I played a five string today...

[Jake72]

...and I liked it.



I must be getting old.

I love that low B for the extra range in extending scales, (or once in a while just thumping on....)

 

[Robroy]

I love that low B for the extra range in extending scales, (or once in a while just thumping on....)

I'm noticing more and more of them in my local music store. They actually out number the four strings now.

 

[AdamR]

I played a 4 string the other day. I hated it.

 

[Robroy]

I played a 4 string the other day. I hated it.

They really are limiting. I remember shortly after I became a member here someone asked five string players what they liked about them. The response that really stuck in my head was this:

One thing: Fretted E.

 

[bassbenj]

Until I play a 5er that doesn't have a lousy B string, I will remain uninterested. Haven't had much of a pool to sample from though...

Obviously you just don't get around enough! My Modulus TBX or Q6: B string to die for! It's 35" scale. Also worthy of mention: Ken Smith, Alembic, Conklin, and my G&L USA L2500. All 34" scales. Note that no Fender 5er is on this list. Yeah, they aren't lousy, but not to die for.

 

[JLY]

I can't stand B strings, different tonality and limited sustain, give me a good 4 any day
Each to their own hey

I can't stand B strings, different tonality and limited sustain, give me a good 4 any day
Each to their own hey

The tone may be a little different but a good 5 string will give you at least the same sustain. My Sadowsky's sustain is as good if not better and my Lull's sustain on the B goes on for days! It is incredible

 

[Fuzzbass]

I can't stand B strings, different tonality and limited sustain, give me a good 4 any day
Each to their own hey

There are basses will killer B strings... sustain included. Nordstrand, for example.

 

[iriegnome]

I almost never use my B string for B-C notes. I am always on it for E and up! Open notes tend to be sloppy, so I try to never use an open string. That low B makes it more possible. Plus as the saying goes, 7th fret will make you famous.. Maybe I made that up or something, but I can move through transitions and changes so much more liquid like with that B string. It is not an extra string for me. It is how my style of play is..

 

[JT Foster]

I play a 6. It's not that hard. 4 strings are not enough.

 

[Sixgunn]

It means that 5 string basses are overrated

Says who?

 

[IanA]

Having owned several 5's including a Stingray, Mike Lull PJ5, Nordy VJ5, I can honestly say that in my experience I disagree. The only B string that I have heard that Was any good was on a Dingwall, and my tiny brain couldn't cope with the fanned frets....

The tone may be a little different but a good 5 string will give you at least the same sustain. My Sadowsky's sustain is as good if not better and my Lull's sustain on the B goes on for days! It is incredible

There are basses will killer B strings... sustain included. Nordstrand, for example.

 

[Short-scale]

Having owned several 5's including a Stingray, Mike Lull PJ5, Nordy VJ5, I can honestly say that in my experience I disagree. The only B string that I have heard that Was any good was on a Dingwall, and my tiny brain couldn't cope with the fanned frets....

From what I've read the Dingwall fanned frets feel natural after a little time and a 37" b string would be plenty tight (not to mention even string tension across the board). But I'm with ya about it being an unusual concept. Call me a traditionalist but I'll stick with the regular basses.
At least for a while...

 

[TMARK]

Obviously you just don't get around enough! My Modulus TBX or Q6: B string to die for! It's 35" scale. Also worthy of mention: Ken Smith, Alembic, Conklin, and my G&L USA L2500. All 34" scales. Note that no Fender 5er is on this list. Yeah, they aren't lousy, but not to die for.

My Thumb 5 has a nice B, same tension as the other four strings. Lots of volume.

 

[P. Aaron]

I've worked with keyboard players who didn't leave room for bass... I wanted to smack their left hand with a ruler. The best keyboard players only play bass notes when there's no bass player. That applies regardless of the number of strings on the bass.

I really meant that with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Keyboardists without confidence leave you swimming in a pool of low-end glop that can loosen one's bowels.

 

[Sixgunn]

I didn't know trolls had that long of a life span.

Yes. You can be a troll on this board for 15 years.

 

[Short-scale]

I really meant that with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Keyboardists without confidence leave you swimming in a pool of low-end glop that can loosen one's bowels.

That they can. When I joined up with my keyboardist friend (excellent on the keys BTW) in his band it was a little bit of a battle with that initially. Now he loves the fact that, with me holding it down on the bass, he can use his left hand for strings and other parts.

 

[Sixgunn]

I played fours for decades then I joined a "technical death metal" band and needed lower notes so I got a 6 string because I figured the more the merrier, right? Wrong. To me, the 6 was like playing a surfboard! Especially since most of the bass lines were on the B and E string. Very straining on the wrist. So I got a 5 (now I have five of them) and it was the piece of the puzzle I've always been missing. Great low B versatility on a neck that's not too wide. Now I play in a mainly rock and new wave cover band with material spanning from the 60's to today and like another TB'er said, embellishing songs that were originally done on a four with some lower than E stuff can add a LOT of flavor and dimension. Oh, I like the A string in the middle. The "perfect" center string

 

[Seten]

I started as a 10 year old, got a crappy $90 silvertone (used). Then I got a slightly better 5 string fretless (no idea why) (also used) I think for my birthday. Then, once my parents realized I was actually serious and started playing in a band, I got a used warwick 5 string rockbass (don't bother looking for the exact model, I've looked for forever and have never even found something that even looks close to it) for around $300.

Once I'm able to get my own job, I'm going to start saving up for a higher level bass (probably fender jazz or precision (leaning towards precision) MIM or a used MIA, and I honestly don't know if I'm going with 4 or 5 string. I actually NEED to use the 5th string in 2 or 3 songs, but I can fix that by just tuning to drop d, which isn't really hard. Other than that, it's nice to use for fills and stuff and go below low e and also just for ease of use when I'm playing higher up the neck, so I don't have to switch hand positions to play, say, a low g.

I guess what I'm saying is basically I could easily go to a 4 string, but why would I if I could get a 5? I'm sure there's a reason since so many people prefer 4 strings, but what is it?

 

[Short-scale]

I like the narrower neck of the 4 string and have been playing 4 strings for 16 years or thereabouts.
For me I like the familiarity of the 4 but have recently added a 5 string when I really want to get low down.

 

[pbass6811]

I played a 4 string the other day. I hated it.

I was with you on this for a long time. Many moons ago, I got robbed and lost a bunch of gear. I had to replace it quickly and I didn't have much money, so I could only afford to buy one bass. I had just switched over to 5's, so that's what I went with. I've been playing 5's exclusively since then. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to have a 4, so I went out and bought a killer Spector Euro4. I played it all of 1 gig, and put it back in it's gig bag for over a year, not because it was a crappy bass, that Euro was AWESOME(I actually like the TonePump circuit), I stopped playing it because I hated playing a 4. I sold it and bought another 5. Now, I'm in a 4 string mood again, so my plan is to buy a really expensive 4. That'll force me to actually get back into playing it(Yes, I know that's a really stupid plan, but I am a bass player...). Plus, the 5-string I just ordered will have 19mm spacing, so it shouldn't be as weird going back and forth...