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

#41
KristinD said:
for something that doesn't feel as good as it could
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^ This right here. I get asking for guidance on what to look at, but nothing will be more useful than just getting your hands on an instrument and see if it chooses you. I use brands as a guide now that I have established some personal history with them, but when I started, the brand was a non-issue for me - "which one(s), in my price range, felt and sounded good to me". Luckily my local GC has a decent selection of fretted basses and I had a lot to choose from. But now that I have a couple of brands that I "trust", I can order online with confidence.

And apologies for assuming you're brand new to being back - I got the impression that you hadn't played in a while from your OP. When you get your fiver, do yourself a favor and try to stay just on that for a while - jumping back and forth will give you the most drama for "top string recognition" issues for a while. At one time, I was carrying my fiver, a 4 string fretless and a D tuned 4 string to one project. Boy did that require focus....
 
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#42
KristinD said:
What is the main difference between the SR405 or 305 and a 505? Is it a pretty big quality jump or more of an age thing or????
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It's a quality upgrade each time. Different top (quilted maple) and bridge on the 405, Bartollini pickups and more complex electronics on the 505. How much better I don't know. I am perfectly happy with my SR370 but I absolutely love the "Black Planet" finish of the 305. It makes me want to buy one.
 
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#45
I strongly dislike Ibanez basses, so if you try some of those and they don't work for you take a look at Schecter basses. IME their necks play pretty easily and they don't feel so thin under the hands.

I had a Stiletto Elite 5 and it was pretty solid and versatile; you should be able to pick up a used one for the price you're talking. I've since stepped back from a 5 string.

Edit: I will also always recommend American Peaveys, which can be had on the used market for cheap, but which often have weight issues or neck profiles that you may not like.
 
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#46
One important question is whether you want a traditionally designed and voiced bass or one with a more modern look and sound.

For the modern approach, the Ibanez and Yamaha recommendations are spot on. Possibly a G&L Tribute L2500.

For a traditional approach, consider a Sire M7 5 string, which is essentially an active 5-string Jazz bass.

If you want a Stringray, buy a Stringray. They are their own thing.
 
#47
mrcbass said:
^ This right here. I get asking for guidance on what to look at, but nothing will be more useful than just getting your hands on an instrument and see if it chooses you. I use brands as a guide now that I have established some personal history with them, but when I started, the brand was a non-issue for me - "which one(s), in my price range, felt and sounded good to me". Luckily my local GC has a decent selection of fretted basses and I had a lot to choose from. But now that I have a couple of brands that I "trust", I can order online with confidence.

And apologies for assuming you're brand new to being back - I got the impression that you hadn't played in a while from your OP. When you get your fiver, do yourself a favor and try to stay just on that for a while - jumping back and forth will give you the most drama for "top string recognition" issues for a while. At one time, I was carrying my fiver, a 4 string fretless and a D tuned 4 string to one project. Boy did that require focus....
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This is very helpful/encouraging! Thank you! And no offense taken (takes a lot to offend me haha), I definitely still consider myself a newbie....maybe more than I should sometimes given how much I have practiced and played this past year....I may have stopped playing bass for a time but I never stopped playing and thinking about music in general which probably does translate some, at least where my ear is concerned...I often find that when I'm learning a new song, my fingers know what to do and jump to the right note before my mind catches up enough for it to be intentional...so I know it's in there somewhere...I'm just still working to put all those pieces together. Our band recently brought in a new fiddle/lead guitar player to consider joining the group who has extensive experience and has been gigging regularly for over 30 years. His comment to myself and the drummer (who also came back into playing this past year after a few decades off) was "I know that you are newly back to this, and playing this style of music is all new to you, but you don't play like it." And I do think he's probably right. We aren't the most skilled players out there when it comes to some of the finesse and intricacies that come with more time and experience, and we have to put our practice time in before rehearsals to get our parts where we want them, but we have a nice, tight, rhythm section and work well together, which is a great foundation. You're emphasis on me needing to trust my instincts and personal preferences right now as I look for a bass is very helpful and appreciated. A little shot of confidence would probably do me good. :)
 
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#50
I took the 5 string plunge about 20 years ago and was a bit apprehensive at first, but it's been the best thing for my bass playing. The transition was not that difficult, and just being cognizant that the top string is a "B" instead of an "E" will smooth things out for you. I encourage you to try it and add a new dimension to your bass playing experience...You can do this...
 
