Did You Regret Your First 5 String?

[iplay5strings]

I do regret buying my first 5 string...a Tobias. Not the US handmade one...the cheaper one with the dull b string. It had some kind of asymmetrical neck thing that was supposed to aid in comfort...I couldn't tell. Sounded dull and lifeless..

Sorry to hear that you blew your money on a Toby Pro...even the Gibson offerings after the full take over aren't even a shadow of the original Tobias' and the new American MTD's have a different sound all their own. Back to this thread, I regret ever playing a 4 string lol. In all seriousness though a 5 string bass gets me all the way down to the bottom notes the piano has since I tune to D standard. That extra bottom, especially the open low A, gives me a nice bomb to just drop on the audience for big moments in a song (or as payback to overbearing guitards lol).

 

[PJMiDi]

Was just a few weeks ago, but not at all. Really enjoy playing my low E on the B string over an open. Grabbed a used Korean Spector for pretty cheap, the B strings not floppy at all. Biggest adjustment has been being used to drop D and going back to standard. Granted I could just tune ADADG... (I think I'm gonna go do that)

 

[Mind Eroded]

I'm toying with the idea of a fiver, I've never played one so I'll have to go along to a store and try one out.

In the meantime, my question is to those who bought their five string and ultimately regretted doing it - and why?

Bought 5 string SX Jazz a few years ago. regretted it. It was my first attempt at 5 string. Found the 'B' to be kinda dead and unresponsive on that particular bass..then again it was a low end bassl, maybe if I started out with a Stingray 5, things would have been different for me. Somehow I also convinced myself that I was content with a 4 string after all. Went back to my 4's and haven't really looked back since. Try some out and see how you feel...it might be the next step for you, maybe not..

 

[dewbass4]

I Started with a Peavey Foundation 5 the first year they were available (late 80's I think). Nice bass for the money, but me and the neck didn't get along for some reason and I hated the sound of the pups. Sold it within 3 months for very close to what I had in it. No hard feelings. Do I regret it no! Did I like it? NOT at all!

Fast forward to '97, when I found a Cort A5, in a small local shop, that I fell in love with and bought. In '06 I added a Ibanez SR505 because I wanted the active pups. The Cort and Ibanez appear to be identical body and neck deigns with different wood and electronics. I still have the A5 and SR505. Different sounds, same feel and I love them both. Recently tried a Sterling Sub Ray5, I liked the tone, hated the neck so I took it back within the return period.

Moral of the story: Play different basses until you find one that feels right in your hands, then live happily together.

 

[king_biscuit]

My first fiver was a Stingray 5 in 1989. I thought it was the cat's pajamas -- loved that bass!

 

[BBox Bass]

I regret mine, and these days I consider myself lucky that I didn't allow it to turn me off from 5s for good. Five years ago, I bought a Peavey Fury V that I hated because the string spacing felt tight and the B only got in my way, so I sold it. A couple years later, I joined a band that covered a lot of modern rock songs that used the low D and C, so I tuned one of my 4s BEAD. Fortunately, this happened during the summer and since I have a job where working in the summertime is optional, I had plenty of time to get used to it.

A year later, I decided I was ready to take the 5 plunge and bought an Ibanez GSR205. I liked the neck so much that over the next few years I purchased several more 5s with a similar neck profile. I now play 5s mostly, though I still have a few 4s equipped with Hipshot detuners.

Three months ago, I bought a 6 and am starting to get comfortable with it. For me, learning to like extended range basses was mostly a matter of forcing myself out of my comfort zone. I think it has made me a better bassist.

 

[BassKitty101]

I had a 5 string once and it just wasn't my thing.
I'll play pretty much anything on a 4 string now and I've found that if I want power I mainly need to change the way I play and my tone rather than just play low.
But if I do need to go low a 4 string can still do C so I'm covered.

 

[Mystic Michael]

It really ought to go without saying (though it probably doesn't), that there's a more noticeable difference in quality between your average entry-grade five-string bass guitar relative to the quality of your average higher-grade five-string, than there is between the quality of your average entry-grade four-string bass guitar and the quality of your average higher-grade four-string.

For various design and structural reasons, the stringent cost-cutting in the production process that's necessary to bring a five-string bass guitar down to a very low price point tends to result in flaws & limitations in performance that can't easily be ignored. Consequently, anyone who bases his perception of the quality of five-string (and six-string) bass guitars in general, solely or mostly on his limited experience with instruments in this quality category, is doing himself (and others who may heed his opinions) a big disservice...

MM

 

[micgtr71]

^ this is a good point and the reason I do not have one currently. As soon as I find the one that plays/sounds like I want I will grab it.

 

[akratzer]

Got my first 5 in 1992 (warmoth -- it weighed a ton, but sounded great) Played in various bands splitting time equally between it and my 72 Jazz bass.

