convert a 4 string to a five?

[dobby]

Does anyone here know anybody who has done this or know of another player who may have been successfull?
Just fishing for experience on this , Im still not sure If I will take the plunge.
Any thoughts? Bass Bob ? anybody?
Im contemplating having my German Plywood transformed , I beleive the neck , "scroll box" fingerboard , bridge and tail piece would have to be changed but I wouldnt even try it If I had to take the top off and do anything to the bar , I know It's taking a risk with tone and playability with the other changes but I would stop there If the bar needed any changes.
Some say I might sacrifice the geat tone it has now If I do this. I know it's possible.
Ive had this idea for several years after falling in love with an Inlaid Chubby Jackson beauty. I would be better off just getting another bass I know but that proabably wont happen for now." I would have to start a fund just to try this"
It's the High C I want for the 5th.

Thanks , Dobby.

[robobass]

Here in Germany it is fairly common to see 5'ers that used to be 4'ers. Normally they are big basses which presumably have thick tops and bars. Since you're going for a a high string you won't be adding as much tension as with a low string, but you should install an adjustable saddle. If the top doesn't like the extra downforce, you can then raise the saddle and relieve it. As for machines, a common trick is to install a tuner inside the pegbox. There is one available which has a hole all the way through, like a hatpeg gear, which is installed opposite one of the existing tuners, whose shaft goes through the added tuner. On the other end, you drill a new hole in the center of the tailpiece, add new notches on the bridge, and off you go. If you like the result you can add a wider FB later, but you might be able to adjust to the closer spacing and decide to keep the board you have. I have a friend who regularly changes his setup between 4 and 5 strings, depending on the jobs he's playing.

The general rule is more strings = less sound, but for many the extra string is worth the sacrifice. If you really want that high string, then go for it!

[JtheJazzMan]

My mentor did that on his bass, and simply used a bass guitar tuner to hold the high C string. Cut new slots in the nut, bought a 5 string tailpiece and that was all.

Never had any issues with the bass. Mind you he likes lower action and tension, so overall the tension on his bass would not have been that different to another player that likes 4 high tension strings.

I like the spacing of 5 strings on a 4 string FB. Its close, but they fit. Harder to bow, obviously, but it just takes more practice

A "legit" luthier conversion is considerably more expensive. The pegbox holes need to be plugged and redrilled.

[Bill Bentgen]

I saw a Prescott converted to 5-strings. A wider fingerboard was placed on the neck that overhung on the low string side. It was a really big bass and handled the extra string well.

[Fletcher Lanning]

Originally Posted by Bill Bentgen

I saw a Prescott converted to 5-strings. A wider fingerboard was placed on the neck that overhung on the low string side. It was a really big bass and handled the extra string well.

Did he also move the bridge over that direction some to accomodate the extra strings position? It just seems to me that if the fingerboard hung over on one side it would take everything out of center.

[Cody Sisk]

Robo I would think the high string would add more tension than a low string..

The other thing to consider is the distance between the strings. It'll really be difficult to get a nice phat fortissimo without bowing 3 strings at once. I'd be more inclined to take a 4-string and put on an extension before an extra string. A lot of these older basses were originally 3-stringers so really you're pushing in 2 extra strings..

[kurt ratering]

Originally Posted by dobby

Does anyone here know anybody who has done this or know of another player who may have been successfull?
Just fishing for experience on this , Im still not sure If I will take the plunge.
Any thoughts? Bass Bob ? anybody?
Im contemplating having my German Plywood transformed , I beleive the neck , "scroll box" fingerboard , bridge and tail piece would have to be changed but I wouldnt even try it If I had to take the top off and do anything to the bar , I know It's taking a risk with tone and playability with the other changes but I would stop there If the bar needed any changes.
Some say I might sacrifice the geat tone it has now If I do this. I know it's possible.
Ive had this idea for several years after falling in love with an Inlaid Chubby Jackson beauty. I would be better off just getting another bass I know but that proabably wont happen for now." I would have to start a fund just to try this"
It's the High C I want for the 5th.

Thanks , Dobby.

i did this very thing a few months ago with an old schroetter plywood body and a neck from some other old ply. i made a fingerboard out of beech that was extra wide, and tapered it down to the original neck width. it does make the neck feel like a "v" neck, but there is plenty of room for all the strings. if you make a new board, make sure that it will be thick enough as well. the one i made wasnt, and it came out rather flat as a result, but she works great.

[wayne holmes]

My experience would lean toward finding a 5 string. I'm sure that there are many more out there(like I) who got a 5 string only to discover that 4 with an extension was not so bad afterall. If there are others who have gone from a 4 to a 5, and decided to stay with the 4, then you might be able to get a good buy, as did the 5er to whom I sold my one and only 5 string.

[arnoldschnitzer]

Originally Posted by robobass

Since you're going for a a high string you won't be adding as much tension as with a low string

This statement confuses me. When you look at bass string packages, the pulling tension of all four strings is nearly identical. So why does a high C create less tension than a low B?

[robobass]

Originally Posted by arnoldschnitzer

This statement confuses me. When you look at bass string packages, the pulling tension of all four strings is nearly identical. So why does a high C create less tension than a low B?

Arnold,
When Cody challenged this idea I decided to look it up. I always thought that for most standard sets the lower strings were tighter than the higher ones, in a graduated fashion. After viewing the string tension sticky I see that although this is true of many sets, including Spirocore and Helicore, it is not the general trend.
My bad!

[dobby]

Thanks for all of the feed back , I always learn something new here.
I will proabably go for it some day If I dont find one that fits in to the budget.

Thank you all , Dobby .

[Cody Sisk]

Originally Posted by robobass

Arnold,
When Cody challenged this idea I decided to look it up. I always thought that for most standard sets the lower strings were tighter than the higher ones, in a graduated fashion. After viewing the string tension sticky I see that although this is true of many sets, including Spirocore and Helicore, it is not the general trend.
My bad!

Bah, Arnold's right.. as usual..

[Ric5]

I have done it many, many times!

http://www.3dentourage.com/425/425.htm


oops ... sorry ... you guys mean double basses ...

[Bill Bentgen]

Originally Posted by Flanning

Did he also move the bridge over that direction some to accomodate the extra strings position? It just seems to me that if the fingerboard hung over on one side it would take everything out of center.

The bridge appeared to be centered between the f holes. If I see the bass again, I'm curious enough to see how it was done.