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Need some opinions on a five string

EthanS

EthanS

Dec 30, 2020
27
16
#1
Hey all:
I've been playing bass seriously for about a year and a half now. I purchased a Squier Jaguar Bass when I started. It has been a good bass, but I want to start looking into an upgrade so I can start learning some songs that are written for a 5 string. My taste in music is mostly heavy rock and occasionally some metal (Five Finger Death Punch, Skillet, and Disturbed are some of my recent favorites to listen to), but I also play in my church's worship team and want something that can be versatile enough to learn licks from songs I like, write my own stuff, and provide the solid bottom end that my praise team needs from me.
I have recently stepped away from theory and wanted to start applying my technique to music that I like outside of the praise band, but a lot of the songs are written on a 5 string bass. I have not played a fiver before and I wanted some recommendations on what some solid picks are.

I am on a budget, probably $400-500. I am willing to go slightly over that but I want to keep it reasonable.

I have heard mostly good things about Ibanez's SR line. I also was looking at G&L, but I have heard some mixed opinions and the Tributes are outside of my allotted budget. Was planning to go to the music shop tomorrow, who carries both Ibanez basses and G&L's. I would greatly appreciate any feedback!
 
#4
Agree with the nod to Schecter. They're packing a ton of value into their builds these days. I'd also keep an eye out for this or that from Yamaha.

I'm a 4-string player, but occasionally I'll sample a 5-string at a shop if I want to scratch the curiosity itch. If you can do some sampling of your own, I'd say try to get an idea of what you like in terms of string spacing and both the width and "chunky-ness" of a neck. I've only recently sorted out the truth that I need relatively wide spacing with my 4's to avoid stressing my fretting hand, but I also have trouble with my other hand (plucking) if the strings seem too crowded for me down at the bridge.

Yaddah-yaddah... Just offering that although I'm more at home on 4-strings, some 5'ers can feel surprisingly comfortable for me. Treat a new bass like a pair of shoes or good jeans and try to track down a decent fit.
 
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#6
At that price range I would personally only consider a Yamaha, TRBX 505/605 or BB 735. I tried a Ibanez SR in that price range when I first considered a 5 and found it very sloppy personally.

Make sure that you like playing 5 string too. I tried for a year on a EBMM Stingray 5 and never enjoyed having the extra string and never used it, no matter how much I liked other 5 string music. Just traded it in and will be drop tuning for any time i really need the low notes.

Also take a look at the actual notes that the songs call for, not the tab, because you might be able to get away with playing it on the 4 string, especially if it is just a low D.
 
#8
EthanS said:
Hey all:
I've been playing bass seriously for about a year and a half now. I purchased a Squier Jaguar Bass when I started. It has been a good bass, but I want to start looking into an upgrade so I can start learning some songs that are written for a 5 string. My taste in music is mostly heavy rock and occasionally some metal (Five Finger Death Punch, Skillet, and Disturbed are some of my recent favorites to listen to), but I also play in my church's worship team and want something that can be versatile enough to learn licks from songs I like, write my own stuff, and provide the solid bottom end that my praise team needs from me.
I have recently stepped away from theory and wanted to start applying my technique to music that I like outside of the praise band, but a lot of the songs are written on a 5 string bass. I have not played a fiver before and I wanted some recommendations on what some solid picks are.

I am on a budget, probably $400-500. I am willing to go slightly over that but I want to keep it reasonable.

I have heard mostly good things about Ibanez's SR line. I also was looking at G&L, but I have heard some mixed opinions and the Tributes are outside of my allotted budget. Was planning to go to the music shop tomorrow, who carries both Ibanez basses and G&L's. I would greatly appreciate any feedback!
Click to expand...
Oh man, you’d have loved to have been at our last show.

Anyway, I’d recommend looking for something with strong low and upper mids to give you the beef for lows but also cut through a mix. My custom with jazz Barts is perfect for this and is the bass I use to compare all others to.

In the words of the great Scooby Do, “Rotsa ruck!”

Raz
 
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#10
Yamaha and Ibanez have been mentioned, Cort has some great stuff cheap as do many companies. When I was hoarding I liked to decide on what features I want and not which brands. This keeps you open to oddballs like a used Hamer or a Moon or whatever is being sold today. Important things to me are weight, bridge and neck spacing, and scale length. I also like passive. Then instead of searching for my holy grail I just shop what's in season that fits my specs. There's a bunch of good choices used under $500.
 
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#12
In that price range I would recommend Schecter and Yamaha all day. Spector's Korean line is also very nice. Not a fan of Spectors Indonesian/Chinese line up. The only 5 string I have right now is a Korean Spector Coda5 Pro and its a wonderful super jazz type bass. I think I saw they dropped from 1000 to 550 in price. I would make sure to play before I buy as well because a lot of 5 stringers in this price range are easily 10-11 pounds.
 
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#13
I bought a Yamaha TRBX505 as a beater and ended up finding it to be a great bass. It’s my main home practice bass; I now leave my number one at our rehearsal space. It’s a 34” scale with no noticeable issue with the B string. For the record my number one is a Carvin LB76 six string 34” and it also has no problem with the B string. I also have a Spector NS2005, with a 35” scale and notice no difference in any of the B strings. Bottom line, despite what I’ve read, my personal experience is that 34” are just as good as 35” B strings. Now that I got that out of the way, I’m extremely impressed with the Yamaha TRBX505; it’s $50 over your price range new, but I got mine used for about half of that. In 30+ years of playing, I’ve never been disappointed by Yamaha basses.
 
