Aversion to five strings: actual dislike, or unfamiliarity?

[Sam Dingle]

Not being in Nashville, and having no dog in that fight, I'm curious what you mean by

it's a weird thing for sure. I have not found any one reason why but I have a few theories. For context I moved here in September '21, I've been lucky to be playing semi regularly on the road with some artists (mostly covers with some originals). I've had coffee with a few bassists in bigger bands and have picked their brains about this.

so some touring bassists don't care and some do. Also in the same way some artists don't care and some do. For example Taylor Swifts bassist plays 5s when needed, and Florida Georgia Line only use 5 strings. Tully Kennedy in Aldens band is pretty much all 5s.

on the flip side the bassist for Little Big Town (he's on talkbass) tunes his 4 string basses down. I've heard down a whole step (DGCF) and a step and a half (C#F#BE). I think also maybe at some point BEAD. Im told the bassist in Brothers Osborne tunes a main bass BEAD.

also most of the "top" session guys are known to tune down vs play a 5. Mark Hill and Jimmie Sloas are the two I think of. There's one interview online of Sloas that implys he may not have a bass tuned standard.

why is this? Look and sound.

a 4 string bass looks more traditional and this is something people consider. People listen with their eyes and artists want to see what they are used to. Sounds stupid with a 5 string to some, but imagine watching little big town live and seeing the bass player play a 6 string single cut Ibanez BTB (something I've actually seen here).

Then there is sound. This is just a fact, tuning down and playing using open strings sounds different than a 5 string. So if the record is played on a down tuned bass in order to get that sound live that's the way to do it. Now I'll make it clear I don't mean better, but it's not the same and I've focused in on that a little because I want to be good at recreating the sound on the record. An example is playing the open G string vs playing fret 10 on the A string. The A string will give you a fatter sound. I hear a difference between an open drop D string and a closed 3rd fret on the B. Again, different not better or worse.

For example I LOVE Tully Kennedy's playing and sound. Like god damn one of my personal tone and playing hero's. No one gives a poop if he plays his sadowskys or some weird 7 string if he's playing the same parts. But for two different sound examples, I hear the song She's Country and the lowest note is a C# (2nd fret on the B string). That same note is played on the little big town song "Kiss Goodbye" and I am 90% sure that is a passive bass tuned down to C# standard. I personally hear a difference (not better or worse)

I've heard and I'm sure there is a bias in the studio as well, but there is also a mindset that if you sound good and play good parts no one cares which I agree with.

Someone who was a "stay away from 5s" guy made the comparison if a guitarist showed up to a country gig with a 7 string gutiar, wouldn't you have some bias? I have seen a lot of players on 5s who sit on the B all night and it doesn't sound great. Again the bass doesn't possess you to over play, but that's a bias some people have.

now again I'm 8 months in, and semi obsess learning about these things after moving here. Tag any of the Nashville pros in this thread and they'll give you different answers but I hope that explains it a little.

 

[Cleezmo]

I'll echo what a lot of folks have stated - switching to a 5er didn't feel easy or natural at first, and I had to put my 4 string (my only other bass at the time) in the rack to get fully up to speed. I went from playing a 34" scale 1.5" neck w/ 19mm spacing to a 35" scale 17.5mm spacing. I pretty much ONLY played the 5er for probably a year, and if for some reason I switched between 5 and 4 in either direction, I'd be all over the place for a tune or two until I got my bearings. But in time, that goes away.

I now have two 5ers (fretted and fretless) and a handful of 4-strings, and I often take one 5 and one 4 to a gig and swap between sets just to change it up, or if one set has a few drop D tunes, etc. At this point I can pretty much put one down, pick the other up, and be at my normal level of accuracy...but it didn't happen overnight.

For those who say string spacing isn't a big deal, you get used to it, etc.; I'd say yes, to a degree. Fingerstyle, no problem. Slapping, problem...at least for me. That 1.5mm tighter spacing means my 5-string slapping is not nearly as clean as doing so on a 4-string. So I never play a 5er on a slap tune, because it would not sound great...but back in the day, when I pretty much only played a 5er, it was fine. Its all muscle memory, but my right arm/hand muscles only remember how to slap cleanly on 19mm spacing apparently...

And as others have said, if you end up putting in the time and think a 5er isn't for you, all good - no reason to play something you don't like playing. Personally I go through phases where I play more 4 or more 5, that's the beauty of having more than one!

 

[GregT]

I got a brand new USA Fender Jazz five string and kept it for a while. I got rid of it because the neck was much, much wider than it needed to be to support five strings. It just felt ridiculous. I liked having the B string but not at the expense of comfort. They could easily have shaved more than a quarter inch off the neck and it would have had the string spacing of a normal Fender Jazz. It felt like I was playing a sixties department store guitar. The distance between strings wasn't anything like a Jazz Bass or even my Precision. I'll stick with my Precision and Musicmaster four stringers.

 

[BarfanyShart]

I've pretty much always had both 4s and 5s. I'm probably always going to vibe with 4s more, and thus enjoy playing them more, but you can't argue with the advantages of an extended range instrument.

 

[Boneless]

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.

What did I say?

 

[cymbop]

5 strings? I can hardly count to five without looking down at my hands.

I'm just too dumb.

 

[Johnny StingRay]

The praise group I played in for 15 years played A LOT in Eb, D, and Dd major due to our singers preferred keys. I do not believe in "tuning down"…….reasons for which I do not want to explain at this time…. Playing a four string in those keys was always too "tinty" to my and my groups ears. The solution was a five string…..more specifically a StingRay 5. Problem solved.

