Ok gang - what do you think? A Cort b5 5 string bass with darkglass pre amp and nylon rotosound strings for $650 AUD or ESP LTD B15 5 string bass with a couple of dings for $300AUD. My first foray into 5 string bass world.
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Is this your first 5 string?
If so I would compare nut width and string spacing and try to figure out which one you might l Ike better.
I don’t know much about Cort basses, so really can’t add any value past thinking about the physical aspects.
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Welcome to the fiver world. The wide neck and close together strings take getting used to, but you’ll enjoy it.
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Any bass where you can fit your finger fully between the strings without fretting a note doesn’t have enough strings.
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Okay so I would try the cheapie just in case you don’t like 5 strings to be honest.
I built my first 5er and hated it!
Nearly 12 months later I ventured into it again and somewhat foolishly spent a reasonable amount of money on one which fortunately I am enjoying.
Some people take to 5ers like duck to water having said that
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Yeah… for me, wasn’t for me. I liked my 5-er but just greatly prefer 4’s.
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I would probably opt for the less expensive of the two. My first 5-String was a very inexpensive Ibanez that sounded really great, considering new it cost $249USD.
For me it was really getting used to playing a 5-String. I was still somewhere between ‘beginner’ and ‘intermediate’ at the time, but wanted to see what all the hub-bub was about. And I really liked it.
So then I got into something a little more expensive in a Fender 5-String Jazz Bass, and now a Spector Multi-Scale 5-String. Needless to say, I really like playing them (and still play the Ibanez - amazing how it sounds).
Anyway, you may absolutely despise playing it or love playing it…but start small, figure out if you like it and then blow the big cash on something later 
And FWIW, I still play my 4-String Basses on a lot of stuff, simply because it’s sooooo much easier. And less muting issues. Really, all the Stone Temple Pilots stuff I play on my 4-Stings so I don’t have to work as hard. 
Cheers on your path of spending more hard-earned cash 
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All good points here. I’m drawn to the upgrades on the Cort at a reasonable price, however I’m not totally convinced I will take to the 5 string. I’ve only been playing 6 months so maybe I should just spend a couple of years getting very comfortable with the 4 before I take on the challenge of another string. I love the E string though, so I can only imagine I’ll adore the B string. I guess the other option is re-string a bass in BEAD, as I’ve seen others do. Hmmmm
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Excellent option. You’ll be amazed how little you miss that G string.
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6 string guitars have 10-11 mm spacing yet some people cant seem to manage with less than 19 mm on a bass 
I thought 16.5 mm on my fretless 5 string was going to be too small vs 18 mm on my other bass but i really like the narrow spacing with my stubby fingers.
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They aren’t plucking like a bassist though
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I went to play some fingerstyle on my acoustic guitar after only playing bass for about 10 months and it sure did look a lot like plucking a bass 
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@howard - I know you’re a Yamaha person. What are your thoughts on this guy?
Yamaha 5 string bass - RBX 765A. $500AUD. Chees
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I like the green and gold. Very leprechaun inspired.
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Price seems about right @Bassdacious and googling reviews it seems everyone who’s got one loves them
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I’m a bit iffy on the gold, but now you mention it’s pretty Irish (suits my heritage). Could always change it to black down the track.
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I like it. It’s unique. And I like unique.
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I’ve never played a newer RBX but people seem to love them. Seems like a good price. Nice looking bass!
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No not Irish green, as the price shown is for Australian dollars, this is a fantastic ‘Olympics’ bass Green/ Gold for Australia!
I went to look at one of these when a seller advertised near me, it is stunning up close. The wood grain is visible through the green. But the vibe is very 90’s, I was too intimidated at the time to buy a 5er. Ended up with an Ibanez 5 and couldn’t get used to the closer string spacings. The gold thing sort of works when the bridge, knobs and tuners all match. But not to everyone’s taste.
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LOL. I didn’t think about the colour scheme like that … well, it’s an omen itsn’t it. The bass gods are trying to tell me something. 
Thanks for the comment.
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