To 5 or not to 5?

[BayStateBass]

Thanks, Michael. I've been reading a lot and it seems a lot of the (mis)conceptions I may have can be argued as setup and personalization issues.

I'm still sitting the fence.......

I guess if I go with a 5'er and don't like it, I could always sell it. Seems like a busy classified section on this forum.

[SteveC]

FWIW - the time's I find myself wanting a 5 are when looking at the Classifieds. Rarely do I find myself wanting one on a gig.

[iriegnome]

There are hundreds of basses out there new and used for your price range. I moved to a 5'er 7 years ago now. I waited way to long looking back at it. I love my 4 bangers. I have come to appreciate that 5th string though. I have gotten pretty good with it too. Find a friend and noodle around on one. Go to every music store you can find and play them. They are really common now. Back when I started playing, they were extremely rare around here! Play them and see if you like the difference.

[KORNSKYDIVER]

Go for it dude, I made a similar post a few weeks ago when I pulled the trigger on Warwick thumb NT5. At first it it mind F^%$K me and I almost felt like I had to relearn how to play bass but after giving it some more time, I am glad I made the switch!

[mjbing]

Originally Posted by KORNSKYDIVER

Go for it dude, I made a similar post a few weeks ago when I pulled the trigger on Warwick thumb NT5. At first it it mind F^%$K me and I almost felt like I had to relearn how to play bass but after giving it some more time, I am glad I made the switch!

"I had to relearn how to play bass"
Yes Yes and Yes

[D34D Z3D]

I had a similar question about frets wether 22 or 24 are better

[nolezmaj]

Reading my post again, I would like to add something: I don't think there is a place for conservatism in music, so that is a wrong reason not to try something new. One more thing: retro is in, and lots of people are using classic looking fourstringers even if they don't care for their sound...
Don't be one of those - try every bass you can get your hands on, but play only those you find useful

[Frank77]

You probably won't know if you should or should not have went for the 5-string until a few years after you get one.

I bought my 5-string in the '90s, when just about EVERYONE seemed to play a 5-string. It's a great bass and I love it, but...I really don't use the 5-string enough to justify the inconvenience of having that extra string and I increasingly wish that I had gone for the 4-string variant instead. If you do get a 5-string, chances are that at first you'll play on the low B all the time, but after a while the novelty wears off and you could end up seeing that extra string as nothing but an inconvenience...or not, depending on what you play...but from your first post stating you mostly play blues and classic rock, I'd say you don't need a 5-string.

[dlargent]

Originally Posted by SteveC

FWIW - the time's I find myself wanting a 5 are when looking at the Classifieds. Rarely do I find myself wanting one on a gig.

True! They look cool, but I've never found myself saying "Gee, I wish I could play that gig, but I'm limited because I only have 4 strings!"

In my experience, people who are in charge of hiring bass players for paying work either don't care, or even frown upon 5-string basses. Last week, a serious composer asked if I could record a '5-string fretless' bass part for him. I told him I could play it on my 4-string fretted jazz bass, and re-arrange a few notes, and he said 'Cool man.' That's been representative of my experience as a studio musician.

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by nolezmaj

Reading my post again, I would like to add something: I don't think there is a place for conservatism in music, so that is a wrong reason not to try something new. One more thing: retro is in, and lots of people are using classic looking fourstringers even if they don't care for their sound...
Don't be one of those - try every bass you can get your hands on, but play only those you find useful

+1

It's surprising how many people on this forum think that bass playing stops at the root and fifth. It's disturbing how many get mad when someone else doesn't agree.

To the original poster - buy a used five. If you don't like it or don't use it you can probably sell it for what you paid, or for a small loss.

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by Frank77

...but from your first post stating you mostly play blues and classic rock, I'd say you don't need a 5-string.

I agree in general, but I would say the one exception to this is if you transpose a lot of songs for your singer. I used to play with a singer who didn't have a very high range and it was convenient when transposing a song from say E to D or C to be able to still hit the low note.

However, I don't play with him anymore and play 4 string 99% of the time now.

