Going from 4 to 5 (merged threads)

[EatADeadGoat]

Originally Posted by LemmyLicious

Also, has anybody ever just re-stringed a 4 string so it can be tuned BEAD?

It works, but I don't really like it. I think that low C is the furthest down a 4 string feels good to play.

So, new to 5 strings myself, but I didn't have any issues picking it up! I was afraid I'd be tempted to carpet bomb everyone with my B string, but I mainly just use it for the E (sounds better fretted IMO, I almost never play an open e2 anymore) Eb, and D. Almost never needed to go down to C, or even use the open B1.

[khutch]

Originally Posted by LemmyLicious

Also, has anybody ever just re-stringed a 4 string so it can be tuned BEAD?

Quite a few people on TB do this and love it. It does give you the low notes of a five but not the overall range or fingering options that five gives you. If those are not important to you it is a good option. Another less popular option is a tuning in fifths, the CGDA cello tuning is the one most commonly used. This will give you the overall range and fingering options of a fiver but you will have to cover more frets in a given hand position to get it and you will have to retool all the patterns you are used to. I'm currently stuck in the decision process to choose between those three although I am leaning towards fifths or five for the range and fingering freedom.

Or, I could get a five and string it CGDAE....

Ken

[SnowMore]

My first experience with a 5-string was sitting in with the house blues band at a local club. I asked the guy "What's the fifth string?" and he said "B". Being a former guitarist, I thought --"Oh, like a guitar, E-A-D-G-B". It took me half a chorus to figure out the truth, which should have been obvious.

Later I picked up a Godin Freeway 5 Active (love it!) to play in the pit of a rock musical that really needed the low notes. It took me about 6 weeks to get the hang of it; I stumbled across the technique of using the B string as a thumb rest, and that really works well.

I still occasionally play something on the wrong string; going back and forth from a 4-string acoustic bass that I play 90% of the time and the 5-string electric is still a bit confusing. But I think the extra range of the 5-string is important for pit musicians. You don't use the extra notes very often, but when that low note is called for, it's just great.

Also, has has been mentioned, some passages are easier to play when you don't have to go all the way back to first position to play a low F, for example.

[BKuettel]

Is it possible to tune the lowest string to a D and tune every other string up? So having another higher string instead of the lower string?

[DiabolusInMusic]

Originally Posted by LemmyLicious

Also, has anybody ever just re-stringed a 4 string so it can be tuned BEAD?

Yeah, his name was Peter Steele, he played in a little band called Type O Negative.

I used to keep a guitar in B standard but never kept a bass that way, I rock a 6er.

[kurosawa]

The reason I moved to a 5 was simply that I wanted a low D and Eb. So going from 4 to 5 was no problem. I only wanted those notes to solve specific problems. I could as easily have gone with a Hipshot Bass Xtender, but that would have entailed learning new finger patterns, and I was too lazy for that. Most of the time on a 5, I stay in 4-string range. I'm not really sure 5s are worth it, considering the added cost of doing amplification right.

[Runnerman]

I'm just making the switch to 5 right now. Fortunately I seem to be one of the ones that can make the switch fairly easily. I will be taking it to practice tonite and hopefully be able to play through a 7 song 1/2 hr set without error.

Kurosawa I agree that the Eb and D are the reasons for a 5 for me as well. I usually play a 4 with Hipshot drop D. Some of the songs are definitely easier and more efficient on the 5. But on a couple of originals I wrote the bass parts with the Hipshot in D position and the fingering is much more difficult on the 5....go figure.

One thing I have noticed is that my wedding ring wants to clank on the frets at times with the wider 5 string neck. Never noticed it on the 4 as I have big hands. Don't know if anyone else has run into this or not.

[kurosawa]

I tend to hold my left hand as if there were a ball in it, so I don't get any clank.

[jimmy_trouser]

I bought a new Ibanez SR505 yesterday, my first 5ver. So far it has been quite smooth as a transition- not nearly as scary as I thought. I suppose the real test will be going back to the four after a few weeks abstinence.

[N.F.A.]

bump

[keyofnight]

I've been playing a 5er for about 5 years—off and on. I've found that I love the extra range with the low B, and sometimes I can play drop D songs using the low string. I tried to use a High C, but I found I rarely ever went that high.

Making the transition was easy enough. I learned to play the bass by learning scale/mode patterns, and those apply everywhere on the neck. It's more about remembering that the lowest string is a B-string instead of an E, and playing notes on the B-string that are an extension of the scales/chords you are already used to playing.

Let me explain. I typically warm up by playing the all modes of two or three scales—usually C and A major. I then play a few blues/pentatonic scales—F and A. I had to get used to playing E, G, A, C, D, D#, etc. After that, it was hard remembering that I had the option to go lower. Once I got more comfortable with it, it wasn't too big a deal. I'm still getting used to how thick the string is, though.

[Steve White]

Try a 5 string with a high C!! They're fun and great for chording if you like that sort of thing. Pisses off guitarists
though.

