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"Begrudgingly" taking the plunge to 5 string ;) Advice needed!

#21
If you are looking for something light weight then try the Dean Edge 1 5 string. I have been using one strung with D'Addario Chromes in church for about 8 months and it is working out very well. The worship team loves the sound and I am happy with only 7.3 lbs hanging on my neck. Definitely worth the $200 I paid. :D
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#22
Check Reverb too. Might take a little luck, but you could find a used Spector Legend 5, or a German Warwick Corvette 5 for around that price. IMO and YMMV plus a few other things, if you could snag one of these within $50 of you max price, much better value than most other 5's on the market.
 
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#23
zZippy said:
My 5 is a Fender Standard Jazz V (MIM). Great sound, easy to play neck. Maybe a bit heavy?
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That is what I spent the most time playing last night at the store, but I just couldn't get comfortable with it. The weight actually felt ok, but there was something blockier about the neck or how I was holding it that made my wrist sore. I spent quite a while trying to figure out if it was just how I had positioned the strap they let me use, but when I'd switch to another base it would feel more natural again. I liked the sound and the action though and had a hard time walking away from it, but in the end something just wasn't fitting right for me. It's a great suggestion though! I wish it would have worked out!
 
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#25
Definitely buy used. Ibanez and Warwick come to mind for good options with 16.5mm spacing and 34” scale. A German-made Warwick might be difficult to find on budget but their oversees offerings are very good, especially for your first 5 string. I easily transitioned to 5 string with my Warwick and I’m not exactly tall :-)
 
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#27
Dana R Gregory said:
If you are looking for something light weight then try the Dean Edge 1 5 string. I have been using one strung with D'Addario Chromes in church for about 8 months and it is working out very well. The worship team loves the sound and I am happy with only 7.3 lbs hanging on my neck. Definitely worth the $200 I paid. :D
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I have a Dean right now and do like it. It had entered my mind to just keep with the Deans. The local store where I bought my first Dean did have a few Dean 5s in stock. Of course the lower model felt a bit awkward for me and the $700 pro version felt better....go figure.... Probably just a set-up issue but I'm enjoying looking around and really testing out some other options this time after missing out on that when I bought my 4 string. The Ibanez I played last night felt good so I'm hoping that will be a good fit but need to get a bit more time with one to know for sure.
 
#28
Another Ibanez SR recommendation here. But let me advise avoiding the SR505; it’s matte finish is rather delicate and does not wear well. I suggest an SR655 with the Nordstrand pickups and ash body — much more focused tone than the SR basses with Bartolini pickups and mahogany bodies. I’ve also heard good things here about the SR305 and SR405 basses, too.
 
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#29
+1 on the Ibby SR505 - You should have no problem finding one of these used in the $350 range. this was my first fiver and it's a great player. I also own an LTD ($500 new) and Carvin (very variable pricing) 5 strings that I love, but they are noticeably heavier than the Ibby. I noodled on a Schecter in a GC one day and I would definitely consider one of those.

Don't be intimidated by the extra string - the biggest challenge will be getting your mind wrapped around what the actual notes are on the "top" string. You're used to looking down and seeing the top string, 3rd fret as being "G", but it's "D" on a fiver. Since you haven't been playing recently, this will be less of an issue, and the issue becomes irrelevant after a while anyway.
 
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#31
LadyLoveStingRay5 said:
Not everyone likes the feel of the small Ibanez body or slim neck . Try before you buy.
If you find you prefer a larger body try a used Sterling Stingray 5 import model .
Not the SUB import model .
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Which ibby has a small body? They all look fairly normal/large in the store. I am interested in getting a 5 with a smaller body and would like more choices than Warwick :)
 
#33
I don't know the difference between the models - probably not a lot (upgraded electrics and hardware?). Since you're just getting back into it, I wouldn't worry about that too much - for now if it plays nice, it will get you through getting your chops back.

You'll get GAS just like the rest of us and be needing another bass soon enough - at that time you can get more picky because you'll start to figure out what attributes are important to you. Just get yourself playing!
 
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#35
mrcbass said:
I don't know the difference between the models - probably not a lot (upgraded electrics and hardware?). Since you're just getting back into it, I wouldn't worry about that too much - for now if it plays nice, it will get you through getting your chops back.

You'll get GAS just like the rest of us and be needing another bass soon enough - at that time you can get more picky because you'll start to figure out what attributes are important to you. Just get yourself playing!
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Yeah, I agree. I'm trying to walk the line between not being too picky and yet not settling for something that doesn't feel as good as it could for my price point. I've been playing regularly for a little over a year now between rehearsals and gigs which isn't much, but is enough time to realize I probably should have done a little more homework on my current 4 string and that some of the issues I'm having with the physical aspect of getting my hand to function in the way I want it to may have been helped by a different profile, style of bass, or set-up. The more basses I try, the more I'm understanding what a difference it makes and why everyone here seems to have such strong personal preferences! ;) I love it!
 
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#36
Given the OP comment about hand size, I recommend taking up the search for a shorter scale 5-string. These are much harder to find, but there are some on Rondomusic last I checked.

My other 2 cents is to be aware that most 5-string sets use the lightest possible low B string, I believe to save money they go lighter on the E and B, and the tension response bears this out. "floppy" B string threads abound, and IMO that is all about overly light B strings. So, I recommend getting balanced tension strings, either those specific "balanced" sets, or customized via the D'Addario tension chart and ordered online, such as from basstringsonline. Especially if you were to go with a shorter scale length, you *may* need to customize your string sets for best results.
 
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