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Are you a 5 string or 4 string player?

I have big hands, my nemesis is short scales and scrawny necks. Before I discovered 5's the only way I could play a Jazz Bass was to swap a P-Bass neck to it. After getting a 5 it took a while but I discovered that it was much easier to play with female singers, jazz guys and horn players.

I can definitely appreciate that. I'm a short guy, but have big hands, and generally prefer a bigger neck too. Most shows I used to play before my current kid induced hiatus required some alternate tuning. I've found I can get by with DADG tuning for a set if needed.
 
I’ve been playing 5’s (and 6’s) pretty much exclusively for over 20 years now. I’ve dabbled with a few 4’s in that time, but ever since I made the switch back in the 90’s, having a low B string just feels like home to me, so that’s what I’ve stuck with.
 
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I have three 4 strings that I never play but love them. I am a 5 string player mostly now. Spent years playing 4’s 5’s and 6’s but my main gig is 90’s country. So it’s a 5 string. 4’s are incomplete for what my gig requires. I brought a 4 string to a rehearsal once and was asked to make sure I had a 5 on the gigs lol.
 
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I have big hands, my nemesis is short scales and scrawny necks. Before I discovered 5's the only way I could play a Jazz Bass was to swap a P-Bass neck to it. After getting a 5 it took a while but I discovered that it was much easier to play with female singers, jazz guys and horn players.
Really, there's no going wrong with Ibanez. I love my Jazz sound but in terms of practicality, my Ibanez basses tend to give me way less problems.
I thought when I upgraded from my cheap GSR200 to a MIM P-bass that I was just biased and had to get used to the different feeling. 10 years later I have an American Jazz, a Squier Jaguar VM and a 5 string cheap Ibanez and I still think the same thing: love them all, but the Ibanez is a much more stable instrument, and I bought it all beat up from a dude on facebook for like 150.
I'll take the plunge on a used 6-string soon.
 
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I own a 4 string Alembic and a 5 string Conklin. I use them both, almost equally. The 5 is good to reproduce covers that feature a 5 string or alternate tunings. I also find my ideas are more inspiring writing originals with the flexibility to experiment with all the octave options. My next purchase, a custom six string fretless alembic to add even more emotional character to my original Grooves!
 
I played a S.U.B.5 last week and was floored. Maple fretboard that was super cool to play on and a booming low B that got me all kinds of giddy.

It was 250 and I almost walked out with it. Should have, it was gone a day later.

Dabnabit:sour:
I had a similar experience years ago with a Zeta bass that was designed to be played like a bass guitar. It sounded fantastically like an upright to me. Passed on it that day, but went back the next weekend to find it gone.
 
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