Hmm...which B-string is brighter? 0.130 or 0.125?

[Gruuve]

Well...it's not like the B-string sounds aweful or anything. It's quite deep and growly for fingerstyle (could be a little brighter and piano-like, but I can live with the fingerstyle tone)...however, with slap I definitely notice it's lack of brightness in comparison to the other four strings. I may slap perhaps 20% of the time, so it's certainly liveable.

 

Dave

 

[Gruuve]

sell it, and buy a Spector, or a zon

 

A Zon is a definite possibility. I've never found one to play locally unfortunately, but I've heard plenty of clips of various models and liked every single one of them. They have that same "hollow-neck graphite grittiness" as my Steinberger Synapse fretless (which is no surprise since the construction and materials are VERY similar). A Zon Sonus is on my watch lists...should be a safe bet.

 

Dave

 

[...]

Excepting the B-string darkness, I like just about everything else about this bass, it's definitely one of my favorites.

 

So, you like it except for the B-string? On a five string bass, that's like saying the patient is doing well besides being dead.

 

I am with William, since you thinned the stable, dump the Tobias as well and buy something you are actually satisfied with rather than fighting a losing battle. Rather than 10 basses you are "okay" with, dump the cash into a keeper. MTD, Roscoe, Zon sound like they would all be on your list.

 

Yes. Exactly that. And believe me, I know all about fighting with basses to try and get them to sound a certain way. Eventually you need to give in and do what you know deep down is the solution.

 

Maybe the wood won't help even it out with the other strings, but switching to a 35" scale won't either.

 

Actually, scale change has a profound effect on timbre. 1" is a hefty change.

 

Very much so.

[...]

sell it, and buy a Spector, or a zon

 

One of my regrets: selling my NS5XL. That thing sounded friggin' awesome. And the low B sounded the same as the rest of the strings.

[zachd00d]

this thread is a perfect example of why im not a huge fan of the fiver

while having that booming low B always puts a smile on my face, it is also a real pain in the @$$ to sound tight and even

now back to your question, changing the gauge may improve the tone, but keep in mind-its a LOW B

like the low B on a piano, its has a deep and growling low end and the fundamental is very strong

that being said, getting a crisp slap tone is always a challenge; at least on the fivers ive played on

[getz out]

I disagree that the B string has to sound different and that extreme measures must be taken to make it sound like it belongs.

 

The reason I have kept the five string basses currently in my stable are because they sound good and even. My Warwick Thumb 5 neck-through is 34" and sounds fantastic up, down, and across the fingerboard. Of course, it is also properly set up by one of the better professionals around and the strings work with the bass (usually DR Hibeams, sometimes Zon). It sounds like the same bass playing regardless of which string or position. Part fo the reason I spent the extra coin on the neck-through is because I found it to sound significantly better than the bolt-on.

 

My Lull M5V is similar. Best sounds Fender Jazz bass ever, except it is not a Fender. 35" scale and a totally different type of construction versus the Warwick. It could not be more different. I was down on Fender-style basses for a long time until I played Jeremy's 4-string Lull for 5 minutes in Napa, CA. I was instantly sold.

 

The Rob Allen MB-2 5 fretless is a different beast all together.

[...]

this thread is a perfect example of why im not a huge fan of the fiver

while having that booming low B always puts a smile on my face, it is also a real pain in the @$$ to sound tight and even

now back to your question, changing the gauge may improve the tone, but keep in mind-its a LOW B

like the low B on a piano, its has a deep and growling low end and the fundamental is very strong

that being said, getting a crisp slap tone is always a challenge; at least on the fivers ive played on

 

You need to play different 5 string basses. As getz76 pointed out in the last post and I pointed out earlier in the thread - there are plenty of 5 string basses that sound even across the board. You just need to play a bunch and open your ears while playing to find the ones that do and do not. This is not a thing that is unique from instrument to instrument either - every Spector NS5XL that I've ever played has an amazing low B. Every Mike Lull 5 string I've ever played has an amazing low B. Etc...

[Gruuve]

Yup, agreed. The Roscoe's (35" scale) are known for a piano-like low-B. IIRC, a Pedulla Thunderbass has a fairly bright B as well (can't recall for sure though...been a while since I played one). The Warwick Thumb BO I just sold actually had a nicely bright low-B even though it was 34" scale and bolt-on. My Stingray5 has a nicely bright low-B, also 34" scale and bolt-on.

 

It *might* just be time to consider a 35" scale bass though (a la Roscoe probably). I've got nickel-wound strings on the Tobias right now...I may slap some stainless steel strings on it and see if that brightens up the B a bit in the meantime.

