uses it a lot for recording. It is his main axe. I have heard he also ownes a Pollmann fiver, yet he prefers the Solano. Hope this helps.

[5stringDNA]

Christopher Makes 7/8 5 strings starting at around $2800 for hybrids. They have a fully carved model (500 series I believe) for closer to $5k. I have only talked to a couple people that have played them, but have gotten favorable responses. Paul W has a 5 string that is not only gorgeous but an absolute thunder cannon.. not cheap by any means though. The maker is slipping my mind at the moment.

[kontrabass]

Here is a picture of a Kolstein 5-String. I am not affiliated with the buyer, but think that the bass looks pretty.

I recall some TB members have a similar one.

http://www.matthare.com/Sale.htm

I found it on the Mr. Gollihur's classified site, BTW.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Jake

Rumano Solano in Baltimore, MD is a very fine maker. I am not a fan of fivers, but a I saw a 4/4 fiver he made with a spruce top and walnut neck/back/sides. The guy who ownes it is a Nashville pro who uses it a lot for recording. It is his main axe. I have heard he also ownes a Pollmann fiver, yet he prefers the Solano. Hope this helps.

The bassist who records in Nashville a lot who plays the Solano fiver is also the Principal Bassist in the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. I don't know this bassist's name or contact information, but I could find out easily at anyone's request. I saw and played the bass while it was being worked in Rumano Solano's Maryland shop June of this year.

[Jake]

Well, I am not trying to argue you Ken, you are a great source of knowledge about the double bass (and of course BG), but I know of several of Rumano Solano's basses that sound good and have stood the test of time construction wise. I bet some of Mr. Shen's basses have problems as well. I heard about a guy that played in and won a big solo competition on a Solano bass that is several years old. Also, I know that Rumano is a great guy and he stands behind his basses. For example, he drove all the way to Florida just to fix TB'er Mathew E Wengerd's Klotz copy when it had a problem. My main point is that I have heard a lot of great testimonies about Rumano and his basses.

[sixbelow]

i have a 5er made by Baranyai Gyorgy from Hungary. It was about $7500 and has an incredible sound after 5 years of heavy use. The dealer i got it through was at World of Strings in Long Beach, CA.

I put a few pics on this thread: Talk Bass Double Bass Photo Album

feel free to PM me with any questions

-Greg

[toman]

I don't want to divert the thread or anything, but on the Solano/Shen/other new bass issue, I think there is always going to be a number of new instruments that have issues. Even if the majority don't, there will always be those early examples, basses made from one particularly bad piece of wood, or one that hasn't been taken care of well. My Shen is an example of that; not to any particular extreme, just in general. From everything I've heard, problems with them are uncommon, but mine certainly can't be ignored. So I think to judge a particular maker (or shop, company, factory, whatever, in this case) on one particular bass that may have had problems is not really fair or realistic.

[Dr Rod]

I will respectfully disagree with the Poellmann and Kolstein recommendations. I have seen some good and some that were very dead, too inconsistent. Their 4 stringers are a different story.

Thomas Martin makes great 5 string basses.

Peter Elias built nine 5 string basses for the Chicago Symphony section.

I have played many Solanos that sounded excellent.

Gruenerts sound a little raw, but they are very effective.

Krattenmacher in Berlin has made basses for 3 of the Berlin Phil guys, including the bass the new principal played in his audition. His 5 string basses are supposed to be incredible.

[spdrswb]

Hello Tbassist4,

Well I think by considering Pollmann 5ers, you entered to the most expensive salon of DBs (on the other side, to one of the best, though). What I would do is look for a Rubner, for example (gamba shape, curved back). Orchestras are crowded by them here. They make DB concertos with them. They have deep ribs. Consistent quality. Search for one between EUR 5500 and 7000, 10-30 years old, on German pages (Please convert to USD). OK, there are solo basses who cut through more or their timbre is closer to cellos, but it can be an advantage for the Rubner: maybe you want to perform solo pieces with DB sound, cello sound should be another faculty in college, shouldn't it?

