Ibanez 5 string headstock to 6

bench

bench

Dec 28, 2007
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#1
What would you do?

it looks like this:

3_Headstock_Left_Front_NA-cef212bac8055971f9c6f14b49fcceb5.jpg


one option would be to put another tuning peg at the far end of the bass side, then the strings would not be straight from the nut to the pegs. the other to fill in all the holes and drill 6 new ones in the right locations.

thx, benjamin
 
#3
I am not convinced you need 6 new holes. Assuming you are going to refinish the head when replacing the nut, the logo is going to be toast no matter what. I would measure out the spacing required to put three new holes on the bass side. Check out how the strings will lie on that setup. The treble side is probably fine.
 
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#5
Yeah. Ibanez 5 string basses are narrow already. Stuffing another string on there is going to be a trick. You'd have to go with indie bridges.

Still might be hard to fit 6 indie bridges in that space.
 
#7
bench said:
one option would be to put another tuning peg at the far end of the bass side, then the strings would not be straight from the nut to the pegs
Click to expand...
The strings will still be very nearly straight from nut to posts, that's not a problem.

3 new holes on the bass side will look conventional, if you really want that.

I prefer to do less work and create something with more character. I would add a tuner at the far end of the bass side, it will be fairly close to the E tuner. Then angle all the tuner knobs backwards Warwick style to create more clearence between the new tuner knob and the knob next to it, and to avoid the new tuner knob looking like it's placed too far forward.

Soon i intend to convert a 4 string bass to 6 string.
 
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#8
ixlramp said:
The strings will still be very nearly straight from nut to posts, that's not a problem.

3 new holes on the bass side will look conventional, if you really want that.

I prefer to do less work and create something with more character. I would add a tuner at the far end of the bass side, it will be fairly close to the E tuner. Then angle all the tuner knobs backwards Warwick style to create more clearence between the new tuner knob and the knob next to it, and to avoid the new tuner knob looking like it's placed too far forward.

Soon i intend to convert a 4 string bass to 6 string.
Click to expand...

thank you. maybe you could post a picture of the finished headstock...
 
#10
The 5-string nut is probably 1.77" - 45 mm. That is too narrow for a six-string. The strings will interfere with each other at the nut. Also, the modern equivalent of a SoundGear is a Gio. You can get a new 6-string Gio for $300 street price, and probably a used one for less. With the cost of modifications, including parts, time, labor, etc., and the risk of ruining the instrument, as well as its current used retail value, it makes no sense to convert this 5-string Ibanez to a 6-string. You can sell this one as-is to offset a significant portion of the price of a Gio 6-string.
 
#12
From a different point of view, I see this as kind of backwards. I have gotten so used to wide (19mm, or even Warwick's 20mm) I have been seriously thinking of taking a Cort Curbow 6 that I have and converting it to a 5 string.

On a serious note, there is someone around that converts 4 string Ric basses to 5 strings, with keeping the width of the necks the same. I think he has Ric style bridges made to fit what he is doing. I don't remember who it is, or if they are on the board here, but it may be worth checking into if it is something you really want to do.
 
#13
This is not a very good idea... better off selling (or keeping) the 5 string and buying a 6 string.

If for some reason you're convinced that this bass is the "one" because you really love the way it feels now, you may find that it isn't so great anymore after you've altered it... then you are left with a dog of a bass and a ton of regret.
 
#14
SMG said:
From a different point of view, I see this as kind of backwards. I have gotten so used to wide (19mm, or even Warwick's 20mm) I have been seriously thinking of taking a Cort Curbow 6 that I have and converting it to a 5 string.

On a serious note, there is someone around that converts 4 string Ric basses to 5 strings, with keeping the width of the necks the same. I think he has Ric style bridges made to fit what he is doing. I don't remember who it is, or if they are on the board here, but it may be worth checking into if it is something you really want to do.
Click to expand...

@Ric5 is the conversion guy you are thinking of.
 
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#15
MoeTown1986 said:
I feel like you'd be better off just buying a used 6 string. Ibanez's go for super cheap used.
Click to expand...

This is what I would do … buy the Ibby 6 stringer … I have played Ibanez 6 string basses and they are pretty sweet …

But that being said I have a wide 5 string neck that I am going to put on a 4 string body, then add 2 5 string pickups and a 6 string bridge … then I will have a 4 to 5 to 6 string frankensteined bass … I will have to squeeze a 6th tuner into the headstock and also make a new nut.

The problem with Ibanez is most of their basses have slim necks that make it hard to put on a 6th string.
 
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#18
The proper way to do this without causing damage to the bass is to sell it and buy a 6 string. That bass was not designed for 6 strings. I never understand why some fellow TBers are so set on butchering up a bass rather than selling it and buying what they want. If no one makes what you want, then you can always build one like I did.
 
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