Four stringers do you ever...

[Tom Howland]

Four string is home to me.

But, I gas for a 5-string.

I just have not found the perfect 5-string yet.

I would take both, 4 and 5 string basses to gigs.
And feel comfortable.

Sometimes, you just want those low notes.

 

[John Wentzien]

I know this will go over like a "fart in a space-suit"

It's probably more that I'm used to a 4....5's weren't available 'till I already had 20 years under my belt.

I don't like the extra expense of keeping up string changes....Don't like the "extra-wide" neck..Harder to "dampen " the extra string to stop background ringing.

I have found the extra 5 notes not worth it...And I've tried to understand it..Just not for me at all...all this IMHO...

 

[spade2you]

Sometimes, you just want those low notes.

IMHO, comments like this exemplify that a significant amount of bassists see a 5er as a couple lower notes. Under this assumption, there are almost no perceived advantages. When you begin to learn about economy of motion, something like a 5 or 6 string simply makes sense.

 

[marchone]

Clearly somebody is buying them. 50% sales reported by one top boutique maker.

 

[John Wentzien]

Clearly somebody is buying them. 50% sales reported by one top boutique maker.

Go ahead and buy your "Stairway to Heaven"

Most .."if not all" of the guys I know personally that make their living playing are 4-slingers...(a bunch by the way)
So I'm not sure who is buying these...

Brittany Spears sells more CDs than Wooten too!

 

[Demonator]

I would like to own a five string, but they are exspensive and not to practical right now, I would own one to just become a more technical player. They seem fun.

 

[spade2you]

Go ahead and buy your "Stairway to Heaven"

Most .."if not all" of the guys I know personally that make their living playing are 4-slingers...(a bunch by the way)
So I'm not sure who is buying these...

Brittany Spears sells more CDs than Wooten too!

I can see this is going to be a very useful debate and very informative. I'll be the first to say that Jock Oh only needed 4 and Fieldy only needs 2.

 

[John Wentzien]

I just wish players would concentrate on the "MUSIC"
other than what tool is used to make it...
It's SO much more important!

 

[marchone]

I've mostly enjoyed reading this thread because I've been curious about why they've become so popular. I even thought about starting one a couple weeks ago.

I wouldn't diss them out of hand but I have no personal interest in owning one either.

 

[metalmariachi]

My 5er is tuned E-C, and only use my hipshot to drop to D on my 4s

MM

 

[John Wentzien]

My 5er is tuned E-C, and only use my hipshot to drop to D on my 4s

MM

Very interesting!
Do you use the high string often?

 

[Klopp18]

if your looking for a five string sound but dont want a five string. you can buy a pair of strings from ghs? i think or roto. not sure. but its a five string set without a G string. i love them.

 

[Dave Siff]

I just wish players would concentrate on the "MUSIC"
other than what tool is used to make it...

I do. And that's why I recently got a 5-string.. because the music I'm playing needs it. There's lots of stuff tuned down to C#, and I want to be able to approach that note from below. After tuning my 4-strings down for eight years, I came to understand how the 5 could work for me. YMMV, of course. I'm not getting rid of my 4s just yet.

 

[John Wentzien]

I don't like the sound of ultra low notes.
Seems like most amps and PA's have a hard time handling a low B ,...at most gigs I've heard. (plus the human ear not being able to hear much below 40 cycles)
Might be I'm stuck in my ways..
Starts sounding like MUD almost every time I hear it....

 

[Beginner Bass]

When I got a 5er at first, I realized that when reading I tended to experience Playing-B-When-I-Want-To-Play-E-My-E-String-itis. So I started training my hand to stop doing that. I never used this on my 4 due to the fact that I didn't want to move my thumb whenever playing my E, but when playing 4-string tunes on my 5 was to rest my thumb on my B string. That way it felt more like a 4 because I would rest my thumb on my pickup on my four, so my B string put my fingers closer to where they were on my 4 relative to the E, A, D, and G strings.

 

[Punk Jazz]

I bought a fiver once but I never liked the feel of it and never found a need for the extra string. I am content with my 4 string in standard tuning.

 

[khedspeth]

I play both. It is rare for me to go below the D on the B string but I really like the feel of the wider neck. To me it is more comfortable and I get the advantages of economy of motion and playing in keys such as Eb and D without having to take it up an octave. I still enjoy and play my 4 string precision often.

 

[danomite64]

I had 2 fivers back in the '90's, a fretted LB-75 and a fretless Stingray. I had been playing for over 10 years before I got the LB-75. I took the McCartney approach to playing it and had no problem gigging with it at all, but didn't really care for the tone the low notes below D. Before one gig I restrung it to have a high C, and that was a big mistake for me to try right before a gig. I put it back after the gig. I ended up selling both basses as the only thing the gig required was the occasional low D, and bought a Hipshot extender for my main player. Now I have a gig that I could use a 5 string on, but I haven't had the cash to buy the one I want yet.

 

[JazzyJames]

I play 4 stringers only. I try 5ers everytime I go to Long and McQuade but Im always thinking im playing a 4 string. So Im pretty much playing a detuned 4 considering im ignoring the G. I still really want to try a tenor 5.

 

[KrisH]

IMHO, comments like this exemplify that a significant amount of bassists see a 5er as a couple lower notes. Under this assumption, there are almost no perceived advantages. When you begin to learn about economy of motion, something like a 5 or 6 string simply makes sense.

I play 4 string exclusively "out in the field," but I bought a 6 string fretless out of curiousity. I still have the "playing B when I want to play E" tendency, but I can certainly see the advantage to having a lower (or higher) string to move to when playing some paterrns aboved the fifth fret, so as to avoid sliding the whole hand down (or up) to reach notes out of the range of my spread. I find the prospects intriguing.

But shoot, I'm kinda happy with the stable of basses I have now, and the last thing I need is a valid reason to gas for a whole new batch!!! :scowl: