Buying guide · updated 2026-08-24
The Best 5-String Basses
A five-string bass lives or dies on its low B. Here is what determines whether that string is useful or unusable.
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We do not have a five-string in the catalogue yet
We only recommend instruments we have documented in full, against the manufacturer's own published specification. No five-string bass has passed through that process yet, so this page has no picks on it — and we would rather tell you that plainly than fill it with instruments we have not checked.
What follows is still the guide we would want you to read before buying one, because the five-string market punishes buying on price alone more than almost any other category.
Scale length is not optional here
A low B is a long, slack string, and slackness is the enemy. At 34 inches — the standard four-string scale — a B string works, but it needs a well-cut nut and a heavier gauge to stay defined. At 35 inches, which many dedicated five-string designs use, the extra tension makes an audible difference to clarity and attack. Below 34 inches, a low B is generally a compromise you will hear on every recording you make.
String spacing decides whether you can play it
Five strings on a neck can be spaced tightly, which keeps the neck narrow and suits players who use a pick or who came from four strings, or spaced wide at around 19 mm at the bridge, which suits slap and fingerstyle players who need room to work. Neither is better, but a narrow-spaced bass is genuinely difficult to slap on and a wide-spaced neck is genuinely a stretch. This is the specification to check before you check anything else.
What to look for on the spec sheet
A properly cut nut
The B string slot has to be cut wide and deep enough or the string will buzz, choke and sound dead in the first few frets. This is the single most common fault on inexpensive five-strings, and it is fixable, but budget for it.
Bridge mass and adjustment range
A B string needs somewhere solid to anchor and enough saddle travel to intonate. A lightweight four-string bridge with a fifth saddle bolted on is a warning sign.
Pickup placement
Pickups designed for four strings and widened for five sometimes leave the B string sitting off the edge of a pole piece, which produces an uneven output across the neck. Look for pickups specified as five-string units rather than adapted ones.
Common questions
- Do I need a five-string?
- If you play modern worship, metal, gospel or a lot of contemporary pop, almost certainly at some point. If you play blues, classic rock or jazz standards, a four-string will cover the repertoire and stay easier to play.
- Is a five-string harder to learn on?
- Slightly, and mostly because muting becomes more demanding — the B string rings sympathetically and has to be actively silenced. Most players find that a month of deliberate practice sorts it out.