String spacing preference with 5 string basses

[khutch]

Is there a thread somewhere on TB that lists string spacing on different manufacturer/models?

There are some but the numbers seldom agree from person to person. I don't know if this is measurement error or variation in the instruments themselves. I took a business card and made a spacing gauge on it. Put a pen mark on the long edge near one corner and label it zero then make more marks 64, 68, 72, and 76 mm away and label them sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen respectively. Hold the card up against the bridge of the bass with the zero mark on the B string and read the spacing by noting the location of the G string against the other marks. This tells you the spacing almost instantly with good accuracy. The results I have gotten recently are:

American Deluxe/Standard Jazz V 17.8mm (adjustable bridge, could go wider)
Deluxe Active Jazz V 17mm, 47.6mm at nut
Squier VM Jazz V 17.5mm, 47.6mm at nut
SR305 16.2mm
Warwick Corvette $$ 5 16mm
Spector Legend Classic 5 17mm
Peavy Fury 17mm (a used bass)
ESP B205 16.8mm, 45mm at nut
ESP B255 16.8mm, 47mm at nut (a new old stock bass)
Squire Deluxe Active Jazz V 18.8mm, 19mm, 51mm at nut (two different basses)
Peavey Millenium 5 AC BXP 16.8mm
Peavey Grind 5 NTB 17.8mm

Your mileage may vary and based on what I have seen here it often does. BTW the nut widths are often given on manufacturer websites and when given above that is where they come from but they are overall nut widths not string spacings.

Ken

 

[Munjibunga]

I like either 18mm or 19mm. Most of mine are 19mm.

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

My G&L L2500 is 18mm at bridge. I love the idea of 19mm but when playing I like more and more 18mm. Less than that is crump city.

 

[Showdown]

String spacing has never mattered to me. I have some with narrow spacing (Peavey Dyna), a Yamaha BBG5A with wide spacing, and a Carvin B5 that is in between. I can switch between them with no problem, it is just a matter of getting used to it.

 

[Fuzzbass]

What are your thoughts on string spacing on 5 string bass guitars?

For me, same as for you, it's incredibly important. I go the other way, though. I played four-string for 20 years before switching to five, so my right hand is accustomed to 19mm bridge spacing. Nut width: naturally I prefer 1-7/8" over 1-3/4".

I've owned narrower fivers but sold them because I could never get used to them. As much as I enjoy the MusicMan tone, I will never own a MusicMan fiver because the string spacing is too cramped for me. Ernie Ball doesn't care, nor should they because their fivers are selling well enough as is. But my money goes to companies like Fender, Lull, Benavente, and Sadowsky, who make wide fivers.

Special props to companies like Warwick who offer both wide and narrow spaced fivers.

 

[Baird6869]

17-19mm feels almost the same to me. I can slap, play fingerstyle, use a pick, etc. I don't really notice the difference.

Tighter than 17mm? I have problems.

I guess 18 would be the ideal spacing for me, but I really don't care that much.

 

[lomo]

I prefer 19mm, but 18 is doable. 17.5 or less and I am sucking/ screwing up even more than usual.

 

[Hot Pocket]

Diff spacing for diff techniques. Hard to double thumb slap on narrow spacing and 19 seems Ideal for this technique. I can adapt most playing styles to any spacing if the bass is a good one. 17.5-18 is quite comfortable.

 

[Low End Theorem]

My whole bass playing life up till last year I was totally convinced that I needed to have 19mm spacing on both my 4 and 5 string. However I bought a couple of short scale basses recently, one with 16mm and one with 14mm spacing and I was genuinely surprised (and relieved!) at how quickly your fingers learn and adapt to the tighter spacing. Also not as hard as I thought it would be switching back to 19mm again.

Is your 14mm bass a 5er? I've been trying to find one that tight

 

[eastcoasteddie]

My first 5 was the L2500 with 17.5mm spacing, and it’s what I’ve been used to for 18 years.
Then I got a Squier Jazz V with the Fender 18mm spacing (actually 18.4mm), and I find it much more comfortable for this reason:
When plucking D and A strings (in slap-mode), with 17.5mm my sausage fingers are wider than the spacing provided, so when shoved in there to pluck, my fingers actually push the strings apart.
With the Fender 18.4mm or 19mm, the spacing is wider than my finger, so there is less friction and less unwanted finger-to-neighboring string contact.
I can play with even 16.5mm, but the 18.4-19mm is just way more comfortable.

 

[LifeIsBass]

It's about economy of motion for me. I prefer 16.5, no more than 17.5. Even on my 4 string basses I prefer bridges that allow you to make the spacing more narrow.

 

[chris_b]

I spent so long playing a Fender P bass that I prefer my 5 string basses to keep to the same spacing.

 

[Artemis Prime]

In case anyone is seeing this more recently:

G&L now has a "series 750" L2500 that has 19mm spacing. (the more common "series E" has 17.5 mm spacing.

 

[aus_bass]

I prefer 19mm. I can tolerate 18mm. Less that 18 is unplayable, for me. My Yamaha 5er is 18mm.