 

Dave

 

[The Geoff]

The best 5 I've had (and my experience is limited by numbers and expense) is a Washburn Bantam 2005.

 

I put a Bartolini MM 5 on it originally & it was OK, but then decided to move it on. I replaced the Bart with the original pup AND IT RAWKED!!!!!!!!!! Too late - I'd already sold it on Ebay!!!

 

My point (if there is one - it's Friday night, we have company & I've had a few Single Malts) is that it's the WHOLE of the bass - not just the pup, or the wood of the fretboard, or what the body's made of.

 

It's the sum total of it all.

 

Sometimes it works. That Washburn Bantam 2005 certainly did.

 

G.

[_Sweet Willie_]

35" helps, but is not necessary.

 

34" scale StingRay5s and 34" scale Sadowsky 5ers have pretty sweet low Bs.

 

34.5" does the trick -- like the low B on an F Bass or on the Fish o' Luv.

 

Seriously, time to let go of the Tobias. No regrets.

 

Peace.

--s-uu

 

[_Sweet Willie_]

Oh yeah, and can we please remember that many of us didn't get 5ers because we wanted those extra low notes. Some of us actually liked the feel and timbre of some of the notes we already had access to when played on a different gauge string at a different point on the neck. Some of us even wanted to play chords with different voicings or just have alternative fingering options.

 

Peace.

--Dub $$

[b5pilot]

Zach, I love 5 stringers. Been using them since 1987 when I Got my Guild Pilot 5. Yeah they may or may not be the best for slap, but I think for just about everything else they are hard to beat IMHO. I agree with you to Willie. I get a lot of control by using alternate fingerings on of my 5'ers that I had trouble with on a 4. Maybe it's all just a case of using the right tool for the job.

[Davo-London]

Back to the question! During practice tonight I noticed that the lighter I played the E-string (I only have 4s) the more treble it sounded. Try plucking the string hard and soft and see if you agree. Secondly if you use the very tip of your finger then you also get a very zingy sound.

 

Try it!

 

Davo

[zachd00d]

Zach, I love 5 stringers. Been using them since 1987 when I Got my Guild Pilot 5. Yeah they may or may not be the best for slap, but I think for just about everything else they are hard to beat IMHO. I agree with you to Willie. I get a lot of control by using alternate fingerings on of my 5'ers that I had trouble with on a 4. Maybe it's all just a case of using the right tool for the job.

 

i never said i hated 5ers, i just said that i find the low B difficult to sound even-thats what initally turns me off

and regarding the earlier posts, i know that if i try out more and more 5ers, i'll eventually find one that works

its just that most of the ones i have tried werent of the greatest quality

my wallet can only handle so much, but i can definitely see myself in a few years owning a 5er or two!

 

 

[Gruuve]

Man...you guys must have sprinkled some Bass Mojo dust my way...a Roscoe has essentially fallen into my lap. I'll start a new thread...

[Steve Lawson]

I tend to go with a lighter gauge B string than most sets include as standard, especially with flats - the .125 B I've got on my fretless is much preferable to my ears than the 130 that initially came as standard with the set I use...

 

Steve

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

In my opinion, the Low B is used for special effects, for lack of a better discriptive word. 98% of my playing is done on the E,A,D (I use a BEAD tuning) The Low B is excellent for getting peoples attention but should be resurved for that purpose. IMHO

Rocky

 

Ohhh... I thought the B was so that people could play the low E as a fretted note and have more control over it. Well, that's what I read somewhere anyway. Not real interested in a five, so I'd never given it much thought.

 

 

During practice tonight I noticed that the lighter I played the E-string ... the more treble it sounded. Try plucking the string hard and soft and see if you agree. Secondly if you use the very tip of your finger then you also get a very zingy sound.

 

Try it!

 

Davo

 

The zingy sound could be due to nails? I believe some classical guitarists try to pluck the strings between the nail and the ball of their finger for a sound that's mellow and yet tinkly. Is that the sort of thing you're describing?

 

I'm curious about your tone being treblier when playing softer, with me it's the opposite: if I want a nice, rounded tone I have to play softly.

[Davo-London]

That was the E-string as I don't have any 5s. I agree that generally the greater the attack the greater the zing but on the E it seemed different. I wasn't gunning it, just a normal pluck versus a light pluck.

 

Davo

[The Geoff]

As far as using a 5 is concerned, I have a fairly small hand, so playing up on the 5th fret gives me an extended 'E' tuning and also shortens the reach for my fingers, plus I have the option of fretting down if I want it.

 

G.