I played a five string today...

[iriegnome]

Can't we all just get along with our 4, 5 and 6 string brothers?? Hate on the 7 and 8 string players, but get along with the 4, 5 and 6'ers

 

[Neon Blues]

I have 1 fiver, but have only had 2 in my life time. My current Ray 5er is the most comfortable I've been playing a 5 and everytime I play it, it gets easier but just cant with how my 4 strings feel in my hands

 

[DwaynieAD]

I've owned 3 fivers, only kept one because it sounds amazing. I do miss my first five, a Cort action five. Looked and played amazing, just needed new pups. Never seen one that looks as good as that one did.

 

[ggunn]

I like the narrower neck of the 4 string...

That's exactly what I don't like about a 4 string. Whenever I play one I have trouble keeping my thumb on the back of the neck and curling my fingers to hit the notes.

 

[JLY]

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....

I can only go by my experience- and I have never played a Dingwall. The sustain onmy Lull PJ5 24 snd my Lull P5 is tremendous
Ps: both are35"

 

[Short-scale]

That's exactly what I don't like about a 4 string. Whenever I play one I have trouble keeping my thumb on the back of the neck and curling my fingers to hit the notes.

I recently got a peavey foundation 5er and am working it into my playing. It's a lot different than the 2 short scale jaguars (which have a really narrow neck) I have but it's getting easier to switch between the different basses. I do like the 5 string for its extra range though

 

[iriegnome]

That's exactly what I don't like about a 4 string. Whenever I play one I have trouble keeping my thumb on the back of the neck and curling my fingers to hit the notes.

I have a 4 string neck on my favorite 5'er. The pic as my avitar. It is a Modulus Bassstar. 1-7/8" nut with a 2-1/2" heal. Standard Fender heal 4 string width. Gives a feel of a 4 banger but has 5 strings. I also have converted a couple of 1-3/4" nut and 2-1/2" heal 4 bangers to 5'ers. I love them. Great even tight feel. Easy on my hands after a 3-1/2 hour show and a blast to play!!

 

[Slevage]

a 4 string could sound different from a five string when one takes a home position on the 5 string further up the neck that provides more useful range of notes without having to move from that home position. The 4 has fewer choices that have to be played lower on the neck.
(unless you're very young Bill Wyman who seemed to play up the neck on his 4 all the time -- what keys where they playing those songs in?)

so playing further up the neck could account for the sound of a 5 being different from a 4.

I started playing 5 with the home position frets 5-8 and feel most at home there, but have been making an effort to work more in the 2 - 5 fret range, but even there I use the B string for E and F, where 4 string players don't have a lot of choice.

I play mostly standards in flat ('horn') keys and really don't do a lot in typical 'guitar' sharp keys and I would probably be playing more in the 2-5 fret range in those keys, so I suspect a 4 is most at home with open strings and low home position in those 'guitar' keys.

Good points. I play in flat keys often too. 3 of my 4 five stringers are strung E to C. Though I can't play a low Eb, I can play up to Eb (3rd fret, high C string) without going out of "home" position, often called 1/2 position on an upright. This comes in real handy when playing big band charts.
My intonation is better on my EUB (5er, high C), since I learned on a fretted instrument and was thrown into the double bass world by my high school orchestra director in 1974. I survived thanks to my fellow cellists.

I think Wyman played up the neck to achieve more of a thud for some tunes. Check out some early Elton John recordings---- many bass lines sound like they were played on the E and A string, above the 12the fret.