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Metron's "which 5 string" thread

#23
The asymmetrical neck makes a 5er MUCH easier to play.
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caution: that statement is very subjective.

FWIW well over 90% of my clients can't stand the feel of an asymmetrical neck. one guy bought a used bass and spent roughly six months trying to learn to like the asymmetrical contour only to spend some $$ to have the asymmetrical reshaped to a traditional contour.

all the best,

R
 
#24
My Valenti 5-string is a dream to play. The electronics are very flexible, and fit and finish are tops. HOWEVER, mine is a fretless. Perhaps some of the guys with fretted Valenti 5er's can comment. You can also visit the Valenti Mega-thread, which is sort of an all night party!!
 
#25
Double Agent said:
If you have up to $3K, one bass I can't recommend highly enough would be a Dingwall Afterburner I. Don't be scared of the fanned frets. The tone of the bass is somewhere between a Musicman and a P-bass, but its more articulate and balanced than either of those two. It's very responsive to how you play, dig in and it growls, back off and it's smooth. The scale length of the low B is 37" and it sounds AMAZING! Feels great too. But, the G string is a comfy, familiar 34" scale. The fanned frets keep the bass from feeling too huge, I've even played a few 35" scale basses felt much less comfortable (i.e. longer) than the Dingwall. It is, hands down, the finest bass I've ever owned and I would get another in a second if I had the funds. Even at about $2500 brand new, they play and feel like they cost much more than that and are a bargain IMO.

If you are wanting to keep it closer to $2K or under, there are lots of good options...it just depends on which tone you're after. If you like aggressive tone, Spector Euro LX, EBMM Stingray5 or Bongo5, Warwick Corvette $$ or a Thumb BO (maybe used) are all great choices. For an all arounder, the Lakland 55-02 or JO5, Fender Am. Std. Jazz 5, Lull M5V or a used Sadowsky Metro are very nice choices. For hi-fi tones, a Modulus Quantum, Peavey Cirrus, or a used MTD 535 are all fine basses. There are many other great basses I am forgetting or not mentioning. Good luck in your search.
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The Dingwall Combustion comes out in about a month. A fanned-fret 5 string for $1200 usd. You can already buy a Dingwall ABZ for $1700 or $1800: maple fretboard and satin finish, otherwise the same as an ABI.

Dingwall Combustion
Dingwall ABZ

Besides the best low B, the ergonomics on Dingwalls are amazing. No neck dive, they feel perfect on you. Everything is just where it should be. And don't be afraid of the 37" scale, most of it is extended by the bridge. The nut is at about the same place where it would be on a 34" fender, and will feel just right because of that. The stretch is barely noticable because you din't need to bend your wrist when playing the first few frets. It's actually more comfortable.
 
#29
metron said:
Hmmm I hadn't thought about Dingwall. 37" scale?! :eek: I'll have to check those out. Thanks again for the posts people!
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The low B sounds like thunder. The voice of god.
But the G string is as sweet as it gets on a Dingwall with its 34", while most 35" basses start losing the sweetness on those upper strings. Most, I've said.
 
#31
Well... I started this thread to help me with my 5 string decision but it's only made it worse! :rolleyes::D

I haven't had much time to get out and try anything with the exception of yesterday. I tried a MM SR5. One of those family reserve dealies with the rosewood neck. Nice bass but it didn't really grabme. I don't think MM is for me in general. Right now I am primarily thinking about a jazz 5. So many choices, so much said about them on TB, so little time to read while I am at work. :hiding:

So what would you recommend as the best jazz 5er for neofunkemopowerpopjazzgrindcorecalypsoreggae style music?
 
#32
metron said:
Well... I started this thread to help me with my 5 string decision but it's only made it worse! :rolleyes::D

I haven't had much time to get out and try anything with the exception of yesterday. I tried a MM SR5. One of those family reserve dealies with the rosewood neck. Nice bass but it didn't really grabme. I don't think MM is for me in general. Right now I am primarily thinking about a jazz 5. So many choices, so much said about them on TB, so little time to read while I am at work. :hiding:

So what would you recommend as the best jazz 5er for neofunkemopowerpopjazzgrindcorecalypsoreggae style music?
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Do try a PJ as well. IMO it beats the standard J bass.
 
#33
Bocete said:
Do try a PJ as well. IMO it beats the standard J bass.
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Hmmm I don't know... I had a hot rod Fender PJ a few years back. I got along well with it but I didn't like the tone of both pickups together. It sounded honky or middy to me. I ended up using it as a P only most of the time. Do you think all PJs are in the same basic tone family as the Fender I had?
 
#34
metron said:
Hmmm I don't know... I had a hot rod Fender PJ a few years back. I got along well with it but I didn't like the tone of both pickups together. It sounded honky or middy to me. I ended up using it as a P only most of the time. Do you think all PJs are in the same basic tone family as the Fender I had?
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I'm not sure, but I think that PJ basses have the J pickup moved a bit to the bridge, or the P pickup a bit to the neck, I'm not sure.

Also, such configurations demand a higher output J pickup for it to be comparable to the P when both are maxed. I don't know if your bass was like that.

But, if you liked the P pickup better than the J neck pickup soloed you might consider buying a P bass and adding an additional Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P pickup near the bridge. Several people on TB have tried that and none I remember was less than amazed.

After all, if you didn't like the J in the PJ, do you even like the bridge pickup on a jazz? If not, you might look into a whole new range of basses. Lakland Skyline 55-02? It's very, very versatile. Check it out.

Also, the Dingwall Combustion has two P pickups under those soapbar covers, you know ;)
 
#35
Bocete said:
I'm not sure, but I think that PJ basses have the J pickup moved a bit to the bridge, or the P pickup a bit to the neck, I'm not sure.

