Me too. Tried twice with 2 basses over about 8 months and I simply cannot play a 5 string and because I know I am good on a 4, will not compromise my playing, just to get trendy with an "afterthought" bass.
4's are faster, and 4's are forever.
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4 vs 5 string basses
- Thread starter Davidandalanna
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Me too. Tried twice with 2 basses over about 8 months and I simply cannot play a 5 string and because I know I am good on a 4, will not compromise my playing, just to get trendy with an "afterthought" bass.
4's are faster, and 4's are forever.
I totally agree as long as the youngster learns to play and learn from some of the old masters as the young bucks of today, don't rate their equal from what I have seen and heard.
I said once before, the only 5 String player I heard and liked was Nathan East as he has great note selection, moves around on the fretboard and also has nice defined tones and clarity. I never could think of a second 5 string player I could endorse. They are mostly boomy and boring root note stummers and that is "NOT", bass playing.
It's funny, in the little scene I run in I was kind of dissed for switching to a 5 about 10 years ago. I did find it harder to play for a while. But as a musician I feel I need to challenge myself. After trying several 5s I decided to go back to the 4. While I CAN play a 5, I can play the daylights out of a 4, without looking at the neck or having to crank up my amp to hear "all" the notes.
I wonder if people that start on a 5 feel out of place on a 4?
I wonder if people that start on a 5 feel out of place on a 4?
4 stringers are for younger guys in rock bands. Us old codgers got used to 5'ers - 20 some odd years ago and know something big is missing with the "conventional" 4 string bass.
I'm more comfortable on 5's, but learnt and still regularly play on a 4. I never really had much difficulty switching between the two but maybe thats because I'm just a young delinquent 
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.its an old thread but here is my thoughts..
I am a guitar player who dabbled with the bass at occassions. With all the bands I played with the lowest note that was nice to have you do not get with a 4 strings standard is the low D. Its used in a lot of pop and rock songs. Anything lower than the low D often just creates a rumble on the stage and a lot of times its easier to EQ a standard 4 string to be fat than a five string where that low B-string can cause some problems, if you do not limit the bas pot on your amp and that will limit the fatness you get on the E and particular the A string.
Another thing i find is that it depends on the singer. A baritone singer would often sing songs in the key of H-major instead of C-major (baritenor), and the standard rock in A/D/E would now be in G#/C#/D# and for those bands a detune on the guitar and bass to E-flat is a good idea to match the classic open string rock and roll stuff.
Lastly I find tuning slightly flat of A4= 440Hz (A4=435Hz, Diapason normal from the 1850s to the 1930s) really pleasing to the sound of the instruments and the more natural feel when singing high as we baritone and baritenors often do in a rock band.. I can recommend trying slightly lower pitches than 440Hz, as to my experience just a 20 cents detune to 435Hz could make the difference of your singer being slightly flat or not or that he will sound a little hoarse at the end of the gig. The only thing preventing this is the lack of adjustable tuning on acuostic pianos, hammonds, rhodes and certain brass instruments..
I am a guitar player who dabbled with the bass at occassions. With all the bands I played with the lowest note that was nice to have you do not get with a 4 strings standard is the low D. Its used in a lot of pop and rock songs. Anything lower than the low D often just creates a rumble on the stage and a lot of times its easier to EQ a standard 4 string to be fat than a five string where that low B-string can cause some problems, if you do not limit the bas pot on your amp and that will limit the fatness you get on the E and particular the A string.
Another thing i find is that it depends on the singer. A baritone singer would often sing songs in the key of H-major instead of C-major (baritenor), and the standard rock in A/D/E would now be in G#/C#/D# and for those bands a detune on the guitar and bass to E-flat is a good idea to match the classic open string rock and roll stuff.
Lastly I find tuning slightly flat of A4= 440Hz (A4=435Hz, Diapason normal from the 1850s to the 1930s) really pleasing to the sound of the instruments and the more natural feel when singing high as we baritone and baritenors often do in a rock band.. I can recommend trying slightly lower pitches than 440Hz, as to my experience just a 20 cents detune to 435Hz could make the difference of your singer being slightly flat or not or that he will sound a little hoarse at the end of the gig. The only thing preventing this is the lack of adjustable tuning on acuostic pianos, hammonds, rhodes and certain brass instruments..
Actually it's personal preference. When you try to play on a 4 string a song that was recorded with a 5 string, you can appreciate the value of the added notes. This doesn't make me wonder how much more enjoyable Motown hits would be if Jamerson owned a 5er.
I play both as well, but learned on a 4 string for 25+ years before getting a 5 string. I have no problem switching between the two, but definitely had a rougher transition to 5 than most on here (it seems). That said, my go to is a 4 string. But there is nothing more beautiful sounding than a low C or D on my 5 string when I am in a blues / light rock setting.
One thing that occurred to me with a 5 string is that it really only ever enabled me to play higher notes than I normally would.
Let me explain.
I can easily tune a 4 string to present the same as the 4 lowest pitched strings of a 5-er.
The only thing that I am missing then is the high G. Which is a string I have almost never used, even on a 4.
What I arrived at eventually is tuning not to B but to C. The half step difference just works better for tension for me.
It works pretty well when playing with other people tune to D or E. Being only one or two whole steps different.
Let me explain.
I can easily tune a 4 string to present the same as the 4 lowest pitched strings of a 5-er.
The only thing that I am missing then is the high G. Which is a string I have almost never used, even on a 4.
What I arrived at eventually is tuning not to B but to C. The half step difference just works better for tension for me.
It works pretty well when playing with other people tune to D or E. Being only one or two whole steps different.
