19mm EBMM 5 string: fact / fiction?

[Inara]

Exactly. I could live with the 17.5 mm spacing if the finger board was wider at the body.
I visited a local mom and pop music store a couple weeks ago and played a few of the Sterling by Musicman Subs. I loved the feel of the Stingray 5 neck and the first thing that I noticed was that there was adequate room beside the G and B string from the edge of the finger board.
I thought “it’s about time”! I liked it so much that I went home and ordered a Sterling by Musicman Stingray 5 HH in a really nice color. I was blown away by the quality, sound and playability of the bass (when it arrived). And guess what?
The neck on the Sterling is the same width at the nut and body as the US SR5. They just tightened up the string spacing to 16.5 mm.
And surprisingly I don’t mind the 16.5 mm spacing. Certainly better than the G string hanging over the edge of the finger board.
Crazy! I like a $399.99 bass better than the $2399.99 US model.

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Thanks for posting this! I like 16.5mm spacing a lot. I've also been fine with the 17.5mm on the 3 SR5s I've owned, but it's nice to know that SBMM have taken this step nonetheless.

 

[wizard65]

With all the good things us Americans can do we also have a knack for holding on to tired, old ideas, well-past their shelf life.

One thing I admire about Americans is how you hang on to your traditions.
Us Australians are too fond of abandoning our traditions for the latest trend.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

One thing I admire about Americans is how you hang on to your traditions.
Us Australians are too fond of abandoning our traditions for the latest trend.

I am not convinced resisting the metric system makes sense.

 

[wizard65]

I am not convinced resisting the metric system makes sense.

I must admit, metric is a great system.

 

[Chad Michael]

FWIW - was raised with gallons, inches, dollars, pounds, basses with 3/4" string spacing and 30 /34 / 35" scales.

Those were the good ol' days. Should I ask my son to go to the store for 3.78 liters of milk, perhaps?

I am busy practicing with my 86.36 centimeter bass.... hence I cannot...

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

One thing I admire about Americans is how you hang on to your traditions.
Us Australians are too fond of abandoning our traditions for the latest trend.

As a fellow Aussie, I'm struggling to think of an example where this has occurred. I can think of a few examples where the cultural norm has been abandoned in order to follow another country's tradition for the sake of commercialism, i.e. Halloween - about as un Australian as it gets - but the abandonment of an Australian tradition to follow a trend? I'd be interested to hear some examples.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Metric users (and yep, this is a big tangent even by usually TB standards) - how do you order lunchmeat? We typically order a pound or a half pound most commonly. A half kilo would be 1.1 and a quarter kilo, .55 lbs - so do metric countries sell, on average, 10 percent more lunch meat?

 

[wizard65]

As a fellow Aussie, I'm struggling to think of an example where this has occurred. I can think of a few examples where the cultural norm has been abandoned in order to follow another country's tradition for the sake of commercialism, i.e. Halloween - about as un Australian as it gets - but the abandonment of an Australian tradition to follow a trend? I'd be interested to hear some examples.

National anthem, we’re on our 2nd one, now there’s talk of changing again.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Metric users (and yep, this is a big tangent even by usually TB standards) - how do you order lunchmeat? We typically order a pound or a half pound most commonly. A half kilo would be 1.1 and a quarter kilo, .55 lbs - so do metric countries sell, on average, 10 percent more lunch meat?

or less, rounding works both ways

 

[Lesfunk]

Two things....
The metric system is good
But
Nutrisystem is also very effective

I went back to the nine year old EBMM forum thread and read Sterling Balls posts.
They were hilarious.
I like him more than I did before.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I can hang with the 17.5mm bridge spacing, I just wish the SR5 had a 1-7/8” nut and a slightly wider neck.
My L2500 with 17.5mm spacing has a 1-15/16” nut and the string spacing feels identical to my Fender-spec 5’s.

For me, if a 5-string has a 1-3/4” nut, it needs to have 19mm at the bridge. If it has 17.5mm at the bridge, it needs at least a 1-7/8” nut. That’s the trade off.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I just wish that the G string on the SR5 Specials were even 1/64" closer to the center of the fretboard. Oh, and all 9V batteries worked in the battery holders.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I can hang with the 17.5mm spacing, I just wish the SR5 had a 1-7/8” nut and a slightly wider neck.
My L2500 with 17.5mm spacing has a 1-15/16” nut and the string spacing feels identical to my Fender-spec 5’s. I can totally feel the difference between the 1-7/8” but and 1-3/4” nut.

I kind of feel guilty being so critical of Sterling Ball when I have always been perfectly comfortable with a Stingray 5. That said, my opinion is my opinion, and I am entitled to it.

 

[N4860]

Metric users (and yep, this is a big tangent even by usually TB standards) - how do you order lunchmeat? We typically order a pound or a half pound most commonly. A half kilo would be 1.1 and a quarter kilo, .55 lbs - so do metric countries sell, on average, 10 percent more lunch meat?

Here in Canada, it is usually purchased in grams when you go to the deli counter to have it sliced. 0.5 lbs. would be around 226 grams but usually you would just say something like 200 or 300 grams (at least that's what I normally order).

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I kind of feel guilty being so critical of Sterling Ball when I have always been perfectly comfortable with a Stingray 5. That said, my opinion is my opinion, and I am entitled to it.

Overall, he's a good guy. But he has his moments. We all do, it's just when I have a moment, nobody knows nor cares.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Here in Canada, it is usually purchased in grams when you go to the deli counter to have it sliced. 0.5 lbs. would be around 226 grams but usually you would just say something like 200 or 300 grams (at least that's what I normally order).

My point was that we tend to like round numbers (or easy fractions). So that seemed like it would end up selling slightly more of certain items in a metric system than in an imperial system. Like in the UK if they track their weight in stones (14 lbs) so if you gain a pound or two, you don't worry. If you gain a stone or two you're buying new clothes.

I like weird things like how language impacts what we think and how we measure things impacts our sense of urgency or importance of those things that are measured. I once ordered 2/3 pound of cheese and that really confused the deli worker. Hate to say it, but if you're working the deli, there's a good chance that you didn't do great in math in school. Fraction to decimal conversion is iffy at best. So now, I just order a heavy half pound and that works out ok.

 

[Lagado]

I bought a StingRay5 in '88 a year after they came out, it was flawlessly put together, new machining. Then I bought another in black in '97, then another natural finish in 2000. I've tried my best to hang onto one, I have never understood why a full width version wasn't made. Many players coming from a four string, are going to be used to full width spacing.

 

[BassikLee]

In my mind, you want a Musicman 5, you buy one. You want one with a 19mm spacing, you buy a Lakland. Done.

 

[Geri O]

The fact that we are on an Internet forum, with a belly full of turkey, complaining about music man not making a stingray5 in a different string spacing.... gave me a chuckle.
It’s such a first world problem.
There are so many companies and options available to us it’s ridiculous. You can get a wide spaced five string with a Humbucker if you want one .

why aren’t we crapping on Lakland for not making a 34” 17mm? Or Sadowsky? Or anyone else who doesn’t offer everything and anything we want...

 

[silky smoove]

In my mind, you want a Musicman 5, you buy one. You want one with a 19mm spacing, you buy a Lakland. Done.

Which Lakand model sounds like an SR5? I can’t think of any that do the Stingray thing very convincingly.