Are 5 strings on the way out?

[Humbled]

Hi guys

For me playing 5 string is not so much about having an extended range. It' s only 5 notes.

The 5th string allows me to play with less position changes. For me that' s the thing about playing 5ers!...

This is "the thing" for me also. A five allows me to play across the neck more-so than up and down the neck. I also think most basses sound better when not having to play so close to the nut.

I used to have two sixes, but dropped to one. I found I like to have a G up top for chording because that's what's burned into my brainstem.

 

[BassJuju]

They are for me. I keep a couple, but they rarely get used. I liked them for the extra notes and the ability to play in the same position. What I found was that a 4 forced me to play in a way that the phrasing was more pleasing, more groovy, more in the mix. Situations differ and if I were in a different gig, I might say something different, but I’m not. I like my 4’s. Think I’ll go play one now.

 

[2tonic]

Are 5 strings on the way out?

I hope not.

 

[two fingers]

Another reason they could be leveling off in sales is the increase in quality of effects. A good octaver can get you down to low B and even further if needed. Once you're done with that song stomp on a button and you're back to a "normal" 4 string.

 

[TheLowDown33]

I used to have 3, and was an avid "5 strings should be standard" thinker for quite some time. Recently, I've been getting more and more into 4 strings simply because they're easier to wrap my head around when improvising, and I tend to not use the low B past the 8-10 fret mark anyway.

I'll always keep on around, and as long as I'm playing in a cover band, I'll be playing one out, but as of late all of my recording and practicing has been on a 4.

 

[interp]

I play both, but mostly five string. I feel that with a five string I have a BEAD and an EADG configuration in one instrument, and I can combine them if I like.

I’m thinking about getting a six string, so I can have BEADG and EADGC in one instrument.

 

[nilorius]

Of course 4 string is more popular type than any other, but 5 string has it's place and i don't think it will loose it in the near future.

 

[DWBass]

I seriously doubt it.

 

[GreyBeard]

Once I connected my style to the 5th string it was very difficult for me to enjoy playing a 4 string. But, I went to 5 string because the music I was playing at the time called for it. Younger players may not find a need for it these days and just stay with 4.

 

[Pizza1988]

They aren't going anywhere. I remember the early 2000s they were extremely popular in Nu Metal. That may have phased out but 5 strings will always have a use.

My band covers songs in tunings from Standard, Drop D, to Drop B. My guitar players bring 2 or 3 guitars each and are tuning between songs. I bring one bass, one tuning. My drummer and I tease them about how we need to tune and just sip our drink.

 

[P. Aaron]

When it comes to (my struggling) sight reading, using a 5’er, I still play the music using traditional fingerings because...tradition and humility follows.

When sorting out pop, Country or lower pitched rock, I use my 5’ers and over time, you map out the most expressive but least labor intensive way to accurately reproduce the songs. Whether it’s a 4 or 5 string, it’s likely instinctive for most.

 

[Admiral Thrawn]

I play 5ers because it's easier for me to move across the neck rather than up and down.

It feels more comfortable, and when I play, comfort helps keep me in the groove zone.

I tried out a few 4-string basses last weekend and they felt anemic compared to my 5er 'Ray. That's not to say they felt bad, but after playing a 5er since 2005, to pick up a 4-string and give it a proper test go, it felt lacking, which it was compared to what I am used to playing.

Don't think I'll add a 4-string to my lineup, but I will be getting another 5er to compliment my 'Ray.

So, not dead to me.

 

[Oddly]

Back in my full-time playing days, I briefly went to a 5.
I never put the effort I should have into playing it properly, and have always regretted it, as I do feel the extended range is a great facility to have, with no real downside.
That said, I'm still playing a 4, and doubt I'll change now.

 

[chadds]

Are threads like this, good for metal?

 

[P. Aaron]

BEAD is a very good studio tool. Any Country act I’ve seen live that’s playing the newer stuff, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell, Kip Moore, Joe Nichols, their bassists were all playing 5’ers. ‘Cause, it works.

Things always evolve tho’.

 

[JimmyM]

The thing about BEAD or lower tunings is that you have to give up the high notes. Using a five, there is an extended bottom, plus a full upper range of the instrument.

While that's true, the only notes you're losing are the 5 highest you'd have on the G string, since most of what is on the G string can be found out the D string, albeit just in different positions. I'd be willing to bed that 95% of bassists won't miss those 5 highest notes. I'd much rather lose them than lose B to Eb by not having a B string.

I'm just the opposite. The only low notes I truly miss when I don't have them are a low D and Eb, and I only miss them once in a great while, and that's why I have Hipshot Xtenders on three of my basses. But I greatly miss that high G-to-D range on the G string if I don't have it. I also don't get bothered much by position changes.

But what I do get bothered by is that darn B string So I do everything I can to avoid playing them. Once in a while, though, I get a gig where I need it, so I'll trot it out long enough to do the one or two songs that need it, and switch right back at my earliest convenience. I dislike switching basses in the middle of a set, and I dislike taking two basses to a gig even more, but I'll make an exception when I need to play a 5.

 

[TonyP-]

I cannot imagine my life without 5 strings...When I play a 4 I feel limited to some degree.

As stated above., trends come and go...

 

[pellomoco14]

Are 5 strings on the way out?
I doubt it.

Yeah I agree. If they aren't in style now (or in a down swing) and I decide to buy another bass.
Shops may have more old stock 5's for a discounted price!?!

 

[ThingsAbove]

I sold my last 5 string years ago. Occasionally I'm playing a song I'd like to have a B string but the audience doesn't care.

In my experience 4 strings are just so much lighter and ergonomic to play than fivers that I don't want to go back to a 5. Plus I can rest my thumb on the edge of a pickup where God intended, instead of floating it over the B all the time to keep it muted for 95% of the song.

OTOH nearly every other bass player I personally know plays a 5 most of the time so what do I know

 

[garp]

Yes, they're definitely on the way out...on the way out the door to be played at more and more lucrative gigs and recording sessions these days.