5 string basses should be 35” scale

[MovinTarget]

Aren’t there some other fanned fret five and six string instruments? Doesn’t Ibanez make one?

Yes, Ibby even offers some headless fanned fret models this might help some with the issue of having to reach tuners on longer necks...

 

[Bob McAlister]

I had a USA Lakland 5594 Deluxe with the Barts, the Bart pre, and lakland brand strings that not only sounded incredible all around, but the 'B' was superb! I don't think you need to buy some super expensive brand to achieve what a used $2,000 lakland 5594 can do perfectly. Why did I sell it.....I'm still trying to figure that out! I'd love to have another one....soon!

 

[Windreaper]

YMMV, but I've never been entirely happy with the tone of thick B-strings - they tend to sound dull and sometimes have weird harmonics. Prefer 35" as it allows me to go down in gauge while keeping the same feel, but it's not a massive difference by any means.

 

[ElectricBass72]

My post about multi-scale basses in the beginning of this thread seems like the most liked post of all time.

It was pure opinion. If someone has big hands and likes 35"scale basses....go with it.

 

[DECEMBER]

A .130 @B on a 34" is 36.1 lbs tension and on a 35" is 38.3 lbs. The 2.2 lb difference is equivalent to a .006875" difference in string gauge. Which means that if you want the same tension as a .130 on a 35" on a 34", you will need a .136/.137 gauge.
I have a 34" 5 string and it came with a .130 and it was still a bit loose for B. I now have a stainless steel hex core .146T tuned to A=27Hz and it's working out well. Had to file the nut and it barely fits thru the tailpiece. Sounds really good thru a Blackstar U250.
Stringjoy Guitar String Tension Calculator

 

[DECEMBER]

My 33-inch B string on my Ibby does just fine, thank you very much: no flop, good tone, consistent with the rest of the strings, defined in articulation.

What gauge do you use?

 

[FunkHead]

A .130 @B on a 34" is 36.1 lbs tension and on a 35" is 38.3 lbs. The 2.2 lb difference is equivalent to a .006875" difference in string gauge. Which means that if you want the same tension as a .130 on a 35" on a 34", you will need a .136/.137 gauge.
I have a 34" 5 string and it came with a .130 and it was still a bit loose for B. I now have a stainless steel hex core .146T tuned to A=27Hz and it's working out well. Had to file the nut and it barely fits thru the tailpiece. Sounds really good thru a Blackstar U250.
Stringjoy Guitar String Tension Calculator

Gauge is not the be all/end all for tension. It depends on the brand, core type, type of metals used,winding type etc….

 

[retslock]

Floppy B strings are intolerable.

Leo made the modern bass at guitar 34” scale to accommodate 4 strings. It is perfect for that specific purpose. Years ago I switched to 5 string and got an American Deluxe Jazz V. It was beautiful, sounded great, but the low B felt a bit like a rubber band.

Years later, Musicman Stingray 5. I loved that bass. It was slightly better with the low B. Still didn’t feel right. At the same time I played an Ibanez 6 string for solo bass arrangements. The high C was fun but that low B was rubber city.

I prefer high tension strings. I use them on all my 34” scale 5 string basses and haven’t had any problems.

 

[A9X]

You do realise the SJ calculator only does tensions for their strings, not other brands and constructions?

 

[DECEMBER]

Gauge is not the be all/end all for tension. It depends on the brand, core type, type of metals used,winding type etc….

You do realise the SJ calculator only does tensions for their strings, not other brands and constructions?

Yeah different types and brands will have different tension, but in general, the amount of difference will be relatively similar. Tension is a formula: you can change the numbers but the ratios will be the same. So whatever the % of difference there is will be the same across all types of strings. Whatever the tension may be of any given string, the difference in tension it will have on a 34" & 35" is ~6%.

 

[Egman]

My 5 strings are zon and Ibanez. No rubber B, nice and tight. 34 inch scales. The Ibanez has light tension labella on it and no issues.
The zon i keep changing guages and brands and don't have any issues. So i have no idea why he has issues, maybe the setup...

 

[FunkHead]

It’s no different than a four string. Some people hate TI flats for being too floppy.
You could give those people a 40” scale and they wouldn’t be happy.

If you want to believe that 35” scale is gonna make a floppy string magically not floppy then have at it.

