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am I a 4-stringer for life?

#42
Tampabass said:
I'm interested in hearing from those who switched from 4 to 5 (or 6) but then decided to go back to strictly 4.

I've been a 4-stringer for 35 years (fretted and fretless), and for several years I've thought that I should make the switch to 5, for reasons of extended range and because I thought I might make worthwhile gains as a player - more options to play different kinds of patterns and add to the sonic palette, etc.

So in the last year I've bought/sold/traded several fivers, recently settling on a Lakland 55-02. Great bass - feel and tonal range are ideal for me. I initially tried stringing from E to C - it felt okay and nice for upper-end soloing and chording, etc. Then I switched to B to G, because that was the standard that seemed to be so popular and so useful to so many bassists. Feels okay, I like being able to play some low notes high on the B string, but I don't feel like I have much use for anything lower than the D. I've done a sit-in with it, but not yet a reading gig.

I pulled out my Marcus Miller Jazz last night, played on it a long while and it felt like going home. Also felt like I wasn't really missing that much by NOT having the extra low string (or high string). Part of that feeling, I know, is natural, since I played only 4-string all those years.

So you think I just need more time on the 5 for it to feel natural, like "home"?

For those who've returned to 4 - do you have regrets about not staying with 5 or 6? Do you find yourself in situations where you feel like the music would REALLY benefit from having those extra low or high notes (metal or punk wouldn't apply to me, but I have and probably will play about every other kind of music).

Just wondering what people are thinking about this.
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I was a hardcore 4 string only guy for 33 years ... The conversion to 5 took some work retraining my brain. But now a 4 string seems like a bass missing a string. If I did play a 4 I would string it DGCF.
 
#43
Tampabass said:
Thanks for the thoughts/feedback.

I'm inclined to go on back to 4 exclusively, but for a coupla reasons: 1)I have the feeling that I just haven't given it enough time to get fully comfortable, and 2)I might find those lower notes useful for jamband and reggae (or reggae-ish) settings.
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After 15 years of 4 string exclusivity and in the 10 days I've had it and i must admit that I have already had thoughts of swapping it for another 4. Took it to rehearsal 3 days after I got it and got a couple comments from our singer that weren't exactly confidence building and ended up with me ripping his head off later that night. Then I spent a good 2 hours with it last night and i am glad i didn't swap it. I now feel compelled to stick it out and get as comfortable with it as I am on my four's, or at least close! So yeah i agree, give it more time.
 
#44
I never felt the need of having a 5 strings Bass.

I had a conversation with this very good bass player some time ago. He plays a 7 strings bass. He was all about; you play contemporary music you need to open your spectrum, what if you play with a singer who sings in Eflat it happens to me all the time, sticking to a 4 string only limits your possibilities.
I totally understood what he was trying to convey but honestly I never felt I needed to go lower than what I can go with the 4 string bass.
 
#45
I've played both and the 5's just don't make sense to me right now. I own four basses (1 is a 5 string Jackson) and I only play two of them (both 4 string Stingray's). I started as a 4 string player, went through a "I want to be like that one douche bag from Korn" faze in the late 90's, then grew up and promptly switched back to a 4. It all comes down to taste I guess and what type/style of music you play.

I honestly have never had a need for a 5 string, but they are cool instruments and I applaud those who are good at playing them. I'm just not smart enough to use that extra string.
 
#46
I bought a cheap 5 string because I wanted the low B. Use the low C - D plenty. Noticed the other day it seemed like I never used the G. Found a deal on a 35" scale 4 string. I have small hands, but going back to a 4 my hands seemed HUGE, even on a 35" scale. Think I'll stay with 4.
 
#49
Never played a sixer but the low B on the fivers always sounding too mushy and all rumble regardless of amp and or cabs. If I wanted all that the rumble I'd just add a few subs to my rig.
 
#50
I'm fairly certain that after playing the bass for ten years or so you should be able to go from a four to a five string bass and be ready for a gig in a few days. Five string is nothing but an extra option, but i dont see it as necessary. nor do i see it as something you have to relearn. As long as your up on your musical theory a five string bass makes perfect sense, but not for rock. rock music deserves a four string, imho. stay with the four, it is much cooler.
 
#51
Tampabass said:
Curious - what kind of band required the extra range? And did that come from you, feeling like you needed the extra range, or from band members?
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It came from a desire to be faithful to the original.

Playing classic rock originals and covers never required anything below Eb for me. For decades.

