Well, I never thought I'd be the one to start something like this, but that was before I found a bass that I really "clicked" with. I traded a 4 string fretless a couple months ago for a Godin BG-5, my first 5 string bass.
I had played 5 string basses before, but I never owned one. I was afraid to take the leap to a 5 string due to worries about the larger neck/fretboard that I would have to wrap my hand around comfortably and quickly, when playing. However, the BG-5 made the transition easy.
The strings are close enough together to make the transition very easy for me. Plus, the 34" scale length combined with the strings being closer fits perfectly with my style of playing. I can move quickly between strings playing finger-style and play chords very easily.
I was hesitant to get a 34" scale length 5 string for worry of a bad B, but I have not been disappointed at all with the B string on the BG-5. I am going to be experimenting with different strings, but even the old strings that were already on there sounded great. I can't wait to hear what fresh ones sound like.
The woods are top quality with the maple body showing through a great burst, and the birdseye maple on the back of the neck is beautiful. I realized a while back that I do not like maple fretboards, so the rosewood on the BG-5 works wonderfully.
The electronics are all Seymour Duncan, and I have Basslines currently installed in the BG-5 I traded for. And as small as it may seem, I love having a 9V battery compartment that allows me to change the battery without using a screwdriver.
The sound is perfect. It's bassy but has enough mids and growl to cut through the mix of a very loud guitarist with tons of effects and a loud, crazy drummer. This thing can punch!
All in all, the quality of these instruments is amazing for a $1200 bass, especially because you can get on for $500-600 now that they are discontinued. They are made in Canada, not Asia, and that is very nice. I'm very surprised Godin isn't a bigger name out there.
So, I like my BG-5 so much that I just bought another one! I am going to be doing some work on both of the basses, putting Nordstrand pickups in one of the basses with an ACG preamp, and dual 5 string Dark Stars (when they are released) and an Aguilar OPB-3 in the other bass. I will also be putting silver hardware on the lighter burst bass.
I will take better pictures when I can of both the basses together, but these are going to be my main basses for a while, for my main band.
So, if you have a Godin and love it, post a pic and anything you want to say about it. I'll be posting more info on mine as I upgrade them. And an A5 may be on the way in the following months...
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I had played 5 string basses before, but I never owned one. I was afraid to take the leap to a 5 string due to worries about the larger neck/fretboard that I would have to wrap my hand around comfortably and quickly, when playing. However, the BG-5 made the transition easy.
The strings are close enough together to make the transition very easy for me. Plus, the 34" scale length combined with the strings being closer fits perfectly with my style of playing. I can move quickly between strings playing finger-style and play chords very easily.
I was hesitant to get a 34" scale length 5 string for worry of a bad B, but I have not been disappointed at all with the B string on the BG-5. I am going to be experimenting with different strings, but even the old strings that were already on there sounded great. I can't wait to hear what fresh ones sound like.
The woods are top quality with the maple body showing through a great burst, and the birdseye maple on the back of the neck is beautiful. I realized a while back that I do not like maple fretboards, so the rosewood on the BG-5 works wonderfully.
The electronics are all Seymour Duncan, and I have Basslines currently installed in the BG-5 I traded for. And as small as it may seem, I love having a 9V battery compartment that allows me to change the battery without using a screwdriver.
The sound is perfect. It's bassy but has enough mids and growl to cut through the mix of a very loud guitarist with tons of effects and a loud, crazy drummer. This thing can punch!
All in all, the quality of these instruments is amazing for a $1200 bass, especially because you can get on for $500-600 now that they are discontinued. They are made in Canada, not Asia, and that is very nice. I'm very surprised Godin isn't a bigger name out there.
So, I like my BG-5 so much that I just bought another one! I am going to be doing some work on both of the basses, putting Nordstrand pickups in one of the basses with an ACG preamp, and dual 5 string Dark Stars (when they are released) and an Aguilar OPB-3 in the other bass. I will also be putting silver hardware on the lighter burst bass.
I will take better pictures when I can of both the basses together, but these are going to be my main basses for a while, for my main band.
So, if you have a Godin and love it, post a pic and anything you want to say about it. I'll be posting more info on mine as I upgrade them. And an A5 may be on the way in the following months...
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
