Slim-necked 5 with a Good B under $1.5k ????

[Aloe]

1. seconding the thinner string recommendation if your low B is like too low and boomy

2. seconding Wicks as well, all my Wicks, including the Chinese Rockbass series had a great low B. in fact, if you dig up old threads on like 'who has the best B string', there will be two common answers: Modulus Quantum and Warwick.

 

[captainofsmooth]

+1 for the Reverend Mercalli 5. I owned one and have regretted selling it ever since. If I could find one more like it, I’d jump on it.

Alternatively, before the market got crazy and importing goods got ridiculous, you’d see a used Yamaha BBP35 show up for sale under $1500. It’s harder to find that these days, but if you can, I love mine. It punches way higher than it price point. The B is strong and solid.

 

[David McIntire]

Just seeking some clarification here. When you say you reinstalled the string after aligning the coil on the tuner peg, was it the ball end that turned at the bridge? Or were you able to fix it at the tuner end?

I've had similar issues with the B string on my Yamaha recently and I think it may be due to the string being twisted. But I installed mine going through the body rather than top loading, so once they're installed there's no hope of fixing a twist. I think I will top load my next set of strings and see if that helps avoid twists.

I string my main bass thru body as well. This works no matter the stringing method. I tune the string to a half step below standard. When I then loosen the string, the coil pops off and the string untwists. Usually about a 3/4 turn. I then turn the WHOLE string, so that the coil lines up with the post. Then, I slip the coil over the post and tune back up, set my witness points and tune again. I hope this helps. If not, I can go into more detail. Maybe a video. Bottom line is, because the ball end is held unable to turn, the string twists. This happens with top load or thru body. Removing the coil let's the string Un twist. To turn it, I back the ball end out of the string ferrule or bridge a bit, turn the whole string to line up, then re install.

 

[pluki7]

Using .125 for the B string and plucking lightly really helped, IME.

 

[arepa_funk]

Been mentioned a few times, the Reverend Mercalli 5 is fantastic. It's the first five string I own tho I've played others (Ibanez, Warwick.) Smooth, fast neck, great B. I'm upgrading to flats so that's another consideration.

 

[Erik Turkman]

I’ll also suggest offerings from Sire. I’m partial to the P7. The Charvel San Dimas Pro Mod PJ V has a surprisingly slim neck and is well within the stated budget. The Lakland 55-01 is another contender, but I forget the exact neck profile. It’s fast, but maybe not the slimmest.

 

[BOOG]

Within my limited sample size, I can not think of a better example to recommend.


https://youtu.be/Y3FLnRGe9ZE

Not really my musical taste nor the type of music I play but there’re examples using the B-string.




I couldn’t find an ESP Guitars official video for the 5-string but this one mentions some of the spec highlights that are on the five and four string including, the neck dimensions/hardware/electronics.

 

[lyralain]

I wouldn't recommend the EDA because of its luthite body, but I'd look into the Affirma version.

I have lusted after the natural wood Affirmas after seeing 'em on LowEndLobster's channel, and I do see some AFR5-WAP within my budget o:

I did enjoy playing the slimmer cheap Ibanez I had normally, but slap was more of a pain, but if this is wider towards the body as you say that could solve that.

 

[Nuage420]

Within my limited sample size, I can not think of a better example to recommend.

View attachment 4691957

Not really my musical taste nor the type of music I play but there’re examples using the B-string.




I couldn’t find an ESP Guitars official video for the 5-string but this one mentions some of the spec highlights that are on the five and four string including, the neck dimensions/hardware/electronics.

Yep! There's one in the classifieds too for a steal

 

[BOOG]

Yep! There's one in the classifieds too for a steal

fwiw…I approve of your avatar

 

[Nuage420]

fwiw…I approve of your avatar

VU LUV

 

[BOOG]

VU LUV

ABSOLUTE.

 

[ptensioned]

is there actually somewhere to find these for < $1.5k? seems like a huge depreciation.

Shows how long it's been since I shopped for one! Bought one new here in Canada for about $1400 CAD about six or seven years ago, figured they might be about $1500 USD these days. Checking Reverb suggests I'm way off base and nowhere near that now. Long & McQuade, where I bought mine, is selling them for more than double what I paid (!).

Still, best B string I've ever played, and to me, miles better than the Yamaha fanned fret models that came out a few years ago...

 

[Raman]

I have lusted after the natural wood Affirmas after seeing 'em on LowEndLobster's channel, and I do see some AFR5-WAP within my budget o:

I did enjoy playing the slimmer cheap Ibanez I had normally, but slap was more of a pain, but if this is wider towards the body as you say that could solve that.

