Hey everyone, just found these forums and woah.... There's a lot of info here.

Props to Bassist4Life on that slapping thread. It's awesome.

I recently got engaged and while she's getting a ring.... I'm getting a new bass to upgrade the RBX250 :hyper:

I'd always intended my next bass purchase to be a 5 stringer but after the last month of playing nearly every bass at every music store in town I'm really not sure anymore.

A lot of what I play is slap and funk grooves and breakdowns that are recorded and given to DJ's to chuck into their sets using Ableton Live.

Although I've been playing bass for a while I'm a total noob when it comes to 5's and I suppose my question is, do you ever get used to slapping a 5?

I just can't get it to sound right or get it accurate enough. I started on guitar so the extra strings don't worry me playing finger style but that's about it. Slapping them I just can't get to work but I love the idea of the extended range and being able to approach the bottom E from below.

I picked up a corvette $$ 4 the other day and everything just worked for me. It all just fell into place and fitted me perfectly. It's right at the very top end of my price range (the corvette $$ 5 is a bit too expensive) but I don't want to wish I had a 5 after I've bought it if it's something I could get used to.

Any advice would be very greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Dale

of course you get used to it
you could get used to playing with your toes if you tried long enough

of course you get used to it
you could get used to playing with your toes if you tried long enough

I suppose I could get used to playing piano with my forehead as well but that doesn't mean it would be the best way to go about it :)

I suppose I could get used to playing piano with my forehead as well but that doesn't mean it would be the best way to go about it :)

well, i bet when you first picked up a 4 you had trouble slapping the A string, does that mean you should get a 3 string for slap? no

well, i bet when you first picked up a 4 you had trouble slapping the A string, does that mean you should get a 3 string for slap? no

True, but I am having a bit of trouble with the string spacing (I've got massive hands) going to a 5. Even fitting fingers between strings for plucking is a problem. I also find that the B sounds a bit weird with the lower tension.

I've just had a few different stories from different people. Some say stick to a 4 some say get a 5. Without fail though every piece of advice has been from someone trying to sell me something :)

I was just looking for some impartial experiences from people that have been there before.

Trying to match the spacing on your 4 to the first 4 of a fiver will help in the beginning.
However, I think you'd outgrow it in short time.
For me, tighter is better.
You will get used to it, and the closer spacing will help to mute some. I find the close spacing to be faster and more comfortable in the long run.
However, do you need a fiver? Only you can answer that. For me, the answer is NO. But I like them enough to the point that my 4 is collecting dust. Not for the added 5 notes, but the positioning. The right B has different tones that I almost can't live without.:hyper:

I made the transition to a 5 string after playing strictly 4 strings for almost 20 years. I would have to agree with the OP, it is tough. I found that slapping scales really increased my accuracy. There seems to be no substitute for practise in a case such as this. I find now that I also (like Brass Nut) prefer the tighter spacing; my 4 string is collecting dust mites. Good luck.

You will get it.

With 'huge' hands, maybe you should go with wider string spacing. My G&L L2500, and L5500's are slapin' machines. :cool:

Mark

i got used to it and after awhile, i felt uncomfortable on 4 strings. now im back to 4's for awhile, but my next bass will be a 5er. if you are having trouble physically handlign a tighter string spacign i would get a wide neck 5....a broadneck wariwck thumb would do the trick. lakland 55-02's are very comfortable as well imo.

Let me not be the last to say it - 4 is FINE! And there's more to your BASS than slappin', of course. Peace. And right on for the samples! That must be mucho fun.
I love my 5ers and slappin is ace. The notes on string spacing are right on. Look around. I think a smaller gague string for the B helps the feel of the tension and maybe keeps the 'tones' a little closer to the E as well. I went from a 135 to a 128 and found it made a big diff.

It took some practice for me when i transitioned. what should work well is simply playing a scale on the E string with your thumb over and over again, which will also get you used to your new 5er. after that work on your octaves with ghost notes similarly on the E string. that was one among many exercises i did daily until it was like second nature switching between strings.
once you get used to that B string it'll make playing much more versatile and dynamic. hope all goes well for ya.

Awesome replies everyone, just the stuff I was looking for. Maybe I'll start looking for a second hand 5 string corvette that will come in the budget. When you're living in the most isolated city in the world (Perth Australia) the second hand market can be a bit small. Hmmm convince finace she needs another diamond in the engagement ring may give me a bit more cash in the Bass department... Who would have thought I'd be trying to convince her to spend more on an engagement ring :eek:

Let me not be the last to say it - 4 is FINE! And there's more to your BASS than slappin', of course. Peace. And right on for the samples! That must be mucho fun.


Yeah man, Ableton has changed my life. Funky track... big drum breakdown with slap solo and mad scratching over the top into next track. Heaps and heaps of fun! So looking forward to getting a decent bass to start busting it out live. The RBX250 just sounds like crap over a PA.

Thanks again for replies

I have a warwick corvette 5 with 16.5mm string spacing at the bridge and I find it kinda uncomfortable for slap (I have big hands as well). But it's really just because of the spacing. There are 5ers with different spacings, many will be less than the standard 4 string spacing, but you can even get more, like on the warwick broadneck models, with 20mm spacing instead of the 4 usual 19mm! So, it's just a matter of finding one that is comfortable. You can get a fiver with the same string spacing with your current bass. Good luck!

If you're looking at Warwicks, one thing to remember is you can tweak the string spacing by a little bit at the bridge. That helps out a bunch. But it's not too hard to adjust to slapping on a 5, it just takes a little time to get acquainted with the new bass.

Of course you do. I even got used to slapping a 6. However, I couldn't get used to the 13 lbs that came along with the 6!

Props to Bassist4Life on that slapping thread. It's awesome.

Thanks man! :bassist:

Joe

look at guys like victor wooten ... still playin their 4's all over the place.

granted I can't slap worth a crap right now .. still trying to learn. I like my 5 because I hate playing open fret chord progressions .. screws up fingering if keys change .. I love the low B on mine .. more for the E, Eflat, and D... that way again I don't have to de-tune or play open strings on songs that are in E.

Yeah, the 5 still really appeals. I like to be able to change keys easilly so a 5 would let me play with guitarists in E without using open strings and with DJ's who don't give a crap about what the pitch is as long as the beats match ;)