The never played more than 4 thread has me thinking.

[Dr. Cheese]

Squier Vintage Modified P5s get pretty great reviews as well:

If you want to stay under $400, Squier is a great choice. The cheapest, the Affinity J-bass V is $199-$229, and it has a nice B string and takes a great set up. The most expensive Squiers are under $340 new.

I love old Yamahas too like the BB405, 605, BBN5, all have wide spacing and usually under $300. The BB415 and BB425 are great too.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Any of those options (Ibanez, Yamaha, etc.) are excellent value for you.

Another option for you, if your goal is to have the Low B... If you have an extra 4-string bass. String it BEAD (instead of the traditional EADG). For the most part, it's a minimal change, simply requiring the heavier guage strings and a minor intonation adjustment.

Dude said he wanted a five.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Why are people recommending $1,000+ basses when the OP said his limit is $400?

 

[Joybass]

The Yamaha BB425 and BB1025 are great basses. The nut width though is more like 43 mm, the spacing at the bridge indeed 18mm.

An other bass I would recommend looking at is the Squier Deluxe Dimension bass. Nut width 44.5, spacing at the bridge close to 19 mm. Also a very nice bass. Other Squier V-ers have wider necks IMO, like 47,6 mm at the nut.

 

[wvbass]

It is kind of an 80's looking bass, but if you want a wider but and a low price, look for a Dearmond Pilot V. I can't remember if mine is a Plus or a Pro, but the but is over two inches wide. I think that fingerboard was the deck of an aircraft carrier in a former life.

Fwiw, I have found that it takes a slightly narrower nut on a fiver to feel about the same as a four.

 

[George Himmel]

My biggest dislikes about five strings has always been string spacing and never really getting a good b string sound. Now I have a rig that will handle fat strings but the preference for wider nuts and spacing hasn't changed.

Here's my questions. What is out there that has wider spacing, cheap(3-400 or less) used, and since my local craigslist a veritable wasteland, easy to find say on the GC used lists? I prefer passive but it seems most 5'ers are active. Is this necessary to make the B sound good?

What fits the bill?

If I were in your shoes, and really just liked fours better, I'd consider buying a cheap copy of your main bass (or just use your backup bass) and open up the nut a bit for B-E-A-D tuning. You get the low range of the fiver, but it still feels ALMOST just like a four. YMMV!

 

[Fingerpickingood]

+1 for Squier. I own a VM Jazz V and a Jaguar V. Both are great basses.

 

[soulstew]

You might check out the Squier Deluxe Jazz Bass Active V. I don't own one, but they get a lot of love here on TB, and are inexpensive. 2.008" nut width and 19mm spacing means lots of room between strings if that's what you're looking for.

Here's a love letter of a thread...
Squier Deluxe Jazz Active V -- Unbelieveable Bass!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

The Yamaha BB425 and BB1025 are great basses. The nut width though is more like 43 mm, the spacing at the bridge indeed 18mm.

An other bass I would recommend looking at is the Squier Deluxe Dimension bass. Nut width 44.5, spacing at the bridge close to 19 mm. Also a very nice bass. Other Squier V-ers have wider necks IMO, like 47,6 mm at the nut.

I strongly endorse the Squier Dimension V. It has nice wide string spacing, and it feels more like a $700 than $300 bass.

 

[the harp unstrung]

I have a World of respect for all that Ibanez and Yamaha and Squier can pack into a fine bass under $400...and I love my Cort Curbow 5!
Beautifully balanced, that 1 big pup can go anywhere I ask it to go, the straightest, truest neck I've ever played...Ever.
I shy away from a Jazz...string spacing just gets too crowded down below the 3rd fret, for me. That's never been a problem with my Curbow.
I understand completely why a conversation like this would be dominated by SoundGear models, but I've never understood the lack of love for Cort out here on TB.
($300, with a gig bag, off the wall at GC, about 7 yrs ago...)

 

[soulstew]

You might check out the Squier Deluxe Jazz Bass Active V. I don't own one, but they get a lot of love here on TB, and are inexpensive. 2.008" nut width and 19mm spacing means lots of room between strings if that's what you're looking for.

Here's a love letter of a thread...
Squier Deluxe Jazz Active V -- Unbelieveable Bass!

And here's a used one for $229
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[itsalljustaride]

Ibanez BTB or Schecter Stiletto Studio.

 

[itsalljustaride]

View attachment 796024 I have a World of respect for all that Ibanez and Yamaha and Squier can pack into a fine bass under $400...but I love my Cort Curbow 5!
Beautifully balanced, that 1 big pup can go anywhere I ask it to go, the straightest, truest neck I've ever played...Ever.
I shy away from a Jazz...string spacing just gets to crowded down below the 3rd fret, for me. That's never been a problem with my Curbow.
I understand completely why a conversation like this would be dominated by SoundGear models, but I've never understood the lack of love for Cort out here on TB.
($300, with a gig bag, off the wall at GC, about 7 yrs ago...)

I played a Cort Curbow at Marshall Music a loooong time ago, and remember liking it quite a bit, but sadly they are just not very available from what I've seen in the usual places.

 

[LT131]

If I were in your shoes, and really just liked fours better, I'd consider buying a cheap copy of your main bass (or just use your backup bass) and open up the nut a bit for B-E-A-D tuning. You get the low range of the fiver, but it still feels ALMOST just like a four. YMMV!

My main basses are already cheapo! I have and am still considering just restringing but with so many apparently serviceable 5s it just doesnt seem worth it to screw up a good nut a setup. I worry about extra tension of heavier strings.

Speaking of setup. Are there any significant differences in a 4 and a 5? Is it harder on a neck with the additional string?

Is it OK to hijack your own thread?

 

[logicman69]

I'd add a vote for the Ibanez ATK. Find an older ATK305. They feel great. Also, Ibanez just put out an inexpensive version of their BTB line. Those had a much wider string spacing that most other basses I have played. Worth looking at.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

I like playing on a four string too. The b-string is too low.

 

[Spent]

I just bought a Yamaha TRBX505. So far I really like it. Used it was under $400. Also played a TRBX305. Really liked it too. Main reason I selected the 3505 over the 305 was price. Got a good deal on a barely used one. The active/passive feature is cool. Not crazy about the preset mid range on the 305. That being said, I was very tempted by the 305. Might grab one anyway. Mine is strung E-C, not B-G. Set up as B-G when it arrived. Impressive B string.

 

[ThePresident777]

It's definitely not overly thin. It feels thicker front-to-back than my American Special P Bass, but it's not uncomfortable. I'd say it feels more like an American Standard Modern-C Shape than the Slim-C shape of the American Special. It also widens nicely as it gets closer to the body joint. The finish on the neck almost feels like an oil finish, rather than a satin poly. It feels fairly close to a Musicman neck finish, imo.

I should have mentioned this before, but, I have a squier vm jazz V. It's not a thin neck down the center, and the nut width is wider (1 7/8"), but, it's got a thin fretboard (if it has one, tough to see it) and a C shape. I hate that neck because of the thin feeling edge on the neck. Trying to avoid ever getting anything like that ever again.

I have two Ibanez ATKs (an 805 and an old korean 305) with great chunky D necks. But it seems that necks like that are rare. I have another ATK (805) with a nice C neck, but, it's not my favorite. It looks that I should stay away from anything described as having a C neck. It's either terrible for me or merely OK. But that leaves me short one great bass.