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Which 5 would you get?
- Thread starter jmattbassplaya
- Start date
I don't play a fiver anymore, just never settled in with 'em, though I've owned many. Also, I only play passive basses these days. But, of those two I'd get the 'Ray(single pickup). Simply because if I got a fiver again, I'd want it to be an "iconic" five string bass--a classic instrument. That's how I think of the 'Ray fiver.
I played a Fender P-5 for several years. Liked it just fine, I love P-basses and it did that well. In 2013 I got a EBMM SR5, my first and still only Music Man bass. Love everything about it, the neck feels perfect in my hands and I've been able to dial up the tones I need with the 3 band EQ and single H pickup. Last year I put some La Bella flats on it and the percussive thump is really impressive. (Took away the slap aspect but finger and pick styles sound great with flats). Has punch and a lot more warmth than I expected I'd be able to get with a Ray. I also own a few passive Jazz fivers but the SR5 gets 90% of the use. That's my story. YMMV of course.
I love my Roscoe SKB 5er, and can heartily recommend them as totally killer 5s.
I will say that when I was looking for a 5 (this goes back probably close to ten years ago now) the ones I tried with a 35" scale (Roscoe, Lull, Lakland) had significantly better sounding B strings than those with a 34" scale (Fender and others I can't remember), at least to my ears. YMMV.
There are used Roscoes showing up in the classifieds at prices not much higher than a new Fender Pro. Just sayin'.
I will say that when I was looking for a 5 (this goes back probably close to ten years ago now) the ones I tried with a 35" scale (Roscoe, Lull, Lakland) had significantly better sounding B strings than those with a 34" scale (Fender and others I can't remember), at least to my ears. YMMV.
There are used Roscoes showing up in the classifieds at prices not much higher than a new Fender Pro. Just sayin'.
I voted Jazz. I love Jazzes more than anything. But honestly, you should just try them out at the music store.
Play a few different jazzes, play a few different stingrays, and play some other 5s. See which one you prefer.
Play a few different jazzes, play a few different stingrays, and play some other 5s. See which one you prefer.
Try them both and see which one for you feels the best. Personally I don't like the necks on Stingrays at all but that's me, as obviously Stingrays are very popular. I owned a Lakland 55-02 and the neck was really nice but the string spacing and the 35" length weren't right for me. Great bass though and has it's own tone - not really a Stingray or Jazz or P. That's not to say it doesn't sound great - it's just its own thing.
Choose one, of all of the above, until the wife catches on.
One of the best bang for your buck custom hand made basses, would be a Kinal 5.
Some of the nicest basses I have played have been previously owned(broken in) basses and older models.
Sukop, Fender Roscoe beck, F bass Bn-5, Ken Smith, Kinals, Pedulla Thunder bass, Modulus Quantum, Sadowsky, Alembic.
Good luck in your quest.
One of the best bang for your buck custom hand made basses, would be a Kinal 5.
Some of the nicest basses I have played have been previously owned(broken in) basses and older models.
Sukop, Fender Roscoe beck, F bass Bn-5, Ken Smith, Kinals, Pedulla Thunder bass, Modulus Quantum, Sadowsky, Alembic.
Good luck in your quest.
I keep seeing them advertised in our local Kijiji and they do look interesting....and reasonable pricing
I went with the Stingray 5 years ago because I thought it had the tightest, most focused low-B out of the other basses available at the time. Also, I find that the 3 band EQ is very usable. So usable that the couple of times I recorded at Daryl Hall's studio, A-Pawling Studios, in Pawling, NY, house engineer, Peter Moshay, would actually tweak the eq right off my bass as I recorded my parts in the control room.
+1 to trying out the various G&Ls. They have a nice variety to offer. Especially try the tribute series. I found mine felt and sounded as good as a lot of the American made basses in the equivalent category.