[khutch]

Originally Posted by BayStateBass

When all was said and done, I finally decided to stay with my good old reliable 4 string variety of bass. It fits what I do, what I play, and how I like my bass to feel. Maybe one day I'll move into a 5, but I finally decided that it's not now.

I've been going through the same decision process and finally ordered an SR505 last week. The only way to truly know is to try one. I looked in a lot of stores at a lot of basses without stumbling across a used one I liked so I went with a new one and a new one I would consider a keeper rather than cheaping out to save money if the experiment fails. One intriguing (to me anyway) four string option was to tune CGDA, in fifths like a cello. My plan is to give adapting to the 5 string a real effort. If it works out (and I think it will) I will switch to that for my regular playing and then try CGDA on the four string I have. Whether that works or not I will probably put a fretless neck on it eventually. So I am confident that I will have a use for both in the long run and I could even end up tuning the five string in fifths too.

Ken

[Doug Parent]

The width of the nut/neck may also be a comfort factor to consider as well as the learning curve of an extra string that you are not used to. Ibanez Soundgear basses have a narrower nut and overall string spacing than a Fender V for example. If thats better for you, there are lots of used Ibanez basses available for pretty cheap.

You've gotten plenty of opinions here already, I switched to 5's in 1994 and never looked back. Many advantages. However, string spacing and overall width of the neck at the nut will determine your comfort zone and may possibly the reason some bassist don't hang with a 5 long enough to stick with it.

Just like buying the right shoes to an extent.

Suggest you get familiar with the nuances and subtle differences between various brands of five string basses as part of your research. Don't go back and forth between a 4 and 5 as part of your research.

I can think of no valid reason a person cannot learn to play a five just as they can learn to play a four. If you do buy a fiver and go into total confusion, take the B string off for a few hours of practice and get used to the new instrument, then put it back on. Baby steps or gradual enough approach is the key to making any change doable if it's done gradually enough.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by BayStateBass

I'm suffering from GAS.

Honestly, there's nothing wrong with the bass I'm playing but I'm considering getting a 5'er.

Right now I'm playing a Schecter Raiden 4 which I will most likely keep. But I'm thinking I might like a 5 string. Never played anything but a 4, though. So I was wondering, for you 5 string guys, how much you think adding the low string helped with your sound, how difficult was it to get used to the 5 versus the 4, and whether or not you thought it was worth it to go with a 5 (dumb question, maybe, if you're still playing a 5).

I've been very happy with my Schecter, I'm considering going to something like a Stiletto 5 or possibly one of the new Custom-P's, was just hoping to get some input. I haven't liked most Fender products I've tried for some reason, and to be honest I like a bass with a little weight to it (not like most people).

I don't have a fortune to spend, I can't afford a custom shop bass, I'm kinda limited to something under $700 or less, so in that price range I was wondering if you could make suggestions as to what brands might be good to look at that might be that "best bang for the buck" type of bass.

I am primarily playing blues covers and originals, as well as classic rock covers in the band I'm working with now.

Thanks!

[countrybassist]

5

[mjbing]

Originally Posted by D34D Z3D

I had a similar question about frets wether 22 or 24 are better

Only 10 extra high notes, but (and this is really important). A 24 fret bass looks cooler.

[Muziekschuur]

I have a 6 string and a 4 string. Love to add a 5 string.

[lnichols]

When I first switched to a five string fretted bass, I had trouble switching between five and four. So, I traded my four string fretless for a five string. Interestingly, I never had any difficulty switching between five string bass guitar and four string upright bass.

I found that in the last couple of bands that I played with, I only used the notes below the low E on one or possibly two songs in a three hour gig. It was nice to have those available, but I probably could have gotten by without them.

When I was first looking at fives, I was told that the overall tone of all the notes on a five string bass was more even and 'better' on the five than on the four. Now that I've played both for a number of years, I think that was hooey. At least I really can't tell the difference between C notes on the A strings of a five and a four string Spector bass (or any other notes that exist on both basses).

