I want to buy a 5

[Glynplaysbass]

If I find a 4 sting I like playing, will the 5 string version feel and sound as good?

basically I’m struggling to find many 5’s in UK shops.
I’m thinking, if I find a 4 I like and the company makes a 5 string version of that bass, maybe I order it in.

what do you think, is that a reasonable way to gage what the 5 might be like?

 

[two fingers]

Yes. Good plan.

The only thing to he aware of is that many 4 string basses have 19mm spacing at the bridge. 5 strings are all over the place. A 19mm spaced 5 string is considered "wide". 18mm is probably "stabdard". 17mm starts to get narrow.

Other than than, the 5 string should be similar to tue 4 strings all else being equal.

 

[chris_b]

What's your budget?

What basses do you currently own?

 

[aproud1]

In addition to the excellent advice from two fingers: many five strings will come in a 35” scale which may feel longer and affect the feel of the strings. Also be aware that the relative position of the bridge or upper horn position may change the location of the twelfth fret when on a strap (Spector, Warwick and alembic being good examples of this).

I play a p bass and find the fender P/J basses comfortable. When I initially tried 5 strings I had issues switching back to my 4 because I just tried whatever 5 strings look cool and tended to have drastically different specs than I came to prefer.

That said some people say they aren’t bothered by any of this stuff. So it’s always best to try to find a few fivers to play. If you have poor selection at a local shop, it might be worth a road trip. Or you could always try to network with some other local TBers and see if you could try out some fivers that way.

Good luck! Hope it all works out for you.

 

[BassmanM]

Try as many 5 string basses as you can is the best advice you can be given.

A 5 string version of a particular model will hardly feel similar to the 4 string version and it will also not sound (exactly) the same. The neck feel, string tension, string spacing will be different too.

 

[Reedt2000]

If you've never played a 5 string the spacing may be the biggest factor to consider. 19mm is pretty much the same spacing as most 4 strings so going to something like a Warwick or ibanez at 16.5mm can feel really strange. Not that you can't learn to work with narrower spacing, but it will feel weird at first. The best advice has already been given, try as many as you can to see what you like the feel of.

 

[eriky4003]

Make sure you spec out the tone you love on the 4 (eg. PJ, P-style pickups) and apply to 5r. I had a P-style 4string Yamaha and purchased a 5r Yamaha (with two humbuckers) and did not get the same sound - still a great bass but did not have the same sound. Rookie mistake on my part.

 

[micguy]

There are tradeoffs with string spacing and neck widths - not just at the bridge end, but at the nut end of the strings as well. If you're one of those folks that "can't live with a P width neck", well...the neck on a 5'er is going to be at least as wide as the widest P neck You've ever seen, it not wider. The widest 4 string Precision necks are 1 3/4", the narrowest 5 string necks are that same width.

I'm one of those folks that hated J width necks on 4's because the strings are all crammed together. My 5'ers have 1 7/8" wide necks (wider than the widest 4 string P), but because there's one more string, the string spacing at the nut is the same as a 4 string J neck. It took a while to get used to both the narrow string spacing, and the wider neck. My 5'ers (all I play now) also have 17.5 mm spacing at the bridge - I have ginormous fingers, and I was fumbling from the tight spacing to begin with, but now it's no problem. The reach to the G string with that string spacing is a bit nicer than with 19mm spacing - I only float my thumb between 2 positions - on the side of a thumb rest when playing the B string, and on top of it, damping the B string when I'm not. That works great with my huge hands, but If i had 19 mm spacing, I would probably have to float my thumb to the E string to play the G and keep things ergonomically right. Anyway, the point is, you will have to adjust to a 5'er - you can't just pick one up and say right off the bat whether or not it'll work.

 

[swagbotbilly]

BEAD gang reporting for duty

 

[themickster]

If I find a 4 sting I like playing, will the 5 string version feel and sound as good?

basically I’m struggling to find many 5’s in UK shops.
I’m thinking, if I find a 4 I like and the company makes a 5 string version of that bass, maybe I order it in.

what do you think, is that a reasonable way to gage what the 5 might be like?

