Aversion to five strings: actual dislike, or unfamiliarity?

[pbass2]

Call me old school or stubborn or whatever. If I end up needing lots of notes below E someday, I am more likely to get a synth going.

Well I wouldn't say that's necessarily old school. Practically every new modern pop artist I've seen lately has a bassist doubling on a four string bass and synth bass. FWIW, that seems to be what is more preferred in that world these days.

 

[lermgalieu]

Well I wouldn't say that's necessarily old school. Practically every new modern pop artist I've seen lately has a bassist doubling on a four string bass and synth bass. FWIW, that seems to be what is more preferred in that world these days.

Ok, noted. Not what I meant but it ISN'T what I said (sorry). I misstated that - I meant that you could call my sticking with 4 "old school," and then should have had a period before I talked about a synth.

EDIT: Oh, I DID have a period. As noted above, "old school" referred to sticking with 4, not the synth thing, which was a separate thought.

 

[Hypocrite]

No 5 string will feel "natural" from the first moment you hold it. If you set your mind to owning a 5, you'll need to pick one and stick with it for a while. Only then will you know if the 5 is for you.

I dunno, I learned on a 4, and switched to a 5 after a couple of months. Played 5's exclusively until about six or seven years ago where I started playing a 6, and again, have exclusively done so since then. I have never been one to take string spacing into account when choosing a bass, my thinking is that it's just one of those things you need to get used to, like the stiffness of new shoes or the feel of a new wallet.
I do own a 4 that I bought years ago for an abandoned project, and it hardly gets any playtime, the neck is just too skinny for me. I wouldn't say any bass has felt "unnatural", but I will say that the first time I held a 6, I thought "yep, this feels right."

 

[-Asdfgh-]

In pursuit of upgrading from my Yamaha RBX 374 I have taken multiple trips to local music stores and have tried about 50 or so basses at different price points.

I have tried multiple five strings as an upgrade option and I have not liked any of them.

I think I can largely attribute this to two things. The thicker necks and tighter string spacing.

Did anyone have the same reasons for disliking 5'ers and learn to love them? Is this something that you can get used to over time?

There have really only been two basses that have really caught my attention in terms of comfort and playability in this search. An Ibanez SR500e and a Schecter C-4 GT. Both have pencil thin necks and slim profiles. Maybe I'm just so used to the thin Yamaha neck that those feel more like home?

I feel like I can really only justify my purchase if it's offering something drastically different from the Yamaha.

I'm considering that if I get more time with a fiver, maybe that will be my new home and I can learn to love it? Any experience on this will help. Thanks.

Every now-and-then I buy a five string. Then a year later I sell it. So I've stopped buying them.

 

[Hambone70]

Do you actually need a low B (or a high C)? Do you often play in positions that require you to play notes on the lower frets of the E string while you play something higher up? (Or the other way round with a high C). Do you find yourself moving across octaves that much? If you only use the lower range, why not string a 4-stringer with a low B like Rammstein's bass player does?

It's not just about the additional notes. I like a 5 because I rarely have to play below the 5th fret, and can find almost two octaves in one position. It also makes transposition a whole lot easier.

 

[backin82]

In pursuit of upgrading from my Yamaha RBX 374 I have taken multiple trips to local music stores and have tried about 50 or so basses at different price points.

I have tried multiple five strings as an upgrade option and I have not liked any of them.

I think I can largely attribute this to two things. The thicker necks and tighter string spacing.

Did anyone have the same reasons for disliking 5'ers and learn to love them? Is this something that you can get used to over time?

There have really only been two basses that have really caught my attention in terms of comfort and playability in this search. An Ibanez SR500e and a Schecter C-4 GT. Both have pencil thin necks and slim profiles. Maybe I'm just so used to the thin Yamaha neck that those feel more like home?

I feel like I can really only justify my purchase if it's offering something drastically different from the Yamaha.

I'm considering that if I get more time with a fiver, maybe that will be my new home and I can learn to love it? Any experience on this will help. Thanks.

I went from a standard MiM Fender 4-string jazz bass to a Cort A5 that seemingly had pretty tight string spacing. But from the beginning, I loved the extra string for a variety of reasons. I have since gone to a Lakland DJ5 with wider string spacing and 35 inch scale. Took a while to adjust to larger size/scale, but now I can't live without it.

Maybe it's one of those "if you know, you know" kinda things? I don't know. For me, the 5-string configuration immediately made sense for my style of playing and groups I was playing in at the time, and has become my full-time, go-to configuration. I did play in a rock group for a while where I preferred playing a 4-string and going drop-D tuning periodically.

Use the tool that makes the most sense and/or what you enjoy playing.

