My New Five String

[Patrick from Davis]

OK, well I have muttered about this for a while, but I was able to get it all together today.  So the stats...

Neck:
Pau Ferro, Pau Ferro
6100 SS fret wire
Hipshot tuners

Body:
One piece Swamp Ash
Black followed by brown grain fill
MM pick up route in neck spot
Nordstrand MM5.4 Quad coil
Aguilar OBP-3 preamp
Push-pull for two mid freq centers
Push-pull for active passive bypass
Vol, Bass, Mid, High knobs
Parallel, Single, Series mini switch
Straplok pegs
Finished with General Finishes Urethane High Gloss for floors. My buddy has a nice HVLP set up.  That was also the reason the finish took seven months to finish...

Picture (click on it for a 2 meg much larger version, you might have to click on the larger photo if it auto sizes it for your screen)



First impression, loud.  Second, the parallel sounds best for all purpose, the single sounds really good for slap, and the series sound marvy for Morphine tone.  It really makes sense now that I think about it, but it is a helluva lot of fun to mess with.
Patrick

 

[NonsenseTele]

Looks cool! Congrats!

 

[mayfly]

When I read the title, I thought you were talking about a banjo!

Shows where my mind is at.

 

[blue313]

When I read the title, I thought you were talking about a banjo!

Shows where my mind is at.

True, but all things considered you're entitled.  :laughing7:


Looks pretty sweet man!  Hows the balance?

 

[Patrick from Davis]

It is good.  The Straplok takes the strap out to the 11th fret so it has a wide stance to balance over.  I think it is rather heavy, but my bass pals that are 10-15 years younger than me say it is light.  The neck is really nice.  Very similar to ebony in feeling, but the tone is a bit easier to work with, not quite as sharp.  I also rubbed down the neck with a 1 in x 2 in piece of 320 to remove all of the "sitting around" plaque, and wow did that really make it feel wonderfully satin-y.  I am really pleased with how it came out, the pick up is great for what I wanted.  The Active electronics gave me trouble, and I am wondering about two of the knobs, but that could be a short that I was creating with the copper shielding.  At the moment it is behaving, and I can bypass the preamp, so if it all goes to hell I can just play the pick ups passive.  To bad I am at work, I could be pissing off the neighbors...
Patrick

 

[JimBeed]

Going to re open this just by asking how much use is a five string to you? cause ive ordered all the parts for a five string z bass, as they dont do five string sg, and well wanted the extra string to work with producing stuff, and worst comes to worst its a four string with an extra long finger rest

 

[whyachi]

I've always used my old Corvette's B-string like a $100 thumbrest, personally.

 

[JimBeed]

haha cool, well i got the idea off my old bass teacher when i asked him whether i should consider another 4 string or a five string and he said a 5 string would give me a challenge playing and learning/mastering wise, so ive gone with that option, god i want all the parts back home in time for christmas, which reminds me i need to order the last pot, and the strings. flatwounds maybe, depends what money i have then.

 

[tubby.twins]

Going to re open this just by asking how much use is a five string to you?

My first bass was a 5-string, and I've always felt "naked" when playing a 4-string bass.  Even though I don't use the B string that often, I like having it available when I need it.  There have been endless debates on whether the B string is useful or necessary.  It really depends on what you play.

Learning to use a B string tastefully takes time.  If you are concerned that you wouldn't use it, then you can always try the "High C" tuning (E-A-D-G-C) or experiment with other altered tunings that challenge you and break you out of your comfort zone.  I once tried stringing a 5-string bass in fifths (Bb-F-C-G-D), and that was a fun exercise. 

 

[JimBeed]

hmm could you do the E-A-D-G-C without using like the normal four strings then the smaller size string thats usually used for c on six strings? as in tune a five string which comes with b to g string sizes but tuned to the opposite arrangement?

 

[chrisg]

I like the look of the black / brown grain fill.  What did you use to finish it?

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Wow, I am late back to this party, that I started...  I use the B string mainly for the D note and several other inversions of things.  I had a bass that was set up so poorly that when I got my first Five, it quickly became my favorite.  Simply easier to play.  Then many years later, I was used to the neck size and the extra notes, that when I had learned how to set up the old four string, it felt kind of odd.  So I just use my two fives.

The finish is General Finishes Gloss Poly urethane.  The grain fill was with black twice, then brown twice.  I used the stuff that Stew Mac sells.  The idea was taken from several of the builds I have seen on the boards, and I think it turned out nicely.  I really like the quad coil pickup.  The switch for Series/single/parallel is a lot of fun.  Series has a very Morphine like growl, the single is my favorite for slapping, and the parallel is what I normally use for pretty much everything else.  The Aguilar preamp is so over powered with one 9 volt, it really causes chaos when you crank the knobs.  But when you just add a little bit here and there, it is a very nicely behaved bass.  For something so simple it is quite versatile.
Patrick

 

[SlingBass]

Unique/original...I'd love to hear it - heck, I'd love to play it  :laughing7: