Tubas, euphoniums, mouthpieces, and anything music-related.
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OK...
HERE's a thread whereby you geeks can geek-out (withOUT me raising my eyebrows and looking askance - when a topic was "beginning to learn how to play with very inexpensive equipment").
I'm considering picking up a 5-string.
It's going to be a slow shopping experience, because I'm very picky in regards to necks (just as trombonists are about their slides, and just as most tuba players don't seem to much care whether-or-not their valves stick.
The thing is this:
MOST ALL of the tunes that I'm playing (including vintage funk) involve little-to-no "slap" technique, nor pitches below E.
...so (as I converted a US Fender PRECISION - decades ago, with its classic wide neck - to a narrower Jazz-string-spacing 5-string, with a kit that allowed for this with no new hole-drilling, and then later put it back original) I OWNED a 5-string in the past and (as seen for a short time on this site) there's actually a SIX-string here,
I'm SERIOUSLY considering (once I find a cheap Fender-style 5-string with a wonderful neck...surely some sort of "Squier") setting it up as follows
E-A-D-G-C
- again, little to no "slap" techniques - with these vintage pop songs
- I'm MOSTLY interested in avoiding some of the shifts (quoting original bass lines) to 10th-13th position.
THUS, this idea.
Also, so many low B/C strings are "thuddy", mostly are round-wound, and require different articulation strategies to avoid fret buzz and distortion issues.
EVEN IF you yourself would NEVER consider this, what's your opinion (based on my goals in my own playing and encountered repertoire) of MY strategy for MY playing ?
(I will attempt to digest YOUR opinions, rather than DEBATE them. Typically, I debate, as an attempt to get those - who disagree with me - to put forth their best efforts to CONVINCE me that their ideas are superior to mine...but - in this instance - I'll hold back.)
(Back when I played that 5-string converted US P-bass - and was mostly playing in jazz combos - and no "pop" music - I found that those bottom-of-the-piano-keyboard pitches sounded out-of-place in jazz combo music - even though I managed to find a low-B string which did NOT sound thuddy and I DID adjust the bridge whereby did NOT have to tiptoe around the B string to avoid it buzzing against the frets.)
You don't need lower than low E and want to reduce position switching, of course the 5-string EADGC is a wonderful option (you could also consider EADGB to be similar to guitars, but that's a debate between you and yourself).
By all means, go for it.
Worst case scenario: you lost the price of a C string and a neck adjustment
OK...so this is something that some people do, then (??)
...or (at the least) "why the heck not?"
We used to sell cheap electric guitars and bass guitars, back (ancient history) when we had a brick-and-mortar store.
I adjusted a bunch of necks (as well as having set up a bunch of cheap rental violins).
The string teachers really seemed to like our setup jobs on the bowed instruments.
No one ever taught it how to do it.
We just worked off of logic...ie. "If I played this instrument, how would I prefer for everything to be?"
We could have lowered the bridges SLIGHTLY lower than we did, but we KNEW that the teachers would put strips of "cheater" tape on the fingerboards, so we left just enough extra room to avoid the strings buzzing on those (future) pieces of tape.
OK...BACK ON TOPIC...THANKS !
Last edited by bloke on Sun May 24, 2026 1:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'm reading (quite a bit, not always) so the fewer epic shifts, the less I'd feel compelled to glance at the neck.
also...
If I desire some pitch such as a "low D", I can tune an E string to play a decent D, as well as keep track of the note-names on the D-tuned (detuned?) string.
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@bloke as someone who owns....1, 2, 3...uhhh...well...let's say several 5 string basses, I'm a fan. In my case, I like having the extra low notes. I owned a 6 string a couple of times, but I never fully clicked with being able to read and play on them. Plus the neck is basically a 2x4.
Yes, people do set them up as E-C. In fact, a few years back, Ibanez sold a 33" scale 5 string that was designed to be setup E-C. Do you know what string spacing you will want in a 5 string? Are you looking for a 19mm spacing (like a 4 string) or a narrow-ish neck that a 17mm spacing would provide?
