Prowla Which Warwick have the Slim Necks? I tried a few at NAMM a few years back did not like the bigger P bass style necks on the ones I tried.
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First 5 String Bass
- Thread starter Bendog
- Start date
Ibanez SRMS 805 or EHB1505 Bith great sounding 5ers and Multi scale so you get a good sounding B string to some of us Multi scale just feels more natural.
If you are in that area, might I recommend a trip to Chuck Levin's in Wheaton MD? The are just inside the DC beltway, so best to go on a weekend or during non rush traffic times. They are one of the last big box stores and usually have a huge selection ( - although we are still in the post pandemic supply shortage era). You will have the opportunity to try several brands before you decide. They do have a web page:
Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center
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I'd vote Stingray with that budget although truthfully the world is your oyster.
The first 5 string I ever kept was a fender jazz 5. Had some Ibanez 5 strings that I hated while many others love them.
You probably need to at the very least watch a lot of YouTube vids
The first 5 string I ever kept was a fender jazz 5. Had some Ibanez 5 strings that I hated while many others love them.
You probably need to at the very least watch a lot of YouTube vids
You all have given me a lot of great advice. Thanks so much! I am definitely going make a road trip and play as many as I can before I make my purchase. I have played the Sterling music man basses in 4 string and really like the sound, so I will probably start there in the 5, but I also like the sound of a jazz bass, so I will definitely check some of those in 5 string as well.
I glanced through (currently) 3 pages of replies so I might duplicate the same advice given by other.
But here's the deal... You say your a bass player for only 15 months. IMO that's pretty new and your technique will continue to develop. Do you have a bass amp yet? If so, which one?
I have two "nuggets" of suggestions that I'd like to offer: 1) BUY USED if at all possible! 2) Don't spend $2k right off the bat unless you just "want to". Your taste in basses can change. Even new there are many sub $1000 basses that can knock your socks off. If you have to buy "new" there are two brands that I am a personal fan of: Yamaha and Ibanez. Their basses punch way above their price points.
Ibanez- Check out the BTB 745 for $950 ( have the BTB675 and think it's marvelous... and used those go for under $700). The Ibanez SR series has a different sound and feel. Check out the SR 505 and 605's.
Yamaha- The TRBX505/605 are great budget bases. 505 under $600 and 605 under $700 (I own a 605 and it's worth WAY more than its price tag). Another great bass to look at under $1000 is the BB735a. If I get another bass that will be what I try next. $840 new at Sweetwater.
You probably already know this, but once you start going up in price a lot of the expense is in the bling. *Maybe* a better set of pups and a pre-amp. But the amp itself can kill or make the sound regardless of what you're plugging into it.
I can almost guarantee that your preference in 5 strings will change over time as your hands get famiiar with 5ers. I know that I ended up with 3 5ers in fairly rapid succession... and couldn't part with any of them [see photo below] :0. Right now the one I'm apt to grab for a gig these day is the BTB on the right. It was the first 5er I owned and bought the Yamaha because I thought the BTB was "too big" for me. But I kept it anyway. But as my technique improved and I found the right strings for it, where it was my #3 for a long time it's probably my #1 at the moment. Just sayin'.
If you find something you fall in love with and you'll think it's worth whatever the price tag says.
Good luck.
But here's the deal... You say your a bass player for only 15 months. IMO that's pretty new and your technique will continue to develop. Do you have a bass amp yet? If so, which one?
I have two "nuggets" of suggestions that I'd like to offer: 1) BUY USED if at all possible! 2) Don't spend $2k right off the bat unless you just "want to". Your taste in basses can change. Even new there are many sub $1000 basses that can knock your socks off. If you have to buy "new" there are two brands that I am a personal fan of: Yamaha and Ibanez. Their basses punch way above their price points.
Ibanez- Check out the BTB 745 for $950 ( have the BTB675 and think it's marvelous... and used those go for under $700). The Ibanez SR series has a different sound and feel. Check out the SR 505 and 605's.
Yamaha- The TRBX505/605 are great budget bases. 505 under $600 and 605 under $700 (I own a 605 and it's worth WAY more than its price tag). Another great bass to look at under $1000 is the BB735a. If I get another bass that will be what I try next. $840 new at Sweetwater.
You probably already know this, but once you start going up in price a lot of the expense is in the bling. *Maybe* a better set of pups and a pre-amp. But the amp itself can kill or make the sound regardless of what you're plugging into it.
I can almost guarantee that your preference in 5 strings will change over time as your hands get famiiar with 5ers. I know that I ended up with 3 5ers in fairly rapid succession... and couldn't part with any of them [see photo below] :0. Right now the one I'm apt to grab for a gig these day is the BTB on the right. It was the first 5er I owned and bought the Yamaha because I thought the BTB was "too big" for me. But I kept it anyway. But as my technique improved and I found the right strings for it, where it was my #3 for a long time it's probably my #1 at the moment. Just sayin'.
If you find something you fall in love with and you'll think it's worth whatever the price tag says.
Good luck.
Right now I have Trace Elliott Elf amp which is 200 watts with a Trace Elliott 2x8 Cabinet which is plenty for right now. Even though I said my budget was up to 2k, I was probably not going to spend that much on my first 5 string. I’m hoping, when I make my road trip to the DC area to try one of the BTB ilbanez basses because they sounded really good on a few Utube videos I watched.
I want to add something to my previous comment..
