Who made the first 5 string bass

[nash]

In mass production?

And when?

[basshead56]

Fender had the earliest model I think, the Bass V but Im pretty sure it was either Yamaha or Ibanez who had the first mass produced five string (early 80´s)-if i remeber my tech´s history lecture rightly

[simon1964]

[quote name='basshead56' post='931324' date='Aug 20 2010, 08:16 PM']Fender had the earliest model I think, the Bass V but Im pretty sure it was either Yamaha or Ibanez who had the first mass produced five string (early 80´s)-if i remeber my tech´s history lecture rightly [/quote]

I suspect that's right, although Danelectro marketed a 6 string bass tuned EADGBE in 1959.

But these pre-date that by 150 years or so! [url="http://www.billbentgen.com/bass/5_string-basses.htm"]http://www.billbentgen.com/bass/5_string-basses.htm[/url]

[nash]

I'm going for the BEADG 5 string bass here ha

[XB26354]

I think Jimmy Johnson had the first BEADG 5 made in 1974, but the first production 5 would have been the Yamaha B5000 in the early '80s followed by the Stingray 5 in 1986. I think it was Jimmy Haslip who took a protoype of a 5-string version of the BB3000 on the road and the interest forced them to start making a 5. I guess the Stingray is the biggest name as it is still made today - and is still a great bass.

[Vibrating G String]

By 1985 Tobias, Wal, Alembic, Vigier and Smith were offering BEADG 5's. I think Modulus and Zon had 5's then also. I'm not sure who was first but 1985 was about the time they started showing up everywhere.

Ken smith claims to have invented the wide neck 5 in 1983 2 years after inventing the wide neck 6 and the low B string [url="http://www.kensmithbasses.com/about.html"]http://www.kensmithbasses.com/about.html[/url]

Wikipedia says "The common low B five string was created by Alembic for Jimmy Johnson as a custom instrument, and later Yamaha offered the first production model as the BB5000 in 1984."

and this may be the earliest 5 with a low B

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Johnson_(bassist)"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Johnson_(bassist)[/url]
"In 1976, Johnson worked with Alembic and GHS to create one of the first 5-string bass guitars with a low B string."

[Vibrating G String]

[quote name='XB26354' post='931520' date='Aug 20 2010, 03:56 PM']followed by the Stingray 5 in 1986.[/quote]
Wiki says '87. I do remember the Stingray as the first "affordable" 5 with out super narrow spacing like the first Yamaha, Aria or Westone etc...

Before the Stingray 5 Bill Merchant had a line of Fender style bolt ons with a wide neck. He used the same neck for 5's and 6's so while most everyone else was cramming a 5 string on a 4 neck he had a super wide 5 production model at a reasonable price.

[Kiwi]

Fender made the first 5 string bass with the Fender V but it was never a commercial success.

Alembic made the first BEADG five string for Jimmy Johnson in 1976.

First commercially produced 5 is a hard call. Yamaha's BB5000 was launched in 1985 (or 1984? depending on references) as literally a 5 stringed BB3000 although the 5000A had more refinements. The Stingray 5 was introduced in 1987 IIRC.

[Truckstop]

Wasn't it when Korn came out in 1994?

Truckstop

[BigRedX]

Overwater must have been one of the first.



These two 5-string Overwaters date from 1983 for the fretless and 1985/6 for the fretted.

Does anyone on BassChat own an older 5-string?

[JTUK]

I'd be surprised if someone like Fodera and Anthony Jackson weren't in there as well in those early days

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='JTUK' post='931670' date='Aug 21 2010, 09:38 AM']I'd be surprised if someone like Fodera and Anthony Jackson weren't in there as well in those early days[/quote]

From Wikipedia:

"Though Jackson came up with the idea some years previously, and first approached various luthiers about the construction of his idea in 1974, he began playing the six string bass in 1981, exclusively. Carl Thompson built the first 6-string for Jackson in 1975, but he later switched to basses built by Vinnie Fodera and Joey Lauricella."

I don't think AJ ever played a 5 string though, only 4s and 6s.

Edited August 21, 2010 by Fat Rich