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5-String Jazz Bass

K

Kazz3lrath

Jan 5, 2012
112
5
#1
I have never played a fiver. I have wanted a Jazz-Bass for a while, and am interested in putting together a 5 string J bass from Warmoth Parts. Is there anything I should know about 5 string J basses? Are other types of basses better suited for a fiver?
 
#8
fourstringbliss said:
Gotcha. Stiffness of neck and neck joint solidity, then?
Click to expand...

String tension...that's what will decide whether a B feels good, or not. Combine that with a good setup and good strings.

I've had 34" Bs that were great, some were mediocre. I've yet to find a 35" I don't like, though. Something about that extra inch changing the tension that the string tunes at is key.
 
#10
awilkie84 said:
String tension...that's what will decide whether a B feels good, or not. Combine that with a good setup and good strings.

I've had 34" Bs that were great, some were mediocre. I've yet to find a 35" I don't like, though. Something about that extra inch changing the tension that the string tunes at is key.
Click to expand...

actually, fourstringbliss has it right. it's not tension, but the compliance in the neck. it's the same reason that hard tail guitars feel stiffer (when bending notes) than ones with trems. if the neck is less rigid, the b will be more floppy.
 
#12
I'd take some time and play as many Mass Market and/or Boutique 5-String Jazz & Jazz-type Basses before you decide to go the Warmoth route. From the type of woods you'd like (some people prefer the natural "neutrality" of Alder while others like the mid-scoop you get from Swamp Ash) to its String-Spacing (can range anywhere from the tight 16.5mm of the Ibanez SR line to the "full" 19mm of most Fender as well as MTD and others - basically added another string onto a 4-string Bass) and Pickups & Electronics (from old-school Passive Pickup setup with a passive tone roll-off to Passive Pickups mated to an Active Preamp that can boost & cut various frequencies all the way to Active Pickups such as EMGs) you want to be *sure* what you like in a Bass before building one or having it built for you. Especially with Warmoth, which the vast majority of people would agree makes & sells extremely high-quality parts, but which you'll never get close to the money to put into it compared to a Production Bass such as a Fender, Sadowsky or Mike Lull. That's the problem with "Custom Basses"... they're custom to you, which most people aren't. :smug:

Don't get me wrong, I think a 5-string Jazz is a *great* place to start on the Road To Fivers (I have a Mike Lull 4 & 5, and even my Custom Spector Euro Bolt-Ons haven been modded to be half-Spector, half-Jazz), but having a Warmoth 5 built might be more than a bit premature for your first 5-string.
 
#14
I've own/owned 34 and 35 inch 5 string jazz basses. Some great here. Truss many as possible. I personally prefer a 34. My sadowsky has a great B string as well ad my fender 5.

For me, the extra inch on a jazz bass was awkward for me. Didn't feel right to me. Had a few great 35 inch jazz fivers and never bonded with them

YMMV
 

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