I've noticed that a lot of Gospel, or Praise & Worship music in churches seems to use the lower notes a lot. For me, the lower notes on a five string bass are just another tool. Nice to have in moderation, but annoying if used too much. Kinda the same way I feel about slapping and popping a bass. Nice on occasion.

Another thing about five string basses is that the neck and typically the body are wider to accommodate the fifth string. That will often make the bass heavier than the same bass in a four string model.

So if you're thinking of moving to a five string bass, I'd recommend thinking about your music and your 'toolbox.' If the music you play needs those five extra lower notes, check 'em out. Pay attention to how the wider neck (and body) feel. Especially pay attention to how much heavier the bass may be. A little heavy may not seem like much in a store. It may feel a lot different on your shoulder after a four or five hour gig... or multiple multi-hour gigs on the same day.

LeNi

[BayStateBass]

First off, in a way I have to apologize for the thread....I knew, right from the beginning, that my question was kinda like asking what kind of car I should buy or what sneakers work best. Everyone is going to have an opinion, but really the opinions and experiences were what I was looking for.

In mulling it all over, again and again, I think the idea of owning a 5 and the idea of playing differently may have been what drew me that way....but in actuality, with what I'm playing and the time constraints I have on me to learn a bunch of songs with this new band that hired me, right now it will be easier to stay with my 4, at least in the short term. I may go out and get a 5, but in the now-time my money would be best spent finding a better 4 and moving my current bass to a backup unit, or setting it up for certain songs.

All the info has been awesome, not to derail...but I'm looking for an active Carvin 4 string J if you hear of one......

[4OnTheFloor]

My $.02. The amp is very important, the bass/amp combination is more important. I have bought 2 5-stringers a EBMM SR5 and a MIA Fender Jazz V (not dlx) so I've had both active and passive 5-str. basses. They were both 34" scale, I don't think there is a diff in the B-string from 34" to 35" The thing I can say about that difference is besides making the neck a lot wider, the 35" makes it too long, plus and extra string, horrible trade off for string tension (not tone, again IMO). Any B can sound good, if you know how to play it, you can't play a 4 and pick up a 5 and expect the B to sound/feel like the E on your 4. If you play with an anchored thumb, there will most likely be an adjustment to your right hand technique. I don't like 5-strings, I will never like 5-strings, there is no point in my opinion. Going from a 4 to a 5 is like "starting over" IMO. The control, feel and tension of the useful 4-strings changes now that there is an extra string there. Sounds like I am bashing 5-strings?, I am.

[88persuader]

I've gone from 4 strings up to 8 strings (Conklin Groove-tools 8 string bass and a 8 string Chapman NS Stick) and always tended to play the E to G strings the majority of the time regardless of number of strings. That said the added strings gave me range with less up and down the neck movement and the higher strings came in handy for the VERY rare solo opportunity. The low B however comes in handy a lot. I use it when I feel like playing higher on the neck but still want easy access to notes below A, because it's a thicker string than the E string it has a warmer tone, it works great in ballads when I want a nice deep note to shake the room and it works great as an ending note of a song. Example, when the last note of a song is a D and I play the D below low E it has a lot more impact than the normal D on a bass. There are trade offs, neck size can be a big one, especially with 6 string and more basses. Wide necks can be a challenge. That said with a 5 string bass I tend to rest my thumb on the low B string and more or less play the bass like a 4 string bass until I want to use the B string so the added string doesn't add any extra hassle but it's there when I want to use it. Personally I think everyone should have an extended range bass in their stable (5 or more strings) because they DO come in handy but if your like me you'll realize that the added range is not something you'll use a lot, it's something that's nice to have thought when you're in the mood to use it. Also when it comes to "re-learning" to play, personally I think this is only an issue if you're reading music. The ONLY time I ever screwed up with my extended range basses was when reading music. My muscle memory kept thinking the low B was the E string when I 1st started playing my 1st 5 string bass and when reading I kept going to the B string rather than the E, that took a little retraining to get use too. BUT remember all bass strings are tunes in ascending 4ths so the string and note relation remains constant regardless of amount of strings. Once you realize this string relation and break that 4 string mind set the only issue you may have is a comfort issue if the neck is too wide for you.