5 string - spacing at the bridge: how important is it to you?

[mcnach]

I have my preference with regards to string spacing on 4 string basses, but I'm generally happy enough with whatever.

 

However, when it comes to 5 strings, I have/had a very strong preference for wider spacing. At least 18mm but ideally 19mm. Indeed, one of the things putting me off 5-string Stingrays was their narrower spacing (17.5mm). It doesn't sound like much but whenever I tried one I just didn't like it. 

 

However, I noticed this is changing and I realised that this is probably because for about 18 months now I've been playing 5 string basses regularly, while before I was just playing once in a while.

 

The reason I started playing 5 strings is that I found one bass that just felt right, for some reason. I've owned all kinds: Squier, G&L, Lakland, Peavey, and a few others, but no, it was a cheap Harley Benton MB5 SBK ('stealth black' Stingray style) that did it. Not sure what it was, certainly not the spacing (16mm), but it sounded nice and it was comfortable... That led to me playing it more and more and I think today I'm equally comfortable on 4 or 5 strings although my muting can still improve a bit on 5 strings.

 

Earlier this year I got a couple more Harley Benton 5 string basses because as I play 5-strings more and more I was starting to miss having a Jazz and Precision sounds available. So I got a JJ-55OP and a JP-55OP, which turned out to be fantastic. They have 18mm spacing, which is great. Then I thought... surely 17.5mm can't be all that different, but I remember not getting along with that, hmmm.

 

I got a Ray35 last week, with the same 17.5mm spacing... and it feels just fine. In fact, I think I even prefer it to wider (19mm) and narrower (16mm), it feels like a 'goldilocks' spacing: wide enough that it doesn't feel too odd when switching from a 4-string, but without feeling cramped.

 

So, it turns out that it wasn't so much that I had a strong preference for wider spacing on 5-string basses... it was just that I was not very comfortable with 5-string basses at all, so the less the geometry changed from what I was used to, the better.

 

That old thread on TalkBass about Sterling Ball 'experiment' offering a 19mm spacing Stingray seems like a lot of nothing, really, from today's perspective.

 

Anyone else found the same? 

[chris_b]

My preference is for 19mm, but I can do 18mm with no hassle. Any smaller feels awkward. I know I could adjust, but I'm happy with what I got.

 

I played a Fender Precision for 25 years so when I switched to 5's I decided it made sense to stay with what I knew.

 

I did play a MM SR5 for awhile but it always felt "cramped" and I didn't really get on with the sound.

[LeftyJ]

Depends on the gig for me. I generally prefer 18-19 mm, but in my previous metal band I used to play with a pick a lot and the narrower string spacing of my Warwick Streamer LX5 (16,5 mm) made this a lot easier for me. My Status S2 Classic 5-string has 17,5 mm spacing and feels very natural for both fingerstyle and pick.

[Rich]

For me, 18mm is ok but I prefer 19 or even 20. There's no way I could get on with anything less than 18. I would find 16.5 pretty much unplayable.

[BigRedX]

For me it's all about string spacing at the point where I usually pluck the strings, which is also dependant upon the string spacing at the nut and the scale length. Therefore string spring at the bridge on its own is meaningless for me.

[tauzero]

The first really nice and playable 5-string I got has 16.5mm spacing. I've had a Peavey Grind which was a little tight at 15.5mm, but I play anything from 16.5 to 19mm.

[TheLowDown]

I prefer narrow spacing at the bridge. I wouldn't want to play anything that is less than 45mm at the nut and 17-17.5mm at the bridge. Narrow string spacing is the most attractive feature of the 5 and 6 string fro me.

 

[msb]

A little time spent playing something and I seem to find comfort.

[BreadBin]

I like 'em wide. I have fat fingers and like to really get in amongst the strings.

[mcnach]

6 hours ago, Rich said:

For me, 18mm is ok but I prefer 19 or even 20. There's no way I could get on with anything less than 18. I would find 16.5 pretty much unplayable.

 

Do you play 5-strings regularly?

 

Because you're describing me... until very recently. The only thing that changed was that rather than playing 5-strings from time to time, I play 5 strings every day now.

[mcnach]

6 hours ago, BigRedX said:

For me it's all about string spacing at the point where I usually pluck the strings, which is also dependant upon the string spacing at the nut and the scale length. Therefore string spring at the bridge on its own is meaningless for me.

 

I don't find the nut width changes the spacing where I pluck significantly, that's why I care(d) mostly about the bridge spacing as that had a very clear effect on how my right hand felt.