[5Stinger]

When I changed to a 5string it was mainly because that bass sounded and felt nice.
I never thought much about possible problems and nothing extremely bad happend.
The only thing I had to adjust to was the muting with the right hand. Slap players have to take care of one additional string too of course but that doesn´t change the technique.
I think it´s nice to have some additional notes on my hand and I basically don´t have to change the tunging of the bass if the guitarist(s) of a band tune down to d or drop C etc. and that kind of stuff.
I mainly play 5ers now and wouldn´t disadvise someone to try it. Not as problematic as one might think...

[TexBass]

I just recently switched to a 5. When I got it I was so excited until I sat down and started playing it. There is quite a bit of difference between the feel. At first, I thought I had made a huge, costly mistake. Ibanez SR1405E. But after a week, it felt a lot better. Now, however, I wont touch my 4 string except to play in drop d or whatever. Which isn't very often. I love the feel of it and now find it easier to move around the board. I'm glad I forked out the money on it.

[Raymeous]

4 or 5 or 6 or 7... whatever.

I went from a Squier II P-bass to an Ibanez SR506. I've also gone from 6 string to 7 string guitars. This is NOT hard to do so don't be intimidated by it.

Take your new 5 string and play ONLY the 5 for about a month, maybe two. During this time work on scales and whatnot along with playing through your setlist. After about one or two months of playing the 5 string exclusively, it should no longer feel alien to you and you will have become proficient with it. Now go ahead and start bringing in the 4 string but do so sparingly, still playing the 5 more often than not. Eventually you'll find a happy balance and be able to switche between them without issue.

I hope this helps for anyone interested in giving a 5 or 6 a shot. There is a lot of creativity in these basses waiting to be found by you. Enjoy.

[smogg]

Made the move to 5ers about 15 years ago. Took like a week or two to get comfortable with it. But, it took like a year to learn to play it as a 5 string bass instead of a 4 string with some extra low notes. After about 2 or 3 years of being on 5ers I had sold off all my 4 strings and never looked back. At this point I see no need to own a 4, and have been using the same 5er exclusively since I bought it new in 2000. It has been my only bass for maybe 9-10 years now. I intend to someday get another of the same as a back up, but that's something that will happen when it happens.

[zfunkman]

Originally Posted by unbasslichkeit

I bet there are a lot of experienced 4 string players who have seriously considered making the transition to 5 or six strings, but have been held back by some childhood trauma

Any fellow TB'ers have stories like this to share?

For me it was sitting in with a band about 10 years ago where the bass player lent me his new Music man 5 string and I thought it would be a piece of cake to play - and never having played a 5 that much, I was of course wrong.

The bass' owner understood very well what I went through on that guest spot, though. He told me the day he picked up the bass from the store he took it right to a gig without sitting down to get some quality time with it. As a result he almost got fired from said gig.

Thinking about one of those SX Jazz 5 basses...cheap learning tool.

I play 4 and 5 string basses. When got my first 5 string I was advised to ignore the B string at first and use it like a novelty then eventually incorporate it into my regular playing. It was great advice and I was pretty much able to jump right in with my 5. After a couple of years I had a hard time playing a 4 string. I even sold my 4 string Alembic because I never played it. Now I play a 4 string Jazz Bass, a 4 string Ric, and when I need to go lower than E I play my Modulus Q5. I got tired of the weight of my Q5 after that being my prime bass for 10 years. A couple of years ago I found a new found love for the 4 string. Another thing to note is some 5 string basses have the strings too close together and can be really hard to play; the 5 strings with fatter necks are much easier.

[Buayaguy]

When I first picked up a bass in high school (20 years ago), the strings felt VERY far apart, and it didn't help that I was already used to playing guitar. I tried a few more times over the years until I found a 5 string that was affordable (couple of hundred bucks), and it felt PERFECT. I have big hands, and having the wider neck with the narrower string spacing was exactly what I was looking for.

Started in 2000 with a Cort Action V, and about 5 years ago, upgraded to an Ibanez SR505, which I *LOVE*. I just picked up a Gary Willis GWB35 5 string fretless (been wanting to get into fretless for awhile) for a steal, but have to get the electronics replaced. Still cheaper than buying new, and the bass is in *excellent* shape for a used model. Should have the parts in/repaired by late next week, hopefully

[Nephilymbass]

Oddly enough most of the players that I know that still play 4 strings do it for image or because they have really small hands. I have big hands as for me ERBs are much more comfortable. For bass players who really wouldn't get much use out of a low b string I would suggest try playing a 5 tuned eadgc or a 6 tuned eadgcf. The higher strings are lots of fun for tapping and chords.

[airborne_jeff]

This was a great thread to read through. I have been playing again since Xmas when I got an Ibanez SR250, but I have the chance to pick up a Ibanez SRA555 for a really, really low price and I am going to jump all over it. Since I still feel new to playing, but a lot of the music I love (and want to learn to play) is drop tuned, I figure it is a good way to learn to play the music I want, and the 5 string right along with it. Will force me to learn more notes and locations on the fret board instead of being dependent on tabs, etc.
My goal is to read music and know the sounds by ear, not read tabs and be stuck knowing only that.

Thanks again Talkbass!