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Getting a Bass Guitar for the first time: How many strings should it have?

#21
DiabolusInMusic said:
I would recommend a 4 stringer to any student starting out. That being said, I wouldn't tell a student who had a 5 to sell it and get a 4 since they are starting out.

My reason for avoiding 5 strings is that the B string is a tricky beast and a cheap bass probably has a weak B string. A weak B string can steer you away from B strings in general and that is not good.
Click to expand...

I agree with the second part of that. That is why I recommended a Kingston or one of the bettrr Squires. I still think that a 5 is the way to go.... but actually whatever the op is comfortable with. The good thing is that you can always adjust.
 
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#22
I started out on a 5 string and played it for a couple of years before going primarily to a 4 string. I didn't switch to 4 because the neck was too big or anything (I still own a 6 string fretless), but I just felt like I was using the 5th string as a crutch too much. It allowed me to play in one position so easily, that I didn't feel like I had to learn the fretboard very much. When I wanted to advance, it made it too easy to just fall back into my one position playing. Now that I'm on the 4 string, I move around more on the fretboard and I feel like I understand the instrument more.

There are plusses and minuses to either, but I think it's better to get some sort of proficiency on a 4 string before moving to the 5. I will qualify this with the fact that I'm certainly no master bass player or anything. I've only been playing for about 5 years (with a few years of guitar and banjo before going to bass).
 
#23
[Hmmmm]
If you're NOT interested in guitar - and not interested in keeping guitar friendly chops - a strong endorsement for a four string bass - (EADG+BE), you might consider a bass tuned to fifths (like a cello or mandolin) instead of fourths.
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/fifths-tuning-on-electric.1037304

With big hands, you can span more frets, and your note range is much wider.
And you can dazzle others with your eclecticism.

Addendum:
4 string Fender style basses tend to have 19mm string spacing at the bridge.
5 string basses run a gamut of spacing. This will have an impact on your muscle memory. (ranges from 16mm to 19mm and wider)
 
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#24
IMO, you need to try a few before choosing-
is 17mm or 19mm (or even 18mm) ok with what you like? big diff in selection between those spacings.
Big hands, but long, thin fingers, or thick fingers? Thick fingers may work/feel best with 18mm- 19mm spacing.
5 strings will give more avail range if wanted- going across the strings as opposed to along them, but string selection factors in to that.
If starting, I'd suggest 5 string, then if you feel you need more range, a 6 string or more-
but if you find you don't need the lower notes or 'drop tuning', and may like a smaller neck, try a 4 string.
IMO a 5 string is better to start with if you have large hands, because it's not such a jump to 6 string as you're already used to a low B. and a 4 string is just one less string.

re: "the B string is a tricky beast and a cheap bass probably has a weak B string. A weak B string can steer you away from B strings in general and that is not good."
A weak/floppy B is usually due to a relatively lighter gauge B string, and has little to do with the bass itself. Sometimes you just need to find the strings that 'fit' that bass.
 
#25
Go the traditional way of a four string that comes with traditional string spacing like a Fender J or P.If you end up needing a 5 string then switch,or play both.Using a conventional 4 string will also help you decide what kind of 5 string bass you want as far as string spacing is concerned.If after a few years of playing bass you decide that you like playing chords and melodies then a 6 will come in handy,but that will be years after you learn how to play,not 4/5/6/string basses,But rather how to play bass.The function of the instrument depicts how many strings you need.
 
#26
I greatly prefer 4's, but I wouldn't presume to tell you that it's what you should start with. Seen a lot of folks start with 5's and do just fine. It's never the bass, but what you do with it that counts. So make up your own mind and don't decide by committee.
 
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#28
My decision to either use a 4 or a 5 was mainly based on the singer. I had a gig where every song was in either E, A, or G. So I felt I only really needed the 4 string. On gigs where songs could be all over the place or when playing in C through Eb, I chose the 5 string.
 
