What 5-String Should I Try?

[Session1969]

I'd check out the Sires ! Best response on Talkbass since the Carvin SB basses.

 

[johndough247]

Definitely would suggest in that price range the Lakland 55-02 (doesn't quite sound like a stingray and has a ton of other sounds), or something from Mike Lull, Roscoe or Clement...might have to go used, but really good stuff all around. I remember trying a Roscoe out in a store and besides the fact that it sounded amazing, it was the first 35" bass I've played that didn't feel longer; don't know how they did it but it was once of the most comfortable basses I've ever tried in store.

 

[Kirk Bryant]

Try as many as you can get your hands on. When I went shopping for one in 95' I thought I really wanted a Modulus but found the neck didn't feel right to me. After trying about 7-8, the ones that rose to the top for me were; Pedulla, Alembic, and Tobias. In the end the one I chose was the Tobias as everything about it felt right. The neck the Bart/Bart pre/PU's the body ergonomics so that's the one I bought. It was my main player for about 10 years. I've never regretted that purchase.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Warwick double buck
Or FNA (stingray on steroids)

 

[thomas-k]

Yamaha BB, and I would upgrade to BB1025

Excellent B string, very easy to play!

 

[Jeff Elkins]

Have you looked at Bacchus yet? They seems to get a fair amount of love on here. There is a place up in Canada that sells them. Given the current exchange rate, you get alot of bang for your buck. I think the website is vsnguitars.com maybe. I think the owner is on talkbass too... Ned maybe?

Ned is easy to deal with; he's the distributor in NA.

I just picked up a Baccus WL533--33" passive J bass through them. Great sound, solid low B; great fit and finish, looks amazing; video reviews are available online. My needs sound like they were similar to yours, and I almost pulled the trigger on a Sire--but I'm realy digging my 32" basses these days, and when I saw that Bacchus had a 33" option, I had to pull the trigger. Not disappointed in the least, and under $700.

 

[radioface]

Play every five you come across, and you make the decision, on which bass you prefer.

 

[Strung_Low]

I have to throw in another vote for the Spector Euro 5lx. Got mine in like new condition here on TB for less than $1500...sounds great, awesome B string, excellent fit and finish, I love it..

 

[TheMartianBassist]

Ibanez SR models.

 

[Bass_Thumper]

Another serious contender, and one of my personal favorites, is the EBMM Bongo 5. I have an HH, but I wouldn't mind an HS. Or better (for me), a fretless HS w/Piezo. Sure, they can do a "Stingray-esque" vibe, but they definitely don't stop there (or even start there, really). Very versatile, and far warmer than I first imagined it would be before I tried one. With everything flat, it sounds warm and clear - very supportive, and a great fit in rock/pop/country/blues scenarios. The 4-band EQ can do just about anything, though. I often get a pretty close "Pbass" approximation with the front pickup and some EQ adjustments. Close enough for rock'n roll, anyway. If I need closer, I pull out my Pbass. Of course, if you're after a Jazz bass, the Bongo isn't gonna do it, but it's very usable bass with an excellent feel and nearly perfect balance and great tone, with a B-string as good as anything out there.

I could not agree more. I recently picked up a Bongo HS5 and this is the bass that I've been looking for for a long, long time. The fact that it has a very sensitive pan pot to go between pups puts it over the top for me. I also have a Ray 4HH and while the pickup switch is nice, the pan pot on the Bongo allows for so much more fine tuning it's hard to even compare that two with the amount of sounds that I can get out of this bass. The B string is very solid with lots of growl but it can be tamed if needed. And to me, the look of a bongo in person is not nearly as out there as it looks in an isolated picture and even less so when it's strapped on. Of course, I like the look so it's not an issue but it's just something that I've noticed.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

L Ā K L A N D

 

[basspraiser]

I have loved DJ5s since they first came out and now I took the plunge.

You won't regret it... Cool looking... Great sounds

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

Yamaha TRBX505 Trans Brown

the yamaha TRBX505

 

[Joebone]

Two more thoughts, stimulated by the thread.

Yamaha makes some great basses, and their 1025X is a passive axe, for around $1000 new, that likely sounds great and plays well - Yamaha quality control is amazing at all price points.

