5 - String Electric

The four-string bass is a classic, but it has room for change. Five-string electric bass guitars have an extended range that four strings can’t achieve, allowing them to have bigger roles in melodies and solo performances. Whether you want a new bass for your collection or are ready to graduate to more strings, LAWK STAR Guitars offers beautiful five-string bass guitars by Paul Reed Smith, Schecter, LsL and Dean.

Five-String Bass Guitar Buying Guide

Scale Length: A bass’ scale length is the measurement from the bridge to the nut, where the strings vibrate. Scale length is important in a five-string bass because it affects how the instrument sounds. The longer the strings, the better the lower pitches resonate. At the same time, as the scale length increases, the notes on each string are further apart.

The general go-to scale length for a five-string bass is 34 or 35 inches. This extra-long scale length helps ensure that the low B sounds clear.

Pickups: Bass guitars have passive or active pickups that affect their sound. Active pickups give five-string basses a clear, percussive sound. These are good if you ever want to use an overdrive pedal to create a distorted effect. Passive pickups produce a warm, full tone, like the kind heard in vintage basses.

Tonewood: The wood used to make a bass, the tonewood, affects the guitar’s sound. In general, five-string basses use hardwoods, like maple, to give them a smooth percussive tone. When a guitar maker wants to give a bass more resonance, it will use medium-hard or soft words, like mahogany. It’s common for a bass to have a mix of tonewoods to shape its tone and ensure good weight distribution.

The best five-string electric bass is the one that sounds great to you and feels comfortable. At LAWK STAR, we know that when you find this perfect blend, your five-string will be your go-to bass.