Five Strings or Stick with Four

[P. Aaron]

Can't slide up to a low E on a four unless you detune & I like having the extra deep notes. A fiver comes in handy on the classic stuff & new.

 

[Kevan Campbell]

Why not have one of each? One can be the other's backup depending on the gig and style of music. I've also hear of some Nashville and LA guys using a 4 tuned to BEAD instead of EADG, so if you decide you like the benefits of a 5 but not the neck size or amount of strings that may be one way to go.

I've found that 5's have a lot more real-world practicality for me than 4's, including more options for extra notes, multiple notes of the same pitch but different timbres (the difference in sound and definition between an open string D versus a fifth-fret-on-the-A-string D) and more fingering positions for easier transposing. However, maybe it's all in my head but there is something with mojo and charm to the simplicity of a 4.

 

[chris_b]

This has probably been covered before, but I would appreciate some opinions. If you have a 5-string bass, do you use the low B enough to make it worthwhile? I don't play metal, but what types of music benefit from a 5-string?

It's not a low B it's just another string with a set of notes that you can play or not.

A 5 string bass isn't about the notes below E. It's a versatile instrument in its own right. You can play across the neck rather than up and down and you can play in keys that others have to down tune for or have to play up the neck.

Any style you want to play and any song can be easily played on a 5 sting bass. There are no restrictions and many benefits.

 

[Geri O]

I really think this question is better answered by your own experiences.

And I have to say, I'm proud of the responders here for NOT bashing one bass or the other, instead just politely stating their reasons for why they play one or the other. Good job. A rare occurrence around here.

Me, I play 5-strings. Cause I just wanna...

 

[furym]

I started playing a 5 with the praise and worship band because our singers changing each week often led to key changes up around C or D. The 5 string gives me more options for playing in position while staying in low registers.

 

[Bofink]

I find it cumbersome to play on the 5th string, because I have small hands, I also get wrist pain from streches.
The other thing is that I usually find myself not needing the 5th string that often, even though I mostly play metal and rock.

So I will be switching back to a 4 string when I find a suitable one, and I'll likely tune it down a whole step (D tuning)

 

[ggunn]

This has probably been covered before, but I would appreciate some opinions. If you have a 5-string bass, do you use the low B enough to make it worthwhile? I don't play metal, but what types of music benefit from a 5-string?

I went 5 about 8 years ago and never looked back. I use the B string all the time, and not just to go low. I like playing across the neck in the range of a 4 string without having to drop down near the nut. And of course there is the occasional low B bomb.

There is nothing you can play on a 4 string that you cannot play on a fiver. The reverse is not true. It's about having more options. Of course, one can say the same about 6 string basses and more, but for me having more than five strings passes the point of diminishing returns. YMMV.

 

[Jamvan]

I bought a 5 string and could never get comfortable with the low string NOT being the E string. Old 4 string habits are really hard to break apparently. I restrung it and added a high C string instead (EADGC), tweaked the neck a bit due to the added tension, and have been insanely happy with the extended range on the top side. I don't play a lot of music that requires going lower than an E and I found that chords and the baritone-like tones work better for me.

 

[iriegnome]

IMHO, 4, 5 or 6 strings has really nothing to do with the music you play, but how you play it. 5'ers offer a beefier tone to a low F played on a .130 gage string as opposed to a .105 string. Also, you can live more on the 7th fret making most songs seem easier to play because of less left hand movement. So, you can play any style of music, just work your left hand less by utilizing that 5th string (considering you are a righty and you are using a BEADG Tuning) for more patternistic playing.

 

[Tube Amps Rule]

Stick with the four string and put a $5 bill in a jar every time you buy strings

 

[Joedog]

This has probably been covered before, but I would appreciate some opinions. If you have a 5-string bass, do you use the low B enough to make it worthwhile? I don't play metal, but what types of music benefit from a 5-string?

Only been covered about a bazillion times...LOL. I own both. I play the 5'ers 90% of the time. I rarely play the low B "NOTE" if that is what you are asking, but I use the B string regularly. Great for down tuned songs, as well as having the option to play up the neck and still hit the low notes. Just my preference....some of my favorite players play 4's...so there ya go. Some songs I never use the B, but it is there if desired. I have small hands, but don't mind the wider necks of a 5 at all. Just a different arrow in the quiver. No right answer (despite how strident some replies may be to one side or the other ), except what will ultimately work for YOU. FWIW, I play mostly blues, some country, and classic rock. ANYTHING you can do with a 4, you can do with a 5.

 

[friendlybass]

I have 4 4strings and 1 5er. I'm always glad I have it, saves me shifting and down tuning, as previously stated. Also play your e open, then hit it on the 5th fret on the B. Totally different tones man and very musically useful

 

[Steve Dallman]

I used a Hipshot D tuner in the 80's. When I found myself leaving it in D most of the time, I figured it was time for a 5. I got my first in the late 80's and they're all I've played since. (I keep a 4 around for giving lessons.)

Playing a 4 feels like I have a finger missing. In the band I've been in for the last 4 years, I couldn't get by on a 4. Due to our aging voices, we move most songs into keys we can sing more easily. Too many lose the sound of the signature bass line if moved up an octave.

5 is home and has been for decades. 4 is a distant memory.

 

[theduke1]

Q

I play just 5 string. One is fretless. I use the B as an accent string. Turnarounds breaks, endindings etc. I tried going back to a 4 with a 1990 G&LSB1 best 4 string next to my L2000 but found the necks too small in my hand. I have been a 5er since 06 with no intention of ever going back it just doesn't feel right anymore.
Oh here are my 5s

 

[eccles77]

Do you need a 5 string for the music you play? Only you can answer this. I had a 5 briefly, then a 4 strung BEAD and to be honest, I didn`t use the B enough. But that is me. The only way to know is to try one for a while and see how you get on with it.

If you don`t try it, you will never know

 

[raventepes]

If you like the idea of a 5-string but don't want the low B, another option is to ditch the B and tune it EADGC.

 

[Ric5]

These days a bass player needs a low D ... you can string DGCF or get a 5 ... I tried both and I prefer a 5.

4 string basses seem unnatural to me now.

 

[Doner Designs]

Four string strung BEAD has turned out to be the best of all worlds for me. I have small hands and short arms, so that combination works nice - I treat the 5th fret as "home" and it's like playing a super short scale with the ability to go down low if you want to. I also find it a little easier to visualize scale patterns without having to include open strings. My 5 will be the first to go if I sell any from my lineup. The shorty will be next and then the fretless. For now the variety is nice but those three don't get much playing time.

 

[Ric5]

If you like the idea of a 5-string but don't want the low B, another option is to ditch the B and tune it EADGC.

Try DGCFA#

 

[exidor]

I have owned two 5ers over the years first time I wasn't ready I just couldn't get used to it & sold it,the second time years later and (knowing my fret board) it was a easy transition, had lots of fun with it, I used the B string about as much as the other four. but hit some hard times and had to sell it. cuz if I was only to have one bass it was going to be a 4 banger and, a year later things are stabilizing & I have my sights set on a 6er for this year!! so what ever you have play the crap out of it & if you get money for doing so that is even better!!!! I have medium size hands, with to me a stubby left pinky I broke my pinky knuckle in my early teens.