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#14
EthanS said:
Hey all:
I've been playing bass seriously for about a year and a half now. I purchased a Squier Jaguar Bass when I started. It has been a good bass, but I want to start looking into an upgrade so I can start learning some songs that are written for a 5 string. My taste in music is mostly heavy rock and occasionally some metal (Five Finger Death Punch, Skillet, and Disturbed are some of my recent favorites to listen to), but I also play in my church's worship team and want something that can be versatile enough to learn licks from songs I like, write my own stuff, and provide the solid bottom end that my praise team needs from me.
I have recently stepped away from theory and wanted to start applying my technique to music that I like outside of the praise band, but a lot of the songs are written on a 5 string bass. I have not played a fiver before and I wanted some recommendations on what some solid picks are.

I am on a budget, probably $400-500. I am willing to go slightly over that but I want to keep it reasonable.

I have heard mostly good things about Ibanez's SR line. I also was looking at G&L, but I have heard some mixed opinions and the Tributes are outside of my allotted budget. Was planning to go to the music shop tomorrow, who carries both Ibanez basses and G&L's. I would greatly appreciate any feedback!
Click to expand...

My two cents. I have been playing bass for 30+ years and when I needed a bass quick, I jumped into a Sterling by MM SUB 5 string. I thought it is was merely going to be a stop gap until I could afford something in the $2k range. I ended up using the thing as my primary instrument for 4 years. That is how impressive this "cheap" bass was to me. Highly recommend for budget bass.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Sterling-by-Music-Man/Sub-5-Electric-Bass-Guitar.gc

I am actually keeping it as my backup.

**Edit: Wrong link. this one is used but I am sure your local store has them new.**
 
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#15
I was in a very similar place to you when I first started. Not sure if its been explicitly mentioned, but I'd suggest going and trying out a bunch of basses and making note of specific dimensions such as string spacing and scale length. There is a lot more variation in those criteria than with 4 strings, so it's worth exploring. It's a matter of finding a bass that is in your budget with dimensions you like, with tones you desire, order of importance maintained.
 
#16
Used tribute L-2500 if versatility is a top concern. Got mine for $425, and other than a little neck dive I can't complain.

Ibby and Schecter are good value propositions, too, and may be better aesthetic fits for your non-church pursuits.

And I wouldn't sleep on yamaha, as others have mentioned. They've always made good stuff.

Bottom line: play a bunch, then buy the one that sounds, feels and looks right to YOU. :thumbsup:
 
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#17
I would also look at string spacing and neck thickness. My carvin 5 string has a rather flat neck with medium string spacing but the Lakland Skyline 5502 I traded off was too wide in string spacing for me. I couldn't get used to it. 5 years in. I ended up going back to mostly 4 strings because of the string spacing but I miss the low B at times.
Part of that is my not wanting to ever play open strings unless forced to. "Hey dude can you play that open E", "Uh no."
 
#18
Before you take any brand advice, you must play as many 5's as possible, regardless of brand or price. The specs on 5 string basses vary wildly. String spacing, scale, neck profile, maybe even nut width, etc... One will feel right. Once you find that one, either buy it or make a note of the specs and look for basses with those specs, ignoring brand.

I play exclusively 5 string basses and I know what works for me: 34" 18mm spacing. I can barely play 16mm or 17mm spaced basses and 35" scale basses are not as comfortable for me. Other folks only want 35" 19mm. Had I tried to switch to 5's based purely on what someone else said, or bought a brand for sake of a brand, and ended up with one of the narrow spaced 5's, I might have never made the move.

Focus more on feel and ergonomics than headstock logos.
 
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#19
Ibanez is probably your best bang for the buck. My second choice would be a MusicMan Sub or Ray 35, for the price point they are hard to beat. Yamaha would be another solid choice (definitely under rated).

Never liked the low B string on the few schecters I’ve owned, the top 4 strings were great though and build quality was decent.

The G&Ls take a huge dive in quality with the affordable models. I also found the low B to be a bit dull on the one I owned. The neck warped rather quickly too which I why I parted ways with it.


EthanS said:
Hey all:
I've been playing bass seriously for about a year and a half now. I purchased a Squier Jaguar Bass when I started. It has been a good bass, but I want to start looking into an upgrade so I can start learning some songs that are written for a 5 string. My taste in music is mostly heavy rock and occasionally some metal (Five Finger Death Punch, Skillet, and Disturbed are some of my recent favorites to listen to), but I also play in my church's worship team and want something that can be versatile enough to learn licks from songs I like, write my own stuff, and provide the solid bottom end that my praise team needs from me.
I have recently stepped away from theory and wanted to start applying my technique to music that I like outside of the praise band, but a lot of the songs are written on a 5 string bass. I have not played a fiver before and I wanted some recommendations on what some solid picks are.

I am on a budget, probably $400-500. I am willing to go slightly over that but I want to keep it reasonable.

I have heard mostly good things about Ibanez's SR line. I also was looking at G&L, but I have heard some mixed opinions and the Tributes are outside of my allotted budget. Was planning to go to the music shop tomorrow, who carries both Ibanez basses and G&L's. I would greatly appreciate any feedback!
Click to expand...
 
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#20
My 1st 5 string was an Ibanez and that was 30 some years ago. There are 2 things about switch from 4 to 5 that you have to consider. Which will be more important to you, string spacing or neck width? Ibanez goes for narrow string spacing and a neck that is similar to a 4 string. Fender usually goes with a wider neck and string spacing closer to what a 4 string would be. I personally have settled on the string spacing and neck width of a EB SR5 but, that is just me. Play as many 5ers as you can get your hands on and buy the one that feels best in your hands.
 
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