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4 or 5 strings?

V

verino

Jul 7, 2005
3
0
#1
Hi i'm new here. Anyways I have a question. Ive been playing bass for 2 months and I am starting to make great progress. The bass I have is alright. its a 4 string fender replica but its not that great. So ive been saving up to buy a new one. I keep running into a problem. Should I get i 5 or 4 string? Ive been told to master 4 first but I LOVE the low and power full tones i get from that 5th string.
So wich should I get? 5 or 4?
 
#4
illidian said:
If you want a five, get a five. But crappy fives tend to be worse than crappy fours, as the B string will often be loose and useless on low end basses, just a warning.
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I agree. Look around a bit. Find one with a B string tension that you actually like. If I may, I'd recommend yamaha. THey're relatively inexpensive, sound incredible, and have nice B strings. I had a BBG5S and let it go to get my Bongo. I bought it for $275 used. It was one of the best purchases I've ever made. My first bass was a Fender MIM Jazz Std. 5er, which I spent about $300 on. The Yammie blows/blew it out of the water hands down (IMO).
 
#10
Re 4 or 5: get the one you want to get. If you don't know, I highly recommend 5 over 4. You'll be slightly more marketable once you learn 5-string simply because so many pop songs these days have "extended range" bass lines. Plus you get two full octaves in each fingering position anywhere on the fretboard (that may not make sense to you now, but you'll appreciate it later).
 
#13
errrrrr.....Man I need to stop comming to TB....Evertime I start to think ahh im going to stick with my four string. Then I read threads like this. Next thing you know I'm pulling out my Five string. :) Why don't guit**est have these kinds of problems?
 
#14
There are a lot of different things to consider between 4 and 5 strings. String floppiness and instrument range is just one. If you go for 5, you will also find some necks to be wider than others, accomodating different string spacing. I prefer narrow, but that is just a preference. With 5 strings, you can also do a lot more in one position than you can on 4 strings.

I don't think any one is better than the other. It all depends on what feels and sounds right to you.

I would suggest going into a few music stores and picking up a few that you like and just trying them out. You don't even have to plug them in if you are shy (like me). In my opinion, in most cases, the truest test of tone is in the unamplified instrument. If it sounds good unplugged, it will most likely sound good through the amp.

If it sounds and feels good to you, then that is the instrument you should get, regardless of how many strings it has.
 
#15
FenderHotRod said:
errrrrr.....Man I need to stop comming to TB....Evertime I start to think ahh im going to stick with my four string. Then I read threads like this. Next thing you know I'm pulling out my Five string. :) Why don't guit**est have these kinds of problems?
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8 years playing a 5 stringer and now i go to buy my new one and definetly will be a 4 stringer....they are good for me,and i can play better and i can beat everyone with 5,6,8,11,400,or 138 string :bassist:
 
#16
I played four for a year, then five for a year and came back solely to four for the past three years. I play with Hipshot's to get a low D when needed, but that's honestly about as low as I ever go.

You'll find what works for you one of these days.
 
#17
tplyons said:
I played four for a year, then five for a year and came back solely to four for the past three years. I play with Hipshot's to get a low D when needed, but that's honestly about as low as I ever go.

You'll find what works for you one of these days.
Click to expand...

The Hipshot Xtenders are excellent devices.

I'm definitely not trying to convince you to go back to 5, but the low notes are not the main reason I switched from 4. The coolest thing about five is having that two octave range in each fingering position... that applies above the 5th fret, too!

A few more neat things:
It's nice to play a low E fretted or open.
It's easier to play in F-minor using the F at 6th fret B string.
Finally: I sometimes sub for a band with a horn section. Playing in flat keys is much easier for me on five string.
 
#18
Fuzzbass said:
Finally: I sometimes sub for a band with a horn section. Playing in flat keys is much easier for me on five string.
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Very true. I forgot to mention this. Especially playing in the key of Eb or Bb. I'm playing in a production of Footloose (great show) and there are some crazy key changes. A five string would help a lot. :)

Personally, I think I might as well go straight to six.
 

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