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Country 5-String Recommendations

#41
bassguppy said:
a used Lakland 55-01. Nice quality & tone.
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+1

Last time I was on the road with a country band, I took a Sadowsky RV4 p/j, and a Lakland 55-01D. The Artist loved the Lakland, but the drummer liked the Sadowsky. I used both, but probably the Sadowsky 75% of the time. A 55-01 is a great 5er, and the old deluxes are nice, though the newer electronics might be a bit better. Look for a used one! :bassist:
 
#42
Well, the G&L L2500 and the Lakland 55-01 have the same wood and I imagine the G&L pickups would be better and have a better variety of tones, so I'll probably get it. They're about 600 on Guitar Center which is a little high but I imagine it would be the best for me.
 
#44
Btw, the best tones were from Tully and Kenny, both with awesome 5'ers... :o FWIW. :)
Backing the best artists as well... :D

I was at CMA Fest in 2009. On the second stage I pretty much saw nothing but EB/MM's and Sadowskys. I probably saw more boutique style basses over the course of the 4 days than a plain Fender 4, so don't get all too uppity there...
 
#46
zachbass02 said:
Please tell me it wasn't an employee at GC or Sam Ash that told you this? :scowl:

I know several of my friends that working and don't play a Jazz. Nothing wrong with playing a Jazz at all, great basses, but that statement made by a music store worker is not entirely accurate. The current trend in Nashville is 4 strings for sure. 5ers still have their place though.

My suggestion is, as many others have said, a Stingray 5. They work for me anyways.
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I have an SR5 and I too have noticed quite a few of them used live in different bands. They always sound really full and articulate. With mine though, I can't get it to tame down enough. It's one of the copper head bronze edition with a rosewood board. What are some things you SR5 players do to them to get that country sound?
 
#47
Moe Monsarrat said:
I also have a Squier Affinity Jazz 5 string ($229 new) that rocks! I put some Dogal flats & a Hipshot bridge on it & I take it out on the road sometimes. I actually like the stock pups. Not so with the MIM Fender version. I hated them & replaced them w/Barts.
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The Affinity 5 Jazz is the most surprisingly good bass I have played. I too, would not change the pick ups. They are dead quiet and have great tone and growl.
 
#49
nismaniac said:
I have an SR5 and I too have noticed quite a few of them used live in different bands. They always sound really full and articulate. With mine though, I can't get it to tame down enough. It's one of the copper head bronze edition with a rosewood board. What are some things you SR5 players do to them to get that country sound?
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Cut the Treble to all the way off/-10
Boost Mids a tad, bump Bass a good bit
Nickel strings on an SR also help a lot to tame the "attack" or "click" they at times can pick up. :cool:
 
#50
melonnuts28 said:
I found a used G&L 2500 fretless that I'm probably going to buy, natural swamp ash body with maple neck which is my favorite combination, I'm probably gonna buckle down and get it.
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EXCELLENT CHOICE!

That is just like mine (mine is blueburst). I strongly sugest doing a K-mod that give "single coil" on the series-parallel switch. Tone just kills with D'addario half-rounds (and no fingerboard chews either). (also have a fretted Trib that is also good but not quite as great as the fretless)

Note I also own a MIM Fender V. Mine is an excellent bass. Plays like butter. Had to add just a bit of shielding and as MOE said, you really need new pickups to get it sounding killer.

A Lakland is also an super-great choice (don't own one though). They are just perfect in so many ways, but don't quite have the range of tone the G&L can give you.

The cool thing about the G&L is it does a pretty good job of nailing tone from Fender Jazz all the way to Stingray. Not perfect, but closer than most. It's just that some people prefer to not have so many knobs and switches to twiddle.
 
#52
melonnuts28 said:
I found a used G&L 2500 fretless that I'm probably going to buy, natural swamp ash body with maple neck which is my favorite combination, I'm probably gonna buckle down and get it.
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I wouldn't think a fretless would be a wise choice as your main bass in a CW band FWIW. Especially as I get the impression you are fairly inexperienced so adding in intonation struggles could be a recipe for disaster. Aside from upright basses I don't recall ever seeing a CW bassist using a fretless.
 
#53
bradjonesbass said:
I wouldn't think a fretless would be a wise choice as your main bass in a CW band FWIW. Especially as I get the impression you are fairly inexperienced so adding in intonation struggles could be a recipe for disaster. Aside from upright basses I don't recall ever seeing a CW bassist using a fretless.
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I believe that I saw George Strait's bass Ayer using a fretless Warwick if all things. I believe it was even unlined and possibly a 5 string. Depending on how you play, a fretless can cover a lot of gigs.
 
#54
Mojo-Man said:
:cool:
The key is modern Country. ( it's all about looks)
If you want to use a 5-string knock yourself out.
But, you don't need a 5-string to play country.
Twenty years ago, everyone played a 4-string Fender.
Five string looks nice in the video's. :D:D:D
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I play in a band that does over 100 country songs. Most old country songs don't have five strings, but a HUGE majority of modern country does. 5 Strings aren't in the videos for looks. Bass players are using the low B all the time in the studio recordings and there are a lot of rocking riffs from the guitarists that are in low C# (hicktown, homeboy, Jason Aldean especially etc...) There are a lot of bass players vamping on low 5ths of the B string and using the low C (especially for the last note of songs). To say they isn't using the B strings simply aren't true.
 

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