#30
I vote four, but you don't know me and it will be you playing it not me, so I'm not sure it makes a difference what I think. Welcome to bass playing though. You've already made a good choice there. Good luck!
 
#33
Up until this year, I would have also been in line with the same conventional historic wisdom of starting on a 4-string. But in recent years a 5-string has almost become the defacto standard, except for those who specifically want a traditional 4-string, and especially if wanting to play some of the more traditional genres of music. Since a conventional 5-string with a low B is simply, from a learning standpoint, a 4 + 1 situation, a learning player can use the B string for a thumb rest until progressing to a point that it is time to integrate the B string.

Moreover, quality is so much better. My Ibby SRA305, for playability and tone, is right up there, and beyond some, especially in its price point. It is my main weekend gig bass, although I have a custom half-fanned fret P/J style bass and a Rick 4002, which get use in the studio and other critical recording applications. So there is no need, as has been the practice for the last thirty or so years, to purchase a "beginner" Squier or similar, and get a "real" bass later. A player can get a relatively inexpensive bass, especially used, that can be gigged now, and only has to change upon desire or the player taking his/her playing in a particular direction.
 
#35
A Bass Guitar is called "Bass" because it has four strings, all tuned B-A-S-S. The two S's are drone strings; we only actually play the B and the A. They have to be strung by machines, using opposite pressure as each string is applied, from the center out. Failure to do this could result in the deaths of hundreds, or even more, depending on scale length.

A five string is not actually a bass. It is a guitar, with very thick strings. It is a very low-tuned guitar, and can be heard on most songs on AM Radio. FM Radio tends to have more actual Bass songs, and that is the major difference between the bandwidths. When playing a bass, or a five string guitar, one should use a large flatpick, about the size of a Schnauzer's head, made from recycled bowling balls, and one should always play chords, just like a regular six string guitar, but with more downstrokes.

A good bass is made of wood, and will float. This does not mean its a witch, but it doesn't mean it isn't, either. The best way to tell is to burn it. If it screams, it is a witch. If it does not, you have just ruined your bass for no reason. The best thing to do if you suspect your bass is a witch is to play religious music on it. That will usually sort things out pretty well.
 
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#37
As much as the 4-string feels like a comfy pair of slippers, I would suggest getting a 5-string or a 6-string.

A 5 is great because the additional notes are very usable - it is a "bass" after all.

The 6 is great because it allows you to play in one position - you can play across the neck as opposed to along it; north/south as opposed to east/west.

I still love the 4!
 
#38
As you might have gathered out of this thread, there is no real answer to your question. There are reasons to pick a 4 and there are reasons to pick a 5.
once you developed your style on the bass, you will also have a preference. so that might be a 4, 5, 6 or multi stringed bass - but you don't know yet.
So you might want to get a cheap second hand bass to start out - and buy one that has a good resale value, use it to learn the foundations of playing bass and then try out different models with different strings.
 
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#39
I would start with a 5...if you end up sticking with it you would have a more versatile instrument and not wish you had that extra string later. It does not make it harder to learn....you will be tuned in fourths so if you know "MUSIC"...you can make the transition across strings just as easily , as a keyboardists with 60 keys can play on 88 keys and it opens up a whole new range. I have a 7 string bass and I tune it in fourths all the way across and I always know where I am....there is nothing mystical about it IF you study music.
I don't subscribe to the thinking that you won't need it because of the "style" of music you play....thats just a silly statement...you can use that lower octave in ANY style of music and it sounds amazing when you use it tastefully.
 
#40
I think the only way to decide on which bass guitar you want to start with is to go to a guitar store and try them out. See how a precision 4 string feels, then try the 5. Ask questions. Don't spend a lot of money on your first instrument. There are some decent starter basses for just under $300 and you need to find out if you will like playing bass and what genre you enjoy playing. Keep an open mind 'cause you never know what kind of a gig may be waiting down the road for you. Good luck. :):cool::bassist:
 

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