Purchasing a 5 string

[bass12]

There's tons of options for 5-strings. Scale and number of frets matter a lot, IMO. Scale to me is the most important. 34" works for me with either 22 or 24 frets... I absolutely can't play a 35" scale bass. 35 feels alien to me.

I find that scale length in and of itself is not nearly as much a determining factor of comfort as is the overall design. Warwicks, for example, are 34" but the way they are designed means that the reach feels significantly longer than a lot of 35" scale basses.

 

[xnewyorka]

It took me a while to realize it, but proper string spacing was the biggest thing that made a 5 string comfortable or not for me.

Yeah, me too. For the first year or two, I found that optimum string spacing meant having the 5th string about 5 feet away, attached to bass that was sitting on a guitar stand!!!!
But I'm finally starting to get used to having a 34" long wire thumbrest on my bass...

 

[lameaim]

It took me a while to realize it, but proper string spacing was the biggest thing that made a 5 string comfortable or not for me.

Same. I spent a year and change with a Stingray 5 as my main bass because it played well and I really liked the sound. I have bigger hands and would trip up with my right hand pretty often, but I'm a hobbyist more than anything else and chalked that up to terrible playing. It wasn't until I spent 3-4 months on a Sandberg TM4 that I realized that the narrow spacing of the SR5 was the main source of my troubles.

Got a Sandberg VM5 earlier this year and love it - except now the neck on my TM4 feels too small...

 

[Bassngtr]

For me it was very important to get a 5 that had similar string spacing to my 4. I've tried 5 strings with narrow spacing and I just can't play them.

 

[Nedmundo]

I agree with those who emphasize string spacing as a huge factor, and I strongly prefer the narrower spacing on my G&L fives to the slightly wider spacing on a Fender I used to have.

For me, fretboard radius matters too. I prefer flatter fretboards generally, and especially on fives so there's less of a "hump" to reach over to access the E and B strings. I just prefer that feel. But that's with all else being equal, which it rarely is.

Case in point: my new (to me) G&L JB-5, which has the stock 9.5" fretboard radius instead of the 12" I would have ordered had I bought new. Despite this, it feels great to me, because the neck has a slim rear profile, nicely rounded fretboard edges, and low action thanks to the Plek-leveled frets. It's just an excellent neck overall, which I think many players would like. I'd probably prefer the 12" radius, but thus far I'm enjoying this JB-5.

 

[bass40hz]

I can tell you from my experience, it has to be the right 5 string bass for you. ALL the measurements do matter, neck width, string spacing, scale length, etc and it has to be the right combination for you.
I tried 5 strings several times throughout the years, the B was nothing more than a place to anchor my thumb because things never felt right, matter of fact it always felt wrong... hard to explain, but it's my experience. I finally discovered it was the brand of bass I was using, trying the same brand with different models and yielding the same results. I tried other brands, have 2 that work and now I am playing 5ers like I been playing 4s for over 37 years.
Now there will be folks who chime in and say that you cant make a statement across an entire brand name like that, well, again, this is my experience and I tried 4 different 5 string models across this same brand that I wanted to like so badly and none of them worked...my point is, try out as many as you can, even if it doesn't "look" like it might work for you.

 

[getBAK]

People here have already touched on the most important items (scale length and string spacing).
Honestly, but best advice is to go to a shop and try a bunch of different 5-strings. You aren't going to know what you like, until you know what you like

In general, I'll encourage you to stay away from 5-strings with narrow necks and tight string spacing. This isn't a 4-string, and won't ever feel like one. When spacing gets narrow, the ability to get between strings gets very difficult.

 

[mattj1stc]

Moving over to a 5 string has a few different moving pieces that sometimes get jumbled together. Assuming you know your budget, I'd recommend the following:

I'd start with the bass geometry and dimensions. When I played 4 strings, I liked 34 inch scale basses with Precision necks (1.75" at the nut was best and 0.75" at the bridge). Most 5 strings I played were too cramped for me - I found the bridge spacing to be even more important than the nut spacing. I also like necks that are wide and get significantly wider as they approach the body. To me, the Lakland 5 string necks ended up being the best fit. Similarly, I'm tall with big hands, so moving to a 35 inch scale was not a big deal, but it may be for others. I also really liked the Dingwall fanned frets - they weren't a problem, but I also didn't see them as a significant benefit. Lastly, how does the bass balance and feel - is it comfortable? Can you get the playability and action that you need? Can you reach everything you need to reach?

Once you have the dimensions and geometries out of the way, then I'd start to think about passive or active, number of pickups, color, manufacturer quality reputation, etc. For example, I think that almost all the Lakand 5 strings have more or less the same neck (at least for the Skylines), so if you like the way an active one feels and plays, you'll probably like the 5 string P or J too.

The last thing, which people usually blame on the bass but it's more related to the strings, is the B string. Based on my experience, most stock B strings are inadequately thick or stiff enough relative to the other 4. The only exception to this was the Dingwall, which had a 37 inch scale B string for a .135 thickness. On my current 5 string, I have a set of balanced Kalium hybrid strings, and the balanced B is .150 (for at 35 inch scale bass) where the G is the typical .045. I like a little more tension, so others may have different opinions as to what optimum thickness looks like. My main point is that it's probably not the bass as much as it's the string that people will dislike the B on a 5 string.