Todd Morgan
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tubatodd wrote: Mon May 25, 2026 11:53 am
@bloke as someone who owns....1, 2, 3...uhhh...well...let's say several 5 string basses, I'm a fan. In my case, I like having the extra low notes. I owned a 6 string a couple of times, but I never fully clicked with being able to read and play on them. Plus the neck is basically a 2x4.
Yes, people do set them up as E-C. In fact, a few years back, Ibanez sold a 33" scale 5 string that was designed to be setup E-C. Do you know what string spacing you will want in a 5 string? Are you looking for a 19mm spacing (like a 4 string) or a narrow-ish neck that a 17mm spacing would provide?
I'm not into the technical aspects yet nor the specifications, I'm just curious if there are those who use a C string instead of a B string. Don't know that I would bring along calipers to check out spacing but would just judge by feel. I'm accustomed to Jazz Bass string spacing, whatever that is. I agree that six strings is a bridge too far, that everyone has their own tastes, and - when I express mine - I don't mean to insult others tastes, but it seems to me that a low B string is most appropriate for gospel, and I just don't play any of that.
bloke wrote: Mon May 25, 2026 12:02 pm
I'm not into the technical aspects yet nor the specifications, I'm just curious if there are those who use a C string instead of a B string. Don't know that I would bring along calipers to check out spacing but would just judge by feel. I'm accustomed to Jazz Bass string spacing, whatever that is. I agree that six strings is a bridge too far, that everyone has their own tastes, and - when I express mine - I don't mean to insult others tastes, but it seems to me that a low B string is most appropriate for gospel, and I just don't play any of that.
The only consideration would be the nut. If the nut of your 5 string bass is already modified for a low B, but now you're going to put an E in there, well, now the string may rest too low in the slot. The nut slots were cut for a particular gauge (or range) of string and now you'd be putting a thinner string in the slot. You MAY need a new nut added and filed down to what you need.
Oh and my version of "a few years ago" was apparently 11 years ago.
bloke wrote: Mon May 25, 2026 12:02 pm
I'm not into the technical aspects yet nor the specifications, I'm just curious if there are those who use a C string instead of a B string. Don't know that I would bring along calipers to check out spacing but would just judge by feel. I'm accustomed to Jazz Bass string spacing, whatever that is. I agree that six strings is a bridge too far, that everyone has their own tastes, and - when I express mine - I don't mean to insult others tastes, but it seems to me that a low B string is most appropriate for gospel, and I just don't play any of that.
The only consideration would be the nut. If the nut of your 5 string bass is already modified for a low B, but now you're going to put an E in there, well, now the string may rest too low in the slot. The nut slots were cut for a particular gauge (or range) of string and now you'd be putting a thinner string in the slot. You MAY need a new nut added and filed down to what you need.
Oh and my version of "a few years ago" was apparently 11 years ago.
I totally get it. I carved a new nut several decades ago when I did that conversion of a USA Precision to five string, and remember that I used to be a (albeit very young) working nylon string guitarist, and none of those come with the nuts set up properly.
I wonder if tuba players are attracted to five strings on a bass guitar because of the five valve thing.
For me, not really. I was happy to get my my four strings sorted out when playing some pop arrangements for wind band. But I am happy with the low Eb my five string provides for such pieces without using an intellectual challenging tuning
OK. Here you go. These comments are derived from my experience of playing a 5-string bass since at least 2012 as my primary gigging and recording bass.
Over the years, Ibanez has produced two models specifically designed for the EADGC setup: The BTB33 (Volo) and its successor, the BTB845V. I used to own a BTB845V. It is a 33-inch scale, more like a Rickenbacker scale rather than a Fender 34-inch scale. It played great. It was heavy. The pickups were overwound and the preamp was noisy, so I upgraded them to Bartolini USA pickups and an EMG preamp. My sound man loved it. But it was only a stopgap until I could get a private luthier to make a 33-inch scale neck for my 2011 SRA305. The reason for the 33-inch scale neck: hand arthritis. Otherwise, there is nothing about stringing a BEADG bass as EADGC. The slots, if properly cut, can be used. You don't need a replacement nut unless the slots are off in either positioning, finishing, or both.
