4 or 5 string for a beginner?

[rockstarbassist]

It took me about .50223 seconds to learn to use the B tastefully and properly.
It's not that big of a jump.

I play both. And any real player should be able to utilize a B when/if called upon. It's really not terribly difficult.

I'm playing my lineup of 80's P/J's currently ('85 Spector NS-2 and '88 Charvel 3B) in my modern rock cover band b/c they fit better than my MTD.

At church and my original act(s), I use a 5'er when I write my own parts and/or more room for interpretation.

Own, use, study both.

 

[Paul4703]

Hi,

Thanks to everyone who replied. It was great to get input from so many experienced bass players. From what you have said, I've decided to stick with the 4 string for the moment and develop my ability to play all over the neck.

Cheers,

Paul.

 

[choo5]

ii saw a used 5 string modulus for sale and just loved it...been playing 5 string ever since. Not so much for having 'extra' notes to use but mainly because the neck was wider and was easier for my big fingers to use.

^^ this.

go to the store, play the basses regardless of string count; until two weeks ago I had never even thought of playing a 5er, picked up one by mistake at the guitar shop and just loved the extra width in the neck.

had to have one; felt like being at home & the 4 was just alien to me suddenly.

 

[HeavyDuty]

Paul, if it were me I'd go with a five. I don't live on my B, but it's better to have it when I need it than not. IMO a fiver is a more elegant solution to an occasional need than a D-tuner.

 

[Greenman72]

Note the necro bump. I think I just answered this question for myself, the hard way.

Here are the challenges associated with a 5-string:
- They cost a lot more.
- They're heavier.
- There's an extra string that you have to mute.
- That big fat string gets in the way of both left and right hand.
- Since you have more strings, the likelihood that you're going to fret one string and strike another is MUCH higher.
- Not only that, but the neck is wider and not nearly as comfortable. And there's a learning curve to it.
- Most instructional material is written for four-string, standard-tuned basses.
- Four strings are enough for 98% of all music.

Q: Knowing all that, do you know for a fact that you need a low B-string? In other words, do you *really* need those extra five notes? Or do you plan to play music written for a 5-string?

A: If the answer is "no", then why do you want a five-string? There's not really any benefit to it. It's easier to learn how to move up and down the neck than to tackle all those aforementioned problems.

(That's my .02 anyway.)