How many years (if any) did you play 4 strings before buying a 5 string?

[Benjamin Earl]

around 8 years.

 

[pbass2]

I switched to playing 6 about 8 months ago. And it's BECAUSE I'm not good enough to play with less. The 6 lets me move my left hand less. When I can't look at my left hand (which is pretty much all the time in the Big Band I play in, because I am reading sheet music), the more I have to move it, the more clanker notes I end up playing because I'm not good enough to consistently hit the right fret positions without looking (at least every now and then).

When I become more skilled, I hope to be able to actually play the same music on a 4 string and comfortably move from playing down around 1-5 all the way up to playing high Fs and similar in the 10 - 12th fret range without ever having to look at where I'm putting my left hand.

That's the thing for me about fivers/sixers, and one of the reasons I don't use one anymore. I LIKE the fact that on a four you have to play all over the neck more--to me it's part of the sound and vibe of the performance. I simply like the way it makes me play and sound. I guess you could say it's more traditional. Having "extra" strings so I can move around less and play in a more limited position actually doesn't sound right to my ears (I suppose that's 'cause I've played 4-bangers for so long, and that's the sound I hear in my head). I do however appreciate the extra low notes a low B offers, but for the kind of music I usually play they're not necessary and actually don't sound "right" anyway. I drop D sometimes but that's about it.
(Of course I could play a sixer and just play the middle 4 strings, but it would still make me play differently.

 

[MD]

~46 years playing and no intention of getting a 5er. I did have a 6 for a few days.

 

[Deleted member 261632]

Used a 4 string pbass copy for 1,5 years. Then switched to 5 strings; never looked back and came home almost instantly.

 

[deste]

First bass in 1983.
First 5-string in 2007. Never used it a lot.

 

[dgrizzly]

Got my first 4-string in 1999 and my first 5-string in 2013. My 5-strings are my go-to's now.

 

[InhumanResource]

Bought a 5-string about 3 years in, sold it. Got another one about 13 years in. Gonna sell it. I think that's about it for me and 5 strings

 

[wpc1996]

I got mine like january 1st or 2nd 2014..... I played only 4 strings for roughly 2-3 years I think

 

[hover]

Been playing bass since I was 16. I'm @44.75 years old. Just picked up 5 string @1.5 years ago.

Don't make me do maths. I'd say 27 years and change. I'm really loving it.

 

[smperry]

After about ten years

 

[bassmeknik]

My first bass was/is a (new) 74' Fender fretless Precision, next bass was/is a (new) 87' Gibson V (5er). I still have both of those basses. Since then I have bought and sold about 10 basses and still own 6, including a Dingwall Combustion 1st generation (5er). Presently building a >$100 frankenstein P bass for fun and intend on giving it to an underprivileged youth who shows real interest in learning. This will be the 3rd project bass I will give away. I learn what I can from the experience then pass it on to a kid who seems serious.

The transition to my first 5er was 13 years after starting to play bass, it was a somewhat difficult change then but today (29 years after my first 5er) I can go from one to the other without any problem.

 

[dave64o]

Years? Nope, for me it was only about three weeks. I bought my first bass, which was a four, and returned it about three weeks later for a five and I've played five's pretty much exclusively since then. I did buy a four a couple of years ago just to use as a practice tool to help me break out of relying on five-string patterns. However, I hardly used it so now I'm selling it as a way to help fund the latest fiver that I just bought.

For me, it's five's only!

 

[Bob_Ross]

Started playing 4-string bass in 1974.
Got my first 6-string bass (BEADGC) in 1989.
Got my first 5-string bass (BEADG) in 1996.
Got my first 5-string bass (EADGC) in 2015.
Someone else do the math please.

 

[mikezimmerman]

About 15 years--started playing in '79, got my first 5 in something like '94.

 

[Michael B]

4 String: 1990 - 1995
... A long time passes ...
4 String: 2015
5 String: 2016

 

[ofajen]

About 32 years and counting, assuming the Stick doesn't count (though it had 5 bass strings.) If it did, it would only be a year or so. I sometimes tune a 4-string in fifths, which reduces my interest in a 5-string, somehow.

Otto

 

[matdras]

I purchased my first 6er after about a decade of playing. To this day I have never owned a 5-string, but I am certainly not opposed to the idea! I would say that I spend the majority of the time playing the 6, but I can never stay away from my P bass for too long.

 

[DwaynieAD]

Less than a year, but I had been playing 9 years before I found a five string i kept.

 

[KCLRbass]

And it's BECAUSE I'm not good enough to play with less.

I feel you, man. This is exactly why I play 5-string.

EDIT: oh, and I played 4-string for about 3 years before buying my first 5-string in 1998.

 

[stonewall]

I play Classic Rock so i have no need for a 5er.I refuse to disrespect the other band members adding basslines that dont belong.