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5-string players with a 4-string?

#21
Can't tell you what to do.

But, here is my experience, FWIW.

I had the means to buy a really nice 5 pretty quickly after they became available. It was a Smith BT5. Wish I still had that one. Anyhow, I went right after gigging with the 5, but kept a couple 4's I still had simply because they were (and are) great basses. Then, as time went on, I had a 6 and then flipped a few 5's; and its true that as the lower notes became more mainstream, the 4's started to gather dust. Which seemed a shame.

Anyhow, the thing was, I never learned to use the Hipshot. A lot of cats went right to the Hipshot and got good with it. I just sort of took the attitude that I didn't need it and it was somehow the lesser way to get the low notes.

Within the last year, and for no particular reason I can point to, I started messing with the Hipshot. For me, this has been a real revelation. I've gotten used to the various tuning solutions with it, and find it gives me 99% of what I need, and the other 1% isn't a big deal. Well, this has suddenly made my 4 string basses practically viable again. It was almost like getting a couple of new basses. Also, there are some of the cover tunes that lay much better on the detuned 4. So, while I can play, for example, Beat It or Slither on a 5 or 6 without re-tuning, I will actually de-tune any of those instruments for certain tunes. The Hipshot on the 4 makes that so much faster.

Anyhow, I will probably always have a 4, a 5, and a 6 for various reasons. But, I find the 4's completely useful and relevant, even with current cover material. So, if you like your 4, try it with the Hipshot for a while, and see if you still find it useful. I did.
 
#23
I have no more 4 string basses. I just can't play them anymore as the way I play now totally depends on all 5 strings. It's not that I necessarily need those low-notes, but I play in a higher position now and use that B string all the time. Playing a 4 feels constricting now.

The only 4 string bass I would consider owning in the future is some kind of vintage P. Other than that, no need for a 4 with 5 for me. But that's just me.
 
#29
Pickebass said:
If you don't NEED to sell it, keep it. I often use my 4 for gigs because sometimes you just don't need the extra string. I can play the 5 just as well, but it sometimes feels better to play the 4 string on certain types of music.
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My view too. I've got 5, 6, 7, 8 string basses and my old 4s virtually never get played anymore. But I still have them. I figure you never know when I'll get into a situation where the music calls for a nice old school 4. But so long as I don't NEED to sell it, I figure I'd better not, because sure as you are born, the minute it went out the door, I'd end up joining some old school band and I'd be sorry... again!
 
#30
Okay so as the OP, let me give some more details.

The bass I'm considering parting with is a Modulus VJ that I upgraded with a U-Retro and Hipshot detuner. While it sounds great, I gravitate to my 5-strings: a NYC Sadowsksy Modern with Big Splits, a Kinal SK5 with Kent Armstrongs and East pre, and a Hamer 2Tek Cruisebass fretless (I also have a Linc Luthier Impression that is tuned E-C, nulling my need for a 6-string any more). So we're not talking about a $300-400 bass, we're talking about boutique professional axes. I still have the 4-string I started on 20 years ago, an Ibanez, but the electronics are dead and I only keep it for sentimental reasons.

My only needs right now might be a lighter fretless with a different tone (a hollow/acoustic tone) or a PJ that I could play with flatwounds. I've used flats on the Mod and they sound great, but it's not a P-bass tone.

Knowing I wasn't using the Mod much, I offered a FT Feeler months ago, and I have an interested party at the moment. A week ago I missed a fretless and a PJ because I didn't have the funds. As a newlywed, there's too many bills right now to buy a bass without selling one first. Now an interested TBer wants the Mod, but my window of opportunity seems very short. Another 5-string bass is now catching my eye in the classifieds. Do I need it? No. Would I regret selling the Mod? Not sure. Can I afford the difference? Well, yes and no. I could, but it's money that doesn't HAVE to be spent for another bass. I could just sell the Mod and save the funds for a future buy, but then I might regret it. I'm just not sure what to do. Although my Mod is great, I'd like to move to lighter basses in general as my Sadowsky is the only one I have that's under 9 lbs. While 4-strings do sound and feel different, my 5-strings get all the play time. I'm just undecided. Thoughts?
 
#31
I mainly play 5 strings, but I own more 4 string basses than 5ers. I usually play them a few times a week. The 5er's get all the gigs and band practices, but the 4 strings are usually used as backup or home practice.

