Did You Regret Your First 5 String?

[Misterwogan]

I'm toying with the idea of a fiver, I've never played one so I'll have to go along to a store and try one out.

In the meantime, my question is to those who bought their five string and ultimately regretted doing it - and why?

[bassgod76]

I didn't regret it. It was a learning experience. For me, I just didn't dig the extra weight and tight string spacing. I owned a Spector NS-2005 for two years, and probably played it for 8 months of that time period. 5s are great, just not for me. Thus I sold it bought another 4 string!

[Mike M.]

Even though I play my 4 string basses about 80% of the time I have no regrets buying a 5 string. I"m more comfortable with a 4 string but it's great having that 5 string option on hand when the situation calls for it.

If you get serious about buying take your time. There's lots to choose from out there.

[RickenBoogie]

I somewhat regret selling the only 5 string I ever owned.

[georgestrings]

My only regret is that I waited so long to start playing one - once I got used to it, I was glad I made the effort... I still play 4 strings about 70% of the time, but the time I use a 5er is just so much more convenient than dealing with down tuned 4s...

IMO, alot of this depends on the genres of music you plan to play - a 5er really isn't necessary for some, but pretty much a necessity for others... If you're seriously thinking about it, I'd recommend buying a used Ibanez sr505 - that way, you're starting out with a decent instrument that won't break the bank... if you decide that it just isn't for you, it won't be hard to get your money back out of it...


- georgestrings

[datsaxguy]

Jumped over and never looked back. I sold my 4 banger (shouldn't have) and the transition was the best bass decision I ever made.

[NYCbassist]

If you find one you truly love, it can become your go to bass. I bought my first one out of pure necessity and it was my only bass. Ibanez TR75 MIK. I would buy another If I found one. Right now I can play all our songs on the Ric and It's like Heaven.

[DougBass]

I did but only from the standpoint that I bought an ibanez with tighter string spacing. Playing "4 string" parts on it for me was very uncomfortable. I am certain that I would have adjusted, but just never fell in love with the feel. I would (and will) buy another 5 someday, but try some things out.

As far as the extended range...no regrets at all.

[Rumbledom]

I regret getting a 6. It was just silly. Those few extra notes weren't worth the extra width of the neck. (And the confusion). Traded it in for a 5 -- even though I play mostly 4.

[fuzzychaos]

Have never found a 5 string that I like, but i never regretted trying them. Still on the search for a 5 that I like though.

[msact]

I bought a five string fender jazz and returned it because I just couldn't get comfortable it. I returned it, got a four string jazz bass and never looked back.

[gjbassist]

I wouldn't go as far as calling it regret. I have owned three five string basses and sold each of them, the last one after only a few weeks. I just prefer four strings but it was nice to have that extra string if I wanted to play in a different position on the neck.

[pasta4lnch]

Just another color . . . How can that be bad?

Use mine rarely, but will never part w her!

[terranova]

I think it depends on what the music you are playing is calling for , I try to play classic rock and alt country rock and nothing I play calls for the lower notes and sometimes I would find myself on the b string when I meant to be on the e, better to be just rid of it and know where you are. A more advanced player probably makes good use of the extra string but for me it seemed to much to worry about. I know some say its great not to have to come out of position when you are in the middle of the fretboard, I just never warmed to it, plus your equipment may have to change to be able to define the lower frequencies accurately. Call me limited but 4 strings seems enough for now.

[Paul M]

My first five-string bass was a used 2002 Deluxe Fender Jazz. It was a beautiful bass. I little while after I bought it I realized – or better to say, I admitted to myself – that the B-string was really bad - a wet noodle compared to the other four strings.

Just a few months later, I bought a Dingwall Afterburner II. These are known for their excellent B-strings. It sounded fantastic but for the first couple of years, I was still more comfortable with the shape and wider string spacing of the Fender.

Eventually, I got the set-up and strings right to make the Fender sound quite decent. But by that time I had grown accustomed to the flatter fretboard and narrower string spacing of the Dingwall. I traded away the Fender and now play the Dingwall 95% of the time.

Of course, you are probably more interested in the transition from four strings to five. My point here is that you might be disappointed at first with any 5-string bass because it feels different from what you are used to.

But once you get over the physical feel of the wider 5-string neck and the confusion over which string is which, you will find that 5 strings are really useful even if you don't often play below low E.

You have more positions to play any given bass line. If a bass line feels awkward in the first position, you can go down one string and up the neck.

If you have a bass with tight piano-like tone, you can still go up the neck and get a darker, short scale tone too.

Five strings are useful, versatile, even if you don't often go below E, and you will get accustomed to the feel. I still love the feel of a good 4-string bass, but I miss the fifth string if its not there.

[3mrhythm]

Heck no. I still use it. Washburn force abt 5. Plays and sounds awesome... got it as a bonus in a craigslist trade I made. Sold everything else and kept the bass

[Paul M]

I started writing my first post before there were other replies. I completely forgot about alternate tunings!

I play with a couple of guitar players who just don't understand the difference between guitar chord shapes and the actual key of a song. The guitarist will say to me, for example, let's learn this song, it's in E.

Then when we get together he's playing in E flat or D. When I tell him that, he says, "yeah, I'm playing in E but I tuned my guitar down."

With five strings, I can adjust for such bone-headedness on the fly without detuning the bass, which can sound terrible if your bass is not set up for it.

[jgroh]

I still have my first 5er...a G&L L2500 and still love it. Its a bit too heavy, for me, to use every 4 hour gig we do so I use 4 stringers more. And one thing I have noticed is that I dont use anything below the low D...just doesnt work for me in the last two bands I have been in. So sometimes I just detune my Ric to drop D on songs where I need it and leave the G&L at home. However, if it was a lighter bass, I would use it alot more because it sounds great.

[davedblyoo]

I played five string for years just to be cool at first, then had to stick with it because so much country music started requiring one to play. Later when I started playing in praise band, I found a lot of contemporary Christian music really fit the five. A couple of years ago I took a break from the five, and had been enjoying it so much, I contemplated trading the only five I have (a Stingray 5) in on another four until I played it this weekend and decided that it might be handy to still have one. For the most part, you don't need a five all of the time, but it's nice to have the option.

[hgiles]

I started out on a 6 and am glad I did.