humapuma

No worries. Happy mwah-ing!

Hi aardvark, Do you play 5 string fretted at all or are you exclusively a fretless player? If you do play fretted as well and haven't tried a 5 then why not pick up something cheap and give that a spin? It would be much easier to find a 2nd hand fretted, and easy enough to move on again. Of course that's a logical response, and not at all appropriate for BC

Don't have much I could really tell you as it's all a bit technical - I've slapped on all my basses and they've all been different! I would say though (and I apologise if this is too rudimentary a comment) that depending on how you slap - and especially pop - you might want to make sure there's enough space between the end of the fingerboard and the neck pickup and also between the bottom of the higher pitched strings and the body of the bass. Think you were sort of referring to this in your last comment but I wasn't sure what you meant.

These look really nice. Been thinking of getting the 5 for a while. Enjoy!

Enjoy! (That was supposed to be a direct response to discreet with a quotational presentation but it failed (or I failed))

Years ago I played a bass that someone had apparently made themselves, though thinking on it presumably had a proper neck bolted to it??? I don't remember an episode of Blue Peter where they did advanced bass construction any way. Unsurprisingly it was cackola, though to be fair it would have had to be amazing for me to have liked it because it was star shaped, brush painted white and covered in glitter stickers. Unfortunately I'd never heard of Bootsy Collins back then, so its inspirational, funkational beauty was lost on me....

Thanks to all for the lovely pics - made me smile . Will post pics of mine when I get around to it* (a Progress 5, J5 Classic and a Perception fretless 5 I used to own). *When I've taken nice enough pics and worked out how to upload .

She be lovely! Was never convinced by relicing until I saw pictures of how well Sandberg do it. Hope you enjoy it v. much!

Been looking into 5's at this price range (and lower) a bit lately. If you want to go for a 35" scale there's all these (one or two have been mentioned already): Peavey Grind Yamaha TRB1005 Ibanez BTB Overwater Tanglewoods Lakland Skyline 55-01 (& 55-02) Schecter Stiletto & Session Spector Legends (Euros & Re-bops also, but they may be over the budget) Dean Edge (some models - don't know very much about these) Sandbergs -some models are 35", but most aren't Some of those sit in your price range for used basses, some are below but good quality. If you want something Fendery (34" scale) then the Squire VM Jazz and Precision look great, and there are probably MIMs about in the 500-700 bracket. Happy shopping!

These do look lovely. In fact the visual vibe of these, especially the natural finish one, is the main reason I suddenly decided I wanted a J5 after many years of completely avoiding Fenders and Pretenders (because nearly everybody else plays them ). They're very 70's in a really good way, the heyday of some fantastic bassists. Bought a posh Pretender (2nd hand) in the end, but it's a rosewood board with dots, so I've still got some GAS for maple and blocks! I hope you continue to enjoy your first 5 as much as I'm now enjoying my first J.

Bought a cab from Nick last month. In great condition and exactly as described. Very good, quick comms and a lovely bloke.

Edit: Let me add to this - reading your OP again it seems a Fender style (J or P) in a 34" would be the easiest way to check out the longer scale. There are loads of Squires and MIM Fenders around. Others here could give you much better advice than me on the specific ones to go for. There' a lot of cheap 4-string Tanglewaters about, and some in a J style. (I may as well own up to being a big fan of Overwaters though). Lots of other stuff about as well for that money. Been looking at 5'ers with a 35" scale and been surprised at the choices, so if you want a 34" and/or a 4 should be even easier. That said it was E-Bye Gum, but I would think there'd be something in the marketplace here as well. Good luck!

Loved the YT clip! +1 On using the middle finger. Other than that it's a mixture of not using too much force on the finger snap and muting - fretting hand and/or the back edge of your plucking hand. I personally don't put too much force in the thumb strokes either, which leaves your hand fairly close to the strings for the palm edge to mute.

Well, let us know what you choose in the end rmcki, and how you get on with it. I guess this thread proves there's no right answer, it's just got to be what's right for you. And thanks to Rumple.

I love 5 strings - don't use 4s anymore, so I hope you find a really good one! Lots of sense in these posts, but I notice no-ones specifically mentioned scale length. I own two 5s, one a 34" and the other a 35" and the low B is much better on the 35". They're very different basses though, so it's not going to be the only factor. Obviously you've got to be comfortable with what you choose, but scale length is maybe something to consider. Haven't played even half the basses mentioned here, but for what it's worth my main bass is an Overwater and it's great! (Apologies for the sparse profile stuff - only just joined so I could put my oar into this topic)