5 string bass - couple of basic q's

fourmations · 27-05-2009 10:49PM #1

hi all

i am buying one of these
"wonder" sx basses

the 5 is about 50p more that the 4

will the 5 blow up the 15w guitar amp i use to doss at home
(i have a loan of a p bass at the mo and it actually sounds great)

is it hard to record the very deep notes
with sequencer and soundcard on a laptop?

is it really sloppy and clanky acoustically?
i play a lot unplugged while waching telly

i tried one and it felt okay
and i feel it would get used to it pretty handy

but .........will i ever use the fifth?

rgds

4 (or possibly 5)

Dord · 27-05-2009 10:54PM

fourmations wrote: »

hi all

i am buying one of these
"wonder" sx basses

the 5 is about 50p more that the 4

will the 5 blow up the 15w guitar amp i use to doss at home
(i have a loan of a p bass at the mo and it actually sounds great)

It's possible that you might blow a speaker. If not it will probably still sound like a fart.

fourmations wrote: »

is it hard to record the very deep notes
with sequencer and soundcard on a laptop?

It shouldn't be hard.

fourmations wrote: »

is it really sloppy and clanky acoustically?
i play a lot unplugged while waching telly

It depends on the individual instrument and it's setup.

fourmations wrote: »

i tried one and it felt okay
and i feel it would get used to it pretty handy

but .........will i ever use the fifth?

rgds

4 (or possibly 5)

It will be harder to get used to, but once you have then you should be ok. I know some people who play 5'ers but don't use the extra string. Just use it as a finger rest. It depends if it sounds good to you or not.

I've heard people say that the 5 string SX pickups are dire though.

reniwren · 28-05-2009 12:42PM

is it really sloppy and clanky acoustically?
i play a lot unplugged while waching telly

i tried one and it felt okay
and i feel it would get used to it pretty handy

but .........will i ever use the fifth?

All you need is a good set of strings at the right gauge
and if you dont have a 5th string u'l never use it,

yevveh · 31-05-2009 11:12AM

you'll get used to a 5 string no bother, especially if you haven't already spent years learning bass - took me a while to get used to cos i used a 4-string for about 7 years before getting my current bass.

i do find the 5th string is a little clankier than the others, but adjusting the action has helped. It just means don't completely mash the strings

You probably should invest in a bass amp if you're considering buying a bass though.

Darkstrike · 01-06-2009 11:43AM

yevveh wrote: »

You probably should invest in a bass amp if you're considering buying a bass though.

This, espcially if you're going low B.

Passenger · 02-06-2009 06:04PM

Yeah man, as said, definately invest in a Bass Amp. You can get a Cube Amp for e180.

Malice · 02-06-2009 08:06PM

fourmations wrote: »

will the 5 blow up the 15w guitar amp i use to doss at home

I've never used a bass in a guitar amp but the general consensus is that it's not recommended due to the difference in sound frequencies. At low volume it mightn't be a problem but I would say pick yourself up a cheap bass amp. Better to be safe than sorry.

fourmations wrote:

is it hard to record the very deep notes
with sequencer and soundcard on a laptop?

It shouldn't be. Are you recording directly into the soundcard or an external box or are you using a mic?

fourmations wrote:

is it really sloppy and clanky acoustically?
i play a lot unplugged while waching telly

Whatever about it being clanky, if you play an electric bass unplugged you just won't hear the low notes unless you're slapping and popping a lot but if anyone's watching the telly with you then watch out, they'll soon start slapping (your head)

fourmations wrote:

but .........will i ever use the fifth?

Only you can answer this question. Personally I love the low B on a 5/6 string bass and I wish I'd picked up an instrument with one sooner.

fourmations · 02-06-2009 09:50PM

hi all

thanks for the comments

i am playing a 4 string for a few weeks now
and am getting used to it, but can already
see the pros and cons of the 5

i would like the 5 to be able to play low E
it the A scale position,

but i am concerned about the string spacing
more than the neck size as i do like a bit of
slap and pop

any of you guys slap and pop on 5's?

i can appreciate the advice about the bass amp,
i do play the 4 string very low, (acoustic guitar volume)
but the little amp sounds okay to me
but i am a guitarist trying something new

i am skint as the next guy at the mo,
any good bass practice amps out there?

rgds

4

Malice · 02-06-2009 10:15PM

I went from a Squier Precision 4 string bass to an Ibanez K5 5 string bass and the string spacing didn't bother me at all. Why do you think the string spacing affect slapping and popping any more than just playing the bass generally? I would think that once your hands get used to the distances across strings your playing will be fine but maybe I'm missing something?

Darkstrike · 02-06-2009 10:31PM

malice_ wrote: »

I went from a Squier Precision 4 string bass to an Ibanez K5 5 string bass and the string spacing didn't bother me at all. Why do you think the string spacing affect slapping and popping any more than just playing the bass generally? I would think that once your hands get used to the distances across strings your playing will be fine but maybe I'm missing something?

Most prefer wider string spacing for slap/pop, easier to get your fingers in for pops, espcially on the D, and easier to not smack the wrong string/two strings when thumb slapping at a fast rate.

yevveh · 03-06-2009 12:18AM

I do find it a little more difficult to slap on the 5 as i'm used to a 4 so the b gets in the way. if you're not as set in your ways as me you'll be fine. As Darkstrike said, look for a bass with wider spacing. Although this makes it better for slap/pop I find thinner spacing works good for regular playing - it's all about preference. If possible never buy a bass without trying it first.

And *definitely* buy a bass amp if you're even taking this half-seriously and half the cash. Roland Cubes are great amps for their price, got the Cube 80 for guitar recently, fantastic for only €350 or whatever it was.

fourmations · 03-06-2009 09:08AM

thanks all

i think i will get me to the shops again

the only five i tried was a MM copy
and i did find it a little tight (or propbably just unusual)

rgds

4

Malice · 03-06-2009 12:29PM

Darkstrike wrote: »

Most prefer wider string spacing for slap/pop, easier to get your fingers in for pops, espcially on the D, and easier to not smack the wrong string/two strings when thumb slapping at a fast rate.

Fair enough, that makes sense! I've played a bunch of different 5 and 6 string basses and I have to say I didn't really notice much difference in string spacing between them. Then again, I don't do much slapping so it wasn't something I was looking out for.

Darkstrike · 03-06-2009 01:30PM

I find a fiver with full four string spacing too wide, but real thin spacing too tight.

I work best split down the middle, about 18/17mm at the bridge, and a 1.75 nut, flat board and thin neck.

I know others who like what I'd consider a 6 string neck to have 5 strings, lol!:D

fourmations · 03-06-2009 05:03PM

hi darkstrike (and all)

do you know the string spacing of a standard
fender p bass, (i cant find it anywhere)

its for comparison to the SX j bass 5ers
which are 9.5mm (nut) 15.5mm (bridge)

thanks

4

Darkstrike · 03-06-2009 05:29PM

fourmations wrote: »

hi darkstrike (and all)

do you know the string spacing of a standard
fender p bass, (i cant find it anywhere)

its for comparison to the SX j bass 5ers
which are 9.5mm (nut) 15.5mm (bridge)

thanks

4

A standard P bass has 19mm spacing at the bridge, maybe 20mm.

I don't know the spacing at the nut, but it has a total nut width of 1.625 inches, some special vinage re-issues have a nut of 1.75 inches.

5 string bass - couple of basic q's

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