Also, such configurations demand a higher output J pickup for it to be comparable to the P when both are maxed. I don't know if your bass was like that.

But, if you liked the P pickup better than the J neck pickup soloed you might consider buying a P bass and adding an additional Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P pickup near the bridge. Several people on TB have tried that and none I remember was less than amazed.

After all, if you didn't like the J in the PJ, do you even like the bridge pickup on a jazz? If not, you might look into a whole new range of basses. Lakland Skyline 55-02? It's very, very versatile. Check it out.

Also, the Dingwall Combustion has two P pickups under those soapbar covers, you know ;)
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Well I am very much a jazz bass fan over precisions. I only used the P pup on my PJ primarily because I didn't like the P+J together. The J pup got plenty of use as well it's just more of a solo setting. I am pretty sure the J pickup is in the 60s jazz position though.

I think I am going to reduce my budget (< $2000). All the gas I have had recently for $3k-$4k basses is ridiculous. Sometimes I feel that if I spend more then I am more likely to find the perfect "one" but really I know myself better then that. The gas will never end.

Today I have been checking out the Am Standard Fender Jazz V. What is the concensus on the b string on the new Fender 5s? Tight? Floppy?
 
#36
Rodent said:
caution: that statement is very subjective.

FWIW well over 90% of my clients can't stand the feel of an asymmetrical neck. one guy bought a used bass and spent roughly six months trying to learn to like the asymmetrical contour only to spend some $$ to have the asymmetrical reshaped to a traditional contour.

all the best,

R
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Well I have never seen a group of musicians more set in their ways than Bassists.
 
#37
Ok I am bringing this one back from the dead because I never bought a five string last year. I ended up trying a few MM 5s and they did nothing for me at the time. I guess now I am back in the market for a fiver.

So back to the original premise of the thread. Tell me about your five string bass experiences. Mainly because I can't read the archives while I am at work. I know I know.... there is a search button. :eyebrow: :D

metron said:
Welcome to my "which 5 string" thread. :rolleyes::D I am ready to make a new bass purchase and I am pretty set on getting a high quality versatile 5 string. I have been searching the archives for a few weeks and have a general idea of what I am interested in but unfortunately I only have so much time to surf TB at work. :hiding:

Since there are so many choices in the 5 string market and I don't really have specific needs to fill with this bass, I am turning to the TB crowd to get ideas and input on what will suit me the best. In order to do that I would like to invite everyone to share their 5 string experience in this thread. Not so much about whether or not you are into 5s but more along the lines of which ones you have experience with and what that experience is. Positive or negative. Any 5er will do. Where are you coming from with your bass playing needs and how has the 5 string you have experience with filled those needs, or not. Comparisons would be great too. Thanks!
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#38
I've been playing bass, guitar, mandolin, dobro, and lap steel for over 30 years.

5-Strings I have owned:

1. Ibanez SoundGear (some discontinued model, looked like the SR5005E but was nowhere near that expensive)
2. Fender American Jazz V
3. Lakland 55-02
4. G&L L-2500
5. Pedulla Pentabuzz
6. FBass BN-5
7. Turner High Renaissance fretless


All of these are gone for various reasons, either I didn't end up liking them (the first five) or because of my divorce.

The BN-5 was the best sounding and most beautifully made instrument of any kind that I have ever owned, and I've owned a few. But it was big and heavy. The Turner is the one that I deeply miss, but its applications are "niche" (unbeatable in an acoustic environment, IMHO).

I now have:

Warwick Ash Corvette (passive J pickups)
EBMM Stingray 5 fretless w/ piezo bridge

These are both killer instruments. I play the 'ray more because I love playing fretless and my bandmates dig it. I'm going to sell the Warwick soon and get either a Stingray or Sterling (HH or HS) with frets... mainly because the girth of the Corvette neck is starting to take a toll on my 50-year-old tendons.

I play what they used to call "Alt-Country" and are now calling "Americana" (I'm so old I remember when they called this style "Neil Young"). I go for a very round, full tone, often with much of the treble rolled off. I play strictly fingerstyle, although I know how to slap and pop a little... it's just hardly ever called for in my neck of the woods. While I consider myself mainly part of the rhythm section, I do get to play lots of fills and turnarounds up the neck, so I like a nice singing tone in all ranges, with a strong fundamental and a decent dose of growl. However, I've never cared for the sound of a bass distorted or played with a pick, so I never play that way, and have no idea how my basses would sound played that way.
 
#39
Try a Dingwall if at all possible. A new ABZ model (all CDN made) with swamp ash body and maple board is 1800. Best price/quality ratio in a current production new bass IMHO. Clarity to satisfy the most obsessed, even down to the open B (or Bb or A if you choose). My cover band is playing Little Bones by the T. Hip and I'm pulling an octave double stop beginning on the Low D that rings very true and clear-even tuned down a 1/2 step. I've tried it on my Fender 08 Am 5 and my Basslab Soul 5 (both great basses with excellent B strings-neither of which is tuned down a 1/2 step like my Afterburner), but for a maneuver like this, the Dingwall slays them both. It's also a great feeling to have all 5 strings so similar in tension/feel.
 
#40
The 2 5 strings I own are a Stingray 5 H and a Fender Reggie Hamilton CS PJ5 and there is good reason for that. Between them I feel like I am covered sonically for all my needs.

I am surprised to hear of your disappointment in PJ's. I love the jazz tone, and the Reggie to me seems like the Jazz tone on steroids. The Reggie is Active with 3 band EQ or Passive with tone control. The blend knob works in both modes. Extremely versatile instrument.
 

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