Inexpensive 5 string bass

[LeftyP]

For some time now I have been thinking of getting a 5 string bass. I play in church and some of our worship songs drop down to an Eb and even to lower D.  I usually play them up the octave (Eb on the A string) and can get away with it but I then have to go to an F and then G by which time I am venturing into six string guitar territory!  I didn't want to spend a lot of money in case I couldn't get the hang of the extra string and my 75 year old back won't take a lot of weight to I hunted around the internet and eventually found a likely candidate at Gear4Music.

 

 

They do a "Chicago 5 string Bass" for £129.99 plus 99p postage!  This includes a lightweight carry case, audio lead and strap! How could I refuse?  When DPD delivered it the next day my wife joked that they must have sent me a toy plastic bass because the box was so light!  The bass was well packed inside a stout cardboard box that was inside another stout cardboard box.  When I eventually uncovered the bass I was impressed - it really looked good in a deep transparent red colour.  Using my luggage scales it weighed in at only 6.5lb (2.9kg).  That's about 1lb lighter than my 4 string semi-hollow Italia short scale and just a few ounces more than my Tanglewood violin (Beatle) bass!  On the strap there is very little neck dive and its contoured shape is kind to my aging body.

 

I changed the strings to LaBella lightweight flat wounds and the instrument sounds very good through my home system.  Getting used to the extra string is a challenge!  I'm either hitting the wrong string with my fretting hand or my plucking hand or both at the same time!  It's starting to come together and for £130.00 plus new strings this is one very capable bass guitar.  If you are thinking of venturing over to the dark side of 5 string but don't want to break your bank give this one a go.  I shall be playing in church this coming Sunday so there'll be plenty of practice to do between now and then.

[Mokl]

Looks very respectable, and I still find it remarkable that you can even get a functioning instrument at that price, yet here we are! 

 

Enjoy it, and my advice re the extra string: stick with it and say some point it will just click! 

[Geek99]

If I’ve learned one thing about 5, and it’s my third attempt it is to forget it’s there until you need to “play across” to avoid open strings - few songs use notes lower than E

example you could play teenaged dirtbag by playing across from fret 5 rather than use E and A open strings, then youre free to shift up and down by a semitone if needed

 

[Burns-bass]

43 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

If I’ve learned one thing about 5, and it’s my third attempt it is to forget it’s there until you need to “play across” to avoid open strings - few songs use notes lower than E

example you could play teenaged dirtbag by playing across from fret 5 rather than use E and A open strings, then youre free to shift up and down by a semitone if needed

 

Yes this is it. A 5 string is about economy of effort. You can basically play 90% of songs in one position. 

[HeadlessBassist]

The weight distribution of that bass sounds like a home-made Precision I have knocking around. The body is so light that it's almost comical. The bodies must be made from the lightest mdf/ply or balsa wood. But they do still sound pretty good.

 

I have two students who initially had G4M stuff. One had an average weight one, and the other had one that weighed more than a boat anchor. They must use the cheapest wood they can get in the Chinese factory. Weight be damned  

 

As for adjusting to 5-strings, initially just treat the B-string as an incredibly wide thumb-rest, then just accept that you have an extra string and more notes to play with. It will blend in in your mind in no time. I grew up with a 5-string Double Bass, so I really had to treat it as a full 5-string instrument, as opposed to just something merely with an extra string. You may find yourself occasionally playing on the wrong string. This too shall pass!

[NickA]

I may be ( and have been!) labelled a gear snob.... But personally, having tried a load of 5ers before taking the plunge, I'd say push the boat out and get something better, and try before you buy, like a used sire maybe; apart from being nicer to play it would retain some resale / trade in value too.

 

I found the bottom B on most 5ers ( including fenders and stingrays!)  is rather weak compared to the other strings and is not going to be better on a cheap one. Even a cheapy gives you the option, but if you need those low notes often you might need a fancier bass in the longer term ( or a 18" cab like tony levin's! 🤔)

 

Meanwhile

 

You'll probably find the neck rather wide.  Needs decent technique to provide mobility and avoid rsi.  No hooking thumb round neck as you'll not reach the B.

 

"Proper" 5er playing is where you base your hand with 2nd finger on E on the B string then only go back to 1st position for notes below Eflat. Then you can play an E major scale all the way to D on the G string without changing position... and it's less of a stretch between notes too.  However my particular 5er sounds better in 1st position.....

 

String damping is suddenly an issue as you don't have enough left hand fingers to damp all the strings.  Right hand damping is needed and learning floating thumb is a good way to do that.

 

Having played 4 string instruments for 50 years. I still get lost on ocassion, eg finger the A string and pluck the E ( grrr!) takes practice to build familiarity.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

[Kiwi]

4 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

Yes this is it. A 5 string is about economy of effort. You can basically play 90% of songs in one position. 

