The best sounding low B

[Machines]

I am a total fanboy for Dingwalls so am going to big them up, however that is BECAUSE of the B string. For clarity and harmonics, I think nothing beats them.

[Bass Direct]

35 minutes ago, spacecowboy said:

The very best sounding B string for me is on my Ken Smiths. Then my Warwick Streamer S2. I play both over the neck pickup 90% of the time. 

 

There's a lot of variables in the answer to your question though, scale length, setup, strings, pickups. 

 

Take up Bassdirect on their offer. 

Smiths always have a great B string, pickup placement really allows the punch of the note to shine through too  

[lemmywinks]

Just spotted this on Bassbros' site, seems like an astoundingly good deal:

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/shuker-custom-5-2/

[Hellzero]

By the way @Amando, check the Alembic basses as their "entry level" models resale at the price you're willing to pay and these have the thunderous low B you're looking for plus an extraordinary note definition and if you find a model with one or two Q filter(s), you'll be over the moon.

[Hellzero]

And there is even one in the ads here: 

 

[Bigwan]

The 2 best B strings I've played, I own. A Vigier Excess 5 and a Spector Euro LX 5. I'd give the edge to the Spector if you twisted my arm. Only have GAS for more Spector's now...

 

Honourable mention to the Stingray 5 I had in the late 90s which had an OUTSTANDING B string.

 

I've tried a few including custom builds from Shuker and ACG, Dingwall AB1, Fender RB5, MM Bongo, Lakeland, Sire... None were awful but I'm coming round to the idea that stiffness of the neck is rather more important than scale length to a good B string. 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

The best low B I've ever heard is on my NS-design CR5M electric upright. It probably has something to do with its 41.73″ scale length

[Owen]

55 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

The best low B I've ever heard is on my NS-design CR5M electric upright. It probably has something to do with its 41.73″ scale length

I used to gig one of those. I made quite a few sound engineers's eybrows go up and then smile

[Terry M.]

17 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

Just spotted this on Bassbros' site, seems like an astoundingly good deal:

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/shuker-custom-5-2/

I tried this when I last popped in there. Lovely bass but wasn't for me personally. Somebody else will love it.

[Mrbigstuff]

On 20/08/2025 at 13:04, WinterMute said:

Warwick Thumb NT 5 string without a doubt

Wanted to say the same 

[Woodinblack]

Sei flamboyant 42"

[Terry M.]

I have an NT AND a BO Warwick 5 and neither B string is better or worse than the other one. So I would say any German Warwick 5 based on that as I've owned a few in the past for comparison. 

[deepbass5]

Lots of good advice posted above, Construction is key. so go try loads of secondhand high end basses, as suggested Bass Direct near Warwick should be on your list and Bass Bros are not far away so worth a trip in that direction.

 

I did use one of these Aphex below, a suggestion if you get the choice wrong. I don't need now i have the right basses and cabs. But I'm have found a 1/4 sawn maple neck with swamp ash body the way to go, a light resonant bass is the start point.  I am happy with my 5 string but is a very good Marleaux. I bought on here second hand about 15 years ago. and as a pointer I have recently bought a Sadowsky 4 string with the best sounding bottom octave E - E I have ever heard. Which makes me wonder what their 5 string are like. It is Ash and chambered.

Good luck try everything.

 

     

[tauzero]

On 22/08/2025 at 11:25, Woodinblack said:

Sei flamboyant 42"

 

You're determined to see the positive side of the accidental Sei.

[Woodwind]

The very best sounding 5 strings - Low B specifically- I have ever played (Didn't own any of them) were a Warwick thumb 5, a stingray 5 and a Status Barracuda (probably the best sounding out of all of them).

 

All of them weighed an absolute tonne. Whether that was related to the quality of their low end I can't say, but I could never own an instrument as heavy as those

[Owen]

4 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

You're determined to see the positive side of the accidental Sei.

I would be all over a 42" Sei like a bad rash. 

[ezbass]

This posted in the Bass Direct Moving thread, today, seems appropriate here. 

 

[Woodinblack]

18 hours ago, tauzero said:

You're determined to see the positive side of the accidental Sei.

 

Not particularly, but as a fact it has a very good.. well, its currently an F# but it was good when it was a B!

 

But I would say, as above, the best B of all was the NS bass B, with a bow. 

[Dan Dare]

The best affordable low B I've encountered was on a Lakland Skyline (can't remember which exact model). I tried a Spector Dimension in a shop which was pretty good, too. Haven't played a Dingwall, but have heard them sounding great in the hands of others.

 

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that the rig is very important when things get seriously low. At around 31hz, the fundamental of low B is below the range of many drivers/cabs, so a lot of what you hear is made up of harmonics. You need gear that covers its tracks well and gives a convincing illusion. Leaving proper subs aside, the bigger BF cabs do it better than many I've heard.

 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by Dan Dare

[Stub Mandrel]

On 30/08/2021 at 23:53, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Could have a go, but it will be subjective. The at212 gets 'flabby' by the time you get down to a low b  but reproduces it.

 

Just found an interesting comment from myself!

 

Four more years' experience in tone shaping and a HPF at 30Hz seem to have addressed the fab issue.

 

I wonder how many good/bad low b tones are mostly down to settings signal chain. 

[itu]

7 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that the rig is very important... 

Did I say something about it in the previous page? 

[Hellzero]

1 hour ago, itu said:

Did I say something about it in the previous page? 

It's the previous page, Anti...

 

Do you think people bother to read anything than the title and sometimes what the OP has written first before answering?

[binky_bass]

37 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

It's the previous page, Anti...

 

Do you think people bother to read anything than the title and sometimes what the OP has written first before answering?

My favourite cat food is Felix. 

 

I'm assuming this is the cat food thread, but I haven't read the title or any of the posts including what the OP wrote.