Tightest B on a 5 string

[adz]

This is a slight deviation from the Fender 5 String topic but i was curious to know what people think is the best sounding B String on any 5 string bass. I know (although only from listening to them) that warwick basses have tight B's but what others are up there??

 

cheers,

adz

[tnb]

The B on my Lakland is great. Roscoe and MTD also make basses with great B strings. For basses with 34" scale try G&L, Pensa and Sadowsky.

[Mike H.]

I find my Nathan East signature Yamaha has a very definitive low B string even though it's a 34" scale. My TRB-5 Yamaha also has a nice B, but not as tight as my East. Perhaps due to the Ebony fretboard on the East and the body woods. My G&L 2500 has a decent be string also. I guess I find a .130 guage tightens things up a bit too for the B. I also use Daddario Prisms on my Yamaha's which are solid stainless steel and have a real tense feel to them anyway. DR Hi Beams sound real nice on the G&L, a 45-125 guage does well with it.

[SteveC]

I also have a G&L 2500 5 stringand the B sounds pretty darn good. My Ken Smith BSRJ 5 20th Anniversary sounds great, too. Myabe a little "tighter" than the G&L. I have DR Highbeam 45's on both.

[Jeff Addicott]

The best low B I've ever tried was on a Pedulla ThunderBass 5. I think it was a 34", but boy, does it ever speak well.

[ikestr]

The Peavey Cirrus has one of the tightest B's around. Could be because of the 35" scale or maybe the .126 for the B. Also, the frets and fretboard are very flat, 15" radius.

 

Ikestr

[zujo]

Wednesday night I saw the tightest B on a g string

[lug]

I'd guess a Dingwall Voodoo (37" scale on the B I think) but have never gotten to try one yet.

[Lakland_5]

I am really happy with the low-B string on my Lakland 55-94. It sounds pretty tight - not muddy at all. I think it due to a combination of factors, including the maple fretboard and 35-inch scale. When I'm playing, I don't even notice the longer scale length.

[...]

My Spector NS 5 XL has a really nice sounding low B, tight and punchy.

[SpaceManSpiff74]

All the EB Stingrays have a really good 'B'

[pfunku]

Hey yall, Got a ? for ya.

 

I've never owned a 5 but am considering one. I've heard a lot about a 35 scale neck being better for the low b and I understand the reasons. Here is my ? though, Can you feel a difference while the bass is strapped on(especialy high) while standing? Meaning, will it make my fretting hand work harder if you have small hands?

 

I can tell a significant difference in a short 32" scale bass from a standard Fenders style but is it the same significant difference in a 35" scale 5 from lets say a 34" scale 5?

 

If so, is it worth it? If I'm hell bent on a 35" scale should I be looking for an axe with less frets or does that really make a difference? Most people don't think about these issues but I got mitten hands and that's why I've always enjoyed the Fender Jazz scale and radious necks.

 

Another ? (sorry) But does radious also figure into the equation?

 

Any help would be great

[virtual.rayprodigy.net]

I have both 34 and 35 inch scale basses and I find that both can achieve good tone and feel on the low B.In practice I find the difference in gigging with a 35" negligible compared to 34" although things like neck shape and overall balance come into play as well.

[cubdriver]

1st place goes to the Dingwall VooDoo with a 37" scale B string. 2nd place goes to the Tune BEB with a 36" scale B.

 

Also ran's are MTD 535, Yamaha TRB-5P, Fodera and Smith

[Jim T.]

Hmmmm.... This thread makes me think that the low B debate is possibly/mostly voodoo! An awful lot of us with 34" basses feel that our low Bs are plenty clear/clean enough. I personally have a Squier 5 string jazz that has a fantastic low B. I have an Ibanez 6 string with a 34" scale that sounds great and best of all a fretless Pedulla Hexabuzz that also sounds great. (OK, OK, two out of 3 of mine are 6s instead of 5s), but, I think that rather than scale, the usual "luck" of how ANY particular instrument was put together or what great tone wood "accidentally" got included (the Ibanez?) makes MORE of a difference than scale length. I've played 36" scale basses that have a less defined B than my 34"s.

 

To answer the physical/ergonomics feel of the 35" versus a 34", I have felt that most 35s (Dean being an example) "sat" just about the same as my Fender both standing and sitting.

 

Whatdya all think?