Do I need a 5?

[bassbully]

With a 5 you need to watch muting and a pick player may have a harder time with this. Most 5ers seem to be finger players.

If you're band in Eb, playing a standard tuned 5 will be confusing. Tuning it down a half or full step will really take the useful tones out of the B string. Drop tune a 4 (and get and octave instead IMO.)

In a studio I would record many parts with a 4 and overdub with the 5 some low notes.

35" and String through bodies shine here. (Playing a 35" also makes playing a 34" fretless easier. Stretch is there in muscle memory)

With A Five you can get Short Scale fattness out of the upper region of the Low B.

You'll be able to use it as a consistent thumb rest and greatly improve right hand mobility

You'll need more out of you're amp in wattage and EQ

If you plan on bouncing back and forth between 4s and 5s, expect confusion. If not good for you. I got it and have kicked it. But be prepared to practice and if you gig, know which axe=tune.

An upright technique i know not the name of, if any requires a 5... for a great thumpy tone, rather than striking the string you pull it like a bow and arrow i suppose and when it releases you get a thump as you're finger or thumb hits the adjacent string with the energy. Release the E to thump into the muted B. No B No thump.

We spend allot of "Working" time in the first five frets. A 5 really does add allot of useful low notes where we need them and a second position to get them.

I still play a "4" when I use the 5, meaning I ignore the 5th string consciously when writing or learning parts. When I need it tends to be:
Ghost, octave and "thump" notes
I used the low D allot. C# C some. B open and proud only 2 times night (BOOOM)
It has the possibility of eliminating big jumps on the neck and simplifying difficult passages.
Songs in Eb, D, C# get a nice Low note.
Fat short scale tone on low strings, higher register.

Hope this Helps. Lakland 55-02 AWESOME 5. Lakland Jazz 5's are great too.

I tune my five down a half step and notice no tone loss on my B string. To me the ease of note patterns the B creates make a five so handy.

 

[twinjet]

I currently have a Fender Jazz & Precision and a Musicman Stingray - all great and all 4 strings. I have been toying with the idea of buying a 5 string, possibly a Fender Jazz V. Before I dive in I wanted to check with you guys who have gone through the same though process. Bottom line, if I go down this route will I stick with 5 as my go to instrument or revert to a 4 once the novelty wears off and will end up selling the 5 down the line?

I've played nearly 11 years. Owned a sixer, a fiver and after a few years I reverted to fours only. Stylistically, I just never used the low B enough for it to be worth it. I guess the answer depends on your style.

 

[wmhill]

Nope.....

 

[StringThing]

Lakland?

A 55-02 is AWESOME. It can also get the sounds of all three basses with the LH3 preamp. Designed to Move between P, J and MM pickup configs. Plays better than any of them to boot. I've actually compared in a blind test at a store once with a MM J and P, all American, against the 55-02 and the Store owner got each guess wrong! LOL. That must count for something.

 

[basspraiser]

I have only fivers now.... Well except for my EUB.

I personally like the ability to play 3 octaves.... When I need it... And I like reaching the low E and F without moving from the fifth position....

We do alot in Eb and Db so I like the ability to go low of I want.

If not needed...I suck with the " bassic" 4 strings.. Why not give yourself an option ...

 

[basspraiser]

A 55-02 is AWESOME. It can also get the sounds of all three basses with the LH3 preamp. Designed to Move between P, J and MM pickup configs. Plays better than any of them to boot. I've actually compared in a blind test at a store once with a MM J and P, all American, against the 55-02 and the Store owner got each guess wrong! LOL. That must count for something.

Could not agree more...

 

[swafran]

You could get a good cheap 5 to try it out. I did that and realized I liked 5s. If it turns out you don't, you're only out a couple hundred bucks. IMHO the best dirt cheap 5 is the Harley Benton PJ5. Or an SX Ursa 5 wouldn't steer you wrong.

 

[hrodbert696]

You would only "need" a fiver if you're playing a style of music that calls for notes from all five strings, over the course of a gig if not in each individual tune. It can definitely be useful in prog metal, modern country, and some pop. And the OP doesn't say. But as most of the more sensible people have said, only you can decide if a 5er suits you or not.

My own history - I started on a 5er very early on, it was my first gigging bass (though not my very first bass) and I thought of myself as an exclusive 5-string player for a long time. Then I got a 4 just out of a nagging feeling like I wanted the "classic." Then I got into a classic rock band where none of the songs needed the B string and a 4 just seemed to fit the image better. Wound up with a couple of 4s I really liked and they became my main players. I still have the 5ers and pull them out from time to time, though, like on a recent couple of sub gigs that needed the lower notes. It never hurts to have one in the stable if you fancy a different ride from time to time.

Think of the greatest bass players in history, did any of them play a 5 string? Enough said.

Nathan East?

Or I'm sorry, did you mean only the greatest players from the era before the 5-string became widely available?

What I don't understand is why people ask "Do I need"

When I first picked up a bass I didn't ask anyone "Do I need a Bass?'
I just went and bought one.
When I first saw a five I didn't ask anyone "Do I need a five?"
I just went and bought one.
When I first saw a six I didn't ask anyone "Do I need a six?"
I just went and bought one.
When I first saw a seven I didn't ask anyone "Do I need a seven?"
I just went and bought one.