 

[funkinbottom]

My reason was based on ergonomics. I had surgery on my left hand, and discovered that a 5er (short/medium scale at that) was much more comfortable to play without that stretch of the low F - G on the E string. I can play easily on the B from 5th to 8th fret for those notes. 40 years of 4 string, now pretty much all 5.

After reading 6 pages of this thread, my takeaway is liken to Ford or Chevy? Truck or hatchback? Gas, electric???? Doesn't matter. They all get you down the road, so drive what ya like.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

1) Like what you like. Don't let me or anyone else tell you what to like.

2) To answer your question, my experience what similar. I kept play 4 string basses and passing on the 5. For whatever reason I ordered a Carvin 6 string bass on a whim. I literally had to get my 4 string basses out of my house to FORCE myself to get used to it. After that, I did a ton of gigs with that bass. But it never felt like "home". But after I got used to the 6, and got a chance to play a 5 again, that's when I settles in on the 5. I play mainly 5 strings these days. But I own amd use several 4 strings when they work better for a given gig.

But that's all my experience. You walk/enjoy your own path.

No 5 string will feel "natural" from the first moment you hold it. If you set your mind to owning a 5, you'll need to pick one and stick with it for a while. Only then will you know if the 5 is for you.

Spot on advice!!!


And my journey from a 4-string to a 5-string was very similar to yours. I bought, -and later sold, three different 5-strings. Each was a spectacular failure on my part, and none of the basses were at fault. I just had a mental block in regards to the B-string. I just couldn't get accustomed to it.

A couple of years later, my wife saw me looking at a 6-string bass online and encouraged me to order one. When it came in, I figured I'd learn it at home, at my own pace.

But my band mates really liked it's sound, and they encouraged me to play it on our gigs.

I was playing wrong notes all over the place at first, but they kept encouraging me.

I quickly realized to play only my E,A,D, and G strings, and gradually start using my B and C strings. And I'd actually think of note names before I played them. I also work-shedded heavily at home, learning my fingerboard.

A couple of months later, I felt pretry comfortable playing my 6-string full time. Then, I bought a new 5-string, and it was finally quite easy for me to play.

It was quite a strange way of doing things, but I'm glad it worked. I enjoy 6-string the most, but now I can switch between any of my basses, and I feel pretty comfortable doing it.

 

[two fingers]

I dunno, I learned on a 4, and switched to a 5 after a couple of months. Played 5's exclusively until about six or seven years ago where I started playing a 6, and again, have exclusively done so since then. I have never been one to take string spacing into account when choosing a bass, my thinking is that it's just one of those things you need to get used to, like the stiffness of new shoes or the feel of a new wallet.
I do own a 4 that I bought years ago for an abandoned project, and it hardly gets any playtime, the neck is just too skinny for me. I wouldn't say any bass has felt "unnatural", but I will say that the first time I held a 6, I thought "yep, this feels right."

OP is exploring the idea of going to a 5 for the first time. He's only played 4. Any 5 simply will not feel "natural" right out of tue gate. If nothing else, plucking hand technique will take some time to get used to.

Also, if you switched only a couple of months into playing bass, you weren't used to ANY bass at that point.

 

[Sam Dingle]

There's a lot of aversion to 5 strings in Nashville in some circles for political reasons and actual reasons. I personally don't like them for long gigs and I don't think they sound great and I've tried a few of them. What I mean by that is all my 4 strings sound better either retuned down or the open E resonates better than an open E on a 5. There are a lot of reasons to use a 5 (pit music is one of the main ones) but for me live I'm not a huge fan.

 

[Snert]

A couple of years later, my wife saw me looking at a 6-string bass online and encouraged me to order one.

This is sorta parallel with what happened to me too, especially once I'd gotten used to the 6s, a 5 was a doddle.

When I first got the 6, I literally just ran scales etc for a couple of weeks whilst watching docos and other things, calling the notes out loud until it was second nature. Then just worked through my practice routines adding the extra strings.

 

[Snert]

There's a lot of aversion to 5 strings in Nashville in some circles for political reasons

Not being in Nashville, and having no dog in that fight, I'm curious what you mean by this. I thought a lot of modern country went below E1.

 

[GroovyBaby]

In pursuit of upgrading from my Yamaha RBX 374 I have taken multiple trips to local music stores and have tried about 50 or so basses at different price points.

I have tried multiple five strings as an upgrade option and I have not liked any of them.

I think I can largely attribute this to two things. The thicker necks and tighter string spacing.

Did anyone have the same reasons for disliking 5'ers and learn to love them? Is this something that you can get used to over time?

