Yo Dean,
I was wondering if you could pay a little more attention to the DBZ basses IF you're planning on a bass line. I went to Guitar Center and finally played an Edge Pro5 and wasn't impressed. The neck didn't feel right and it was akward to play a little. If you need suggestions, bassists of the furum, please start posting. (Only if you want though).

Dean Z doesn't have any control over products made in the other company don't forget. I'm sure Dean Z will do an awesome job on the basses once he has time as I'm sure hes working non stop.

I'm getting tired of 7 String/Bass threads.

yeah but he created the Pro5 didn't he or was that someone else of the company? I'm confused.

He may have had part in the original USA design but odds are you played a 2009 dean import. Dean Z left in 2008 and I believe he was dealing with the USA stuff not the import stuff.

That makes sense. Ok, well Dean can you make a MUCH better bass than the old company? REALLY cannot wait!!!

The old company can waste some wood let me tell you!

Okay, I'll admit that this topic isn't exactly pertaining to to the current lineup of basses to DBZ.

In fact, THERE IS NO lineup of basses current to DBZ.

So, we shall have to remedy that.

The guitarists on this forum can whine all they want about requests for basses from DBZ. But, many of said posts have been deleted. As a former resident of the Dark Side Forums, believe me, I don't fault the merger-- many of those anal apertures got what was coming to them.

So, as a "Major Rager on the 4-string Mother-F*cker," (James Hetfield's description of Cliff Burton) I would like to see the following:

1) Real tone woods-- Alder (medium), Swamp Ash (bright), or Mahogany (warm), pick one of the three as a primary tone wood. Most bassists do NOT take basswood seriously (and for good reason-- warm, but fragile, flimsy, and soaks up too much finish). This is a problem I have had with the Dean basses.

2) 35" scale. it may seem subjective, but it is a blessing for those of us who play 4 strings in "Drop D" tunings.

3) Innovative tone-shaping. Ibanez's "Power Curve" is pretty good, but I'd like to see a bass with a Hi-Fi Variable Pre-shape Filter (consult Markbass) as a control.

4) Dual pickups are nice and all, but playability and tone-shaping are more important-- witness the effect of the frequency filter by Aria Pro II on Ciff Burton's Aria basses. Massive sound and versatility are where it's at, for us.

5) Shape. With a 35" scale instrument, balance is essential. Don't forget a high-quality case, while you're at it.

So, there you have it-- the best criteria for creating a metal-worthy bass. Any questions? Feel free to ask!


Edit: I should clarify-- the "anal apertures" I referred to earlier were the people bombarding the forum with junk posts and SPAM.

What about 5-6 strings?

Playing bass is on my list, and I don't want to end up having a different bass for every strings-setup-thing.

So tell me, advantages and disadvantages

(Keep in mind I nearly know nothing about basses)

Speaking about basses I've got a question. Im looking to buy a bass for my recordings. Whats a decent bass in a 500$ price range?

Hi Renz,

Regarding 5-and-6-string basses, I consider them to be an acquired taste, since I started out playing the classical Upright Acoustic Bass (often referred to as "double bass").

I have played several 5-string basses and generally believe the low B string to be a good idea-- but not every manufacturer executes it properly. On earlier 5-string basses, the low B tended to be rather floppy, lacking the proper tension necessary for decent punch and sustain. Most manufacturers, both instruments and strings, have since revised their designs to address this issue. While there are still a few 5-stringers with a "floppy B", they are, thankfully, becoming increasingly-rare.

The low B is a benefit in and of itself, by being able to play some of the lowest notes audible to the human ear. A 5-string has a significantly-expanded tonal range, as a result. There are a few downsides, however.

1) Many manufacturers tend to take a "one-size-fits-all" approach to making 5-string basses, which makes life difficult for us, since there are different reasons for pursuing a 5-string. Some guys like 5-string basses because they require less shifting-- you have 4 additional notes per position, after all.

Some guys just like the extended range. Pick players tend to prefer a narrow string spacing, as it allows for a faster, narrower neck, and the narrow string spacing allows for faster picking. The downside of this approach is that the string spacing is often too narrow for comfort for either slap or fingerstyle players (especially if you have meaty sausages for fingers, like I do). Narrow-spaced and Medium-spaced 5-strings have become popular with metal bassists, who often have to play very fast bass lines.

