Guitar player wants get a bass, 4 or 5 strings ?

[julou12345]

Hello fellow Bass players,


I'm seeking advice because I want to buy my first bass. I've been interested in one for a long time. I think it's going to be a nice writing tool but also a way to feed my musical curiosity. I've been playing guitar for around 14 years now.

I've settled on 2 models that fit my budget :

A Fender Player Precision and a Sire P7.

I'm in love with the Precision sound and they are both less than 700 with good reviews. I'm probably going to string it with Flatwounds as well.

My main concern is wether I should pick a 4 or 5 string bass. I'm mostly playing Jazz, R'n'B, Soul, Funk so I think I would benefit a lot from the few extra lower notes.

What do you recommend ?

 

[garp]

Welcome to TalkBass.

Tough call on 4 vs. 5. If you go with a 4-string, you can always drop tune for a lot of music. Another popular aftermarket option is to install a detuner on the E string, which – when properly set up and adjusted – instantly drops the E to a D with the simple flick of a lever. I have one – a Hipshot Xtender – on one of my Jazz basses, and it works great.

Bear in mind that a 5-string bass offers more than just a "few extra lower notes." As you're already intimately familiar with a fretboard, you know that playing phrases in different positions on the guitar neck can offer tonal variations as well as an easier finger stretch at times. The same applies to bass. And every 5-string bass includes a complimentary 4-string bass built right in.

 

[Nedmundo]

For those genres, you probably would benefit from a five-string, and IMO you should consider the Yamaha BB lineup of P/J basses, like this one:

Yamaha BB435 Bass Guitar - Black

I don't remember whether it was this model or the lower-priced version, but I tried one recently and was very impressed. Yamaha offers great value generally.

 

[Gnal]

Either 4 or 5 can work but I think it depends on how seriously you want to focus on learning the bass up front vs just starting to play.

Generally, if you are moving from a standard tuned 6 string guitar the transition to 4 string bass will be easy as the knowledge you currently have is transferable which should allow you to focus on crafting bass lines that are complementary to your guitar work. Similarly if you are familiar with and have used 7 string or Baritone guitars regularly enough to be able to integrate the low B string into your thought process seamlessly than picking up a 5 string straight away should be fine.

If you are coming from standard tuned 6 string guitar a 5 string bass will take a little more work to "learn" to get the full functionality on the instrument. Anecdotally I moved from guitar to bass in '97 (played guitar for about 2 years), I wanted a 5 string and that is what I went for; however the low B messed me up quite a bit at the beginning and I quickly saved up to buy a 4 string since I felt that I would already be able to "play" it.

Today I play 4, 5 and 6 string basses all are good, I've gigged most with 4's and 5's. Learning an additional string is not difficult but you need to spend time running scales and arpeggios to get familiar with how the new notes integrate with what you already know, then start working on and playing songs intentionally trying to utilize the new string. Also, each additional string increases the chance of open notes ringing out so learning a good muting technique will also be a must.

There really is not a right or wrong answer, its all about what your trying to acheive. Also, I don't think one is inherently easier or more difficult, their just different, similar yes, but different. For what it's worth, I feel the sound of the P bass is best on a 4 string. When it comes to 5's J's, Soapbars or Duel Coils (typically something with two pickups) sound best to me.

Good luck with your choice!