I can drop a TI flat E string to a low C on a Spector NS2(34” scale) with no problem. It sounds plenty good too for the one song I use it on.

 

[bleedingfingers]

I would love to play my 4 string basses more but have to use my 5s most of the time .
I play Fenders and have owned others but went back to playing them about 20 years ago .
I had 2 identical Fender jazz 5s 1 active 1passive both with aftermarket hipshot Style bridges .
I used taper wound strings and open core strings for a long time now I use Medium gauge Dr strings and have for a long time .
I like the feel of the Fenders and try to only use the b String when I have to I spent a lot of time getting the setup and pickup height right for my playing style .
I think any scale b string is going to be floppy if it's not set up right .
I now have a New 5 string fender P bass that I am really digging .
Think I have a good string to string balance meaning the b string blends evenly with the other four strings .
I have tried Dingwalls and some 35 inch basses and they just feel too foreign to me .
I really like Sheldons stuff and tried the don't look just play and they do feel really natural I just don't like the feel up by the nut .
I was in Sheldon's shop that he had shortly after the fire trying out one of the few new basses he had when a guy came in and I stopped checking it out so he could have a go at it .
This guy started playing and blew my mind when he stopped playing and we talked it was Hutch Huchinson .
He had no problem adjusting to the feel of that bass .

Lots of good advice in this thread but I think it just once again boils down to play what like and what feels good to you .

 

[Basszillatron]

Absolutely no need for a 5 to be 35" scale. If that's your preference then so be it. After years of buying and selling 35" scale 5s I just don't like them. A lot of it is tone (34" sound more like traditional bass guitar) and a lot of it is feel. My first really good 5 string was (is) a Ken Smith that I have strung with 40-120 DR Sunbeams and the B sounds killer. I've got a newer 5 that I initially strung the same way but felt the B was lacking a little so I strung it with 45-130s and now it kills.

 

[iiipopes]

What gauge do you use?

D'Addario XL170BT with a 130 B string.

 

[Aceonbass]

D'Addario XL170BT with a 130 B string.

I use these on my newer 4003S5, which like most RIC basses, has a 33.25" scale. The B string response with the new pickuow rivals that on my active 5 string basses, which aren't getting as much use these days.

 

[scrattermark]

Floppy B strings are intolerable.

Leo made the modern bass at guitar 34” scale to accommodate 4 strings. It is perfect for that specific purpose. Years ago I switched to 5 string and got an American Deluxe Jazz V. It was beautiful, sounded great, but the low B felt a bit like a rubber band.

Years later, Musicman Stingray 5. I loved that bass. It was slightly better with the low B. Still didn’t feel right. At the same time I played an Ibanez 6 string for solo bass arrangements. The high C was fun but that low B was rubber city.

Then I got a Lakland 55-02. Dammit, they got it right. The 5th string is taught, clear, and feels like a natural extension of the bass. It’s big, no doubt. I had to adapt to it but it’s the best 5 string I have ever owned.

My query is, what’s next? Does Sadowsky make a 35” 5 string? I want to get my high end, forever bass at this point in my life. I have pondered owning a Sadowsky for the build quality and tone. Does the B string sing with clarity? Should I go with an American Lakland? What are your thoughts?

 

[bigcupholder]

Sorry but No. That's not how it works. Otherwise you'd have a negative number for tension at the 10th fret.

If you want a real world feel for 35" vs. 34" scale, Just fret the F (1st fret) on your 4 string. There's no discernible difference.

As you fret higher up the neck, You are essentially reducing the scale(17" at 12th fret) of the speaking length of the string. There is no noticeable difference provided you have a setup within spec.

I didn't think I had to specify "and the same pitch". When you fret up the neck you're not changing the tension because you're changing the pitch.

 

[bottomzone]

I had a Ken Smith 5 string back in the day that had a 34-inch scale. There were no floppy B-string issues and it had plenty of bottom and definition. My Sire Marcus Miller V7 5 has a great B-string that's not floppy, has plenty of bottom, clarity, and the best sustain of any 34-inch bolt-on that I've ever played.

 

[FunkHead]

If you chose the string you want for the tension you want it can be the same or even tighter on a 34" scale vs. a 35".

ie; using same brand of strings: a .120 gauge @35" will have less tension than a .130 on a 34" scale bass.

Sure, if you want to use the same exact strings on a 34" as your 35" the 34" will have less tension. That's why we have a choice of strings.