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Converting 4 string to 5 - crazy?

#21
darwin-bass said:
I have arthritis in my left hand and cannot comfortabley play a neck that is wider than a modern Fender P neck. I've tried the narrow Ibanez and SBMM 5 string necks and my hand hurts after 3 minutes. Which has me out of the 5-string game for good. Or does it?

What about squeezing five strings on a four string bass?

If I started with a P neck and found the right bridge (Kahler 2440) I could fit five strings on a four string neck. I'd have to start with a blank headstock and drill my own tuner holes. Spacing would be a tight 14 mm and I don't know if that would be playable or not. This would end up as a very custom bass so resale value if I don't like would be very low.

Am I crazy?
Click to expand...

a modern p-bass neck works really well for 5 strings, and the bridge spacing is more like 16 to 18 mm depending on the bridge you choose.

4 to 5 bass conversion (3dentourage.com)
 
#22
with a typical p-bass neck you just need to drill one more hole and replace the nut, and add a string tree.

fb5 039.JPG
 
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#24
darwin-bass said:
I have arthritis in my left hand and cannot comfortabley play a neck that is wider than a modern Fender P neck. I've tried the narrow Ibanez and SBMM 5 string necks and my hand hurts after 3 minutes. Which has me out of the 5-string game for good. Or does it?

What about squeezing five strings on a four string bass?

If I started with a P neck and found the right bridge (Kahler 2440) I could fit five strings on a four string neck. I'd have to start with a blank headstock and drill my own tuner holes. Spacing would be a tight 14 mm and I don't know if that would be playable or not. This would end up as a very custom bass so resale value if I don't like would be very low.

Am I crazy?
Click to expand...

Arthritis can be reversed with diet and supplements.

I used to have trouble with fat necks ... I changed my left hand technique,

 
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#34
darwin-bass said:
I have arthritis in my left hand and cannot comfortabley play a neck that is wider than a modern Fender P neck. I've tried the narrow Ibanez and SBMM 5 string necks and my hand hurts after 3 minutes. Which has me out of the 5-string game for good. Or does it?

What about squeezing five strings on a four string bass?

If I started with a P neck and found the right bridge (Kahler 2440) I could fit five strings on a four string neck. I'd have to start with a blank headstock and drill my own tuner holes. Spacing would be a tight 14 mm and I don't know if that would be playable or not. This would end up as a very custom bass so resale value if I don't like would be very low.

Am I crazy?
Click to expand...
For a while I played a 6 string that was scarcely wider than a 5. The close string spacing was ok, but I realized that my plucking hand prefers it wider.

Until I find a 6 I like, what I've done is tune one of my basses BEAD. It came with challenges of its own, but with the right set of strings it shouldn't be much trouble at all. (A good taper on the low B saved me a lot of trouble). Only having access to DEEP, THROBBING notes of BEAD-tuned flatwounds has given me an intense desire to play dance music on it. YMMV.

I'm sure a few people will suggest BEAD, but if you know you need the G string, then don't even waste your time with it. Plus, BEAD is neat and novel to many, but the converted 4 to 5 string will be a way cooler conversation piece.
 
#35
How about a BEAD tuned four string bass? I've been playing a BEAD tuned bass for 12 years. I don't miss the G string at all. Apart from this bass I have one tuned E standard an one mostly tuned D standard. Here's some footage of the BEAD bass. As you may see from the videos, I suffer from arthritis as well...

 

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