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Any 5 string Players happy going back to 4 String bass?

#141
I belong to the "own and play both" camp.
My main basses have been 5'ers for the past 20 years, but I've always owned a 4 at the same time and would occasionally switch out and play it instead of the 5.
Recently I finally put together a pawn shop Franken bass and strung it up BEAD. I had wanted to try that for some years now.
That being said, I now play my sub-$100 parts bass 90% of the time at church and leave the Lakland at home.

On the contrary, I play in a classic rock/country cover band and almost feel like I HAVE to use the 5 for the range of music played.
 
#142
I play back and forth all the time. For our acoustic gig's I play my 4 banger fretless. Electric shows get my 5 banger Modulus. So in response to the OP.. NO, I would not be happy to go back to 4 string and be fully happy, yet, I play about 10 shows a year on a 4 string happily..
 
#144
Played an American Standard P and J at a local store today. Either one would be great. So would the pair. I like the feel of a simple 4 string. Been playing 5 a long time but not sue I really NEED the B string.
 
#145
I thought I could go between basses with and without B strings. While traditional 4 string basses are fun to mess around on, when it comes to playing with my band, I really like the convenience of the B string. I'm currently selling my last 4 string.

Bones
 
#146
I went back to playing a 4 pretty much exclusively.
I still have my valenti 5, and will never be without it, but ever since Ive put Hipshot Double Stop levers on my 4 strings, I have no need to use a 5. I have all the low range of a 5 and the ease of the smaller neck of a 4.
 
#147
I started on four, but when I went to a frettless 5 in college, it was my main player for everything. I would use my 4 bangers for certain songs or sounds, but my main was my 5. Even when I went to rock, it was a fretted 5. Flash forward 8 years and 3 bands later, and I find that I'm back to 4 strings. I still have my 5-ers, and they come out for certain stuff, but I'm back to being a mostly 4 string player and don't miss the 5th string much.

That is not to say I'll ever be without a 5 string. There's plenty of situations where I could see needing one so I'll probably always have one or two in my stable. It's just that when I sit down to play, it's a four string that I reach for.
 
#148
I suppose one can talk themselves into "needing" anything. Yes, there are some new tunes that use the B string - new country and smooth jazz come to mind - but is it really a crime to play the D up an octave from the original?

I do t gig much any more. I play in church. Once in a while I fill in with a jazz trio/quartet and even more rarely with a cover band. While some CCM goes down once in a while, I have 2 keyboard players that can cover it. And when I watch live video of someone like Chris Tomlin (of whom we play a lot) Jesse Reeves plays 4 string J and P basses.

While I can handle a 5 string neck just fine, there is a pleasant feeling to a 4 string. Why not have both? Well, I really prefer to play just one bass at a gig. Switching mid gig just seems to cause problems. Also, if I sold my fancy 5, I'd get a simple 4 and use the rest for debt reduction.

The endless debate continues - at least in my mind.
 
#150
Have owned a number of 4/5/6 string basses. I am currently VERY happy with a fretless Warwick 5 and a fretted maple neck G&L SB-2 (4 of course). I find the B string to be a wonderful choice for my more introspective/evocative fretless tone and LOVE playing traditional music on a four (esp. funk/r&b and slap).

It's a beautiful combination of tone/looks/ergonomics/music style that demands different axes.

On a related note: I look forward to owning a 7 string bass for recording and looping in the future.
 
#152
Traditional Fender Jazz man myself. Call me old school, but I have always liked the feel of a 4 banger :-)

Occasionally I have a Precision in the mix too but always 4 strings. I tend to lean to 60's pup configuration on a Jazz...not missing a thing on slap, chording. Traditional fingering or even tapping. Played the 5+ bass... Not for me :-).
 
#154
I had an offer on my 5 but decided to keep it. I just seem to use the B string far too often to get rid of it more for position options than low notes. Just today I made use of the Eb and F on the B string (4th and 6th fret) for a couple tunes. Could have played the F on the 1st fret but it was easier and made more since up on the neck.

I'd like to use a 4, simple, fast neck, but I think I've been in the realm of 5 string for too long.
 
#156
I was done with 5 altogether when I traded my Lakland 5502 for a MIA Fender P. I seldom use the B string, so for the sake of ergonomics, getting to rock out on the E string--unencumbered-- on a four-strings gives me a nice feeling of freedom.
 
#157
I made myself play a 4 string for over a year. It was fine. I lived. I like(d) some aspects of a 4, but I think as I look realistically at my "gigs" these days (church and jazz trio fill ins) a 5 string gives me more options - especially for the ever changing keys at church - and I am pretty comfortable on them.

I like the idea of a 4 string, being basic, passive, etc. maybe someday when I can afford to have one "lying around" I'll pick one up.

Until then, I'll keep my eyes open for the right fretless and/or 6 string. 😀
 

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