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Got the itch for a 5-er. What else should I consider?

#85
Mili said:
For whose that 5th string makes them confused, the trick is ignoring it and after awhile you feel you are ready to use it. I play 4s for 95% of times and when I go to 5 i just play some scales and ignore the B string. After 5 minutes I'm ready.
Btw how about Warwick?!
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Exactly. And it's really easy to ignore.
 
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#87
You've absolutely got to consider Ibanez. The shape of their neck is unique. Slightly narrower string spacing means the play is much faster. They are relatively light and at your price point you're going to get an instrument that's not only gorgeous but has superior electronics and hardware. Find a dealer near you and go play one even if it's cheap. They'll probably order something more towards a pro model for you or you can go check out Reverb or Ebay or Amazon or somebody.
 
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#88
mcnach said:
Based on my experience, I'd say just try everything you can get your hands on and wait until one bass feel right to you.

I have been tempted by 5-stringers on and off over the years, and I owned probably about 8-9... wide variety, Washburn, EB MusicMan, Lakland, G&L, Peavey, Squier... But none stuck. Like you I prefer the fat humbucker at the bridge position. The Lakland (5502) was the best of the bunch, but still not quite right.
Late last year I felt tempted again. It was a stealth black Stingray style bass by Harley Benton. It was pretty cheap. I hesitated, and passed, thinking "ah, it'll be the usual thing, I'll play it for a bit and abandon it". But my girlfriend went ahead and bought it for me.

I have played it non-stop. For some weird reason it just felt right. I had to relearn how to mute the strings well and yes I got confused sometimes hitting the wrong string and all that... but it felt good and it sounded right, so I stuck with it. 8 months later it's the bass I play at home 90% of the time. It's on the stand next to me and I practice and learn on it... then I go to rehearsals with my 4-string Stingray. Switching between 4-5 string has become normal now and I'm at the point where I'd happily gig with the 5-string. I never got to this point with any of the other basses I owned, cheap or expensive, and that's simply because for whatever reason this bass just feels right in my hands and it makes the right noises.
Unfortunately, the only way to tell if a bass is going to feel right is to actually try it.

Maybe you're less 'picky' and can manage with any bass, but it made a huge difference to me to have found this Harley Benton one. And now that I'm comfortable with 5 strings I can play other 5 string basses and be ok. One day I'll get a Stingray 5, but for now, this does the job nicely.

View attachment 4350996
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I have one of those too. Where did you get the stealth pickguard? I like the stock one that comes with it but a glossy black or stealth black would look pretty cool too
 
#89
Mili said:
For whose that 5th string makes them confused, the trick is ignoring it and after awhile you feel you are ready to use it. I play 4s for 95% of times and when I go to 5 i just play some scales and ignore the B string. After 5 minutes I'm ready.
Btw how about Warwick?!
Click to expand...
That's great advice. I just started playing 5 string and it totally works for me. I ignore the low B and then find myself naturally playing down on it. ADDITIONALLY, this is highly instructional for bassists who get "root-itis" where we find ourselves constantly playing lines and phrasing from the root rather than getting on top of or under the melody.
 
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#91
Seedpicker said:
You've absolutely got to consider Ibanez. The shape of their neck is unique. Slightly narrower string spacing means the play is much faster. They are relatively light and at your price point you're going to get an instrument that's not only gorgeous but has superior electronics and hardware. Find a dealer near you and go play one even if it's cheap. They'll probably order something more towards a pro model for you or you can go check out Reverb or Ebay or Amazon or somebody.
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I have an SR1900 (4 string) with Nordy pups. Love the neck and the electronics on this thing are on steroids. It's no Sterling but a very nice bass :)
 
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#95
^^ Not a bad video, but 'negative' 4 is incorrect re weight much of the time. A 5 need not be any heavier, and as I pointed out in a current thread on bass weight, my BTB6er weighs less than many stock 4s FSOs I've owned. Balances better too.
I also found it funny that you're not even using a 3" strap; I've been using 3.5" padded straps for years, and now have a 5" for my couple of heavy axes.

PS: My dogs both sat up at Rich Girl.
 
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#97
A9X said:
^^ Not a bad video, but 'negative' 4 is incorrect re weight much of the time. A 5 need not be any heavier, and as I pointed out in a current thread on bass weight, my BTB6er weighs less than many stock 4s FSOs I've owned. Balances better too.
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Agree except ostensibly apples to apples, if you're comparing the exact same model of instrument, 5 is definitely heavier than 4. Same time, if you're comparing a Les Paul 4 to an Ibanez 5 then yeah, the SR wins!
 
#100
A9X said:
Serious money? Bollocks. There are only a couple of different ways to make a 5 headstock (5IL, 4+1, 3+2) and only a couple of different spacings, so at worst a couple of different necks. Huge money, right...
And Alembic had done it 11 years earlier, which I'm sure they were aware of and would have helped narrow down the number of possibilities.

Trick, my butt. Again Alembic had been doing this for 15y and it's a fairly standard EE technique from at least the beginning of the century, so they broke no new ground.
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Well I stand corrected. I'm bollocks, and you have a trick butt. G'Day !
 

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