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Converting 4 string to 5 - crazy?

#43
OP back - Thanks for the replies.

Yes I've done the BEAD thing before and instantly missed the G string. Loved the low B, missed the G. Bought a 5 string bass. I might try BEAD again since it has been 20 yrs since my last attempt.

I'm surprised to hear a 4 string PU will cover 5. That could make this experiment easier.
 
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#44
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...

The EBMM SR5 has a 1.75 nut width and is very narrow for a 5-string. If the SBMM 5 doesn't work for you however I don't know if the EBMM is better. Maybe try one of Ric5's conversions?
 
#50
14 mm would be tight but personally I wouldn't have any problems with it. Then again, lots of bassists find Höfner unplayable (fingerstyle) due to the tight string spacing and I believe Höfners are close to 15 mm.

As for using 4-string pickups... With some pickups it won't be an issue. With others there will DEFINITELY be a difference in output/tone between strings that end up right on top of pole pieces and strings that end up between pole pieces. Just take a standard single coil Jazz Bass, set the controls for neck pickup only and hit a note while you bend the string outside the pole pieces. Whether the difference is big enough to worry about is another matter of course. Personally it's something I would want to avoid and it shouldn't be a problem as long as you're willing to go for a safe choice, like a blade pickup.
 
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#52
It's a large activity, for some it's a reasonable challenge. For others, it's a lot lot easier to just buy a reasonably cheap 5 string.
A few things to consider:
1) If you want to keep the existing neck, you will need a new nut and you will need to remove all of the tuner holes with round dowels. Then you can drill new ones in the right spacing so the strings run straight and it doesn't start looking like a hideous franken-bass.
2) If you choose a new 5 string neck, there will be wood work in making it fit the old body. This needs to be good quality and accurate wood work. You will probably need to re-finish the body after this activity.
3) You will need to buy 5 new tuners, adding a new one to 4 old units is going to look shoddy. Time for a tuner set upgrade. you will then need to paint / re-finish the neck.
4) Your pickups might not have the magnet bar spacing to read 5 strings and probably were envisioned as a 4 string. Something like a blade design, Bartolini / EMG / Kent Armstrong soap bars / black cover (no pole pieces) fit into this category. Some others do too. If you pick up some cheaper 5 string pickups (Wilkinson etc) then there are unlikely to fit and will need quality wood working / routing. If you currently have jazz pickups, you best bet is to rout out P4 cavities and use Nordstrand P4 shells...this makes life and side-grades a LOT easier. Jazz pickups are a nightmare to rout well and there's lots of slightly different dimensions.

With all this in mind...you might like the challenge. However, this is going to take a lot of time, a lot of effort and more money than buying a S/H Yamaha 5 string.
 
#54
Rezdog said:
Greetings from the North,

If it works for you great. The choice between resale and playing enjoyment is one that you've gotta make and be comfortable with. It's nice to be able to convert something back to stock and most of my mods I can do that with these days. Good luck.

Oh ya you're not crazy lol

Rezdog
Click to expand...

in the old days no one ever cared about this so-called 'resale value' with regard to purchasing an instrument. these aren't cars. once again the internet ruins everything
 
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#55
Ampslut said:
I've read that a early Rickenback 4003S/5, not the current model, is really a 4 string neck Ric converted to a 5. I have no experience with them but it might be worth looking into.
rickenbacker 5 string bass - Google Search
Click to expand...

Yes, the original 4003s5 made from about 1986 to about 2001 was a factory 4 to 5 bass. Very playable at the nut, but 2 1/18 at the bridge. I used to modify these basses to have a wider bridge spacing, like the one pictured below.

upload_2022-10-16_7-50-23.png


Then about 2001 Rickenbacker came out with the 4004cii5, it had a really nice wide neck, about 1 7/8" at the nut, and it could go 3" at the bridge, the problem is the factory pickups were dual rails and the rails were 2 1/4" wide. So with the wide neck and the narrow pickups it essentially became a 3 string bass. This one here I swapped out the bridge for a schaller, and put in proper 5 string pickups, and an audere 4 band preamp. (less than 100 of these were made because the end user had to replace the pickups. Also the original wiring scheme of toggle, volume, tone did not allow the owner to explore the good tones this bass could produce.)

upload_2022-10-16_7-54-25.png


Finally a few years ago Rickenbacker made a really good 5 string bass ... the new 4003s5. The neck is very playable, and the pickups cover 5 strings. Some don't like the pickup shape, but that shape makes for a really good low B string.

GLt2tv8Q5yTKcFhzkKFXf3-1200-80.jpg
 
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#56
Here is my 1993 4004 Laredo ... modified 4 to 5. It is 1 11/16" at the nut and 2 5/8" at the bridge. The bridge pickup is a Seymour Duncan 1/4 pounder put in at a slight angle to eliminate phase cancelation, the neck pickup is a 3001 pickup with a 1968 toaster cover. The Bridge is a Schaller, the preamp is a 4 band Audere, the black triangles are custom made from Europe, and the TRC is a white pearloid DIY replacement. I added the chrome surround from a 4003.

DSCF1211.JPG
 
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#60
Doug4321 said:
This was on Reverb. Some kind of conversion bridge no extra key at the headstock needed

JB Player P Bass 2000's Red 5 String modification | Reverb

https://images.reverb.com/image/upl...0,w_1600/v1471034343/yf31358w5huiluy3gbfy.jpg

https://images.reverb.com/image/upl...0,w_1600/v1471034324/rhezpvumtaexc9uwf2br.jpg
Click to expand...
I vaguely remember these things. At the time I had no interest. Now, I suspect few would have interest since there are so many 5 stringers available.
 

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