The Carvin PB series is really cool. Not totally sold on the electronics (I have a used PBJ 5, with 2-band pre and VTC), but they are good enough- and the rest of the axe is outrageously good for the price. Mine is ash, maple neck, rosewood board, with two mahogany stringers in the neck structure. This plays about as well as my Sadowsky, and I actually prefer the neck profile! The B string is exceptional. New, these axes would fit comfortably within your price range.

 

[lustersilk]

Ibanez SR505

 

[1stnamebassist]

Yeah I'm sure the guy doing the quite impressive solo had nothing to do with it rite.. lol

Sorry for the confusion. The solo was good, but the bass and how it was put together was quite impressive, although a bit on the heavy side.

 

[jonni lightfoot]

Check out the Zon 5 Strings. www.zonguitars.com I have used them for years and they are great workhorses.

 

[madbass6]

Check out the Zon 5 Strings. www.zonguitars.com I have used them for years and they are great workhorses.

Zon sure!! hey why not recomend these sites as well! Smith /Modulus / Sadowsky / Fodera etc. all have decent 5 strings! my point is a $1000 / ($1500 on the high end) budget ! wont buy a new ZON 5 string !

 

[dairyman3833]

Been playing for about 10 years. In a little bit of a music lull right now - just playing at church a couple times per month. I have a full-time (non music) career and will likely only play music on the side randomly from here on out.

My current basses are:
MiM Fender Jazz (4-string)
Cort A5 (5-string)
EBMM Stingray (4-H)

I'm looking for another 5-string to compliment my current basses. Given the style(s) I usually find myself playing, I've found fewer uses for the 'Ray these days. It was great for my 3-guitar rock band, but these days it doesn't get much love. I prefer a 5-string about 75% of the time, and will occasionally bust out one of the 4-strings depending on the setlist. I feel like I have plenty of tonal options between the 'Ray and the J, but I'd like a similar range of sounds in 5-string configuration.

So....what are some good 5-stringers to compliment my Cort? I'd probably prefer something with a bolt-on neck, and probably something passive, but I'm not limiting myself to just that setup. Price range is probably in the $1,000 - $1,500 range ($1,500+ if I sell the Stingray).

I've considered a few Lakland models, but some of them come with the exact same MK-1 pickups / pre that my Cort has. The DJ-5 looks pretty cool, and *might* sound more like my Fender (just guessing...). My best music store options are (sadly) GC and a few small shops, but none of them have nice gear really. Its super tough to find good stuff around here.

Thoughts?

Lakland all the way. 5502. Don't get the one with the Barts in it. Get the Lakland pickups and latter on you can switch them for Nordy's 55.4's I think don't remember but it's amazing man. On tour my neck hardly ever needed to be adjusted. My bass tech was amazed. Had Fender, MM, an Warwick German $$ with me, never touched them, this thing just does it. Also it always stays in tune. I mean man, I could go for weeks without tuning it. Left it sit for 9 months due to insufficient funds...(my inboard pre got water damage from a flooded basement) and when I pulled it out and fixed it, was still in tune. That's just amazing. Go Lakland man! Price is $1399 or something, it's 35" neck so long but the low B go's Boom, also string spacing is bigger than say a SoundGear or Warwick, but as with anything new it's a couple weeks playing and it feels totally natural. Still find it hard to play the wick with the tiny string spacing for slap pop stuff. Tone goes from the new 3d type of sound where you hear everything and it's crystal clear, to a little of that mud sound of old school with the neck PU and switched to single coil, but you still will have a clear ring to it.

 

[mustBmtd]

I guess when we as bass players, have what we call 'Gas'. We seem to name off all the HighEnd Basses that we desire. Instead of passing on some of the most important notes. Such as price range, and what type of player is the person, (beginner, intermediate, or advanced) Long scale, short scale, weight of bass. Soapbar or jazz, or pbass, pickups or what. natural, or clear coated finish. And sometimes does the person even have a certain tone in mind. Some guys don't even know about string spacing. All the highend names that are mentioned are great basses. For me! Those are the things I look for and listen, and feel for. But just to name one first to come to mind is the 'Sire'