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5 string basses should be 35” scale

#122
I’m really excited because my new to me 5’er (arriving on Wednesday) has a 34” scale.

Folks seriously need to balance the tension of their B Strings better. It makes a HUGE difference on any bass.

If you’re putting anything less than a .135 B String on your bass, you’re going to have issues. Fender only uses .125 on its basses from the Factory.

So, with a .105 E String you’ll have about 42lbs of tension on the E. With a .125 B String…. Yeah, roughly 33lbs on the B. See where I’m going here? Study tension charts. It’s actually better to buy a 4 String set and then buy a single B that best matches the tension of your strings. Most 5 String sets include floppy low tension B Strings. The majority of DR 5 String Sets come with a .125 B String…. Once again, very unbalanced. Not good.
 
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#123
one of the keys to a good low B string is to flatten the neck out as much as possible ... and I find certain brands of strings have better low Bs than others and sometimes a .135 or fatter low B string doesn't work well.
 
#124
I used to believe this since the "store brand" 34" scale 5-6 string basses sounded floppy. I now have some killer 34" and a 32" scale bass with a low B that stomps store brand basses.

Increasing the scale length to 35" scale is an "easy" fix. Longer scale length also allows to use a thinner string, which can allow a more consistent sound as you go up the neck. I also enjoy how the extra tension allows the action to be a hair lower and still remain buzz free.

The usual culprit is a weak and flexy neck. That's where a lot of the flop sound comes from.

Setup is another weak point with some basses.

Strings? I dunno, I've never used anything special.

Technique? To me, I well made bass doesn't require a significant adjustment in technique. I don't need to radically change my technique on my basses. I feel that doing so is compensating for a weakness in the bass or setup to a certain extent.

To the OP: play better stuff. The idea that a bass needs to be 35" scale is outdated.
 
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#125
My experiential is - A Lakeland like yours was my first great 5 too, and the width agreed with my fingers also...I could make believe it was my Carvin for 4 strings and the B was like a piano (or a thumb rest). I have an ESP 144F that is later vintage so made in China (although ESP knows what they are doing in design and management) but I believe the ONLY reason it sounds great is it's 35" scale. It has that ESP mid edge plus a piano like B that moves air. The neck is very shallow. My 2 SBEB Sterlings are 34" 5's and they sound great too, but the neck on those (like the original American) is deeper than a Fender shaped object. I have an Ibanez, early 2000s RB400, 34" 4 string but an EB like neck, if it were a 5 the B would be fine.
 
#130
bobknowsbass said:
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?
Click to expand...

I own various 5 strings (2 Smiths, 1 Sadowsky NYC) and the B strings are crisp, not floppy at all!
 
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#131
My Moollon JV-Classic V is 34" scale and it has an excellent low B - solid fundamentals all the way down and the B is perfectly in balance with the other strings tension-wise. Another multi-string bass I have is a 1990's Yamaha TRB-6P which is 33 7/8" scale. The low B on that one is really good too, but it needs a .135 or .138 to be in balance output-wise with the other strings. I've played some other 34" 5's or 6's that have great low B's, and I've also played some 35" scale instruments that have less than great low B's, so for me scale length isn't the only determining factor. I agree with other posters that the right string type and gauge is important. I generally have the best luck with GHS Contact Core Super Steels.
 
#133
bobknowsbass said:
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?
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With a proper set up you can get there on any bass. I have had 33” -35” scale. Right now, both my MTD US 5 strings are 34 in scale and perfect.
 
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#134
micguy said:
Have you tried a set of piccolo bass strings? If you want loose, down tune those an octave, They'll be VERY loose.
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I use .085 .050 .030 .020p, various extreme tunings (covering bass through guitar ranges simultaneously), not joking I love the way low tension strings react, and sound- but am joking in my extreme statement. Variety is the spice of life etc. etc.
 
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#136
I've played 35" scale 5-strings with ploppy B strings and I've played 34" scale basses with excellent B strings. Scale length isn't everything. Other factors are key as well, such as tightness of the neck joint.

Best B string I've ever played was on a 34" scale Guitar Factory 6-string (handmade by a pair of Florida-based luthiers who were Michael Tobias' right hand men in the old days).

So, basically, +1 on a LOT of this thread.
 

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