I'd like to get a few other basses that aren't really made in 5er's as well...like a Ric 4003.

I'd really like to get an SR5 in trade for my SR4, and I've thought about getting rid of my MIM P in favor of a P5.
 
#32
DaveAceofBass said:
Okay so as the OP, let me give some more details.

The bass I'm considering parting with is a Modulus VJ that I upgraded with a U-Retro and Hipshot detuner. While it sounds great, I gravitate to my 5-strings: a NYC Sadowsksy Modern with Big Splits, a Kinal SK5 with Kent Armstrongs and East pre, and a Hamer 2Tek Cruisebass fretless (I also have a Linc Luthier Impression that is tuned E-C, nulling my need for a 6-string any more). So we're not talking about a $300-400 bass, we're talking about boutique professional axes. I still have the 4-string I started on 20 years ago, an Ibanez, but the electronics are dead and I only keep it for sentimental reasons.

My only needs right now might be a lighter fretless with a different tone (a hollow/acoustic tone) or a PJ that I could play with flatwounds. I've used flats on the Mod and they sound great, but it's not a P-bass tone.

Knowing I wasn't using the Mod much, I offered a FT Feeler months ago, and I have an interested party at the moment. A week ago I missed a fretless and a PJ because I didn't have the funds. As a newlywed, there's too many bills right now to buy a bass without selling one first. Now an interested TBer wants the Mod, but my window of opportunity seems very short. Another 5-string bass is now catching my eye in the classifieds. Do I need it? No. Would I regret selling the Mod? Not sure. Can I afford the difference? Well, yes and no. I could, but it's money that doesn't HAVE to be spent for another bass. I could just sell the Mod and save the funds for a future buy, but then I might regret it. I'm just not sure what to do. Although my Mod is great, I'd like to move to lighter basses in general as my Sadowsky is the only one I have that's under 9 lbs. While 4-strings do sound and feel different, my 5-strings get all the play time. I'm just undecided. Thoughts?
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Getting an instrument that fits a needed slot is always OK for flipping decisions. Get the right screwdriver, to use the previous post analogy. The number of strings is semi-irrelevant either way, IMO. Go for the instruments that do what you need and sound the best. Forget the rest.
 
#35
5-string players with a 4-string?

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I was a 4 string only passive only retro kind of guy for many years. Then I got into a band where I had to play a low D. I tried DGCF for a while but then I needed a low D flat. So I switched to a 5. Now I only play 5s. I do have one 4. It is a short scale 4 stringer that is a Christmas gift for my daughter.

If I play a song that does not need a low I still use a 5. A lot of songs I play I don't use notes above the 14th fret but I don't go out and buy a bass that only goes to 14 frets. It nice to have extra notes high and low.
 
#36
My only gig these days is at church. (Which is okay!)

For the services with a drummer I use a 5 string. For the acoustic sets I use a 4 string.

No one suggested that I do that, it's just something that I did on my own and in my humble opinion it works out well.
 
#37
The main two basses I play are a Modulus Q5 and a Stingray HH. Haven't gigged in a while but when I did I would usually take both and switch for blocks of songs to suit (have fairly different sounds). Didn't play much where I really needed the B string.

Playing at home, I split probably 60/40 Stingray/Modulus. I will play one for a few weeks then play another for a few weeks. Every time I go from Stingray to Modulus I love the action and feel of the Modulus neck and then when I switch back I feel like I have monster hands because the 4 string neck isn't as wide and I have small hands.

Have a couple of other basses that rarely make it out of their cases...
 
#39
4-string and 5-string are different beasts that give different capabilities and can allow for different approaches. Just depends on what you want/like. I played only 5-strings for about 10 years and then forced myself to pick a 4-banger back up. Now I have both and appreciate each for what they bring to a gig in my hands. I can use either for most things but find that I'm more comfortable and/or more inspired for certain things on one vs the other. Depends on the player.
 
#40
lomo said:
I got rid of my 4s. I can do anything on a 5 that I could on a 4 and saw no reason to play one any more.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. The chances that I'll own another 4 are very slim unless it was required for a big gig or something. The reason why I don't have a 6 is because I don't feel as comfortable (in terms of playing ability, not that I can't handle the bass itself) on them but I'll grab one in time.
 

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