About a week ago I had an urge to go try the Sterling Stingray Ray5's that were $400 at GC. There were a couple dudes in the corner plugged into this MarkBass amp, but I was relegated to the Ampeg, Peavey, Fender corner. When initially playing I thought the Ray5 was a decent enough value, but if I were to buy a Stingray model it would be the next level up...
But after the other guys left, I moved over to the MarkBass amp with the Ray5... and HOLY SCHNIKES! I had a different sounding bass in my hands- by a mile. If it weren't almost twice the width and 8 pounds heavier than my Gallien-Kruger MB-112 I'd sell the GK and get the Mark Bass. I think my next choice would be the TC Electronic BG250-112 combo, but they are rare now and hard to find, even used.
The other thing is that I've recently discovered is how much difference different strings can make on different basses. My Yamaha TRBX605 loves Ernie Ball Cobalt flats or DR Pure Blues, but sounds crap with standard D'Addarios. My Ibanez TBT675 sounds awful with LaBella's sounds OK with NYXL's, but is so great in sound and feel with cheap Ernie Ball Slinky. So, that too has to be a consideration. I almost returned the Yamaha because of the sound with the stock strings and an 11th hour experiment with the Pure Blues saved it from going back.
As a side note to the OP... My FIRST 5 string purchase was the BTB, which I thought was too big. I got it used and had a 45 day trial period. Thinking it was too big I ordered the Yamana (new) within a day or two of having the Ibanez. So the trials of both basses sort of conincided. During that period, my hands grew into the Ibanez, also lowed the Yamaha and I ended up keeping both. Until I recently, 3 weeks ago changed the strings on my Ibanez the Yamaha was my go-to gig bass. When I changed strings on both, I suddenly preferred the Ibanez and was not so fond of the Yamaha. The last 3+ weeks I've been playing mostly the Ibanez and even though being a 35" scale, a wider FB and nut my hands have acclimated to it. Within a week or two of mostly playing the Ibanez BTB my hands now know where to go without looking. I'm sure that now to go back to the Yamaha I'd have to endure a re-acclimitazation period where my hands would again know where they needed to be. I also have a Fender MIM Jazz 5 which is a gorgeous instrument, over-improved for sure and is marvelous. The problem is that it's in too perfect condition to want to take to gigs when I have two other basses that don't have that gloss finish that can be easily damaged. I guess that's my schtick. But FWIW the Jazz5 has a 9.5 radius fingerboard which adds another dimension to the feel, which has a totally different feel than my Jazz4 with the same radius.
Last thing... I remember when I first transitioned to being a bass player and was looking for my first 5 string I recall going to Music Exchange in Chicago and playing some "higher end" basses. I can tell you right now that I was not a good enough player to appreciate the "quality", let alone the price of some of the more expensive basses. I'm not sure if I would appreciate them now.... Ok... Maybe a Ken Smith
.
About a week ago I had an urge to go try the Sterling Stingray Ray5's that were $400 at GC. There were a couple dudes in the corner plugged into this MarkBass amp, but I was relegated to the Ampeg, Peavey, Fender corner. When initially playing I thought the Ray5 was a decent enough value, but if I were to buy a Stingray model it would be the next level up...
But after the other guys left, I moved over to the MarkBass amp with the Ray5... and HOLY SCHNIKES! I had a different sounding bass in my hands- by a mile. If it weren't almost twice the width and 8 pounds heavier than my Gallien-Kruger MB-112 I'd sell the GK and get the Mark Bass. I think my next choice would be the TC Electronic BG250-112 combo, but they are rare now and hard to find, even used.
The other thing is that I've recently discovered is how much difference different strings can make on different basses. My Yamaha TRBX605 loves Ernie Ball Cobalt flats or DR Pure Blues, but sounds crap with standard D'Addarios. My Ibanez TBT675 sounds awful with LaBella's sounds OK with NYXL's, but is so great in sound and feel with cheap Ernie Ball Slinky. So, that too has to be a consideration. I almost returned the Yamaha because of the sound with the stock strings and an 11th hour experiment with the Pure Blues saved it from going back.
As a side note to the OP... My FIRST 5 string purchase was the BTB, which I thought was too big. I got it used and had a 45 day trial period. Thinking it was too big I ordered the Yamana (new) within a day or two of having the Ibanez. So the trials of both basses sort of conincided. During that period, my hands grew into the Ibanez, also lowed the Yamaha and I ended up keeping both. Until I recently, 3 weeks ago changed the strings on my Ibanez the Yamaha was my go-to gig bass. When I changed strings on both, I suddenly preferred the Ibanez and was not so fond of the Yamaha. The last 3+ weeks I've been playing mostly the Ibanez and even though being a 35" scale, a wider FB and nut my hands have acclimated to it. Within a week or two of mostly playing the Ibanez BTB my hands now know where to go without looking. I'm sure that now to go back to the Yamaha I'd have to endure a re-acclimitazation period where my hands would again know where they needed to be. I also have a Fender MIM Jazz 5 which is a gorgeous instrument, over-improved for sure and is marvelous. The problem is that it's in too perfect condition to want to take to gigs when I have two other basses that don't have that gloss finish that can be easily damaged. I guess that's my schtick. But FWIW the Jazz5 has a 9.5 radius fingerboard which adds another dimension to the feel, which has a totally different feel than my Jazz4 with the same radius.
Last thing... I remember when I first transitioned to being a bass player and was looking for my first 5 string I recall going to Music Exchange in Chicago and playing some "higher end" basses. I can tell you right now that I was not a good enough player to appreciate the "quality", let alone the price of some of the more expensive basses. I'm not sure if I would appreciate them now.... Ok... Maybe a Ken Smith
. 
