5 String - Freedom or Handicap?

[KimGT99]

Freedom. At some point. The other way round, you have to look for options with your 4 strings. It's like a drumkit: I know drummers with a huge kit who sounded spectacular, but I also know drummers with a regular or minimalistic kit who made their kit sound like a huge one. Not lesser spectacular then.
I actually play 6 string basses. I'm no virtuoso at all, more the lazy kind. With the 6 string you really need less shifting and you have more, well easy options at first glance.
I used to play 5 strings, and I think I could get rid of the high string on the 6 again.
But always when I reach out for a 4 string, the low B is really missing. Be it in terms of finger patterns (I tend to avoid open strings, unless needed) or notes.

 

[ofajen]

Having also played Stick for some decades, I also am in the habit of keeping a 4-string bass strung in fifths, which actually gives a half-step more range than a standard tuning on 5-string.

I'd just note that the difference between playing a 4-string or 5-string in fourths tuning is kinda trivial compared to the difference of playing a 4-string tuned in fourths compared to a 4-string in fifths tuning.

Like the standard Stick tuning, the bass fifths tuning encourages more vertical lines and gives more open chord voicings while making movement by step more cumbersome.

Otto

 

[backin82]

Simple answer: freedom

 

[chadds]

You're thinking too much.
Since the 15th century Basses have had more than four and less than four strings.
Jaco played music on a bass. Who cares how many strings it had? Play what you want. If it has less range than you want get more strings. Tony Levin has a three string MusicMan. Is he better or worse for it?
You're thinking too much. Just make music and no one will care and hopefully not you.

 

[Michael B]

 

[yakmastermax]

So I'm considering getting a new bass, and it will be the most expensive bass I've purchased yet. My first bass was an Ibanez SR500 and my second bass, the one that I currently play, is a MIM Fender Precision.

I've been trying out the higher end Ibanezs, SR1200E and SR1300E and I really like the tone and feel. The slim neck and 24 frets are a welcome change to the P-Bass.

I've been playing bass about 2 years now and I'm seriously considering getting an Ibanez SR1405 or SR1205.

My band currently plays primarily in Drop C# and our sound is pretty heavy stoner rock. We only have one guitar so very often I get the chance to play lead licks and solos, as well as melodies. To me, the idea of a 5 string seems appealing because I'll be able to play longer and more complex licks, easier, with less movement up and down the neck. I also like the idea of being able to play scales across more than one octave without having to move up and down the neck. Finally I like the idea of playing the bass in one tuning, and simply moving my positioning.

My roommate basically says that I don't need a 5 string, because I can simply detune a 4 string. He also says that I'm "not good enough" for a 5 string yet. He claims that I don't know the fretboard well enough on a 4 string to warrant a 5 string. While it is true that my knowledge of the fretboard is weak outside of the first scale shape of any given scale, it is precisely this weakness that motivates me to get a 5-string.

Anyway, I was wondering your thoughts and opinions on the matter. I'm afraid to spend $800-$1000 on a 5 string bass because I believe 5 strings are harder to resell? This new bass will be a big step up for me both quality wise and price wise. I want to make the right decision.

Thanks guys!

 

[Bassdirty]

5 strings for me.

I try to convince myself once in a while that I want a 4 string, then I go play them. :/

I need 5.

But like others have said, get a 5 er, and just play the 4 strings if you want to "practice with a 4string".

Ymmv.

 

[Chef]

free free, set them free.

If it's a hindrance to you, not much point in having one.

I pretty much play only 5 anymore, but I still have my ancient 1972 Precisions and Telecaster from back in the day When I Did Things.

 

[Tom Bomb]

Freedom's just another word for another string to use
Another string that goes way down to B
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, with Bobby's five-string blues
And buddy, that was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bacchus Bob V

 

[Yogi Bear]

Whether it's a 4 or 5 string, it's a tool. Ultimately you decide how you use it.

 

[mikezimmerman]

My default bass choice for most gigs would be a 5. I learned to play on a 4 (there really were no 5's available back then!) so I appreciate the ability to shift and make use of open strings, but on a 5 or 6 I tend not to do that unless I'm doing it for tonal reasons. That said, I do frequently play in a particular part of the neck for tonal reasons (usually high up on lower strings) even if it's not the easiest way to play a particular line.

I play differently on a 4-string, and there are some basses that I really prefer as a 4 because of the way they make me play (say, a Hofner Beatle Bass or a Fender Precision). There are other basses where I really prefer the 4-string version over the 5 because of things like string spacing (Wal, Spector, Steinberger). So, there is no one answer to this question for me...

 

[mindwell]

I recently moved a 1965 P-bass and a 1980 fretless P because I can't justify keeping 4-stringers around when my 5s get all the play. So I'm(mostly) all in on the 5.

 

[Steve Dallman]

I used a D tuner in the 80's. When I found myself leaving the bass in D most of the time, I got a 5 string. Since around 1990, 5's are all I've played. I keep a 4 for giving lessons but have no interest beyond that.

Playing a 4 feels like I have a finger missing. I make good use of the low B string. 5 is natural to me, and I have no interest in ever playing a 4 again in this lifetime. I don't need arguments for or against. They are meaningless to me. If you like a 4, fine. If you like a 6 or 8 or more, have at it.

 

[bassbenj]

And then there's people like me who make their own bass designed for 4 string BEAD

Tried it. Didn't work. I thought I didn't use the G string that much but once it was gone I found out I did. So I move to 5s. But if I'd have thought of it, probably the answer was to make my own 4 string bass designed for the Low string being D or maybe C. That leaves some upper yet gets you the notes you need the most like maybe Eb in horn keys. But unfortunately I didn't think of it until I came on TB and someone here pointed it out as a way to keep 4 strings. Now it's too late for me!