Do I really need a 5 string bass?

[Antisyzygy]

So I have been looking to buy a new bass. My current 5 string (Schecter Omen 5 string) is an ok bass, but I just want something better. While playing a couple of gigs last month, I noticed that I do not use the B string at all (maybe 4 or 5 times during a 3.5 hour show). I play in a Cajun/Zydeco band and all other bands use 5 string basses, but I feel that I don't need a 5 string bass. I was thinking about an Ibanez bass, but I love Fender basses and I want the MIM P Bass Deluxe. What do you guys think?

It's nice to have one because you get the extended low-end scale, but you could get pretty close to the same functionality by putting a drop-tuner on a 4-stringer. Other people tune their 4-string basses BEAD.

I think it's good to have one bass that can at least go a bit lower than the others, but it doesn't matter if it's a 4 or 5 string.

I keep one versatile 5 stringer (Carvin LB75W J/MM) around just so I have it for when I need it. All my main players are 4 stringers. I'd probably sell my 5-stringer if someone wanted it that badly, but I'm not really incentivized to go out of my way to sell it. I'm content keeping it in my stable for a rainy day.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Back in 1981, Robert Wilson tuned his E down to B and recorded this classic with a four string Precision. The B sounds weak compared to a good five, but this is still an all time slow jam bassline.

Not sure how I missed this "classic" but glad I did. That E string tuned down to a B sounds terrible - floppy sound with no definition at all and I don't see the point of using it in that song. When he gets into range with his normal strings, his bass sounds good and fills the bottom end nicely.

ButI find that E dropped to B to be an affectation and not even close to being musically appropriate in this song. Huge difference between the lows on the B and notes played on the A - not surprising with almost an octave between the two strings. If you're going to play down there get a bass that will play it well and smoothly transition between strings with a compatible timber to the other notes played. This is worse than one of those boom-box car audios assaulting your ears with their indistinct, muddy, and boomy bass driving by that you pray won't stop at the same lights as you do. "My music sounds like crap but see how low my bass can go". Use a good 5-string for these low registers or don't do it! it was so annoying I couldn't stand to listen to the entire song.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Not sure how I missed this "classic" but glad I did. That E string tuned down to a B sounds terrible - floppy sound with no definition at all and I don't see the point of using it in that song. When he gets into range with his normal strings, his bass sounds good and fills the bottom end nicely.

ButI find that E dropped to B to be an affectation and not even close to being musically appropriate in this song. Huge difference between the lows on the B and notes played on the A - not surprising with almost an octave between the two strings. If you're going to play down there get a bass that will play it well and smoothly transition between strings with a compatible timber to the other notes played. This is worse than one of those boom-box car audios assaulting your ears with their indistinct, muddy, and boomy bass driving by that you pray won't stop at the same lights as you do. "My music sounds like crap but see how low my bass can go". Use a good 5-string for these low registers or don't do it! it was so annoying I couldn't stand to listen to the entire song.

First, it is easy to miss a classic, if you don't follow a genre closely. I know there are lots of classics I don't know in genres I don't follow. If you really know funk and Quiet Storm formats, you know @Yearning for Your Love." Second, this song was recorded in 1981, there were no BEADG five strings in those days. Robert Wilson was a pioneer like Anthony Jackson in extending the range of the bass.

 

[DanielSkilberg]

When tuning a 4 string to B, E, A, D, of course you need thicker strings as the 4 Thickest in a 5 string set. And also do a proper setup for it. Do it right and it sounds good.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Yeah Dr. Cheese you're quite correct, there were no 5-strings back thing. So it was definitely pioneering. I just don't think it was musical at all. And if it's not musical, what's the point? I understand him giving it a try but to release it for sale is something else. The whole point on most 5-strings being 35" scale instead of 34" is specifically to avoid that floppy, indistinct sound that keeps interrupting the flow of that song. So it's cool he was thinking out of the box, I just don't think it worked well.

Back to the OP's original question, I'd tell him to keep his 5 and buy a nice 4-string. He can play the 4 that he seems to have GAS for on most songs and pull out his 5-string as needed. Problem solved - one of each. Use what you want when you want. I'm the other way around. I love my 4-string and no way I'll get rid of it, but found I really needed a 5-string for a few songs. Plus, as others have noted, it allowed me to shift my bass patterns around easily without using open strings - so it made changing keys easier when dealing with a finicky vocalist. AND, I can now easily play in Eb so I don't have to shift the recordings up to concert pitch to practice parts with groups who like to record and perform ½-step down all the time.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

When tuning a 4 string to B, E, A, D, of course you need thicker strings as the 4 Thickest in a 5 string set. And also do a proper setup for it. Do it right and it sounds good.

And you'll probably have to have the nut on your bass re-cut to accommodate the bigger strings, at least for the B.

 

[Herrick]

If you only need the low D a few times in a set I would suggest this. I usually keep mine set so my bass can drop to Bb.

How do you get it to sound good? I've tried it on a Carvin PB5 & Warwick Corvette 5 Standard. When I set the Drop to B, the open E strings on both basses sound 100 times worse than the worst open B on a 5-string bass.

 

[Kukulkan61]

Are you done learning and succeeding on a 4 string, if not NO you don't need a 5 string...just my opinion on that subject...

 

[Gospel Bass Player]

So I have been looking to buy a new bass. My current 5 string (Schecter Omen 5 string) is an ok bass, but I just want something better. While playing a couple of gigs last month, I noticed that I do not use the B string at all (maybe 4 or 5 times during a 3.5 hour show). I play in a Cajun/Zydeco band and all other bands use 5 string basses, but I feel that I don't need a 5 string bass. I was thinking about an Ibanez bass, but I love Fender basses and I want the MIM P Bass Deluxe. What do you guys think?

