34" 5-string: anti-floppy B query

[David Jayne]

I think it must be the strings... But I'll tell ya - I've played numerous 5 string Fenders and they all felt REALLY floppy to me - My 34" Zon? TIGHT! Why? I dunno.

Stiffness and mass. Increasing either helps a low B.

 

[WRXbase]

Man, I wish I had played some of the tight 34" scalers you guys have. I have a Carvin LB76 with a 132 B. (D'Addario Half-Rounds.) It's squishy. Bad enough that I have to change my attack. Prolly from the 1 piece Malpe neck-through?

The B on my BTB455 is solid. I can hammer on it, but I think the scale is a tad long ... but from everything I've played, I refer abck to what I said about 34s.

Side question: Has anyone ever thought about pulling the fretboard on a squishy neck and installing some type of extra support?

 

[David Jayne]

I have a 5 string, 34" Pedulla Thunderbass. Maple neck-through, ebony board. The B sucks.
Warmoth necks are probably great for low B, as they are full of steel(mass). The 4 string one I have is incredible, but too heavy.

 

[DavidMP]

Man, I wish I had played some of the tight 34" scalers you guys have. I have a Carvin LB76 with a 132 B. (D'Addario Half-Rounds.) It's squishy. Bad enough that I have to change my attack. Prolly from the 1 piece Malpe neck-through?

The B on my BTB455 is solid. I can hammer on it, but I think the scale is a tad long ... but from everything I've played, I refer abck to what I said about 34s.

Side question: Has anyone ever thought about pulling the fretboard on a squishy neck and installing some type of extra support?

Before you try to change the neck try installing a string retainer to hold the B string down. Its a 5$ experiment and it made my B string much nicer.

 

[Psychicpet]

distance between ball-end and tuner make the most significant difference to the B string getting a better feel as well as playing better the higher up the neck (towards 12th fret and beyond) you go.

also. .125 - .128 for a B are great gauges that do speak a lot better than strings .130 and thicker.

 

[kirkm24]

I think using some compression could help tighten up a B string at least in terms of sound. I used to have an EBS MultiComp and it performed this particular role flawlessly.

 

[Darkstrike]

My personal criteria for the B string is that I should be able to hit it like an E string and sound right.

I expect all the strings on my basses to be hit just the same with no trouble, otherwize there is a problem somewhere.

 

[unclejane]

Before you try to change the neck try installing a string retainer to hold the B string down. Its a 5$ experiment and it made my B string much nicer.

Er.... can't you try a good plucking technique first before you start tearing up your bass for a problem it doesn't actually have?

It's free and will make the rest of the strings sound good too.....

Even I can get a good chug out of the B on my L2500 strung with flats because I pluck over the bridge PU. And played up near the neck that's the "floppiest" sounding B you could ever come up with - a Leo Fender design with flats is The formula for flop with weak plucking technique (LF basses all have a kind of acoustic tone to them).....
If I can fix this, you can be sure it's not the bass's problem ......

LS