I just bought a Schecter 5 string and need advice please.

[stormbringer]

Hey all! I have been playing guitar since 1985. I use to have a nice 4 string jazz bassthat was stolen but I got pretty good at it.

I got a great deal on a Schecter Diamond Series 5 string that came with a Crate BT-50.

I have two question I hope to get help with here?

I was going to simply tune it E-A-D-G-B BUT I noticed that the most popular tuning fr a 5-string is:
B – E – A – D – G

The 2nd most popular is E – A – D – G – C. As a guitarist, that confused me.

1) My question is, Why a high C instead of B?

I may have to create a different thread for this but the only thing wrong with the bass is the neck pick-up is fried. The luther that checkedit out said they are around $100.
2) How difficult is it to install a pick-up myself to avoid shop fees?

Thanks!

 

[Epitaph04]

4ths.

 

[PhiDeck]

The irregular tuning of the guitar facilitates certain block chords. When playing bass, chords tend to be arpeggiated, hence no need to depart from 4ths tuning, which makes transposition easier.

 

[kai_ski]

Put a new nut on it and tune it E to B if you want... not that much of a departure from E to C if you ask me. But IMO, a 35" scale 5-er should be strung B to G, after all it's a bass.

 

[sandmangeck]

it's pretty simple. I bet you could find someone to install the pick up for you, for a decent price. It's a nice bass. I used to own one.

 

[nocontrols]

Put a new nut on it and tune it E to B if you want... not that much of a departure from E to C if you ask me. But IMO, a 35" scale 5-er should be strung B to G, after all it's a bass.

I don't play 5ers but I agree with this. Thick lows are the name of the game. 45-65-85-105-130 are the strings I'd use.

And post pics if you'd like.

 

[TimmyP]

I've mixed a lot of bands, and every Schecter player has had better tone than almost everyone else. Dunno if it is the instruments or the players who choose them, but who cares?

 

[stormbringer]

Thanks for al of your replies. I had been waiting for a good deal on a 4 string Schecter but this deal was too good to turn down. I think I will start by familiarizing myself with
B – E – A – D – G. Now I just need to find some bands/songs that use a 5-string in that tuning. I've never been in a band with a 5-string bassist. I have plenty of guitar mags with bass tabs. I just need to find songs with that tuning.
Surely there is a list full or partial) known of bands and songs that use 5-string B – E – A – D – G basses.

 

[sonic assassin]

why C? because bassists often dont know the fingerings for guitar chords and it makes sense to some to keep it in 4ths and walk up the strings naturally.

ive been playing guitar for 8 years and bass for 5 or 6 of them. when i bought a 6 with a high C, i never really thought about it needing to be a B string. i just stayed in bass mode and walked up the scale as usual. i normally just think about arpeggiating chords as if they are all bar chords. very rarely did i go to make an Am and it turn out to be A major because the C wasnt a B.

 

[kai_ski]

I may have to create a different thread for this but the only thing wrong with the bass is the neck pick-up is fried. The luther that checkedit out said they are around $100.
2) How difficult is it to install a pick-up myself to avoid shop fees?

Thanks!

Regarding the pickup:

Does it have the EMG HZ's in it? I had a problem with those pups in a Schecter Stiletto Custom I had. I contacted schecter and they replaced the pups for free. I'm pretty sure those basses have a lifetime warranty, but I don't know how limited it is. Schecter was super easy to work with.

Also the pickups in my bass were very easy to replace. If you remove the pickup you will find that they are connected to a wiring harness via a plastic quick-connect like you see on a circuit board. It might even just be loose.... you might as well pull it and check.

Regarding playing 5-string:

Play it like a 4 string until you find yourself needing to go below E. I rarely play above the 5th fret on the 5th string, unless I'm comping/playing chords and I want a different inversion higher on the neck. IMO it's hard to intonate the low B absolutely perfectly, so I just stick to the lower frets to avoid any less-than-perfect notes.