Funk players who want the extended range of a 5-string tend to prefer wider string spacings, as it allows more space between the strings for slapping and popping technique. The downside of a wider string spacing is that it results in a wider, chunkier neck, that really isn't conducive to trickier left-hand techniques, like chording, for example.

Fingerstyle bassists, like myself, tend to prefer either the wide spacing, or a medium spacing. As a result, we are seeing more companies offering both narrow and wide string spacings-- like the Ibanez SR series (narrow), or the BTB series (wide).

2) 5-string and 6-string basses can rarely match the intuitive playability of a 4-string. The bigger, chunkier neck inherent in a 5-or-6-string bass tend to be slower than a stock 4-string. Also, the 4-string allows for both a fast neck AND a more slap-and-pop-friendly string spacing. With a 5-string, it is either one or the other-- you just can't have it all. There is a reason why many of the bass-playing greats, including Victor Wooten, Bootsy Collins, Flea, and Geddy Lee stick with 4-strings.

3) As for 6-strings, I can see the advantages for fast runs and chording techniques, but 6-strings are almost always only available in a narrow string spacing-- I have seen a grand total of less than a dozen wide-spaced 6-strings. They seem to be popular with Jazz, Fusion, and Pop musicians, as they offer an excellent range. But funk, rock, and blues musicians will tend to shy away, since the advantages of a six-string don't matter as much for those styles of music, and, as a result, do not justify the sacrifice in playability.


So, there you have it-- in a nutshell, the more strings, the more specialized the instrument becomes. You have to take into account what styles of music you play, and what are your primary left, and right-hand techniques. As a result, it is actually quite common for professional bassists to have 4-and-5-string basses, 5-and-6-string basses, or all 3 in their collections, depending on their needs.

Hi darkentity,

I guess that depends on what you are looking for. This certainly wasn't the case a few years ago, but, nowadays, you have TONS of options for that specified price. If you're a traditionalist, the MIM (Made in Mexico) Fenders have gotten pretty good in recent years. If you like something more modern, you can check out the Ibanez Soundgear (SR) series, the Schecter Stiletto series, the ESP B-series, or the Aria IGB (Integra) series.

Thanks man. I'll look into it. Haven't really played bass before. I can compose a bass line no problem though, and I've been recording bass on my MIDI keyboard, but its just not the same. Is it very different from playing an electric guitar? I understand that the strings are much thicker so its harder to pick them. I guess I'll just have to play and see. Thanks for the advice.

Really great rundown on the bass guitar man kudos

Thanks a lot!

I didn't know "bassing" was that complicated.
Well, it's worth a try, as soon as I get my DBZ, I'm gonna save up for a decent 4-string.

"So, there you have it-- in a nutshell,"
You have big nutshells in your country I might add

Really great job!

Good rundown of the 5 & 6 stringers. I've played bass for over 30 years now and switched to 5 strings about two years ago. I have large hands and like wider spacing also. I've found that when you are used to the string spacing on a 4 string, going to a narrow 5 string will screw me up. I play with fingers and never use a pick. I do like the way you can keep position in smaller areas without as much neck moving. Chunky necks don't bother me either unless they cause neck dive. All of my 5 string basses are 35 inch scale, had one 34 inch and got rid of it due to the floppy B string but if I would have kept it, I would have swapped out the B string for an E and added a C to it.

Overall, I am hooked on 5 string basses and only own one 4 string electric and one 4 string acoustic. I now have four 5 string basses one 6 string bass and am looking for more. Dang GAS..........

I think the 35" scale basses are hugely under-rated. Not only does a Low B benefit, but so does the Low E. Thus, it kinda irritates me when I see certain makers (Shecter, MTD Kingston, Traben, etc) offer 5-strings in 35" scale, while whittling 4-strings down to 34" scale. Haven't any of them ever tried to play in Drop D? In my experience with an ESP F-series (35" scale 4-string), I can get the same tension (and the sustain and responsiveness that come with it) from a Medium gauge string set as I do with a Heavy gauge string set on a 34" scale instrument.

It's also worth noting that most of the top string makers in the industry (including my favorite-- Rotosound) make strings for extra-long scales.