Should I get a 5 string...noob player..

streetknight · #1 07-21-2011, 08:33 PM

I've been playing for around 3 months now. I've played guitar for a 3 years knowing the fretboard has really helped me on bass. I ran into a financial snag and had to sell both my basses which were both 4 strings, but I always wondered if I should've started on a 5 to begin with.

Now I'm looking for a new ax, should I go back to a 4, or try a 5?

bassic.science · #2 07-21-2011, 09:27 PM

You're aware that the 5th string will be completely unfamiliar to you since it's a low B? Unless you played 7-string guitar, that will take some adjustment.

ModulusQ5-122 · #3 07-21-2011, 09:28 PM

the day i switched to 5 strings i never looked back.

capnjim · #4 07-21-2011, 09:31 PM

No..absolutely not...
Every good song ever recorded was done on a 4 string....why would you want 5???
Absolute sillyness propagated by frustrated lost former disco bass players.

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #5 07-21-2011, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capnjim

No..absolutely not...
Every good song ever recorded was done on a 4 string....why would you want 5???
Absolute sillyness propagated by frustrated lost former disco bass players.

This better be sarcasm...

Sinokawori · #6 07-21-2011, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capnjim

No..absolutely not...
Every good song ever recorded was done on a 4 string....why would you want 5???
Absolute sillyness propagated by frustrated lost former disco bass players.

this argument is as good as:
Don't get a 4 string's they're only for bassist's that aren't good enough to play more strings

Just get whatever feels good to you!

BassFrends · #7 07-22-2011, 01:06 AM

I would recommend the five string.
Good luck.

gotmule? · #8 07-22-2011, 01:10 AM

If you like the sound of the low B, then get a 5 string, but if you don't, then stick to 4

alec · #9 07-22-2011, 01:12 AM

I was completely flummoxed when I first strapped on a 5er, but I was playing jazz, which I had no experience with, and ripped off my tits.

However, I ended up buying one and it didn't take long to get used to.

I think how hard it is depends on with whether (in your mind) everything starts with the E or G string. For me it was E. Start off not playing the B, just use it as a thumb rest.

Also, I reckon a 5 is a bit of a waste if you don't have a rig that can pump out those low notes. Gut thumping is the whole point IMO.

Rockingbird · #10 07-22-2011, 01:15 AM

If you use those extra low notes, then a 5 would be good. If not, you can string it with a high C for more upper range (if you can use it). If it's just another string that won't get used, why bother?

kdiggity · #11 07-22-2011, 01:21 AM

You'll find arguments and opinions for and against 4, 5, 6, 12 (or any other variation) strings. The key is to play what feels right for you.

I play both 4 and 5, with 5 getting the majority of my time. I started on a 5, so it seems quite normal to me, and a 4 seems like it's missing something.

For me, the preference of a 5 is not so much a matter of getting those extra five low octave notes (that's all it is), but rather, having the expanded range and options higher up on the fretboard.

But, yes, of course, it's nice to introduce those lower register notes when the tune calls for it.

I've never found the B string to get in the way of my playing the way I imagine a C string would on a 6'r. Of course, having never played a 6, that's just my assumption - and I could be off base.

I'd recommend heading over to your local shop and trying out a 5'r for a bit, to see how it feels. Keep in mind many basses have different sized necks and string spacing. So while some 5'rs might feel like the strings are right on top of each other, another brand feels like the open highway. Pros and cons to both types, imo.

tl;dr: Try some 5s before buying, and choose what feels best in your hands.

-K

BlueTalon · #12 07-22-2011, 02:32 AM

If you are ever going to get a 5-string, now is the time. You are not so used to playing anything that adapting to something else will be very difficult. If you start playing a 5-string at this point in your learning curve, it will feel natural to you by the time you really start getting your chops.

electracoyote · #13 07-22-2011, 02:36 AM

I didn't start playing five string basses until there was a need or motivation to do so.

More and more bassists started recording with them, and before long some of my favorite songs featured a fiver.

Then the bands I have played with wanted to do songs with fivers in them.

So you have to have some incentive and motivation, just like with most things in life.

I have a student who knew he wanted a five string because many of his favorite bands featured a five string player. Each lesson we get our noses out of the method book and listen to some of his favorite bands. Sure enough, about half of them are going below E into the B-string range.

C.Linton · #14 07-22-2011, 02:44 AM

Nothing wrong with getting a 5er, if you feel you would want one, but don't let anyone ever tell you you NEED to have one, just like you shouldn't get a 4 string because "Jamerson didn't need more than 4 strings". You have to ask yourself, are you thinking of getting one because you feel it would give you more range and bottom end , or are you thinking it because you've heard it would be better than a 4.
I have to ask the OP, did you feel comfortable playing those fours? Or did you maybe feel there was something missing? Don't start on a 5er just becasue you think you are supposed to. There's plenty of good music than can still be done on a 4 string bass.
Understand, I'm not trying to dissuade you from getting a 5er, just want to give you some things to think about.

dave64o · #15 07-22-2011, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdiggity

...
For me, the preference of a 5 is not so much a matter of getting those extra five low octave notes (that's all it is), but rather, having the expanded range and options higher up on the fretboard.
...

That was my rationale for starting on a 5 - more positional options. I've never owned a 4 and every time I consider getting one just to have one I keep going back to the same fact - that there's nothing I could play on a 4 that I can't play the same way on a 5 - and it gets proved to me regularly. Many times my instructor will watch me play something and if the author of the book or the bass player in the song was a 4 player he'll ask me to work on the same thing for the next week, but playing it as if I was playing a 4 (i.e. don't use the B string this time). I find that's helping me learn the fretboard faster and also helps me think more about playing options - sometimes the 4-string way works better - and part of the exercise is me figuring out those kinds of things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdiggity

...
But, yes, of course, it's nice to introduce those lower register notes when the tune calls for it.

...

Very true, also!

streetknight · #16 07-22-2011, 06:20 AM

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the replies.

I did feel very comfortable with a 4 since I go off the E string to find my notes. I do listen to a lot of music that is drop tuned, so I assumed they were using 5 strings (Sevendust, Godsmack, RATM, etc)

BUT, my favorite bassist is Dug Pinnick from King's X and he plays 4's and 12's and his tone is just incredible to me. I know he plays down tuned, but don't know how much.

My main goal is to start gigging and I want to be a versatile player, since I'll probably end up in a cover band.

SO, the learning curve is gonna be easier on 4, but with a 5 couldn't I get away not retuning as much?

bassgod0dmw · #17 07-22-2011, 06:23 AM

Get one if you want one. There is not a high learner curve to it. It's one string...5 extra notes. It's not nearly as big a deal as people make it out to be. Go to shop, play a few 5ers and see how you like them.

I mainly play 5ers. Any time I pick up a 4 string it feels weird and awkward.

pedroims · #18 07-22-2011, 06:24 AM

Buy a 5, if you dont like then sell it and buy a 4. I have owned few 5 but I have not found one that I like it.

funk generator · #19 07-22-2011, 06:56 AM

I wouldnt get one till you start wanting the b string. The way i got into them is when I started using a drop D tuner every 4 songs to try to get extra low notes.

cassanova · #20 07-22-2011, 08:36 AM

You can play anything on a 5 string that you can a 4 string.

It's nice being able to add a lower note when you want too without drop tuning, and it's also nice to be able to use different finger positions to play passages on.

The learning curve is also not difficult. It's just a matter of getting accustomed to the 5th string being there. The most common thing people I know that are new on a 5 do is play the B string thinking it's the E, the A string as the D, etc, etc.

I say go for it with the 5, but ultimately, get what feels and sounds best to you.