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NBD: Wanted a fiver. Found a pretty one!

#23
tb-player said:
Over the last two years, I’ve been buying & selling basses, trying to find what’s right for me. In the end, I ended up with all 4-strings, which is cool... but I like having a 5-string on-hand. A five is a different instrument than a four. In my thinking, it serves a different purpose. And it didn’t take long before I found myself missing having one.

So i decided, if I’m only gonna have one fiver, I want it to be a good one. After some diligent searching, I came across this beauty. It’s a 30th Anniversary EBMM Stingray 5 with one of the prettiest flame maple necks I’ve ever seen.

I had one of these during my buying/selling period that I was able to sell for a profit. And while I’m happy for the occasions where I can make a little extra cash on a deal, I quickly realized that it’s the one bass I regret letting go. Great tone and very playable neck.

Feels like my arsenal is just about complete (that empty slot is anxiously waiting for Bluesman Vintage to finish my telecaster w/ a Bigsby tremolo).

I know GAS never ends. But mine is in a pretty stable spot right now. I guess we’ll see.

View attachment 3886576 View attachment 3886577
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Very pretty indeed. Blends in with that family ya got there. Congrats!
 
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#30
theduke1 said:
Very nice bass, but a question
I switched to 5 in 2006 and have never felt the need to switch back and forth
Can you explain your reasoning for doing so?
Thanks
Duke
Click to expand...
As I alluded to in the original post, I view the 5-string bass as a completely different instrument than the 4-string. For me, it has to do with a number of factors... string spacing, neck width, patterns/shapes, and string accessibility.

I like the 19mm string spacing that typically comes on a 4-string. Feels like home. Also, I enjoy a nice jazz neck with a slim-C profile. That speaks to my comfort level. But 19mm on a 5-string feels like a runway where planes could land. Definitely not my thing.

However, when I want economy of movement and a different approach to scales, intervals and the like, I want a five. So I end up with a 5-string with 18mm spacing. It requires some adjustment going from one to the other, but a couple of minutes of warmup exercises usually does the trick.

In playing different patterns and shapes, I approach each bass differently, depending on the number of strings. I tend to practice scales, arpeggios and modes from the lowest string available to the highest string available in each position and in each key. This means I have to think differently on five than I do on four. It's a challenge that I enjoy. I never want to approach the 5-string as a 4-string with an extra string, or as a 4-string with 5 extra low notes. A 5-string is so much more than that. It really is its own instrument.

At the end of the day, I guess you can play a five like a four and get the same results. But for me, I just approach each one differently so subconsciously, I play them differently.
 
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#34
tb-player said:
As I alluded to in the original post, I view the 5-string bass as a completely different instrument than the 4-string. For me, it has to do with a number of factors... string spacing, neck width, patterns/shapes, and string accessibility.

I like the 19mm string spacing that typically comes on a 4-string. Feels like home. Also, I enjoy a nice jazz neck with a slim-C profile. That speaks to my comfort level. But 19mm on a 5-string feels like a runway where planes could land. Definitely not my thing.

However, when I want economy of movement and a different approach to scales, intervals and the like, I want a five. So I end up with a 5-string with 18mm spacing. It requires some adjustment going from one to the other, but a couple of minutes of warmup exercises usually does the trick.

In playing different patterns and shapes, I approach each bass differently, depending on the number of strings. I tend to practice scales, arpeggios and modes from the lowest string available to the highest string available in each position and in each key. This means I have to think differently on five than I do on four. It's a challenge that I enjoy. I never want to approach the 5-string as a 4-string with an extra string, or as a 4-string with 5 extra low notes. A 5-string is so much more than that. It really is its own instrument.

At the end of the day, I guess you can play a five like a four and get the same results. But for me, I just approach each one differently so subconsciously, I play them differently.
Click to expand...
I do not play on the low B in every song or pattern
I find that using it for accents and turn arounds makes having it special
For instance
We do Rocky Mountain Way and the LowE works well to drive the tune during the verse and the lead
So this is how I use mine different strokes for different folks
Thanks for the information
Rock on!
Duke
 
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#39
selowitch said:
Absolutely sublime and amazing, OP! Super-congrats!! I have just a wee bit of jealousy going on. So nice. Enjoy it!!! So that’s white binding on a flame maple neck with a flame maple fingerboard? Exquisite.

Ernie Ball Music Man makes some of the nicest guitars/basses around.
Click to expand...
I believe that binding is exclusive to the 30th Anniversary model. It looks so clean. It really is a work of art.
 

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