5 string players - any advantage to picking up a 4 string for any reason?

[Watchootognbout]

It's easier to use the E string on a four without having to mute a low B string.
You can be a bit sloppier.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

Comfort, if you like the thinner neck and wider string spacing.

 

[radioface]

I have both 4s and 5s and choosing one over the other, just depends on what mood I'm in. If I'm feeling lazy, I take a 5 because as some have mentioned, there is less shifting around. I think 5s are easier to play than 4s.

 

[DavC]

i built a cheap 4 string just to have around ... as others have said , mostly for teaching, if needed ...

but , the 4 string Is the standard ... i've played 5vers for about 25 yrs , 4 strings for the previous 20 ...

i have 1 5ver with a High C , the other is the more normal tuning with Low B ...

 

[Bassist4Eris]

Like many players (especially players my age or older) I started on a 4. These days I play a sixer in my main band. I still really enjoy playing a 4, though. It's like returning to an old friend.

I play with a rock singer-songwriter on the side, and I always bring a 4-string for that, mainly for image reasons, but also because my sixer is very heavy and if I don't need the extra range I'd rather play something lighter.

 

[LowEndOperative]

I just picked up a CIJ Fender Jaguar (4) to go with my Lakland (5); first 4 since a mid 2000's SX SPB57 so we'll see....

 

[Afc70]

5's are easier to play,(for me) & give me those nice clear low notes & work for my style of music best. I don't own any 4's anymore.

 

[onydag]

I played a 4 string bass guitar for 25 years before I got a Blue-Burst Stingray 5. I was in love with looking at that bass at the very least. Just an aside, but I had a girlfriend at the time who said: "Oh now that you have that blue bass you can get those rockabilly girls you like." ---I thought: "You jealous psycho," but also: "Who the f thinks rockabilly when they look at a Stingray 5?" Sorry for digression. I put a high C on it and had an amazing amount of fun with it for a year or so. Eventually, I just sold it because I was always more comfortable with the string spacing on my 4 string.

 

[Phalex]

There are some songs that I prefer a D-tuned 4 string for. I find a five to be handy for just about everything. I find a four easier to palm mute though.

Get both.

 

[Rib 13]

For a 7 string guitar it's very important to have a 6 string to hand for covers and certain things that you can't do with a 7 string.

Is there anything that the lack of a 5th string makes easier or once you play 5 string is it better to continue to buy 5 strings? Is there more to lose than gain by getting a 4 string?

Cheers

The only thing I notice about a 4 over 5 is slap bass: When I play slap bass on a 4, its way less resistant than on a 5.....I can slap just fine on a 5 but when I put the 4 on, its like a hot knife going through butter......but it doesnt warrant me bringing a 4 string to my gigs

When I do studio sessions I always bring along a 4-string and a 5-string bass bass. If the part I'm going to play doesn't require a 5-string bass -- either because it doesn't take advantage of the extended range or because it doesn't need the sound of some notes being played on the B string -- I'll use the 4-string to track the part. Always seems to make it easier for both me and the engineer.

+1 same with me, but just for session work.....for live, I just bring the 5s

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I mainly play fives, but slapping a four without having to mute the B string is nice.

 

[Jrussblues]

4 is typically easier for smaller hands, sometimes the string spacing is wider which is good for slapping and popping depending on what you are used to, they are typically a little lighter than the same bass in a 5, I picked up a 4 because I felt like I needed to...it was a waste of time for me, I have big hands, my 5 string bass has wider string spacing and anyway, and I like the weight on my shoulder because it makes the bass feel more planted to me.

 

[Slevage]

Easier to slap

 

[George Himmel]

Four-strings are handy when you're jamming and the guitarist needs to look at your hands to know what's being played

 

[QweziRider]

Is there anything that the lack of a 5th string makes easier...

For me, it's simply a wider variety of basses available. It's annoying to see so many basses I love but can't find in a 5 string version. So, since you only lose the top five notes and I can live without that for the most part, I love a good four string tuned B-E-A-D.

 

[tekhedd]

Well, on a 4-banger you can use a non-floating-thumb technique more easily, esp if you have a pickup or thumbrest in a particular location. I don't find this to be very valuable but there it is, and I suppose most people just use the B string as a thumbrest, thus nullifying my entire premise.

So, er. No.

 

[CGremlin]

I'm addicted to the range and easier position changes on a 5, but whenever a pick up a 4, it feels like a toy and everything seems so much easier to play.

 

[jwilson67]

I keep saying I'm going play a 4 string I have and I bring it to every gig but I never end up pulling it out. There's just no need. I like always having the option to go to the lower notes if the mood suits me. I was working on the electronics on my Carvin 5 recently and didn't get it done in time so I had to play my 4 on a gig and it was strangely freeing but also frustrating as well.

 

[Stevorebob]

Since I moved to 5s, I have no need for 4s. Just me.

 

[two fingers]

I have gone completely 5 string these days. It's a rare style that can't be found in a 5 string today.

I even went so far as to turn down buying the sweetest sounding bass I ever heard by far because it was a 4 string. I just knew I wouldn't play it. It was a refin '63 P bass at Carter Vintage in Nashville. It was light as a feather, perfectly setup, and sounded incredible. Even my wife was egging me on to buy it because she had never the that kind of look on my face. I went back and played it twice. It sounded even better every time I picked it up. But I knew I wouldn't play it....

My main player is a 5 string P bass. Sounds like a P bass. What's not to like?