[Dr Rod]

Originally Posted by spdrswb

Hello Tbassist4,

Well I think by considering Pollmann 5ers, you entered to the most expensive salon of DBs (on the other side, to one of the best, though). What I would do is look for a Rubner

I could not agree more, Poellmanns are expensive and not necessarily good (sometimes they are).
I had forgotten about Rubners, they do make nice and reasonably priced instruments. Sometimes I feel that some of their models are not made big enough to be 5 stringers. The ribs are deep but the tops often resemble 4 stringers.
I remember having played some outstanding big Rubner 5 stringers that had busetto corners and flame shaped FF holes

[Eastman]

This Rubners are somewhat clumsy and not very handy. Also the look and feel are not everybody’s taste. I played once one of these but I had the impression that they are very hefty and lazy. On the other side, I heard good things about “tuned” ones …

I just bought this Hungarian 5-string. It sounds great and as far as I can see the quality is ok.

Eastman

[Bob Branstetter]

Bob Ross, an innovative doublebass maker in Denver Colorado, makes a very good sounding fiver. I heard Paul Warburton playing one a few years ago that was even across the stings and had a low B that sounded great playing pizz. IMO, finding a fiver that sounds good pizz is even tougher than finding one that sounds good arco.

[Eastman]

I bought the “NoName” Hungarian mainly for pizz. It is very even across all strings and you can really use the low Eb and D on the low B string also in pizz played tunes. I have tried several 5-strings and I agree with Bob, most of them could not be used for pizz because the lower two strings are flubby or what ever you call that in English! That means they do not produce a usable sound. It’s also not related to the string length, I have seen 5-stinger with 110 cm string length which does not sound and some with 106 cm and a tight, focussed low B string … I got one of those

Eastman

[Anonymous75966]

Originally Posted by Dr Rod

Peter Elias built nine 5 string basses for the Chicago Symphony section.

I got to briefly play an Elias bass a couple of years ago and thought it was a great instrument - a very big but manageable bass, and a great, open B string.

You can see demo clips of the very same instrument on the 'interactive media' page at
www.arraymusic.com

[jmpiwonka]

my old bass teacher, Jeff Jacobsen who was in Kansas city for a long time (Bob Branstetter might know him and his bass), had a nice old german bass that was converted to a five string because he found it in pieces and didn't find the neck...perfect time for that conversion.

the point is he knew what to look for in a five string bass and he had two of his orchestra students fly up to KCstrings with him and they looked for basses...both left with five string KC basses, one was a master bass and the other was a lower level bass.
you might look into those.
Jeff went back to KCstrings like a year later and bought an Anton/Krutz four string bass for his solo bass.
i heard all three of those basses and they all sounded very nice.

[Pete G]

I have a Kolstein Fendt model fiver. It's a good instrument for the money.

I'm still on the fence about playing a fiver, though. Mine is set up as well as can be done, but there are challenges inherent to the configuration.

In my opinion, the closer spacing of the strings is NOT a significant disadvantage, and in fact can be an advantage in playing a lot of passages. For one thing, "barring" two strings, as guitar players do, is much easier, and that's a nice technique to have easily accessible to you.

The big problem is getting confused about where your bow is going in fast passages on the B, E, and A string -- where we orchestral players spend a lot of our musical life.

If you've mostly played on four string basses, that is the hardest challenge, in my opinion.

I'm a serious amateur, but I don't spend four hours a day on the bass, like I did when a student. For the avocational player, it's probably easiest to play on one type or the other (4 or 5 string) full time. Switching back and forth constantly just makes it harder.

For any given concert I'm working up, I determine at the outset whether the music is better suited to the four or the five. Then I set the other bass down until I've finished that concert, so I'm devoting all my time to the challenges of the instrument I'll use for the concert.