Easiest playing mid-grade 5-string?

[zappatalist]

I'm a part time bass player (by necessity), and I've been playing 4 string almost exclusively for most of my time playing. I've got some recording gigs coming up that will almost certainly require a 5 string.

I've owned a few 5s before, even some really nice stuff- Roscoe, US Lakland, EBMM- but I ended up selling all of them because I had a hard time getting around on them unless I played them constantly, and even then it wasn't that much fun, all due to the fact that they had necks and string spacing that were just too big for me.

I'm not looking for a super exotic spendy bass, just something versatile with some solid, meat-and-potatoes tones (P, J, etc.) for recording and performing. The hitch, such as it is, is that I have relatively small hands, and typically only get along with thinner-necked basses. (My favorite bass ever was a Surine Protocol 4 that I got for a steal, had for years, then stupidly sold- really nice, slim neck, flatter radius, light, really easy to get around on, sounded great.)

I'm going to be doing mostly rock, pop, classic rock, r&b, dance- nothing too crazy, nothing too extreme or exotic, mostly mainstream styles that don't require anything out of the ordinary. I mostly play with fingers, but will play with a pick when it's called for.

Anyway, I'm on the hunt for a fiver that has the following attributes:

* light
* slim neck, not super-wide string spacing, flatter radius
* versatile, has a few great sounds in it
* excellent intonation
* relatively simple active preamp (I'm allergic to tons of knobs)

I don't have a specific budget in mind, but I'd really like to keep it under $2k, preferably under $1500. I'd prefer made in the US, but it's not a dealbreaker.

What should I be looking at?

 

[Jeff Haislip]

My suggestion would be a G&L L2500. You could buy new or used. The necks are great and the string spacing is 17mm or 17.5mm I think. You have options of woods if you want to get really light. They offer tons of tones and you can play active or passive. I really love mine and I am sure there are other great basses out there that I have never played. Just my two cents worth. Hapy hunting!!

 

[seedokebass]

I was surprised by an Ibanez SR305 I had for a while. I was thinking of getting a 5 but didn't have much money to work with at the time. Really versatile tonally, and I was in a similar position music wise. I generally left the Eq flat, but adjusted the switch for series/parallel the most.

I was gigging that bass as much as my Skyline 44-60 and Warwick Thumb. It fit in just fine and I'd switch between any combo of the tub ree for gigs with no issue.

 

[seedokebass]

I would also switch between any combo of the three for gigs without issue. (I just have issues typing coherent sentences )

 

[Lackey]

Ibanez SR655. You must try this. It plays and sounds fantastic for the price, good pickups and can always bypass the preamp if desired. - Let me add that I had the six string version briefly and if the string spacing was slightly wider I would still have it.

 

[Craig4003]

Check out the entire Ibanez SR five-string line from 405 on up. Every model seems to have different pickups, preamps, woods, finish choices, etc. String-to-string spacing at the bridge is 16.5mm, so the neck isn't super-wide.

 

[Real Soon]

I'm jumping on the dogpile for Ibanez stuff. That sounds like my SRSC805, but they've got whole swathes of basses with slim necks, large radius (i.e. flatter), budget to premium builds, and preamps that can ballpark a P or J in a mix.

There's bound to be lots of options out in the world, but if you need a bass sooner than later that pretty much can't go wrong for what you're describing, Ibanez has a couple dozen to choose from.

 

[dabbler]

My suggestion would be a G&L L2500. You could buy new or used. The necks are great and the string spacing is 17mm or 17.5mm I think. You have options of woods if you want to get really light. They offer tons of tones and you can play active or passive. I really love mine and I am sure there are other great basses out there that I have never played. Just my two cents worth. Hapy hunting!!

While the L2500 is a good choice, because the OP said some controls/preamp, I'm gonna counter with G&L M2500.

I have both and while I prefer the L2500 for it's versatility, the M2500 fits the simple meat and potatoes description the OP gave better, IMO.

 

[ajn]

I’m predominantly a 4 string player, but over the years I’ve bought, and ultimately sold, a whole bunch of 5ers. Some were quite pricey, some not. But I never totally bonded with any of them, mostly due to weight, neck profile or string spacing—which was either too wide for me, such as with Laklands, or too narrow like the Ibanez SRs (of which I’ve had several, ranging from the 305 up to the Prestige 5005).

A year or so ago I acquired a Yamaha TRBX605. Obviously everyone’s mileage will vary but, for me, this bass easily checks all the items on your list. I have found it to be, by far, the most comfortable 5 string neck I've played—it’s fairly narrow at the nut but has 18mm spacing at the bridge, which I find very easy to adapt to when switching between it and a 4 string. And, with the right strings (I’m currently using TI Flats) I think it offers a pretty wide and pleasing tonal palette. It’s also got an active/passive switch, which is great.

It’s quite a bit below your budget, but it might be worth considering

 

[Lackey]

I'm absolutely on board with Yamaha basses as well, if you find the neck width to be OK for your hands go for it.

 

[Jim Carr]

What about a Lakland Skyline? 55-01 (active/soap bars) or 55-60 (passive Jazz single coils) would be my recommendations.
Great necks! Terrific quality. Fairly plentiful used.

