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Battle of the B-Strings!

#21
Hi,

Out of all the 5-strings that I've ever played, my Peavey Cirrus 5-string (c. 2000; Bubinga/Walnut), has one of the tightest Bs out there.

That being said, I've never played a Dingwall, and I've heard that they have the most focussed B.

Good luck with your search.
 
#22
well, i have to disagree with other users of cheap peaveys because my millennium has no problem with uneven string response - they all sound good, but the B is quite floppy. i'm assuming that the stock gauge is .120, so next paycheck i'm gonna try a .135 and a .130 (as well as replace the other 4 with my usual gauge) and see if either of them fell better. also keep in mind that the low B tension is my only complaint with this bass.
 
#23
As the owner of 2 Dingwall 5-string basses, I know what MY solution is. I'm a believer in physics--quantitative science.

All things being equal, the bass with the longer scale length will have higher tension at the same pitch.

Same thing with string gauge--the thicker the string, the higher the tension. Problem is, a string too thick will start to sound thuddy and dead.

I've played a TON of really nice 5-string basses and tended to be underwhelmed by most of them (Laklands are a notable exception) but the DIngwalls were the first basses where the B string sounded like everything I hoped or imagined that big fat string SHOULD sound like.

But back to the original post--I've also played and owned Modulus basses. While it wasn't the bass for me, the B string was pretty darn good--if the bass you played SUCKED, it was probably a bad string.

Still, my best advice is to go try a Dingwall. Those who go that route RARELY go back--the only person I've seen go back to a normal parallel-fretted bass was a guy who was playing a 4-string Dingwall but had some BEAUTIFUL early 60's Fenders that he couldn't quit.
 
#26
Mojo-Man said:
:cool:

If the bass is made well, scale makes no difference.
Click to expand...

IMO and IME (and according to the laws of physics) the scale makes a difference if all remaining parameters remain constant. If there was no such case, then the C note (pitch-wise) should have the same sound played on the 13th fret of a Low B, on the 8th fret of the low E and on the 3rd fret of the A. Another extreme example is to start detuning a string half a step at a time while fretting the string higher to keep the pitch contact. While the given note will still sound in pitch, the rest of the overtones will start muddy-ing up.

I do have to agree though, that any well made bass, when properly set-up, it will give you the best possible sound

My 0.02
 
#27
Lorenzini said:
I've found great B strings on a lot of quality instruments. Of course, without good strings you're most likely going to get a floppy B.

Here's a little list of affordable basses I've found to have great B strings:
Lakland 55-02 - great
EBMM SR5 - great
G&L Tribute L2500 - great
Peavey Cirrus 6 and 5 strings - great
Click to expand...

To be fair, I wouldn't call the 2500 Tribute a GREAT B string, but it's a good one to be sure. The tension is moderate. The sound though, is a 10/10. There's nothing like hitting the B with both pickups active on 2500.
 
#31
for the record.

MY modulus has an outstanding B string, 34" scale too! I have a Flea jazz 5 and its great.

I also have a Stingray with a great B.

GC does pretty bad setups, but the one here in Nashville actually does a pretty good job. New strings really help too.

other notable mentions are Roscoe, F bass, Lakland, and Dingwall.
 
#32
Based on my experience with basses I've owned:

SR5 - average (with B a little 'detached' or floppy on a rosewood board)
Warwick Jazzman Streamer- a little above average (with an ebony board)
Sadowsky NYC VJ - above average (fairly even with an ebony board)

But it does depend on strings too - some B's sounded crap with different strings. And personal taste.
And scale length - I'm not going to 35" for anyone.
 
#33
I used to play a Modulus Quantum 6 with a 36" scale and a Quantum 5 with a 35" scale and the B-strings were killer, killer, killer!!
Stupid me, I sold the basses years ago.
My other basses, 5 string Börjes (35") and 5 string Lefay (34") have a great low B as well, allthough slightly less defined than the Modulus basses.
I heard a Celinder Vintage 5 a couple of times and the B was fantastic.
As someone mentioned, trying different strings (brand, gauge) is a way to go.
I have new strings from a different brand on one of my basses right now and the low B is "mega-floppy".
 
#37
Eric Moesle said:
I have NEVER been able to discount a B string on an in-store bass simply because they have unknown, stock strings. I have taken basses home, set them up and installed better strings and brought B strings to life.

I can't see how you can make those determinations about the bass when the string might have been too light or too cheap.
Click to expand...

It's like this. If the bass sounds killer in the store, it will sound killer when you take it home. If it sounds like junk, there's no guarantee that it can be improved, especially if you're insanely picky for me. I can't afford to take a gamble when I can buy something that's guaranteed to sound amazing.
 
#40
Double Agent said:
This man speaks the truth. Great B strings are also found on Lakland and Spector basses, but the best B string I've experienced was my Dingwall AB-1.
Click to expand...

I haven't had the chance to hear one in person, but I'm probably gonna order a bass with a 37" scale low B and fanned frets. With that particular scale length, I'd think it would be more difficult to have a bad low B.
 

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