Just picked up a 5 string there about a month ago and absolutely love it, (been playing 4 strings for 25+ years). To me the main advantages are being able to play low notes high up the fret board, having 3 octaves spread out over 5 frets and being able to play low Ds and E flats. I think I also prefer the E played on the B string 5th than an open E, sounds beefier IMO. I find I am playing lower down in the register over all, the extra low notes give me more room to play around the lower end (if that makes sense?). To listen the so called 'experts' on youtube you would think that switching from 4 to 5 is a major big deal and is only 'allowed' if you are playing metal. Its not the case. It took me about a week of playing the 5 stringer to adapt and I am totally at home now. feel it gives me far more flexibility as a bassist when transposing songs. Still love the 4 string bass though.
Pros 5 or more strings:
-More range under your fingers without moving the hand
-Less tuning around if a song is transposed (or in Eb)
-More notes in total
-More tonal options (take the low A: you can either play it in the 10th fret of that fat B string, the 5th fret on the E string or the open A string. All sound different).
Cons:
-More weight.
-Less flexibility with strings (not all strings come in 5er or 6er sets)
-More cost (the bass costs more than the same one with 4 strings and the changing of strings is more expensive)
-More neck (sometime licks can be harder to play for a long time on a wider neck)
For me in the last 25-ish years a 5 string bass has only been a positive experience. I don't recognise any of those cons.
Weight: You can get top quality 5 string basses that weigh less than 8lbs.
Strings: Trust me, strings are not a problem.
Cost: I buy good basses from the classifieds, so extra cost is minimal.
Necks: Wider necks are only an issue if your technique isn't up to scratch.
The critical point that Scott makes is don't buy a 5 string bass because you think you should. So many players seem to find the change over more difficult than they thought, then decide they didn't need a 5er in the first place and the bass gets the blame. . . . when it's just user error.
Everyone should play the bass that they need to play and are comfortable playing. If you do those 2 things there are no cons.
I play 5 and 6 string basses exclusively. I never got the hang of four strings, there's just one string missing - but nonetheless the aforementioned cons are things that I myself ran into since I bought my first 5 string in '96 (and never looked back on 4 strings)
*while you can get top quality 5 string basses that are below 8lbs, you could get the exact same bass as a 4 stringer that weighs even less.
*while you have lots of options so you can mostly find your ideal fit for a 5er, there are, as a matter of fact, more strings available for 4 string basses. As soon as you want to try something exotic, it gets a lot harder finding a set for a fiver, let alone a six.
*again, even from classifieds, a quality instrument with 5 strings usually costs more as the same instrument with 4 strings.
* I consider my technique quite ok, at least in my area it is above average - and there are certain songs where my left hand will hurt after playing them on my 19mm stringspacing 6 string while it does not after playing them on my 17mm 5 string.
I primarily play a 4 string bass, have played for over 30 years. I've had five string basses in the past but found the cons outweighing the pros in owning one. Mainly comfort in the weight, the wider fretboard more than anything as I have small-ish hands. As I play a lot of funk and slap, five strings seemed excessive given that slapping a floppy B string on a 34" scale bass didn't sound all that hot.
Well, as music tastes change, technology and choices for 5 or more string basses expand, after so many years - I finally found a five string bass I can see myself utilizing long-term. After playing for so long, I can usually tell if a bass is a keeper in a short amount of time. Funny thing is I wasn't really looking for a five string bass but traded a little used bass for it with the intention of playing the five string for a short while and flipping it. I picked up a very inexpensive Schecter Deluxe 5 for $150. I've had four string Schecters before, but models higher up the ever changing Schecter hierarchy. In other words, I wasn't expecting much let alone being a five string bass that changes my playing style and perception of 5 string basses.
It has all the qualities I look for if I were to utilize a 5 string bass- narrower fretboard than most, 35" scale so no floppy B string, a pretty light bass especially for a five string. I've had much better 5 string basses in the past, but it felt like it was more of putting up with issues than actually liking the particular basses. Well, I do like this cheap Schecter bass and can see myself switching over because of it - go figure.
I don't see any con with playing five/six string basses as long as you have the desire to do so and the right kind of bass that will fit your needs, extra strings = more options.
Well, as music tastes change, technology and choices for 5 or more string basses expand, after so many years - I finally found a five string bass I can see myself utilizing long-term. After playing for so long, I can usually tell if a bass is a keeper in a short amount of time. Funny thing is I wasn't really looking for a five string bass but traded a little used bass for it with the intention of playing the five string for a short while and flipping it. I picked up a very inexpensive Schecter Deluxe 5 for $150. I've had four string Schecters before, but models higher up the ever changing Schecter hierarchy. In other words, I wasn't expecting much let alone being a five string bass that changes my playing style and perception of 5 string basses.
It has all the qualities I look for if I were to utilize a 5 string bass- narrower fretboard than most, 35" scale so no floppy B string, a pretty light bass especially for a five string. I've had much better 5 string basses in the past, but it felt like it was more of putting up with issues than actually liking the particular basses. Well, I do like this cheap Schecter bass and can see myself switching over because of it - go figure.
I don't see any con with playing five/six string basses as long as you have the desire to do so and the right kind of bass that will fit your needs, extra strings = more options.
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Well, according to a 'for sale' post on FB: 'What has 5 strings and gets you laid?' a 5-string will get you laid so surely a 5-string bass is better?
Assuming you like to be laid...
Assuming you like to be laid...
I owned a couple 5 strings for about 5 years. I played them all the time. Recorded, rehearsed, and played out live with them. But I never got as comfortable on them as I am on a 4 string.
Just the ability to spew out notes, make up new songs etc I am always better on a 4 string.
Just the ability to spew out notes, make up new songs etc I am always better on a 4 string.
Of course you can do without a 5 or 6 string basses, octaves see to that but hitting booming notes on the B string are fantastic for rattling an irritating neighbor's dishes or waking up the audience. 
