6 string basses with narrow spacing

[jbl71004]

I recently acquired an old custom built 6 string (Geoff Smith) that has 14.5mm spacing at the bridge. A little over 2 inches at the nut. My first 6 string had 19mm spacing, and I keep working my way down to more and more narrow spacing. Not really intentional, but each time I realize there’s no going back to wider spacing. Prior to this bass I was in love with 16.5mm, but now even that feels laborious. I’ve seen a 6 string Phil Lesh Alembic 6er with super narrow spacing. Are there any other Alembics that fall in that range? As far as commercially available basses that have spacing under 16mm, I’ve seen Gerald Veasley and John Myung signatures, and I really don’t dig either. Thanks mucho in advance 

[jacko]

Mike Pisanek who used to post here many years ago had a 6 string spoiler that was built on a 4 string neck. I found it unplayable unless I used a pick. There's a few photos of it on this old Scottish Gathering thread from 2008...  https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=9846.0

Graeme

[JimmyJ]

jbl,

Of course Alembic can build whatever you can dream up!  My 5-strings are all very tightly spaced - about an 11mm gap between strings at the 24th fret.  This may have been accidental as my first 5-er was built was on a 4-string neck.  But I've been playing this spacing for so long that anything else feels big.

I was going to suggest finding a 5-string and converting it to 6, because Alembic's big pickups don't care and the bridge and nut could be an easily changed.  But the extra tuning peg would take some clever modding...   

Time to start drawing up your custom Series II dream bass!

Jimmy J

[jbl71004]

Thanks for the link to the pics Graeme! That Spoiler is sick  . And thanks for the info Jimmy. A custom Alembic is definite bucket list. I wonder if I have the patience to wait one out! Any idea of how far they’re backed up?

[StephenR]

My 5-strings are all very tightly spaced - about an 11mm gap between strings at the 24th fret.  This may have been accidental as my first 5-er was built was on a 4-string neck.  But I've been playing this spacing for so long that anything else feels big.
Jimmy J

My 78 Series five-string has the same 11mm gap between strings at the 24th fret. Pretty sure all the early multi-string Alembics were built on a four-string neck. Not sure if they offered custom neck widths at the time but can't imagine them turning down an order with a different specification. I bought mine used in 1984 and had never played, or even seen, a five-string bass before so at the time had no idea how narrow the neck actually was since there was nothing to compare it to. I was just psyched to have a five-string and even happier that it was an Alembic. Future five-strings I acquired over the years had progressively wider necks as builders and players figured out what was more comfortable. My 1988 Modulus Quantum also has a very narrow neck compared to later builds but is a step wider than my 78 Alembic. All my subsequent five-string purchases have had much wider necks including my 2016 Alembic Series five. The 78 is pretty difficult to play comfortably, especially finger-style, but there are players that really like narrow string spacing. Over the years I have grown to prefer wider spacing.

jbl71004... if you manage to locate a six-string Alembic built in the 70s it will have narrow spacing, maybe even an early 80s model. Not sure how many multi-string basses they made in the 70s, though. Other than Jimmy's I have never come across another 70s era five-string. If anyone here has one I would love to see pictures of it.

[dannobasso]

Here is my 87 custom. I just asked for a 6 with the inlay and this is what turned up.
https://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=8939.0

[edwin]

I have a Modulus from ca. 1983 with extremely tight spacing. I think that's just how it was done back then. It was originally owned by Roy Vogt, a finger style player who played the heck out of it. Not really my kind of music, but technically staggering.

[jbl71004]

Great info all! As always, I learn more from a few posts here than hours of internet searching. Had no idea about the Modulus basses from that era. Another thing to keep an eye out for  . You guys rock. Merry Christmas everybody.

[room037]

I also big fan of the narrow spacing 5 strings Bass.
I have several 5 St. basses, 76' MSB5, 77' LSB5, 82' MSB5 small body (High C) and 83' MGB5 (Slightly wider spacing)
My collections are Showcase.
My favorite Acoustic Bass is Citron AE-5 S.Swallow Model. It has 36 inch scale with super narrow spacing than 70's Alembic.

Now I try wider spacing (18mm) 6 string, it nedds another technique for play.

Eiji from Japan

[adriaan]

My 6 string has slightly narrower spacing than standard. Nut width is 2.0" instead of 2.2", and the strings are at 0.3242" (8.2 mm) center-to-center - just add 10% to get to standard.

The bridge spacing is of course different, as the standard is to have equal edge-to-edge distances between strings, given a specific set of string gauges. I have it at 0.59" (15 mm), but measured as center-to-center it goes from 16 mm between the C and G strings, to 18 mm between the B and E strings. If you do a custom order, you can get the spacing exactly to your liking (on a neck-through).