Hey, 5-stringers!

[Stonetown Lows]

I bought a 5 string at first to play gospel and funk, where it's pretty much mandatory. I'd played 4 string since '67, and switching to 5 in 1999 was almost effortless. It's just more of the same thing. My first 5 was a really sweet black on natural ash Stingray 5, and it had a really nice maple Jazz bass sort of neck profile that was very comfortable and easy to adapt to.

The other thing it's great for is that some songs just need the riff or notes to be down there sometimes. It can just "make" a bass line occasionally. It's also great because it expands your palate so much, for so little adaptation. I never looked back, and I always prefer a 5 now.
I try not to overuse the low B or C too much, so when I do use it, its pretty effective. If you're considering, definitely jump in!

 

[packhowitzer]

I'd been playing "classic" four stringers for quite a while (fenders P and J and stingrays) and wanted to try something completely different. went with an NS Design CR5: it's headless, its active (but i guess so is the stingray), it's got piezo, and it's 35" scale AND of course 5 strings. so it's about as far from my comfort zone as possible. I had a 5 string samick in the early 90s but that was a lifetime ago.
the CR5 has become my goto live bass (i still record frequently with the fenders and stingrays). it brings the thunder in a serious way. also the 35" scale really makes the B string punch you in the guts, but because of the ergonomics of the body and the neck, it never feels like a stretch to play (even with my medium size paws). ymmv, but 5 is where it's at for me. being able to play a low D, low C# and low C is COMPLETELY worth the switch from 4 to 5.

 

[JonKim]

I can honestly say I don't need the 5th string (normally string my 5's with a high C)
I don't use the 5th string much but it comes in handy when I chord. Helps out a lot with positioning on the fingerboard.

 

[bassplayer2014]

Mood is my driving factor. Sometimes I feel like rocking a five string.

 

[Ric5]

I'm curious as to what finally got you to use a 5-string over a four. I'm seriously thinking of getting an Ibby 5-er for the ergonomics - closer string spacing & weight - but also for the "adventure" of learning a new approach to playing bass. Plus, I could use the extra string for playing in certain keys.

Thanks for your input.

I was a 4 string only guy for decades ... I played a 60 Rickenbacker 4001 as my main player ... Then I got into a band that played music where I needed a low D ... So I tried drop D and I hated it ... So I had a second bass tuned DGCF ... but then I needed notes lower than the low D ... So I bit the bullet and bought a 5er ... at first it was awkward, but after a while the 5 seemed normal and the 4 seemed wrong.

So I sold off all of my 4s and now I play only 5s. I even tuned my acoustic guitar to BEADF#B ... baritone

 

[rodv66]

I recently got a 5 string and still working on getting used to the spacing, but it is getting easier. There is the added range and flexibility that I really enjoy. I'm still mainly a 4 string player, but want to be proficient on both.

 

[4StringTheorist]

Went 5 a year ago when I found an MTD Kingston Z5 in the Classifieds here for a great price. I'd loved the MTD necks ever since trying an MTD American 535 at Bass Northwest way back when. I'll never afford an american, but the Kingstons have the ergonomics and the weight I was after. I've gone for a balanced tension string set: 45-60-80-105-145

That 145 B string at 35" scale feels great. It's just another one of the strings. Don't need to baby it.

A year on, that 5th string feels natural now.

 

[1954bassman]

I started playing in the '60's when fours were the norm. I started used Hipshot D tuners when they came (80's?). I had a BC Rich STIII custom made for me in 1989, a four string with a Hipshot. Played it as my main bass for ten years or so, wishing I had got a five. Bought my first five around 1994, a Pedulla Series 2 fret less.

Then in 1998, I finally sold the Rich and the Pedulla, and bought a Godin A5 fret less and a Modulus Quantum 6spi. I loved the six, but I seldom used or needed the high C string. So after another 10 years I sold the Modulus and started playing only fivers.

I like 5ers not just for the five extra low notes, but more for the convenience of having low notes available when playing in the seventh to twelfth fret (middle) area of the neck. Plus transposing is easier.

I have owned some really nice five stringers, but over time I have found I prefer the smaller necks, like the Music Man Sterlings I play. I still play fours some, but I still like having D tuners on them.

 

[Spacecase]

I'm curious as to what finally got you to use a 5-string over a four.

I was seduced. She was a pretty Modulus in a pawn shop.

 

[DLemos]

My first 5 string came into possession because I needed the bass itself- not because it had 5 strings, which turned out to be an added bonus.

 

[Nightman]

This is a great five string. MTD Kingston Z5.
NBD: MTD Kingston Z5, Ibanez RD900

The MTD Kingston basses are great basses and the price of these are rising!! I got the KXZ5 a few years ago and it was my 'go to' work bass. I had mine up for sale but it didn't sell and glad it didn't!

 

[andruca]

5 string convert since 1993. At first it was sorta' "a little here&there" addition, then gradually my bass lines started getting lower and lower. Nowadays my main basses are 5ers and I use the two 4 strigers I own (a chapo' P-kit build and an Epiphone Viola -yep, 32"-) stringed BEAD. I hardly ever use the G string, still prefer to have one and choose my basses so that they have narrow spacing and comfortable necks for 5ers (currently a couple Musicman Stingray 5 and a Maruszczyk Jake 5a+). 5ers just feel like home, also I'm a big guy so even those look like guitars on me, hahaha!

 

[Shoreday]

Started playing in a metal band with guitars tuned to drop C. Always hated the action and buzz on my 4s so I suggested a drop to B and got a 6er Warwick Thumb last year. Been loving the two extra strings ever since. And the low B on the Thumb is just a beast!

 

[*ToNeS*]

Jazz. So many standards are in Eb!

 

[Hahaha]

Back in the mid eighties synth bass was showing up in a lot of songs and bass lines were dropping down lower than E. I used a Mutron octave divider for a while to emulate a synth and drop down to notes below E, but as soon as I could find a 5 string bass I bought it. I think that was 1984 or 5. They were still a bit rare back then. Finding a B string was tricky too with no Internet.

 

[Jackie Clark]

The more I play,the more I find a 5 string is best served on a ballad...It's cool to be able to make a statement with the B string (in the right place) on a nice ballad.Otherwise,ALL groove stuff can be handled on the 4 string if the player is solid.I'm actually playing my 4 string more and more and I'm having a ball!!

 

[CGremlin]

What got me into 5-strings was mostly being able to get the low pedal notes without detuning - the occasional octave adds a nice bit of spice to a lot of tunes. Flexibility in transposition and hand position is a nice bonus too. I still play my 4-strings, but the two 5-string instruments get the majority of use now.

 

[basspraiser]

Well...a couple of things.

1) I like the ability to reach a low F or G without having to go all of the way to the headstock

2) I play Christian contemporary music and we often play in Eb or other keys where I need the 5th string

3) I like the ability to have 3 octaves available

4) overall...I find the neck profile of the lakland 5 strings to be the most comfortable of any neck I've ever played

Have fun

 

[MyMusic]

Started with a five then bought a four. I have found no difficulty going back and forth between the two. Considering getting a six in the future. I just love playing the bass.

 

[Les Ismoor]

I played 4s for the first 20+ years; picked up my first 5 (fretless Warwick Corvette Std.) in 1998, and never looked back. I flirted with a 6 and a 7, but 5s just feel right and I have four of them- three fretless, one fretful.