 

[zappatalist]

What about a Lakland Skyline? 55-01 (active/soap bars) or 55-60 (passive Jazz single coils) would be my recommendations.
Great necks! Terrific quality. Fairly plentiful used.

Thanks! I had a fantastic Lakland 5 a while back (US made), but the neck was too beefy to be comfortable.

 

[Jim Carr]

Thanks! I had a fantastic Lakland 5 a while back (US made), but the neck was too beefy to be comfortable.

It must have been the width, right? They are pretty thin—front to back, IMHO.

 

[zappatalist]

It must have been the width, right? They are pretty thin—front to back, IMHO.

I guess, yeah; probably a combination of width, radius, etc.

 

[brianrost]

1. Ibanez
2. Ibanez
3. Ibanez
4. Ibanez

They make my NS and Fender 5s necks feel like aircraft carrier decks. Go to a store and try every Ibby in your budget range. Then pick your favorite.

 

[andruca]

I have HUGE hands, and still am a freak for skinny necks and spacing <18mm. I've played Stingray5 forever (20mm @ fret 1, 17.5mm spacing) but if we're aiming specifically for skinny then Ibanez Soundgear or Schecters in general could be what you're looking for (~19mm thick @ fret 1 both, Schecters 5ers are mostly 35" scale, Soundgears are mostly 34"). There's plenty to choose from within those. I've had several Ibanez 5ers, including a Korean SR505, and loved them, but I'm more of a Schecter fan lately, I've owned a CV-5 for a year, best all purpose 2 pickup 5er I've had (even over a Maruszczyk Jake, an Am Dlx P5, several Yamaha BBs, a skinny necked 2 pickup MIK Ibanez ATK405EBMM Sterling5 HS), but I was aware of how good they played from way before. Neck is skinny on all Schecters I've played and have mostly 17mm spacing.

 

[zappatalist]

I have HUGE hands, and still am a freak for skinny necks and spacing <18mm. I've played Stingray5 forever (20mm @ fret 1, 17.5mm spacing) but if we're aiming specifically for skinny then Ibanez Soundgear or Schecters in general could be what you're looking for (~19mm thick @ fret 1 both, Schecters 5ers are mostly 35" scale, Soundgears are mostly 34"). There's plenty to choose from within those. I've had several Ibanez 5ers, including a Korean SR505, and loved them, but I'm more of a Schecter fan lately, I've owned a CV-5 for a year, best all purpose 2 pickup 5er I've had (even over a Maruszczyk Jake, an Am Dlx P5, several Yamaha BBs, a skinny necked 2 pickup MIK Ibanez ATK405EBMM Sterling5 HS), but I was aware of how good they played from way before. Neck is skinny on all Schecters I've played and have mostly 17mm spacing.

Thanks! That CV-5 looks pretty cool, they weren't on my radar at all.

 

[andruca]

Thanks! That CV-5 looks pretty cool, they weren't on my radar at all.

I'm more into the "signature tone" kinda' Schecters (P Custom, Model T, J5) and the CV is a sort of "poor man's Roscoe Beck Jazz", has individual coil tap for each pickup and those guitar looking J-bucker pickups are simply EXCELLENT. Being a Musicman guy this is the best alternative I've had for occasional Fender-like duties, definitely a Fender killer, can do several flavors of P and J, and then some more too. BUT, maybe you're more inclined to modern sounding stuff, and there too Schecter has a diverse palette.

 

[Bassdirty]

Check out the entire Ibanez SR five-string line from 405 on up. Every model seems to have different pickups, preamps, woods, finish choices, etc. String-to-string spacing at the bridge is 16.5mm, so the neck isn't super-wide.

^^ This ^^

And everyone who recommended Ibanez (specifically SR series).

 

[Nedmundo]

A year or so ago I acquired a Yamaha TRBX605. Obviously everyone’s mileage will vary but, for me, this bass easily checks all the items on your list. I have found it to be, by far, the most comfortable 5 string neck I've played—it’s fairly narrow at the nut but has 18mm spacing at the bridge, which I find very easy to adapt to when switching between it and a 4 string. And, with the right strings (I’m currently using TI Flats) I think it offers a pretty wide and pleasing tonal palette. It’s also got an active/passive switch, which is great.

It’s quite a bit below your budget, but it might be worth considering

The TRBX Yamaha fives also have very flat fretboards, which the OP wants. I also prefer flat fretboards, and find the TRBX necks extremely comfortable. The multi-piece construction makes them stable too. I've only tried the TRBX505, and those seem to be fairly light. I'm used to the 17.5mm bridge spacing on my G&L USA M-2500, and would be fine with the 18mm spacing on the Yamaha.

The BB series necks are great too, and of course P-basses are standards for recording, but unfortunately the BB series fives tend to be heavy from what I've seen on Sweetwater's site. This one is passive, but some others in the lineup are active:

Yamaha BBP35 Bass Guitar - Midnight Blue

I also second the G&L recommendation. An M-2500 with a lightweight empress wood body would be an excellent choice. I absolutely love my M, even though I normally dislike active basses. The L-2500 is more common, but while it has a preamp the tone controls are passive.