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After switching to 5+ string basses, what did you do with your 4-string basses?

#41
I’m pretty much exclusively a 5-string guy these days but I spent my first 13 years on a Fender MIJ ‘75 RI Jazz which I still have (first bass, I’ll be buried with that thing!) and picked up a ‘72 Fender P a couple years ago. The J is retired and the P stays at my buddy’s studio.

I can only see going back to a 4 if I get an offer for a bass position with an artist or group that’s too amazing to turn down and playing a 4 is required. Until then, 5’s all the way for me.
 
#42
The only 4 I have in my possession is my first bass, a Fender Zone. My mom bought it for me about 20 years ago, at a Mars Music closeout sale. She died in 2008. It would take a very good offer to pry that one off my wall, but I haven't played it seriously in ages.

I used to take it to gigs for Sober, but now-a-days I just play that tune of the 5 string, especially since we often rapidly move to Everlong afterwards, so now for a backup I just bring either the SR655, the BTB675 (lol heavy), the Tbird 5 (lol heavy and bird), the dean 10 string (lol heavy), or the SRC6, which I'm falling out of love with. Plus with how nice the dingwall 5 plays, my backups hardly come out anymore.
 
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#45
I just recently started playing bass again. Picked up a 5-string Ibanez and really love it. However, 5-strings tend to be pretty long and have a lot of overtones...which isn't a bad thing. Means you get deep, rich tones out of it.

However, if you want to do something radical like the whole Royal Blood thing, a 5-string won't do it for you. The extra overtones just get in the way and make it really hard to pitch it up and do anything with an upper octave. For that, you really need a shorter bass. I'm sure many 4-strings will do it but, for me, the answer was a short-scale bass. I ended up getting an Gretsch 4-string short scale bass. Really like it so far! Can nail a Royal Blood sound and then some.

I'm keeping both basses. The Gretsch is great but the 5-string Ibanez definitely has a deeper, richer tone to it. Plus, I love having that lower B-string. :)
 
#46
The second bass I ever bought was a 5.
I sold the 4, because it was a cheap beginner model. I've converted to 6 from there and started flirting with 4 on occasion.

Basses that are dear to me are usually around for at least a couple of years, even when I don't play them.
From the hanger on the wall, they eventually go into a case and get stored away - I treat them like I got rid of them. If I don't feel like I miss them after some time, I'll put them up on the internet and sell them for real.
 
#48
The talk in here about a bass with more strings not being a 4 with more strings, as well as the talk about how annoying it is to transcribe stuff makes me lol

Yes it is a bass with more strings, and just make sure you have the right open string or two to play the song and do your job. Js

I played a 4 in drop A on fretted for years. (AEAD) and played all sorts of covers in their respective keys from tool to Pantera. It was a pain sometimes to stay committed.

I started playing with a band who didn't want me to take up time on stage switching from my A# standard 4 to my drop G# fretless 5er, so I stuck w/ a fretless 5 and learned to drop my low string a step (A# to G#) mid set.

I joined another band who plays In drop E. So at first I would tune up a half step to drop A w/ that band then I would tune down a half step to drop G# for my other band. This worked out because I later joined a 3rd band that uses drop A.

Now here's where I went to 6 and why: I didn't want to have to change basses. Like ever. I'll explain.

My longest running band now wanted to go from drop G# to drop F#. My 2nd running band was already in drop E. My 3rd project wanted to do F#. No problem.
Now my 6 string is set up like so for each band.

1st band: My main tuning (drop G# w/ low F#).
F#, G#(sometimes tuned up to A#), D#, G#, C#, F#.

2nd band: Drop EA (top string tuned down a step to E, other 5 tuned up a half step).
E, A, E, A, D, G.

3rd band: mixture of both tunings. Drop A w/ low F#.
F#, A, E, A, D, G.

I can play most of the stuff between each tuning if need be if I at least remember to tune my low string to the right note.

There's not many times I go to jam/session w/ other musicians/projects where I can't find the open notes I need simply by tuning a string one way or another by a half step and knowing my fretboard nowadays. Ymmv.
 
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#50
Nothing. For me it's not an either/or kind of situation.

I started on 4 string like most people. Early on in my playing career I studied with one teacher who was a big advocate of 6 string bass, and for years I largely played 6 string as well. Part of his teaching philosophy was that with 6 strings you didn't have to shift up and down the neck as much. Even at one point when I had 3 different 6 string basses, I still had some 4 strings, and there was even an 8 string at one point. And then around '99 I got my first 5 string. Over time I found myself playing the 6 strings less and less. And while I have immense respect for the 6 string teacher, I had to make up my own mind about some technique issues like the need for moving around the neck. And that meant looking at the neck position issue more from a tone / timbre standpoint because certain notes sound different depending on where you play those on the instrument.

For the past 15 years or so what I look for in my instruments has been largely about tone, and what a given bass brings to the table. Right now I've got 3 x 5 string basses and 4 x 4 strings (5 if I were to actually include my Ashbory). Each one has something about it that's unique in terms of the way it sounds and plays. Out of the 8 instruments, I plan on using at least 6 of them for an album with my band that I'm getting ready to record.

Some people get dogmatic about their chosen number of strings. And that's just their thing, I get it. For me it's about using the instrument as a tool, and in the case of recording I try to pick the right tool for the job. Some songs have a low D that I have to play. So will one of the 5 strings work, or given the nature of the song should I try playing in drop D on one of the 4 strings? That's actually something I'm kicking around right now. For recording that tune I'm leaning towards the drop D tuning, but would probably play that song live on a 5 string. Other songs need something different. One tune we're working on has an alt-country feel, so do I use the P-bass with flats or maybe the Jack Casady with tapewounds? Having that option isn't a terrible thing.

The point is, use your own criteria about the instruments that work for you. There's no one size fits all answer for this type of question.
 
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#53
when I got my first fiver five years ago, I made a huge revision: sold my 4-stringers, sold amps and effects that didn't play with the low B nicely. it seemed like a major upgrade and I didn't think I'd ever be back.

in fact, I am back. now I have three 4-stringers and only one fiver for special occasions. there's nothing wrong with a fiver, but I don't really need it most of the time and it's easier to sound good when you don't have that low B string. and it appeared that there's some magic with 4 strings which I started to miss only when some years passed.

so my advice is: keep the best from your staple. some day you'll need them.
 
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#54
I have never had a 5 string, but at one point in my life I did get rid of all my passive Fender style basses for active Ibanez basses. Then a couple years later I was playing in a band that played mostly 60's garage rock songs and the Ibanez just didn't really look or sound the part. I am no longer in that band, but now I only have passive Fender basses. Point is, maybe it just depends if you could ever see yourself in a situation where a 4 string bass would be more appropriate.
 
#55
I kept one 4-string when I switched to 5s around 11 years ago, but it was sitting unused so I sold it to get a new set of golf clubs. Swore I'd never need a 4-string again... and now, of course, a project came up where drop D makes more sense than a 5-string. So I bought a 4 yesterday and one of my 5s is going on the block. I'll likely keep a 4 around for good now.
 
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#58
Different instruments for different gigs.

I use my Fender Jazz style Lakland 5 with rounds for my pop / rock / funk cover band gigs plus the occasional Latin / modern jazz show.

I use my Fender Precision 4 string with flats for a classic rock/blues band, a retro swing/lounge band, and as a stand in for my upright on louder jazz gigs or when the weather / venue / load in is questionable.
 
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