 

 

[mcnach]

5 hours ago, tauzero said:

The first really nice and playable 5-string I got has 16.5mm spacing. I've had a Peavey Grind which was a little tight at 15.5mm, but I play anything from 16.5 to 19mm.

 

I had a Peavey too with that very narrow spacing, can't recall which model, it was long ago. It was... challenging! I was also learning to slap at the time and my technique was quite poor, flapping my right hand all over the place... I could never hit the right string with an acceptable error rate

[velvetkevorkian]

Just measured my 5+ string basses, two are ~16.5mm and one is ~20mm but I couldn't have told you what the spacing on any of them was beforehand. I used to have a 5 string on a 4 string neck conversion, even that was fine for me at the bridge, the nut end was more of an issue.

That said I find swapping between basses with different numbers of strings pretty straightforward, which I know a lot of people struggle with, so may not be representative.

[Woodinblack]

Important. ideally 16.5 is fine, I can sort of go up to nearly 18 before I start finding it uncomfortable to play, and those are the basses that basically don't get played. I had a gibson EB5 which was 19mm, sounded great (looked terrible) but in the end I just didn't play it, so no point having it.

And I have to remember any time I am looking at a bass with a spacing of over 17.5, that I am never going to keep it.

[Downunderwonder]

11 hours ago, BigRedX said:

For me it's all about string spacing at the point where I usually pluck the strings, which is also dependant upon the string spacing at the nut and the scale length. Therefore string spring at the bridge on its own is meaningless for me.

You would have to get down to a cartoon cramped nut to make a blind bit of difference.

[SumOne]

I prefer wider spacing (19mm) on a 5 string as it gives a bit more space for slapping n popping. 

[Rich]

11 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

Do you play 5-strings regularly?

 

Because you're describing me... until very recently. The only thing that changed was that rather than playing 5-strings from time to time, I play 5 strings every day now.

I played 5s pretty much exclusively from the early 90s up until a couple of years ago, when I put together the 4 string that I use with the ska band. So now it's 50/50.

[Happy Jack]

10 hours ago, velvetkevorkian said:

Just measured my 5+ string basses, two are ~16.5mm and one is ~20mm

 

What about the other two?

 

😉

[Jakester]

I play 5ers almost exclusively now, and I still struggle with anything less than 18mm. I've tried (and owned) a couple of 5ers with string spacing below that, but I've never really been able to get on with them so moved them on. 

 

I have a Lakland 55-02 which is 19mm and a Yamaha TRB1005j which is 18mm. I've had Warwick, G&L (USA and Tribute) and Spector 5ers, all 17.5 or less and could never really gel with them.  I do have large hands though....😳

 

Edit: in fact, it's a shame, because like OP, there's loads of basses I won't even look at because of spacing. I love the aggro G&L sound of an L2500, but just can't get them to work for me. I'd love a Stingray but just don't think it's worth it as I'll have to move it on again. 

Edited August 25, 2022 by Jakester

[WinterMute]

I played a Warwick Thumb 5 for many years, with 16.5mm spacing, it remains the most comfortable bass I’ve played for spacing, I now have MusicMan basses with the 17.5mm spacing which aren’t bad at all, but needed adjustment, I don’t really get on with anything above that.

 

When Alan built my fretless ACG, i had him go with a 17mm spacing, which works very well indeed, the combination of the spacing and the bias cut necks makes it a very comfortable instrument to play.

 

I played a Stienberger 5 string a while back, which was (I think) 15mm, that was too close, very difficult to play smoothly on, so generally I’d say string spacing is important.

[BigRedX]

14 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

You would have to get down to a cartoon cramped nut to make a blind bit of difference.

 

The bass I have owned that had the widest string spacing at the bridge also had by far the narrowest string spacing at the nut (close to narrow 4-string width for 5 strings) which is why if I'm going to be interested in the measurements, I need to know all of them, and not just how far apart the strings are at the bridge.

 

I had a similar situation when I was on my quest for the perfect Bass VI. The Fender/Squier has a fairly well spaced bridge, but (for me) an unfeasibly narrow neck, while the Burns Barracuda had much better string spacing at the nut but was standard "Strat" string spacing at the bridge (too narrow for me). 

[tauzero]

The really comfy 5-string that was my first excellent 5-string was sitting right by me so I measured it. It's actually a 16mm spacing, not 16.5.

 

I don't slap, so that might be a factor in finding it so playable.