 

[UntitledUser]

I have 4 and 5, no problem. You just learn how to handle it in a couple of week if you know how to play.
And switching between one or other is not a problem, even after some minutes. You simply would not notice great difference in the handling once you make habit to both.

The thing that I love with 5 is to use it to play fretted low-E note at the fifth fret of low-B string, instead of open E at zero (nut) position like in the fourth. When you have both, you can write riffs with the five that still have E root note in the song and can be played by standard 6 string guitar, but with bass you play them in a more "vertical" way in the middle of the neck, instead of sticking always at zero,1,2 fret position of lowE/A strings.

 

[RhynoRock]

Other than some growing pains when getting used to that low B, just play a bunch and find one that feels and sounds good, like everyone else said I switched after about 17 years, and now I can't do without it. Only bass I own now that's a 4 string is my Ric.

 

[Riff Ranger]

There's tons of options for 5-strings. Scale and number of frets matter a lot, IMO. Scale to me is the most important. 34" works for me with either 22 or 24 frets... I absolutely can't play a 35" scale bass. 35 feels alien to me.

I mail ordered the 5-string ATK you have in your avatar a couple years after starting on a 4-string, just before TalkBass became a thing (so there was nobody to talk any sense to me), and—for our OP's consideration—I don't remember suffering through any adjustment period, FWIW. I still have that one, and a P5 besides.

 

[ElectricBass72]

I mail ordered the 5-string ATK you have in your avatar a couple years after starting on a 4-string, just before TalkBass became a thing, and—for our OP's consideration—I don't remember suffering through any adjustment period, FWIW.

I mail ordered my ATK, too... back in 2008. The first 5-string I owned was a Carvin LB75 back in the mid 90's. Once I got used to it, most 5-strings were easy for me to adapt to.

 

[GreyBeard]

I've owned and played a lot of 5s. I've kept my 1995 Sr5 while buying and selling a bunch of others. Start with an Sr5 and see how it feels. IMHO the Sr5 is to a 5 string what a pbass is to a 4

 

[filwitheneff]

I've played 4 strings forever and the 5 have peaked my interest. Is there anything specific I should be paying attention to when looking at a 5 string to purchase or is it "just another string"?

For me, comfort (playability) was the #1 thing. I needed something that I could play for a 4-hour gig and not be wore-out by the end of the night. I wanted something that was enjoyable to play, and if I felt like I had to fight it, I knew I couldn't keep it. It took me a lot of trial-and-error, but I finally found a keeper. Therefore, I'd encourage you to start getting your hands on as many as you can and find out what you like and what you don't.

 

[Ric5]

try one of these … Mitchell mb5 $150

 

[Chad Michael]

Don't know current string prices or how often you change them..

Back in the day (10 years ago) when I gigged regularly: a 4 string set of just about anything was $19. A five string set of just about anything was $29. Have been playing 5's since '02, they feel at home, do what is right for you - lots of good advice here

 

[TheLowDown33]

With the exception of multiscale instruments, all five strings kind of compromise somewhere. Incorrect tension on the low strings, incorrect tension on the higher strings, nice wide string spacing causing a huge neck, nice comfy neck size causing tight string spacing, etc.

The trick to finding a great five string is just finding which of the compromises you can live with, and this depends quite a bit on the application. For instance, if you are going to chug away on a low C most of the time, you're likely going to value tension. If you want to play a decent amount of slap, you're likely going to value string spacing.

For me (and a lot of others) it's a 35 inch scale, with 18mm spacing. Decent B string without adversely affecting the G string and just-wide-enough string spacing to not feel foreign, yet still maintain a playable neck width.

 

[phillipkregg]

I never really met a B string I didn't like. Yes, a 35" B will be tighter, but I never had an issue with a 34"

This ^

I have found that 99% of the time it's the player, not the B string

 

[UntitledUser]

Incorrect tension on the low strings

It depends on fifth string gauge, so it depends on the set of strings used.
In my opinion who desires a fifth with more tension on a 34, in my opinion should buy a traditional 4Set and add a single lowB string that is step bigger than the default string included in the 5string version of the bought 4set.
For example instead of a set that is [45-65-80-100-130] buying a [45-100set]+1X[135]
However I'm quite happy with default sets.

 

[TheLowDown33]

It depends on fifth string gauge, so it depends on the set of strings used.
In my opinion who desires a fifth with more tension on a 34, in my opinion should buy a traditional 4Set and add a single lowB string that is step bigger than the default string included in the 5string version of the bought 4set.
For example instead of a set that is [45-65-80-100-130] buying a [45-100set]+1X[135]

Agreed, but by using larger low strings to increase the tension, you reduce the clarity of the notes as you move up the neck. The string will start to act as a rigid structure sooner. Also intonation issues tend to develop. My point was that there are certain trade offs on 5 strings that need to be considered.