Slapping on a 5-string?

[Spin Doctor]

String spacing I find tighter on a five string so it's not just the slap but also the pop you need to be more accurate with. I find the 4 string easier to slap and there's nothing I've learnt to play that asks me to slap a low B string..... well not yet.

Most 5 strings have 18mm spacing. I've never seen a bass that had a wider spacing than 19mm, so I don't see how spacing would be an issue. And although, I've only heard a few guys do it, there's no reason to slap a B string. It's there to use for other things depending on the kind of music you play.

But muting the B string can be a problem so it's something you have to be conscious of and work on.

 

[Wretched Banana]

Most 5 strings have 18mm spacing

Just saying but... I had to search/wait for almost 6 months to get a factory made 5 string with 18mm. These days anything above 16.5mm is not easy (unless you go custom shop). And 16.5mm does make a huge difference. Not impossible, and not even necessarily harder to slap on imho, but very different feel for sure.

 

[Les Fret]

Just saying but... I had to search/wait for almost 6 months to get a factory made 5 string with 18mm. These days anything above 16.5mm is not easy (unless you go custom shop). And 16.5mm does make a huge difference. Not impossible, and not even necessarily harder to slap on imho, but very different feel for sure.

14mm on a six string is ideal for me. Slapping works just fine. But that might not work for everyone. I thought most 5 string basses are 16.5 or 18 or even 19mm. It’s much harder to find a six string with less than 16.5mm.

 

[Spin Doctor]

Just saying but... I had to search/wait for almost 6 months to get a factory made 5 string with 18mm. These days anything above 16.5mm is not easy (unless you go custom shop). And 16.5mm does make a huge difference. Not impossible, and not even necessarily harder to slap on imho, but very different feel for sure.

A basic Fender Jazz 4 string has 19mm spacing. I have an Ibanez 6 string that I think is really tight and it's 17mm. So 18mm on a 5 string isn't unusual. In fact, it's pretty much the standard. I guess it depends on the bass you want.

 

[Spin Doctor]

14mm on a six string is ideal for me. Slapping works just fine. But that might not work for everyone. I thought most 5 string basses are 16.5 or 18 or even 19mm. It’s much harder to find a six string with less than 16.5mm.

I have no idea how you could slap with 14mm spacing, lol. Slapping on my 6 string with 17mm spacing gave me the blues, which is why I bought a Sire V7 Marcus Miller 5 string. My hands are kinda big though. My fingers would barely fit a 14mm gap.

 

[Les Fret]

I have no idea how you could slap with 14mm spacing, lol.

haha...I slap on everything that has strings. And also on things that don't have strings...

 

[SunByrne]

My teacher slaps just fine on a 5 string. Sounds great and he makes it look completely effortless. It's humbling since he also plays and teaches guitar and piano.

Me, I'm still working on slapping on a 4... getting there. Practice, practice, practice, right?

 

[Wretched Banana]

A basic Fender Jazz 4 string has 19mm spacing. I have an Ibanez 6 string that I think is really tight and it's 17mm. So 18mm on a 5 string isn't unusual. In fact, it's pretty much the standard. I guess it depends on the bass you want.

I don't think that's accurate. All 5-string Ibanez-zes other than my EHBxxx (18mm), BTB series (19mm), and one particular wide spacing SR model have 16.5mm. I'm assuming a BTB is what you have?

5-string Fenders and MM's are all below 18mm. So no go with your typical slappable basses.

 

[Spin Doctor]

I don't think that's accurate. All 5-string Ibanez-zes other than my EHBxxx (18mm), BTB series (19mm), and one particular wide spacing SR model have 16.5mm. I'm assuming a BTB is what you have?

5-string Fenders and MM's are all below 18mm. So no go with your typical slappable basses.

I was talking about my modded 6 string Ibanez Gio being 17mm, but I only changed the pickups on that. I do have a BTB 5 string which is 19mm as you said, but I'm not crazy about it. My Sire is 18mm.

I did mention that it depends on the bass you want, but my point is that 18mm (and higher) 5 strings are not the unicorn you think it is since you said yourself that all Ibanez 5 strings are at least 18mm. If you have to have a Fender, then it just is what it is. I'm not sure why this needs to be some kind of arguable point. Unless your point seems to be that you can only slap a Fender. If that's the case, I don't have anything more to say about it.

 

[Spin Doctor]

I don't think that's accurate. All 5-string Ibanez-zes other than my EHBxxx (18mm), BTB series (19mm), and one particular wide spacing SR model have 16.5mm. I'm assuming a BTB is what you have?

5-string Fenders and MM's are all below 18mm. So no go with your typical slappable basses.

So I decided to look it up and this is what I found. You can take it for whatever it's worth.

"The "Fender Standard V" 5-String J-Bass has 18mm string spacing and uses the same size pickups as the 4-String model. Most 5-String J-basses with 18mm spacing use this size. The "Fender American Standard V" 5-String J-Bass has 19mm string spacing at the bridge and uses larger size pickups"

You're also wrong about the string spacing of a music man five string, which is 19 mm. As it turns out, Google knows everything.

 

[nnnnnn]

You're also wrong about the string spacing of a music man five string, which is 19 mm. As it turns out, Google knows everything.

I own both an Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray 5 and a ruler, and I can assure you the string spacing at the bridge is 17.5mm. (I admit the .5 part is an estimate, the ruler just has 1mm markings.)

Or if you don't trust my ruler you can check the FAQ on the Ernie Ball Music Man website, which says the string spacing on all of their five-string basses is 11/16", and that works out to be - surprise! - 17.4625mm.

Music Man four string basses have 19mm string spacing.