• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

4 or 5

S

Seelesauger

Aug 10, 2006
63
0
#1
Hey, I am planning on buying a musicman stingray and I can't decide wether I want a 4 or a 5. I have never played a 5 so I want to know a few things. First I'd like to know if slapping is harder on either one. I have my eyes set on a Stringray thought so don't try to change my mind. Also put some advantages and disadvantages of both.
-Peace
 
#2
If you are used to playing a 4 then switching to a five will take some practice. I myself play both four and five string basses. The basses that I primarily slap on are five string basses. The narrower string spacing will be the hardest part. But just like anything else, if you work hard enough you can make it your bitch. I cant recomend either one, it is up to you. The advantage I enjoy with a five is that I can play more in a given position (I'm sure there is more of a technical description out there). You have a two octave range in an area of five frets.
 
#5
Peter Squire said:
I disagree that you will need time to adjust - it took me only about two weeks or so before it was totally natural. Meh, depends on the player I guess.

Way I see it, if you get a 4, are you going to be GAS'ing for a 5 anytime soon? If so - get the 5.
Click to expand...

It didnt take me anytime to post this message, just 30 seconds.:rolleyes:
 
#7
I think the problem is that we get caught up in the equipment (it's beauty, sound, feel, etc) and loose sight of the music. Do you need a 5 string? Does the music you play allow you to take advantage of a 5 string? If not, then why buy a 5 string if you don't need one and won't take advantage of what it has to offer? Playing bass should be more about the music and less about the technical stuff, IMHO.
 
#8
DeanT said:
I think the problem is that we get caught up in the equipment (it's beauty, sound, feel, etc) and loose sight of the music. Do you need a 5 string? Does the music you play allow you to take advantage of a 5 string? If not, then why buy a 5 string if you don't need one and won't take advantage of what it has to offer? Playing bass should be more about the music and less about the technical stuff, IMHO.
Click to expand...

That is such an original idea, I think I'll try it.:smug:

When it comes time to play or write music. I find that I think differently on a 4 versus a 5. Matter of fact, I play all my instruments differently. Must be the way they feel and look. Sometimes if I am having trouble getting a potential bassline out of my head, I will switch basses for a different feel or look. 9 times out of 10 this will work.

If you continue to play bass, it may be likely that you will end up with both a 4 and a 5 string bass anyway. Which one do you think you should get first.
 
#11
DeanT said:
Does the music you play allow you to take advantage of a 5 string?
Click to expand...
Any kind of music can take advantage of a 5 string.

The all-too-common misconception is that 5 string is only helpful for playing bass lines that go below low E. That's not true. Most of the music I play is classic rock standards, for which I don't often stray below E. Even so, I use the B string frequently ... *above* low E. With a quality well-intonated bass, the B string is useful up to the 12th fret. The advantage is having five strings worth of notes in each fingering position: a two and a half octave span, rather than just two.

All that said: it's nice to have the option to play below low E even if the recorded bass line doesn't go there. And you never know when you'll wind up playing music that does require a 5 string. It'll probably be sooner rather than later: sub-E bass lines are becoming common in every genre of music.


P.S. I love the tone of the MM SR5, but not the string spacing: it's too narrow for me, especially for slap. But that's just me: the SR5 is a very popular bass, and many players have no trouble slappin' 'em.
 
#12
Well, here's my dos centavos:

I played a borrowed 5er at church for a while and these are my observations. In a little over a year, I think I used the B string three times. I got used to it being there, but I never felt a need to play it. Remember that you'll usually only be playing one string at a time, and you have to keep the rest quiet. This is especially an issue when slapping. Some people take to it really fast, some don't. A 5er also costs more money to restring and slightly limits your string choices.

On the other hand, it does give you more notes to play with, and the SR5, I believe, looks infinitely cooler than the 4.

The bottom line is that it's all about you. Get a lot of advice and opinions. Ask yourself how many times, if ever, you've been frustrated that you couldn't get just a little lower on your 4 string. Play both basses and see if the 5er feels really weird to you. Play songs you know on the 5er and see if the low B adds anything. I did all of these things and found that I'd be just fine with a 4 - I can always get a drop D extender if I need a little more depth.

BTW - Jamerson and Jaco only needed four strings to change all of our lives...
 
#13
seansbrew said:
That is such an original idea, I think I'll try it.:smug:

When it comes time to play or write music. I find that I think differently on a 4 versus a 5. Matter of fact, I play all my instruments differently. Must be the way they feel and look. Sometimes if I am having trouble getting a potential bassline out of my head, I will switch basses for a different feel or look. 9 times out of 10 this will work.

If you continue to play bass, it may be likely that you will end up with both a 4 and a 5 string bass anyway. Which one do you think you should get first.
Click to expand...

I don't know if you're trying to be funny or not. So I'll ignore it.

My point is that we often get hung up on the equipment. We need to have the latest and greatest, the biggest name, the most expensive. And this is not just bass players, it happens in other professions too. I know many musicians who have never used a 5 string and see no need for one. Sure they're useful. They sound great too. But are they absolutely necessary. For a lot of types of music they aren't. A lot of great music was made before they were invented. I suspect that since they exist now, a lot of great music will result because of them too.
 
#17
In the case of the stingray, the 5er neck is actually signifcantly flatter and may be more suitable to smaller hands than a SR4. Although I guess what you gain in a flatter neck you lose in a wider neck.


EIther would be a good choice. You need to realize that the SR5 wil be a bit more versatile because of the 3 way coil splitting switch which allows you to wire the pickups in parallel, single coil, and series. The sr4 is always wired in parallel. The sr5 will be heavier and that may be a problem for some people. Also the sr5 has tighter string spacing. it will be more difficult to slap on at first but once you get used to it, it wont really matter.

Whichever you chose, will make you happy.
 
#19
The SR5 has been harder to slap on for me, especially when i'm trying to really clean about it. i just keep bumping the b-string when i'm slapping the E or A or whatever. that's just a problem i have to work on... i do like how it's a good quality 5-string though - none of that flubby B string syndrome...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back