There have really only been two basses that have really caught my attention in terms of comfort and playability in this search. An Ibanez SR500e and a Schecter C-4 GT. Both have pencil thin necks and slim profiles. Maybe I'm just so used to the thin Yamaha neck that those feel more like home?

I feel like I can really only justify my purchase if it's offering something drastically different from the Yamaha.

I'm considering that if I get more time with a fiver, maybe that will be my new home and I can learn to love it? Any experience on this will help. Thanks.

I really enjoyed the first 5 string I bought but that doesn't mean you need to. If you don't need to play one, then there is no reason to force it. I started on four, played mostly fives for a while and have been preferring four strings the last few years. I sold one five string last month and have the other up for sale now. Since I don't need to play five, personal preference is all that matters. If you do want to get used to one, pick the most comfortable one and play only it for a while. You will likely adapt.

 

[Marc valero]

After playing guitar for about 15 years, I started playing bass around 1980, when I started playing in bands, and got my first 5 string around 1988. Didn't like the neck, but then got a Stingray 5 in 1990 and it has been only fivers since. It allows you to walk up to low E, play notes on the A string and hammer on the low octave, transpose down, drop in the low root notes or lower fifths, play across the neck. It didn't take me long to get used to it and over time build it into my repertoire of techniques.

 

[DanGroove]

In pursuit of upgrading from my Yamaha RBX 374 I have taken multiple trips to local music stores and have tried about 50 or so basses at different price points.

I have tried multiple five strings as an upgrade option and I have not liked any of them.

I think I can largely attribute this to two things. The thicker necks and tighter string spacing.

Did anyone have the same reasons for disliking 5'ers and learn to love them? Is this something that you can get used to over time?

There have really only been two basses that have really caught my attention in terms of comfort and playability in this search. An Ibanez SR500e and a Schecter C-4 GT. Both have pencil thin necks and slim profiles. Maybe I'm just so used to the thin Yamaha neck that those feel more like home?

I feel like I can really only justify my purchase if it's offering something drastically different from the Yamaha.

I'm considering that if I get more time with a fiver, maybe that will be my new home and I can learn to love it? Any experience on this will help. Thanks.

My experience went like this. Got a 5 string because I was playing in a cover/dance band and needed it for quite a few songs. Did not like the feel at first. Got used to it and loved the bass. Quit that band around the same time I got a nicer 4 string than the 4 string I had before the 5 and started playing on it a lot. A year went by without picking up the 5. Now when I do pick it up I don't like the feel very much again. I'd say if you find yourself in a musical situation where it makes sense then you will get used to it and it won't bother you anymore, but there's not necessarily a reason to get one "just because".

 

[Mark_70]

Jaco only needed - oh wait, that's another thread..

I got a used 5'er from the ads here a while back. My first ventures into the wonderful land of the five string..

Just takes a while to get used to, biggest challenge for me is that there's another string to mute when playing. I'm actually thinking of moving all the strings over: get a high C instead of a low B..

Feels that it's just a matter of getting some muscle memory.. Not really that much different but gonna take a bit of time and practice..

Regards
Mark

 

[mrjim123]

So to answer your question, Yes you will get used to it and find you feel at home with it too. You just have to give it time and play it consistently.

But, HMMV (his mileage may vary).

 

[thisSNsucks]

I actually started on a 5 string then switched to 4's for years. Every once in a while I'd buy a 5er and then sell it off almost immediately.

IMO it's a lot harder to find a great 5 string, plus nut width and string spacing seems to go all over the map so it takes a lot more trying them out before you find one you like.

I just started doing some cover band stuff and came back to the 5 string. I dig it a lot these days.

 

[Hypocrite]

OP is exploring the idea of going to a 5 for the first time. He's only played 4. Any 5 simply will not feel "natural" right out of tue gate. If nothing else, plucking hand technique will take some time to get used to.

Also, if you switched only a couple of months into playing bass, you weren't used to ANY bass at that point.

Indeed, but the wording in the quote I posted made it sound like it applies to anyone, not just OP.
I would say though that a few months (might actually have been six, but whatever) is enough time to get used to something, depending on how many hours you put in of course.

 

[logdrum]

OP - You will hate my 5 string. 20mm spacing and 35 inch scale and it is fretless. Not big hands. I wear L gloves but I like to think I am supple. I also have a 3 string + 5 string , bass + guitar hybrid and that is guitar spacing. I do not get confused switching back and forth. Humans can get used to many things.

I would try it if I were you. Except for the hybrid I do not have a bass from my 4 to the 6 with less than 19mm spacing. Since I owned it before, I'd recommend an Ernie Ball Musicman 5 string. Slightly narrower spacing than a Fender.