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Does a 4-string bass become obsolete after picking up a 5-string?

#504
No.
I started out on a four.
Moved to a five.
Then a six.
And for a time a seven.
Now I'm permanently back at six.
Fretted and fretless.

For me a four and five would be redundant.
They are built into a six.
And a seven was teetering on the edge of controlability.

But far more will buy and play a four.
 
#505
vindibona1 said:
I can see why some people just don't bother with 5 string basses nor should they. In many cases not a necessity at all. But it can change everything. Once you go there with any seriousness it is so hard to turn back.
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You say that like it's a negative, but I'm with you. I'm probably just not talented enough to be comfortable on both, so now I'm a 5er for life.
 
#508
JustRoots said:
Hey! This is my first post on TalkBass!
I'm about to purchase a 5-string bass. This definitely is something I can use, I'm playing a lot of metal that needs that low B, and it'll be nice to be able to play in lower keys that would usually require different tunings (like drop-D) without needing to detune. However, my original 4-string was a big investment for me, and I'm worried it'll become obsolete once I start playing this 5'er. Is there any situation you'd rather use a four stringer over a five stringer? The only ones I could think of would be that the 5-string requires more accuracy when playing slap style, and it's more difficult to play bass lines incorporating chords on a five string. However, both of those can be overcome with the correct technique. So, will I have any practical use for my four string? I'm a bit worried it will end up collecting dust in the corner and I'll only play it because I want to use it for something, not because I need to.

Sorry if this has already been covered, I couldn't find an answer to this exact question with a search. Thanks!
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One word JACO
Jaco Pastorius - Wikipedia
 
#510
Just buy a 5 that's markedly different than your 4 (I mean, besides the extra string) and enjoy the variety?

Personally I never jived with 5 string basses. I feel much more comfortable on a 4, and considering I'm always tuned down to C or C#, I'm not actually that far off- and I prefer the tone and feel of slacker strings. If I really needed a B or lower I'd buy a 35" Dunable tuned BEAD and be done with it- how much are you using those highest frets anyway?

I think it matters how complicated your parts are going to be. I can see the benefit in a 5 if you want to play a busy line without moving position. I don't really see the overall range extension to be that useful.

The point I'm long-windedly dancing around is that you might just not find a 5 as comfortable. I could have adjusted to a five over time, but I would have lost a lot of fluency.
 
#512
JustRoots said:
Hey! This is my first post on TalkBass!
I'm about to purchase a 5-string bass. This definitely is something I can use, I'm playing a lot of metal that needs that low B, and it'll be nice to be able to play in lower keys that would usually require different tunings (like drop-D) without needing to detune. However, my original 4-string was a big investment for me, and I'm worried it'll become obsolete once I start playing this 5'er. Is there any situation you'd rather use a four stringer over a five stringer? The only ones I could think of would be that the 5-string requires more accuracy when playing slap style, and it's more difficult to play bass lines incorporating chords on a five string. However, both of those can be overcome with the correct technique. So, will I have any practical use for my four string? I'm a bit worried it will end up collecting dust in the corner and I'll only play it because I want to use it for something, not because I need to.

Sorry if this has already been covered, I couldn't find an answer to this exact question with a search. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I've thought about going 5 or 6, but even after "too many" years of playing there is still a lot for me to learn on the 4 string.

That said, a 5 string may be in my future just for noodling around on.
 
#513
JayBassMan said:
One word JACO
Jaco Pastorius - Wikipedia
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Double E said:
What does that have to do with the discussion? Jaco didn't even play 5 string so he is not relevant to this topic.
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Jaco on a fiver.jpg
 
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#516
Watchootognbout said:
He also only played a Fender Jazz through an Acoustic 360 amp.
View attachment 3138980
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Jaco left us before what I'd like to think is the golden age of custom and extended range electric bass. In 1987, basses with more than 4 strings were very much on the fringes.

He would be like a kid in a candy store with all the great instruments and gear we bassists have available to us in 2018!
 
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#517
Double E said:
Jaco left us before what I'd like to think is the golden age of custom and extended range electric bass. In 1987, basses with more than 4 strings were very much on the fringes.

He would be like a kid in a candy store with all the great instruments and gear we bassists have available to us in 2018!
Click to expand...

Jaco played on Al DiMeola's tune "Suite:Golden Dawn"on the album "Land Of The Midnight Sun"
Anthony Jackson played on the rest of the album.
I can imagine that Anthony showed Jaco his Carl Thompson six.
(He was still playing "Career Girl"then)
Who knows what Jaco might have done with it.
 
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#518
Pete Greaves said:
The answer is no, i play 4 and 5 string fretted and fretless, all depends on the gig. Some signature Michael Jackson songs for instance (Black or White as an example) can't be played as they were recorded on a 4 string because they use that low C or B..

And if you are buying a 5 string just to get a few extra low notes, you have missed the point. One of the real benefits of a 5 string is being able to shift a pattern from the 4th to the 5th string when you want to which changes the tone (thinking of playing a B on the 3rd and 4th string of a 4 string.

The moment you shift that root to the 5th note you have two octaves within 4 frets. Not to mention that for folks like myself who don't like playing open frets it lets you play the low E fretted. Most 5 string players I know never go below the low D so the extra few notes is really not the point. If you think that way all you will do is play a 5 string like a 4 string, andoccasionally hit the low note.
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Well put. - never below the D
 
#519
tfer said:
IMO, a 5 string IS a bass. Six and up, are extended range. A 4 string is an LRB - limited range bass.
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Tell Leo Fender a 4-string is a "Limited Range" Bass. With a 5-string you add 5 notes. You aren't adding that much in the grand scheme of things. What you do get with a 5 string is a little additional flexibility. If you need that flexibility great! I don't and plenty of players I know don't.
 
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#520
ppiluk said:
Tell Leo Fender a 4-string is a "Limited Range" Bass. With a 5-string you add 5 notes. You aren't adding that much in the grand scheme of things. What you do get with a 5 string is a little additional flexibility. If you need that flexibility great! I don't and plenty of players I know don't.[/QUOTE
Click to expand...
Watchootognbout said:
Jaco played on Al DiMeola's tune "Suite:Golden Dawn"on the album "Land Of The Midnight Sun"
Anthony Jackson played on the rest of the album.
I can imagine that Anthony showed Jaco his Carl Thompson six.
(He was still playing "Career Girl"then)
Who knows what Jaco might have done with it.
Click to expand...


Jaco would probably have had little use for the B string being a soloist for the most part and his facility for moving around the neck probably precluded any need for a C string.
 
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