Technically a 6 string is even more so.  However I found the C string struggled to be heard in a stage mix.  I also play fives because of those low notes.  When I want to dig down and tap into some weight and authority, that B string is there.

[Kiwi]

4 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

Weight be damned  

CBS Fender started it...

[Terry M.]

Forgetting the B string is there until needing to play across or treating it like a thumb-rest in my opinion might not be the best approach to incorporating it into your playing. I suggest using it immediately and often. My mental anchor was the 5th fret of the B string being the same as open E string-that way the 5 notes I played below that was what separated it tonally from a 4-string. @NickA I have never heard the B string on a Stingray being described as weak before. All the ones I owned in the past would disagree with that and don't get me started on my two Warwicks and my Marusczcyk fivers,all 34" scale. I don't personally buy into the 35" for a better B based on my personal experience but I'm digressing now🙂

[ardi100]

I got this just over a day too late, having just splurged £129 (inclluding delivery) on an SX 5 string from Cash Converters (!). I have no idea what mine will be like!

[NickA]

1 hour ago, Terry M. said:

the B string on a Stingray being described as weak before

I'm spoiled. I have a MK2 Wal. 

 

Spent an afternoon in the gallery trying stingrays and liked them a lot,  but the B was still "different" to the other strings; maybe careful setup and amp tweaking will do the trick ...certainly Tony Levin sounds ok on one 😂.

 

Warwicks and Dingwalls good down there ..and a Sandberg Cali vm5 pretty good too..tho a bit bland compared to rays and wals.

 

Appreciate this kind of exotica is not what the OP wants (yet) ..but doubt a £130 bass will really hack low B terribly well.  Could be wrong...habeen before 😁

[Burns-bass]

5 hours ago, Kiwi said:

Technically a 6 string is even more so.  However I found the C string struggled to be heard in a stage mix.  I also play fives because of those low notes.  When I want to dig down and tap into some weight and authority, that B string is there.

 

Agreed. I have a Pedulla fretless 6 string, which is about as bonkers as you can get. I have never played it live, but I have been asked to do so in a Blue Note jazz band...

[Terry M.]

1 hour ago, NickA said:

I'm spoiled. I have a MK2 Wal. 

 

Spent an afternoon in the gallery trying stingrays and liked them a lot,  but the B was still "different" to the other strings; maybe careful setup and amp tweaking will do the trick ...certainly Tony Levin sounds ok on one 😂.

 

Warwicks and Dingwalls good down there ..and a Sandberg Cali vm5 pretty good too..tho a bit bland compared to rays and wals.

 

Appreciate this kind of exotica is not what the OP wants (yet) ..but doubt a £130 bass will really hack low B terribly well.  Could be wrong...habeen before 😁

With you on Fenders though. It can happen but there's too much inconsistency. 

[LeftyP]

13 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

The weight distribution of that bass sounds like a home-made Precision I have knocking around. The body is so light that it's almost comical. The bodies must be made from the lightest mdf/ply or balsa wood. But they do still sound pretty good.

 

I have two students who initially had G4M stuff. One had an average weight one, and the other had one that weighed more than a boat anchor. They must use the cheapest wood they can get in the Chinese factory. Weight be damned  

 

As for adjusting to 5-strings, initially just treat the B-string as an incredibly wide thumb-rest, then just accept that you have an extra string and more notes to play with. It will blend in in your mind in no time. I grew up with a 5-string Double Bass, so I really had to treat it as a full 5-string instrument, as opposed to just something merely with an extra string. You may find yourself occasionally playing on the wrong string. This too shall pass!

It's made of Paulonia wood which grows in Asia/China and is used in some surfboards and boats because it is so light.

[Terry M.]

Paulownia.

[SimonK]

I've just started using a five string also for church/gospel music. This last Sunday was the first time it really "clicked" for me, due to having a load of songs in the key of D. I found using the D, E, F# and G# on the fifth string worked really well. Also saving the low D for every now and again just introduced a lovely low end thunder. Although I had my Stingray 4 string on the stand just in case, it didn't get touched for the first time in many years... thus said I still can't slap cleanly on the five string due to the tighter string spacing.

[Terry M.]

19 hours ago, SimonK said:

thus said I still can't slap cleanly on the five string due to the tighter string spacing.

Are you tempted to try a wider spaced model? 

[Inga]

really lovely, personally my favourite is the glarry gib 5, wicked bit of kit

[SimonK]

1 hour ago, Terry M. said:

Are you tempted to try a wider spaced model? 

 

While I seldom need an excuse for a new bass, I think this one might just be a case of practicing some more to get better technique!