Why does the E on a 5er feel floopy?!

interesting... I've found to be quite the opposite. All the 5ers I've played had really tight E's.

 

I would say, try a CZech Spector. They got pretty tight B's

 

No probs with my E's. Not even a prob on my Stingray B.
Doc

 

Is this with every 5 string you have played? This is a strange phenomenon as the E string on a 5 should be similar to the E on a 4. I can understand that different B strings are different on different 5s but not the E. Which brands of 5 have you played?

 

I think it is you, tallguy. I'd get some kind of therapy.
Doc

 

I've got a Ibanez 405 and tune adadg(flat). The e-string feels loose but it's comfortably loose (wierd to describe). And when I tune standard the e string is actually tight like the other guys have been saying....all 5-ers I"ve played have been like that...maybe youjust got afreak...maybe you've already said but what kind is it?

 

You say - "even", but there area huge number of 5-strings out there and to me they do feel very different.

I've tried a few Stingray 5s in shops and I don't like them at all - strings did definitely feel "floppy" to me, but this could be due to poor setup.

To me the Fender Roscoe Beck 5 felt right first time I played it, as did many other 5s I've tried, but I think a lot of shops don't bother much with setup and this could be influencing what you are talking about.

I picked up a Stingray 5 in a local shop and it had such a low action that it was unplayable - I mentioned it to the staff but they weren't really bothered. I occasionally got to the Bass Centre in London and their basses are always really well setup and this makes a big difference. I can alway find 20 or 30 5s that feel great.

 

tallguybcs,, it may feel different, but perhaps you'll never find a five that feels good.

some people take to instruments quickly, i know i did, but in the need, if you really want to play a 5er, get the nearest you can to you 'ideal' and get playing, it should soon feel right.

johns right with the lighter gague, i know my five has 0.098 @E while on 4's i go for 105, i also have a lighter B @ .128

alot of 5's feel wrong, i know what you mean, but its sometimes just best to play with an open mind.

stu

 

Why not look at a differnt guage string.

 

I have tried to go to a 5 or 6 but it just never feels natural so I decided that after all these years im going to stick with what i know - 4strings. Im old school I guess (28yrs old) but I finally came up with a solution, I took a 35 inch scale 4 string and put on a set of fiver strings and left off the g. If I need it its there and it sounds good and I dont have to re-invent the wheel. You could call it "chickening out" or "old school" but it works for me and thats all that matters.

 

Don't let Jeff Berlin hear you say that