Now, Ibanez basses, in my opinion in whatever scale length, 33", 34" "Fender Standard," or even an extended 35" scale for those who prefer the longer scale, especially for the B-string, have the best feel, the best tone, and the best value-for-money, especially if you find one slightly used. The only difference in the model ranges are the woods used, so as you go up the model chart what you are essentially paying for is pretty top grain.
For structure and appointments, I have definite opinions. First, the tuner arrangement is problematic on most 5-string basses. They have either a 3(BEA) + 2(DG) or a Fender-ish 4(BEAD)+1(G) tuner set up. This is bogus. All these tuner arrangements do is cause the B-string to bind over the nut to the tuner post. The preferred tuner Arrangement is 2(BE) + 3(ADG). This gets the B-string tuner far enough up the headstock that all conventional long-scale strings have enough leader or silk so they wind evenly on the tuner with no binding. Well, someone might say that puts the G string too close to the nut. Remember that typical G-strings are 40 or 45 diameter. Acoustic low E is typically 53, 54, or 56, on the smaller guitar tuner posts. So no issue.
Fender and Fender-style pickups do not work on a 5-string. P-pickups are too tubby that low and are imbalanced with one section for three strings and one section for two strings. Likewise, J-pickups are also imbalanced and have too much growl to produce a clear fundamental, especially on the B string.
What is needed is a clean, clear, with definition, pickup that has even frequency response across the entire spectrum of the extended range of a 5-string bass. That is why I use EMG: absolutely clean, quiet, and wide ranging. Worth the battery. While all the guitar players and the drummer take wayyyy too much time at sound check to slot the mix, I plug in, play a few notes and patterns, the sound tech sets the level, adjusts the eq for the room, and I am done in five minutes. There are other good pickups out there, but they MUST be clean and wide range.
Clarity of strings: I have played probably every production bass string out there since I started playing bass guitar in 1976. For me, I like the evenness of tone and feel, with clarity, so I play the D'Addario XL170BT balanced nickel plated steel set with an added 130XL B string. These strings are inexpensive, readily available either on-line or at the D'Addario website, have reasonable longetivity, and as stated, clarity to slot the mix. Again, there are other strings out there, but they have to have an even tone and consistent construction, and feel for the wide range of a five string bass.
Simple bridges are the best. Depending on the bass you purchase, you may need to shorten the intonation screw and clip the spring so the saddle will go back far enough to get good intonation.
Hipshot tuners weigh roughly half of Fender-style traditional tuners and cure neck droop. They are worth it, both for the weight savings and their superlative smooth action for stable tuning.
Make sure your nut has the proper slope back from the fingerboard edge back to the tuners for further stability. I recommend old-fashioned white bone installed by a qualified luthier.
Nut width and width of the neck at the body are personal preferences for feel.
Bolt on or neck-through doesn't matter. Period. I've played both. I get the same depth of tone and sustain on both. Sustain is a function of properly oriented wood grain and quality hardware.
Number of frets doesn't matter. We are bass players, after all.
Finally, the upper horn really does need to be longer than Fender standard for proper balance with the added weight of another tuner, with a wide enough strap.
When I can figure out how to make the picture of my bass small enough to post, which has earned me thousands and thousands over the years, all reported on my Schedule C, I will post it.
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bloke (Tue May 26, 2026 6:25 pm) • TxTx (Tue May 26, 2026 10:09 pm)
Since my passive pickups work so well on this ancient Jazz, and my neck is so perfect, that's about all I've ever really cared about.
This little combo (whereby I suddenly find myself playing electric bass again) plays so many old funk and pop tunes that I'm just looking for a cheater C string and a good sound to avoid climbing the neck and to be able to keep my eyes on the charts. (None of those bass llines go below E, and B strings always feel like I'm trying to deal with something larger than life... sort of like the one or two times in my life when someone handed me a CCC subcontrabass tuba to try out.