Now I'm in a band that plays a greater range, and I find myself needing the low notes on the B much more often. "Love Sneakin' Up On You" (Bonnie Raitt) and "Save A Horse" (Big & Rich) are the most recent additions to my 5-string repertoire.
 
#52
electracoyote said:
It came from a desire to be faithful to the original.

Playing classic rock originals and covers never required anything below Eb for me. For decades.

Now I'm in a band that plays a greater range, and I find myself needing the low notes on the B much more often. "Love Sneakin' Up On You" (Bonnie Raitt) and "Save A Horse" (Big & Rich) are the most recent additions to my 5-string repertoire.
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Good point, this is where I'd have missed it, QOTSA 'No one Knows' would not rock without that low C to chug along with, I found Chaka Chans 'Ain't Nobody' easier to play tighter with a detuned E to D on a 4, the fingerings are easier to get around for me. Anyways, I digress...
 
#54
What ever suits you. I started on a 4. Then I converted to 5, deciding 5 strings is where it's at. Then it was six. Experimented with seven too. And after several years, back to four.

These days, I consider myself a 4 string player, but I do love my six string too. And I'll probably get back to 7 strings some day too. The only string number I'm not ever going to buy again is 5.
 
#58
kuys said:
Never played a sixer but the low B on the fivers always sounding too mushy and all rumble regardless of amp and or cabs. If I wanted all that the rumble I'd just add a few subs to my rig.
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Which only shows that you never paid enough for your basses. It also shows you haven't a clue how to play a 5+ string bass.

Personally I don't get all the guilt around here from guys that play 4 stringers. Go look at the strings poll. 4 stringers are by FAR the most popular basses by a great margin. But everybody here seems to be grasping at straws to justify playing a 4 string.

If you are into classic "old school" rock you don't have to justify your 4 stringer to anyone. All the basslines are already worked out by masters and don't need any extended range! Only a 4 stringer has the classic "look" and classic feel needed for the music. If you don't need (or want) an extended range you don't have to make excuses to anyone.

Hey for a long time I was playing 6s. Needed the solos range. Needed non-muddy chords. etc. Then I switched to older-school music and found that the C string was sitting there unused. So I moved back to my 5ers. There is no shame here! If I got some "roots" rock gig, a 4 would make perfect sense.

But I'll tell you, I started bass playing on an upright and when I got a bass guitar a 4 was all they had. And I ALWAYS felt limited in those days. For one reason was that horns in bands were more popular then, and many of the common "standards" were in keys like Eb. "Why can't this bass have just a LITTLE more range?" was my universal cry. And then they did!

But the bottom line has to do with WHAT are you playing and HOW do you play it? If your interests are kick-butt grooves why would you want the solo range of a 7 string or the ability to do chords right up against the guitars? It'd be a total waste for you.

Or you can be like Jaco and use all manner of harmonics and other tricks to try to pull extended range out of your 4 string. Why? Jaco HAD to do that. You don't.

The number of strings on a bass is NOT a religion. You don't have to justify yourself nor convert the world to play the number of strings you do. A bass is just a tool. Yes you CAN drive a nail with visegrips, but usually you get a much better job in the end if you use a proper hammer.

Music is Art and in art there are no rules. You can play it any way you like and can use any bass you choose to do it. It will either work or not work. If it works people will love it. If it doesn't you'll be able to tell that too.
 
#59
bassbenj said:
Which only shows that you never paid enough for your basses. It also shows you haven't a clue how to play a 5+ string bass.
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How much should I pay for a 5 stringer to get a non-mushy low B?

Does a $1500 dollar fernades not count as a good enough bass?

Do I have to spend 5k on a custom boutique bass to get a well defined Low B?

And how exactly does one get a "clue"? Ya know, so I can play a fiver right?

I never said fivers suck; I said I could never get a well defined Low B sound that I liked.

How does my subjective opinion have any bearing on any of those things?
 
#60
kuys said:
How much should I pay for a 5 stringer to get a non-mushy low B?

Does a $1500 dollar fernades not count as a good enough bass?

Do I have to spend 5k on a custom boutique bass to get a well defined Low B?

And how exactly does one get a "clue"? Ya know, so I can play a fiver right?

I never said fivers suck; I said I could never get a well defined Low B sound that I liked.

How does my subjective opinion have any bearing on any of those things?
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I see you edited your original post. Probably for the best, but you got a right to defend yourself! You're not the one that should have been editing your post, even though you did the right thing.
 

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