Sold it in 1995 and played only the Jazz bass for over 15 years. Bought an Ibanez 1205 5 string last year and have moved exclusively to 5's since. I now own 6 of them. All tuned E to C.

 

[peledog]

Cuz it was crrrrap!

 

[Jack]

I keep my 5 around for sentimentality and because the second hand market for Rays is pretty bad atm. So there's some regret, yes.

 

[rojo412]

Like most on here, I don't regret the 5 strings for what they are...
For me, what I regret about the 5 string is being addicted to it. I can no longer justify a 4 string because everything I do for originals and a lot of covers is on a 5.
It's not the worst thing, I love the 5 string selection in the world. But I can't really justify owning a really cool, vintage instrument.
A '74 Jazz? Thanks, but I can't keep that

 

[zmBass]

Yes , yes I did - most of all it was a learning experience that i didn't enjoy the extra string and the sound that came with it.
Generally I prefer the the p-bass tone , what i got was a Ibanez 705 which is a really good bass (basically indestructible) but was not enjoyable to play.

 

[LowNotes1]

I still have my first and only 5-string, an Ursa from SX, purchased not very long ago. I love it. It's taken me a while to get used to the string spacing, and remembering that when my 4-string brain says "hit the bottom string", that it's not an E any more.

I bought the SX because it was so inexpensive; I figured if a 5-string wasn't for me, I'm not out a lot of bucks. I wanted it to play along with some songs on my iPod that were recorded with 5-strings. I have some other decent basses, but because the 5-string is so versatile, I play it more than the others nowadays.

If I were to buy another, I might go for one that has a wider string spacing, but to each his own on that. Some may prefer it narrow.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I'm sure I spent well over $10,000 on all the 5s I owned and my only regret about it was not switching to a 7 string earlier. Honestly I think people should play what is comfortable for them physically not mentally. I think most players stick with a 4 because mentally it is easier but my left hand fits the shape of the neck on my 7 and I was surprised to find I can pretty much play it till my 7 till finger tips bleed where on a 4 string my left hand would be killing me after an hour and on a 5 after about and hour and a half because hand was always so curled up. My 7 is tuned g#beadgc so the reach to the low B is similar to a 6 with a thin neck. Getting a good low b tone is complicated you need a good string that is installed correctly (most people dont understand string twisting) and also more headroom in your amp so I think that also contributes to some players not anything beyond a 4.

 

[rubbadubdub]

I got into the b string thing after stringing a 4 string bead. At first I had a job hearing the pitch of the lowest notes although this was partly due to the fact that I was rolling off all the top and a lot if mids. It made an awesome dub tone.
I have never needed a five string despite the last band I worked with moaning a little about me not having one.
I have a Peavey Millenium bxp Ac with the nasty preamp ripped out and although I like the look and sound of it I still prefer my passive 4 strings. They just feel more comfortable to play.
Getting the b string accross on a recording can be a hassle and unless you have some serious pa system you won't always get the full effect accross live either. I do like the options open to you for walking lines and as I prefer to play high up the neck on the low strings for a rounder tone I enjoy the five.
I guess to summarise, I'm glad that I finally have one but I would never get rid of my 4 stringers.

 

[MasterMonkeyMan]

I regret selling my first 5. Carvin BB bubinga with wide spaced asymmetrical neck. It was sweet. I still have 5's love 5's and even have a 6. I have big hands, long fingers and the wider necks just fit better. I rarely play below low D or much above low E on the big string but the width of a 5 just feels better to me. The fact that I learned on a 5 my be a strong factor. My 6 feels real good in my hands as well.

 

[Session1969]

I bought my first fiver in 2001 and worked out well because I was playing alot of reggae/fusion. Half the reason was for low d and c(can't remember ever actually using a low b note except on a run or two maybe) but the other half was for a more round tone on notes like playing e,f & g on the b string. That's about it, though. It's really isn't a big deal. I went back to a four for a couple years and now I play both. I hate tuning down except for using a d-tuner. The half step down is o.k. but I wouldn't/can't use a d-tuner because the e is too floppy in that case. I've tuned my fives down a half step when everyone else is and I like it better than tuning down a half step on a four, btw. It's not a big difference but the strings stayed a little tighter, I believe.

The best fiver for the money that I've owned is the Lakland 55-01. They play amazing for a 7-800 dollar 5 string. They're cool because you can upgrade the electronics(U.S. bartolini is what I did and it sounds amazing) down the road and have a bass that sounds every bit as good as a 2-3k bass, imo. That's the thing about fivers, btw. They can get stupid expensive. I've owned U.S. Fender, Yamaha, and U.S. Lakland fivers in the past. If you play rock, I'd get one with a maple board because the bodies are ash on the 5501's.

For heavier stuff where the guitarists tune down, it's essential nowadays, imo.

 

[tink9975]

My first 5 string was a Carvin LB75. After 20 years it is still my main bass.