All of the information about balance (and I knew EMG pickups are good, but sort of out of place in a topic where I was encouraging people to pick up a $100 pawn shop passive bass and begin to learn how to play) and all the other information that you supplied is very helpful, including the fact that some five strings were specifically designed for C string and not just the fact that the nut is cut to fit E through C - rather than B through G).
Seeing players who want to tune EADGC remind me of the original 5-string bass: the Fender V from the mid-to-late-'60's. EADGC is how that bass was tuned, but it was not conceived as a melody or alternative instrument. Because it had the C string, it only had fifteen frets to match the range of a Fender 4-string bass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Bass_V
On the typical 45mm (1.77 inches) Ibanez nut, the strings have roughly the same string-to-string spacing as a J-bass. So playing it the fretting hand should not feel completely foreign. But to get that, the string-to-string spacing at the bridge is a little tighter. To me, this feels better, but there are players who still want the full string spacing at the bridge as on a Fender-style 4-string.
Yes, the real purpose of a 5-string is not to get those lower few notes, but to facilitate patterns and scales without undue gymnastics of the fretting hand or brain drain of tuning down (Sorry, Hipshot D-Tuner fans, although I have a couple on a couple of different basses).
This is a VERY VERY SMALL part of why I think I would like to have a C string, but (here goes) if I want to do the musical effect of sliding (glissing or whatever you want to call it) down from something like a high G or A flat or whatever, I can do that just as easily (and just as musically) from the 6th or 7th fret as I can from the 12th or 13th fret, and I can do it without having to glance at the neck.
I don't like having to glance at the neck any more than I would enjoy having to look at my fingers when depressing valve levers on a tuba (just imagine how ridiculous that would be)... I just don't practice playing electric bass (again, an instrument that I quit playing in the early 1990s) enough to be able to grab 13th fret without taking a peek.
Oh - I forgot - the most important point of all: The five-string bass is its own instrument. It is not simply a four-string bass with another string patched on. Almost every manufacturer treats a five-string bass like the latter, not the former. when trying out basses, if the bass simply feels like its four-string counterpart, it probably won't do well as a five-string. If the five-string feels almost like a different instrument, and it has the design details I posted above, it probably is a decent five-string.
Pickup placement: Leo got it right. The middle or neck pickup should be mounted in the same place as a P-pickup or just slightly towards the bridge to get the balance between fundamental and definition. For the bridge pickup, the pickup should be in the J-bass position, your choice of 60s or 70s position. How can you tell? The CBS folks moved the bridge pickup closer to the bridge so it is not visible out from under the pickup cover. Mine is even closer than that, which gets into the area of insufficient string excursion to produce good tone. So I bought an EMG J-pickup in a soapbar cover to match and installed it flipped around so the stack coil setup is in the J-bridge position, not too close to the bridge.
Oh - I finally figured out how to condense a picture to the bandwidth limit of this thread (which I probably knew but forgot). Here is my gig bass:
Ibby 5-er Posting.png (190.23 KiB) Viewed 941 times
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That Ibanez (that you point out was specially designed for a C string) is available over in Memphis for $750 (in a pawn shop...ie. a less risky venue (as the counter help are all armed) than knocking on some stranger's door.
I'm reminding myself of many tuba players who swoon over $2XXXX - $4XXXX tubas, yet whose budgets are $2XXX - $4XXX. (me...?? I REALLY lucked into a couple of my tubas at "popular" prices, and built the others.)
yeah...Right this minute, my budget is about $75
If it's still over there (after I "pass 'GO', ie. blast though this summer's repair work and - eventually - get paid for all of it), I might go take a look.
In the picture, it appears to be strung E through C. Layaway...?? I'm hoping to "cool off", and buy nothing.
IF (??) I find myself with a few miles of that shop this summer, I may stop by and salivate over it.
Feel free to send any hi-res pics to me via email firstlastnames - gmail
Hey...I'd stop by and bother the hell out of you , WERE IT THAT I still had relatives in Pittsburg, KS...but - alas - they all either moved away or croaked.