Don't you yourself know what you need?
Only you know your criteria to choose.

Amen.

If you do go shopping for a 5-string don't go cheap. $2,000 should be a good starting point. ... I've always found the most expensive the 5-string the less I notice it's a 5-string I'm playing. ... D-tuner, as stated, is a great way to go. Will Lee tunes his to a C, so that's lower than a 5-string. ... Try stringing your MM to B, E, A, D and see if that works for you.

I have a Yamaha BB415 that cost $300 and am utterly thrilled with it. Never letting that girl go.

 

[TheMartianBassist]

Oh dear where is my new 2017 popcorn dammit? my scotch and my 6 packs are already here of course!

If I could double like this comment, I would.
With all due respect to the OP, this is probably one of the most posted questions on TB. How often is there a thread on this? At least several times a week?

And why is it always so black and white? I need to have ONLY a 4 or ONLY a 5? Why not both? Why not simply just get a 5er if you actually NEED to play lower notes? Or if you just WANT to play lower notes for fun?

There arr no pros and cons on this topic.

 

[Ellery]

Yes. You need one.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I have a 4 and a 5. The 5 is my main player and the 4 I have setup in bead as my backup. Most of the material I play i don't really need a 5 string for. As in I don't need the high g much. There's a couple songs where the position jumps are totally ridiculous to do on a 4, a song where I sorta drone on the d string and play a melody on the g string. I do prefer my 5 for the two songs we have in drop A because it's a longer scale 35" vs 34". Both of my basses have a lot on common. They both have the same series electronics (EMG 35dc and 40dc pickups with matching eq) the both are ESPs made using the same woods; mahogany bodies, flamed maple tops, maple necks, rosewood boards. They have identical tuners, 4 and 5 string versions of the same bridge. My 4 string is slightly lighter. The string spacing is actually pretty similar. I like both of them and think a lot of people are comparing apples to oranges when they compare a 5 to the 4 strings they have.

I will say I've never been a fan of fenders 5 strings. If you want a bass with more of a classic look I'd recommend a stingray 5.

 

[mbell75]

Nathan East?

Or I'm sorry, did you mean only the greatest players from the era before the 5-string became widely available?

Well, Fender put out the Bass V in 1965 and they have been available for many decades, so that pretty much covers every iconic bass player I can think of. Jaco, Geddy, Clarke, Wooten, Flea...shall I continue? Not a 5 string player anywhere.

 

[jimmyjames77]

Not sure if it's been said, 4 strings and an octave pedal get you that low be range without the 5th string in the way.

 

[ShirazBop]

1974 -2012 (didn't play from '87-2004,..I know STUPID!) 4 bangers exclusively,... 2012 picked up a Fender P5,... no turning back, does EVERYTHING that the 4 string did with the extended range lower to support better Contemporary Christian Praise and Worship that I play exclusively now. Took a little getting used to but the added lower range and the linear conservation of movement has me sold. I have one each 4 string P/J fretted and Fretless as needed but can play a P5 (any of the 3 I own) all day long. If you're unsure you could look for a Squire P5's to try. Or if you'd like a top notch excellent Fender Jazz V, there are a few in the classifieds right now,...

Cheers,
Rob

 

[Watchootognbout]

Well, Fender put out the Bass V in 1965 and they have been available for many decades, so that pretty much covers every iconic bass player I can think of. Jaco, Geddy, Clarke, Wooten, Flea...shall I continue? Not a 5 string player anywhere.

Jimmy"Flim"Johnson plays a five string Alembic.
Wooten has played a five string fretless Compito bass.
There are even more that skipped the five and went straight to a six.Famous six string players?

 

[lbbc]

I had a very nice Alembic Rogue 5er.... Couldn't get used to it so I traded for a 4 string Alembic Persuader....Never looked back!

 

[mbell75]

Jimmy"Flim"Johnson plays a five string Alembic.
Wooten has played a five string fretless Compito bass.
There are even more that skipped the five and went straight to a six.Famous six string players?

Im not talking about using a 5 here and there, Im talking about as their main bass. Every legendary bass player you can think of uses/used a 4 string as their main, period.

 

[MoeTown1986]

I have 3 five strings and 3 four strings currently. If you want a Fender Jazz V, find an American Deluxe or get a new American Elite!

 

[Watchootognbout]

Im not talking about using a 5 here and there, Im talking about as their main bass. Every legendary bass player you can think of uses/used a 4 string as their main, period.

Jimmy Johnson constantly uses his five.Fretted and fretless.
They are his main basses.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Im not talking about using a 5 here and there, Im talking about as their main bass. Every legendary bass player you can think of uses/used a 4 string as their main, period.

Legendary bass players that I can think of?
Anthony Jackson.
Les Claypool.
John Patitucci.
Tom Kennedy.
Alain Caron.
Steve Bailey.
Adam Nitti.
Oteil Burbridge.
Jimmy Haslip.
John Myung.
Nathan East.
Phil Lesh.
All don't use a four stringer as their main.