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#53
KristinD said:
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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Yeah, that's what I appreciate – the sound is fantastic.

It's my first (and only, so far) bass. As I mainly played (acoustic) guitar before this, the neck size doesn't bother me. I certainly do see the ease of a four-string when I give one a whirl. So perhaps if I moved from a four to a five I'd feel the same way about five necks.

Anyhow, I have to say that I love having five strings. I don't always use the B-string, but when I do, it's really handy. And beyond that, I like having it there as a bit of a thumb rest. Slightly more narrow string spacing doesn't bother me, but again as I came from an acoustic guitar I'm used to things being a bit tighter.

Good luck!
 
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#54
KristinD said:
Thanks all! This has been very helpful!!





Went out to a local music store within driving last night (we live fairly rural so not a lot of options). Tried out what they had but no SR that I saw. Towards the end when I was talking with one of the store employees my husband handed me an SR805 he found in the back upper level of the store. I wasn't even paying attention to what he gave me since I was talking things through with this employee, didn't think they had what I was looking for, and was pretty much ready to leave the store and call it a night...with how good it felt right off the top, I assumed I was playing a 4 string until I looked down. Felt really comfortable and fast like you mention. Out of my price range, for the 805 but definitely going to look into the 505. @Inara What was your experience like with buying used off of GC? I think that may be my only option. I can't find any 505's local right now, but we have a GC close enough to not be a horrible drive and I could do ship to store. Are there any differences in the various ages of the 505's that I should consider as I look for one in the online used section? The pictures always seem so crappy it's hard to tell what you are looking at sometimes. And I'm pretty sure one of the stores has a 405 listed as a 505....the pick-ups and knobs are all different, etc. Doesn't make me feel real secure, but I don't know that there are any other great options out there. Thoughts?



I thought about this too as I remembered that first bass I played back in highschool was a fender. I tried a Fender MIM last night but it just didn't work well for me. I think it was how big the body was that perhaps made it hang different on my shoulder or something, but the neck felt short for me and my wrist seemed to be tweaked in a weird position no matter how I adjusted the strap. Maybe also a matter of the neck being thicker... I actually like the sound I got out of it and it seemed like a solid bass, but it just wasn't comfortable. I'm sure there are perhaps better options for me than the MIM but what I tried last night didn't seem to fit me well.



I thought about tuning down or trying the hipshot de-tuner as well, but the ease of playing certain songs and having the extra room to work is quickly turning into my main motivator. I have a few songs I am working on that were written for a 5 and trying to work out the modifications was really frustrating me with the 4 string. The lines just felt awkward and did not fit with what I naturally wanted to play. I could "make it work" but I was never happy or comfortable with that part of the progression. I threw my headphones on for 5 minutes in the store, with the first 5 string I'd ever held, and it's like I've been playing that same song for years. It was just so intuitive and clean to play it on the five given the chord structure of the song. We don't have a ton of songs like that, but we are doing enough of them and I could see the band continuing to add more in the future. I realize that the average crowd won't know the difference or care if I'm playing high vs low or the bass line isn't quite how I want it.... but as a mother of 4 youngish children who is still working through a learning curve and doesn't have multiple hours a day to practice, the ease that 5 string gave me was pretty appealing. Definitely felt worth-it in the moment :)
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I've bought three things from the GC used site and have had good luck myself. I know others who haven't been as lucky, but the return policy is great. For my sr505, I just picked the absolute cheapest one. After new strings and a good setup it was great. That's one thing I'd recommend - if you don't do your own setups, have a good tech do one and look the bass over to make sure the truss rod works and no other big "gotchas", so that if they find anything you can return it.

I'm absolutely in love with the neck on these. :)
 
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#55
KristinD said:
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.
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The lower end models are made in China and the more expensive models are made in Korea. As I said, I'm very satisfied with mine. It hardly ever goes out of tune.:thumbsup:
 
#56
Inara said:
if you don't do your own setups
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... learn how to do it. It's not difficult and with a bit of caution, there is little risk. A couple of tools and a little patience and one can set up almost any* bass to be playable for themselves in an hour or less. Learning how to do this will save you time and money and you'll gain some understanding of your instrument.

*Assuming workable neck/frets and hardware. The first thing I do to a new to me bass, is check and adjust the setup. I also check it with every string change.
 

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