Check out the Sire MMV7...you can choose whatever flavor you like. Available in 4 or 5 string models.Invalid Link Removed

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It depends on what you're playing. Even then you can get by with a 4 string on any gig. But you can get by a little easier with a 5 on many gigs.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Different people like different things. I play 5 and use low b string in all but one of our songs. I could play some of our material on a 4 string set up bead but doing so would require me to bring multiple basses to every gig. I don't mind bringing say a fretted 5 and a fretless but when you start needing multiple basses to cover different tunings it gets rediculous. For the op and their personal situation it Sounds to me like a 4 string with a Hipshot bass extender would be the way to go. I would also suggest trying a better 5. I love my stingray 5. The neck is very manageable. I mean it's really not very different bulk wise from a 4 string p bass. The strings are just closer together to fit the additional string. The stingray 5 has a really nice string spacing taper. the nut width is very much like a 4 string but the strings get farther apart the closer you get to the bridge. the spacing is wide enough towards the bridge for any techniques and pretty big hands. This is something a lot of people probably overlook about the american made stingray 5s. The strings aren't parallel to each other like a lot of cheaper basses are. Imo this provides the best of both worlds. A manageable neck with a nice string spacing for the plucking/picking hand.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Only you can answer that. For me, having a de-tuner on the E is enough, since it allows me to move to drop D tuning in an instant.

I would think if you only are hitting the B string 4 or 5 times a night, you can consider getting a 4, since you get more bang for your buck.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Yeah Dr. Cheese you're quite correct, there were no 5-strings back thing. So it was definitely pioneering. I just don't think it was musical at all. And if it's not musical, what's the point? I understand him giving it a try but to release it for sale is something else. The whole point on most 5-strings being 35" scale instead of 34" is specifically to avoid that floppy, indistinct sound that keeps interrupting the flow of that song. So it's cool he was thinking out of the box, I just don't think it worked well.

Back to the OP's original question, I'd tell him to keep his 5 and buy a nice 4-string. He can play the 4 that he seems to have GAS for on most songs and pull out his 5-string as needed. Problem solved - one of each. Use what you want when you want. I'm the other way around. I love my 4-string and no way I'll get rid of it, but found I really needed a 5-string for a few songs. Plus, as others have noted, it allowed me to shift my bass patterns around easily without using open strings - so it made changing keys easier when dealing with a finicky vocalist. AND, I can now easily play in Eb so I don't have to shift the recordings up to concert pitch to practice parts with groups who like to record and perform ½-step down all the time.

You not liking it is a matter of taste. The song was a huge hit, so it obviously spoke to a lot people, and the song is still played on r&b stations today.

 

[DanielSkilberg]

And you'll probably have to have the nut on your bass re-cut to accommodate the bigger strings, at least for the B.

Of course. As I wrote. You need a proper setup.

 

[bikeplate]

No, You do not need a 5 string bass

 

[gierolf_hvitrserkr]

I tune to BEAD on my 4 string, it gives me a nice low range, and i use specific distortions that bring out the low notes better, I find that the 5 notes in the low end are better to keep the bass as the low end instrument, I play 4 string BEAD over standard tuning all the time, the lows and the higher mids in walking fashon work wonders, yeah, the lows are not as noticed as the highs, but the lows add nice variety so the highs are noticed better.

 

[basslayer]

How do you get it to sound good? I've tried it on a Carvin PB5 & Warwick Corvette 5 Standard. When I set the Drop to B, the open E strings on both basses sound 100 times worse than the worst open B on a 5-string bass.

I run it through a Zoom MS 60 B.

 

[mikeyjm2]

How do you get it to sound good? I've tried it on a Carvin PB5 & Warwick Corvette 5 Standard. When I set the Drop to B, the open E strings on both basses sound 100 times worse than the worst open B on a 5-string bass.

Not my photo, but since I use one too... you raise a good question. I've only used mine to drop a half or whole step, so D is as far as I've gone (other than using the octave thing on one song we play). On a D it sounds OK. On a B I'm going to have to try it and see. I suspect I'll agree with you that it doesn't sound good.

 

[Herrick]

I run it through a Zoom MS 60 B.

Does the Low B sound good? You said you drop it to Bb...did you mean Eb?

 

[darwin-bass]

I said :

My low-note machine is a 4 string bass that I tune down to DGCF for the songs in D or Eb. Then I transpose the music and play it as normal. I do not need (nor can I comfortably play) a 5 string but I do sometimes need some slightly lower notes.

Wow...this sounds like a really convincing argument to play a 5 string to me, especially since you're directly referencing live work. How many times a night do you have to tune and retune your bass between standard tuning and DGCF? Sounds like a pain (and a momentum killer in a fast-paced live set). Some people might not need a 5 string, but it sounds like you do! LOL

I have 2 bases, one EADG, the other DGCF. I just switch basses. No retuning. I have gone the 5-string route. Twice. Both times I came to the same conclusion.

They. hurt. to. play.

Blame it on the arthritis in my L thumb. I just can't handle the wider neck of a 5-string bass, even the narrow ones. They just hurt. So my solution is to return to 4 which doesn't hurt as much.

Do I "need" a 5-string? Probably but I am forced to stick with the 4. Which, by the way, I enjoy playing more anyway!