5 string bass selection

[matt holt]

It's hard to go wrong with Lakeland or Ibanez. You might also look at Schechter, I've always found their bases to be good for the money, and pretty versatile.

Fenders are great, my only gripe is that I think you pay a premium for the label. IMHE there are number of companies that offer similar quality bases with similar features at better prices.

 

[KickingBass]

All great suggestions. Thank you! Just for some bonus info here's what I'm playing now (disclaimer I'm no wiz at this stuff so I'm not sure what my fret/string spacing is, but you might know!):

Fender jazz/precision bass. Seafoam green. Whatever the stock pickups are. I use rotosound medium gauge swing strings. I want to say its a 34" scale because it doesn't have 24 frets but not sure.

The bass I'm looking for should be warm and full bodied like I said before, but have a little punch with an alteration of the eq nobs wouldn't hurt. Heard great things about the laklands, I just don't like the aesthetic of them as much as the Ltd b5e. That's not the biggest concern, but I do like owning beautiful guitars.

Sounds to me like you need an Ibanez SR505 like the one in my avatar (poplar burl top version) or SR705. Theyre very light for a 5 string and surprisingly deep and warm. The necks are also nice and thin yet strong.

 

[Rayjay]

FWIW..

A used Am St Fender P or J is in that price range. I have the P and I love it

Also FWIW, I have recently tried out a Lakland 55-01 and something about it just didn't quite vibe; it was very nice but the tone was nowhere near that of my other basses (in same price range - EBMM, Fender, and Warwicks)

 

[macrocheesium]

The bass I'm looking for should be warm and full bodied like I said before, but have a little punch with an alteration of the eq nobs wouldn't hurt. Heard great things about the laklands, I just don't like the aesthetic of them as much as the Ltd b5e. That's not the biggest concern, but I do like owning beautiful guitars.

Why not get the ESP? It's a great bass.

 

[Texan]

FWIW..

A used Am St Fender P or J is in that price range. I have the P and I love it

Also FWIW, I have recently tried out a Lakland 55-01 and something about it just didn't quite vibe; it was very nice but the tone was nowhere near that of my other basses (in same price range - EBMM, Fender, and Warwicks)

It's the preamp, the stock MK1 is very harsh. I tell anyone that will listen to swap it out ASAP.

 

[klokker]

G&L for me.

 

[Owens W]

I'm just graduating from a 4 string to a 5 string and want some recommendations on what to try out. I have a great bass for funk and jammy kind of music but I'm trying to get more into hip hop, R&B, and soul music. Something with nice sustain and a warm full-bodied sound is a must (preferably mahogany but other recommendations are cool). I've looked at a couple basses and found a really beautiful one (esp Ltd b5e). I haven't played it because it's not at any music store near me. It's in my price range, though ($500-$800) and got pretty great reviews. Just wondering if anyone has experience playing that genre with a bass in that price range.

I play on a b5e, and it will do exactly what you need it to.

 

[nathank333]

@ the OP - if you want to really nail the tone on the r&b, soul, and hiphop that you mentioned you'll really want to have an original leo fender design type of bass (i.e. p-bass, jazz, or stingray), with that esp you mentioned you can get something acceptable for that sound, but not nail it. Those two soapbar pickups are more of a modern thing. Based on you liking that esp, maybe you want some nice natural wood tone. You should check out some Warwick 5ers, you can't get a real german one new for your price range but used, definitely. if you've got to get a new one, they have their rockbass line, but i've never really played those. I've got a Corvette $$ 5er that I can get pretty damn close to a p, j, or musicman tone with. Good luck with the search for the new bass!!!

I guess a good question is what kind of hip-hop, r&b, and soul are you trying to get more into? because there's a lot of it that has been played on a modern style bass like that ESP that you like, but a lot more of it that's been played on the type of bass that's in your avatar!!!