 

[Dincrest]

As others have said, my first 5-string was not ideal and I've played a LOT of 5-strings before finding my huckleberries. And even then, it's kinda like buying a new house; it doesn't feel like home at first, but once you unpack and get settled it becomes home.

I've spent years playing 4, 5, and 6-string basses, and 5 is what works best for me.

When it comes to nut widths, scale lengths, fret counts, spring spacings, neck profiles... there is a lot more variation among 5-strings than 4-strings because of additional variables.

And even 5-strings with similar specs feel different. For example, I used to have a very nice Ibanez Soundgear 5-string that, on paper, has very similar specs to my favored LTD 5-strings. Guess what? They felt different. I vastly prefer the feel of the LTD neck profiles and the way they balance against my body. The Soundgear felt too skinny to me (and I do not have big hands at all), as in the strings felt more cramped despite having similar numbers to my LTDs. Moral of the story- numbers only tell part of the story.

I think LowEndLobster's video illustrates some of these points very well:

 

[gidbass]

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.

It took my a solid month of playing only my 5er when I first bought it. I practiced all my songs almost daily and I had to correct some bad habits I had developed, but didn't notice, from playing 4's.

This was the video that helped me the most to correct my bad habits of not correctly muting strings.




Now, I have 4 5's and no 4's...

Good Luck!

 

[MrB64]

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 through exactly what you're doing now, and I will echo what two fingers said. Like what you like, play what's comfortable for you. Don't let anyone twist your arm. I tried various fivers, and I decided to stay with 4 string basses. I just like them better. If you decide to go with a five string, God bless, and jam on. If you decide to stick with four string basses, hey it's familiar territory, and there is nothing at all wrong with that. Good luck!

 

[Ostie]

I don't dislike because I've never played a fiver. Out of my comfort zone, so I should challenge myself by trying one.

 

[ad9000]

I've been playing 5's since 1987 (my first was an EB Music Man Stingray V) and at that time I was more than ready to make the jump. I took it on a gig the day I picked it up and didn't look back. Part of the rationale of going to a 5 was having to execute a lot of parts that were synth bass on records (with a significant amount of sub low-E notes), as well as getting some sessions and gigs where low notes were essentially written in the parts.

I got hold of a Yamaha TRB-6P (six string) in 1990 and that was my main bass throughout the 90's. I did also play 4-strings often throughout that time as well when it was more appropriate to go that route. 5's gradually got back in the mix for me in the mid-2000's onward, increasing to the point where at present I take a 5 on about 85% of my gigs and sessions.

I like them with wide spacing - 19mm and 1 7/8" at the nut is preferred, though I have an MTD that's narrower. Sometimes it takes a little while to get used to it if I haven't played it for a while. My favorite V and favorite all-around bass at the moment is a Bluesman Vintage Eldorado V.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I played 5 string for a long time as a 4 string with a B string thumb rest and the only notes I played on it were Eb and below. On my initial, initial playing of a 5 string it was muting that really got me in a bind. Look into "floating thumb" technique to help you our with muting, learn the notes above the 5th fret and like a lot of issues, a teacher that knows what they're doing can really help you out with what you're doing and help eliminate what you're doing wrong to help you with adapting more quickly.

Do you need a 5? Probably not, but it doesn't really hurt to have one in the stable of options.

 

[Bob Blooth]

A B string can be very useful but it's not necessary and not for everyone. You could accomplish some of the same things with an Octave pedal. For me, the 5 felt comfortable, so I went for it. But the B string was my thumb test 90% of the time. That 10% of the time though…there is something really satisfying about hitting those notes below E! I just like to sit on them and let them and support the music. There are so many 5 strings out there with different spacing as and neck shapes…if you feel the call to play a 5 - keep checking them out! So many great luthiers out there. I'm sure you can find a 5 string bass that inspires you

 

[MrLenny1]

I own four 5 string basses. I got into a 5 because of some
music that I was into, mostly Jazz Fusion.
5 string bass since 1991.

 

[Mark 63]

When I played in a Grateful Dead band, I used a 5 stringer. I'd hit the low B on the last choruses on US Blues. The drummer said it made his genitals tingle.
So that's one in the plus column.

 

[Hounddog409]

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.

Never had the need for anything more than 4. And no interest in playin one "just cuz".

 

[J Wilson]

Really, I have an aversion to ketchup on hot dogs and sugar in grits. How many strings, that's your business.

 

[misterCRUSH]

I got my first fiver from my wife for xmas last year. It is an absolutely amazing bass. It's an Ibanez srf705 fretless. I have not been able to put it down. In fact, I'm selling two of my fours to buy another fiver. I think that you should get one, and spend some time with it. Your muscle memory will adjust to the neck width, extra string, and string spacing. I look at it like this, everything I can do on a four, I can do on a five, AND I have extend range and not options. I would not have been able to play Portrait of Tracy on a four, I just don't have hands big enough to do it. It's possible on the five. So that's one real life example. best of luck, hope this helps!!

 

[Bass-ball]

Started on a four in the late 80s, then switched to a five when they got trendy in the 90s, then I played it for over 15 years exclusively. You would THINK that means I like it, but I don't. But I had a four string fretless on the side and I found myself grabbing that even for stuff where the "mwah" wouldn't get noticed or even mattered. Then it donned on me: I don't like 5 strings. Went back to four string recently and my five just sits there. If I'm ever filling in for someone or recording for someone and they need those lower notes, I'll play it. But I always reach for the four string first.

So for me, actual dislike; not unfamiliarity.