Plenty of space for the right hand. In comparison, I've had to adapt to my subsequent G&L L2500, and I still trip on the strings.

They're very well designed instruments. Definitely worth a check.
Another aspect is how comfortable and balanced they are.
I also really liked the Dr Seuss aesthetics.

Edit:

 

[lyralain]

Idk what you consider a slim neck but my schecter studio 5 is one heck of an instrument. And I think it was 800 brand new.

Looked through all the suggestions in this thread and it seems like this may actually be the one. Sounds great & versatile in youtube demos, looks very playable, & is far more affordable than some other options. I just wished anywhere nearby stocked more than a couple 5's so I could try it, but I can always order this in then return it at GC.

It then becomes a question of if the comfort & sound can override my lust for the EHB1005MS' look.

 

[Bill Murray]

Looked through all the suggestions in this thread and it seems like this may actually be the one. Sounds great & versatile in youtube demos, looks very playable, & is far more affordable than some other options. I just wished anywhere nearby stocked more than a couple 5's so I could try it, but I can always order this in then return it at GC.

It then becomes a question of if the comfort & sound can override my lust for the EHB1005MS' look.

This was my first extended range bass. All of your current gripes with the Ibanez I also had with the schecter… I ended up parting ways with it and began my hunt for the perfect B string. I went through Ibanez, LTD, MusicMan, Modulus, Lakland, Reverend, Fender, Yamaha, Sadowsky, and Dingwall.

After years of trying different basses I decided I just didn’t like B strings. I rocked 4 strings for 2 years during which my playing evolved dramatically and I ended getting another 5 string (Stingray Special HH) This time around it sounded how I’d imagined it would and now I’m able to make any B string sound good.

Despite that I saw this Schecter in a local shop and gave it a go again. The B string still sounded worse than the other strings, just lifeless in comparison. The EQ isn’t very flexible either but they look sweet and are comfortable.

For what’s it worth I definitely don’t love Ibanez’s but I still think your current bass is superior to anything Schecter has put out. YMMV.

 

[BOOG]

Looked through all the suggestions in this thread and it seems like this may actually be the one. Sounds great & versatile in youtube demos, looks very playable, & is far more affordable than some other options. I just wished anywhere nearby stocked more than a couple 5's so I could try it, but I can always order this in then return it at GC.

It then becomes a question of if the comfort & sound can override my lust for the EHB1005MS' look.

I have tried a handful of 5-string instruments and only purchased two. The Schecter Stage-5 I bought online without playing first and sold it because the string spacing was narrower than any bass I play regularly. The neck was very nice in contour and finish but it definitely is thicker than the ESP-LTD AP-5 I have now. Having the consistent wider spacing makes the transition from one bass to another much less problematic and having the thinner (front to back) profile makes it much more comfortable getting around to the B-string. Yeah the Schecter is a good instrument but not for me. Also, the AP-5 seems MUCH less in weight and much more compact ergonomically.

 

[lyralain]

This was my first extended range bass. All of your current gripes with the Ibanez I also had with the schecter…

It was these demoes that was making me feel it was pretty balanced-


buuuut in looking at it again he doesn't ever venture past the 6th fret on the B. Still seems a bit more cohesive than my EHB but I've also not messed with strings or the setup much yet.

 

[DwaynieAD]

Looked through all the suggestions in this thread and it seems like this may actually be the one. Sounds great & versatile in youtube demos, looks very playable, & is far more affordable than some other options. I just wished anywhere nearby stocked more than a couple 5's so I could try it, but I can always order this in then return it at GC.

It then becomes a question of if the comfort & sound can override my lust for the EHB1005MS' look.

I ordered mine thru gc when it was on sale and was beyond happy with how gc treated me thru the process. The one that originally was supposed to ship had a Crack in the neck the guy called to ask if I wanted money off, him to send it to another store for fulfillment (letting me know it may take a few extra days to receive) or have him cancel the order.
I told him If it was a finish crack I'd take the money off. He called me back an hour or so later and let me know it was not a finish crack and he couldnt in good conscious ship that bass out so he sent my order over to another store and I received a beautiful bass that plays well and sounds pretty good.

 

[Bill Murray]

It was these demoes that was making me feel it was pretty balanced-


buuuut in looking at it again he doesn't ever venture past the 6th fret on the B. Still seems a bit more cohesive than my EHB but I've also not messed with strings or the setup much yet.

The bass sounds decent but he doesn’t spend much time on the B string at all and you are correct about not using the higher frets. On this particular model I found anything about the fifth fret to be especially an issue.

Is there a specific tone or vibe you’re going for?