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Modern 5-string

ericw

ericw

Aug 19, 2009
620
13
39
Greencastle, PA
#1
I'm thinking of a 5-string for jazz fusion, light pop rock, and (maybe) some country stuff.

I like gospel bass sounds and jazz fusion sounds like Atmos Trio and Jazz Pistols, but I don't have money for an MTD or Fodera.

I was thinking to build another parts bass - A Fender standard jazz V and add Bartolini pups or Nordstrand NJ5fs and a preamp (aguilar or Audere?).

Will this get me what I want? What pickup/preamp combo would be most towards what I'm looking for?
 
#2
IMO, Nordy pups with an aggie preamp will get you where you want to go.
Now a tight B is really important, so I'd get the longest scale you're willing to play.
Make sure you can string through the body, then follow that up with tapered strings.
Also, try to get a hi-mass bridge. That's a big deal with the modern sounds IME.
 
#5
tubby.twins said:
You could always build a Warmoth Gecko bass. They have a 35" scale and the B string sounds amazing.

Nordstrand DC pickups have a nice modern tone. Another option would be Q-Tuners.
Click to expand...

Ah, forgot to mention I want a classic look... I do like the Nordstrand DC's - a Nordstrand modern vj5 with DC's would really be my ideal instrument but a little out of my price range. :(

I haven't heard many examples of the Q-tuners
 
#6
Maybe a Peavey Cirrus USA? Modern sounding (but extremely versatile, can nail a P-bass sound!), 35''...and great for gospel as you can hear! () And it's a great time to buy a Cirrus, an awesome bang for the buck! I'm not a fusion or country player but it might worth a try! I'm in love with mine!
 
#7
+1 on Nords and a MIM Jazz Deluxe V... it would be great and the Aggie or Audere would be great. Splurge for the East, though!

Other ideas:

Squier Deluxe Active J 5 and Sadowsky PUs and Aggie...
I built one and it was GREAT! Sounded like a Sadowsky. Wide neck though.

Fender Deluxe J 24 Fret V, Dimarzio Ultra Jazz, preamp...
24 Frets, thinner neck, cheap bass that sounds and plays great.

Look at SGD pickups, too. Modern tone, lots of options, cheap. Also, he's a talkbass guy.
 
#8
rojo412 said:
+1 on Nords and a MIM Jazz Deluxe V... it would be great and the Aggie or Audere would be great. Splurge for the East, though!

Other ideas:

Squier Deluxe Active J 5 and Sadowsky PUs and Aggie...
I built one and it was GREAT! Sounded like a Sadowsky. Wide neck though.

Fender Deluxe J 24 Fret V, Dimarzio Ultra Jazz, preamp...
24 Frets, thinner neck, cheap bass that sounds and plays great.
Click to expand...

I was going to go with the Standard Jazz V as oposed to the Deluxe, in case I ever wanted to change the neck. Any reason I should go Deluxe instead?

The controls I think I want are Blend, Vol, Stacked Bass/Treble, Mini-bypass-switch. If I can drill and fit the mini-switch in the plate I could keep the jack on the plate and not need the deluxe setup.

Think you could give me a run-down on the neck differences in the various five-string jazz bass mutations?
 
#12
I'm pretty sure the Dlx and Std neck in 5s would be switchable.
The MIM is pretty simple as Deluxes go, just has battery routing already and the side mount jack, so you can make mods easily to that bass.
The Std would need a battery rout cut into it. Messy and expensive. Unless you get the East or Audere pre that's setup for being in a small space with a 9v.

Check out the KSD ProjoJ basses as well.
 
#13
I installed the Nordstrand NJ5fs in an ASJV that I had for a while. They sound great, but I would not characterize them as "modern" by any means. They don't sound like a single coil, but every effort has been made to get them as close as possible.

Also, I have experience with the Audere. It is KILLER preamp, if you understand what it is intended to do. The Audere is designed to sound as transparent as possible, and it does this amazingly well. The beauty of that pre is that you get the benefits of an active bass and still get a VERY true representation of the pickups' natural passive sound. I put one in a Lakland JO5 and was very happy with it. But, the bass was still far more vintage than modern.

I love the Sadowsky idea, but Sadowsky 5s won't retrofit a Fender. You'd have to do some hacking.
 
#16
The Cirrus obviously doesn't have a classic look to it, but it's probably one of the most beautiful instruments you can find and I get comments on that. It is extremely versatile and suits country, rock and fusion. It will even give you most everything a Rickenbacker does.

That said, mine has a bubinga top and is the older, more expensive model that is no longer available I believe. Maybe someone can describe the history of the various issues.
 
#20
Luckie said:
IMO, Nordy pups with an aggie preamp will get you where you want to go.
Now a tight B is really important, so I'd get the longest scale you're willing to play.
Make sure you can string through the body, then follow that up with tapered strings.
Also, try to get a hi-mass bridge. That's a big deal with the modern sounds IME.
Click to expand...

+1
Why would you want to go Fender? 34" scale with a mediocre B string. It's OK to put up with that if you also want the "old school" sound, but when you are going for a "modern" sound from the start? Why set your sights so low? Makes no sense.

There are SO many nice "Modern" basses out there with B strings to die for even in 34" scales. I'd say listen hard to the guys saying Peavey.
 

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