The only way to tell is try a 5. The neck is thicker, and you'll have to get the hang of the E string no longer being lowest. It wouldn't be a lot of help trying, say, an Ibanez SR300E to see if an SR305E would be right for you. How near do you live to a PMT? They will get anything in for you to try out.

 

[GTHintz]

If I find a 4 sting I like playing, will the 5 string version feel and sound as good?

basically I’m struggling to find many 5’s in UK shops.
I’m thinking, if I find a 4 I like and the company makes a 5 string version of that bass, maybe I order it in.

what do you think, is that a reasonable way to gage what the 5 might be like?

Aside from some basses changing the pickup in the "extended range" basses the thing that leaps out at me is that the neck on most 5's just a little bit thicker and wider. To me it's a good thing as I feel like the e string is just typically better probably due to the extra mass. Bigger and more defined sounding. The strings are going to be spaced more narrow and if that doesn't bother you then you'll really like it. Having the b string to me just gives me another place to go in my playing and especially since I like a lot of different music it's a great tool. Try it out and see what you think but I'm definitely a supporter of 5 string and 6 string players. I don't care if traditionalists scoff and all that nonsense what matters is the tone and what feels right. I found 5 to be my happy place. I hope you do too.

 

[micguy]

The only way to tell is try a 5. The neck is thicker, and you'll have to get the hang of the E string no longer being lowest.

A couple weeks into playing on a 5, I looked down at my bass, and (luckily this was at home, not on a gig), my brain became fixated on the thought: "I have a middle string?". It's just different, and at times, you will have brain farts, and end up "re-harmonizing" something - one string from where you want to be, but with persistence, you can and will get through it.

 

[J Posega]

I personally don't think so.

String spacing and neck width will be different, and these have a huge impact on the feel and perceived playability of a bass. If you like the amount of room between 4 strings for stuff like slapping and playing with a pick, you might not like the 5 string version of that bass if it has narrower string spacing. OR you might not like the 5 if the string spacing is the same because the neck will be much wider than the 4 string version.

Some companies also build their 4 strings in 34" scale but then their 5s in 35" scale. And they almost never take into consideration the ergonomics of this, so they just put a longer neck on the same sized body which makes the reach to the lowest frets longer.

Does Thomann have a good return policy? I would just go ahead and order a bass (or 2, a lot of their models are cheap) and return them if you don't like them.

 

[Lownotes_DG]

Before I bought my five, I took my second bass and put on the bottom four from a five-string set. I then used my AB switch and would use it when I needed the low notes. It was fun!

I bought a five and sold the second bass.

 

[Cave Puppy]

A couple weeks into playing on a 5, I looked down at my bass, and (luckily this was at home, not on a gig), my brain became fixated on the thought: "I have a middle string?". It's just different, and at times, you will have brain farts, and end up "re-harmonizing" something - one string from where you want to be, but with persistence, you can and will get through it.

It’s that middle string that does me in. I’ve have had a five string since 2000 and I’m just now getting my head around it, only by playing it exclusively for weeks and weeks.

 

[micguy]

It’s that middle string that does me in. I’ve have had a five string since 2000 and I’m just now getting my head around it, only by playing it exclusively for weeks and weeks.

My toughest point in the transition was going from playing around with a 5 to gigging with one - I play gigs literally every weekend, and the point where I decided I was familiar enough that I'd risk sucking in front of an audience (I picked a weekend where I wasn't playing on front of a lot of people, to be completely honest) was where I knew I was definitely going in that direction. Now, a couple years after that, I just donated my last 4 string - I'm exclusively on 5's - playing the same physical form factor (all my basses have the same neck profile, scale length, etc.) makes things nice and consistent. Before I donated that 4, I played it for a bit, and yeah....now a 4 string feels weird - Where's my middle string? Which one of these things is the A string?

 

[GTHintz]

My toughest point in the transition was going from playing around with a 5 to gigging with one - I play gigs literally every weekend, and the point where I decided I was familiar enough that I'd risk sucking in front of an audience (I picked a weekend where I wasn't playing on front of a lot of people, to be completely honest) was where I knew I was definitely going in that direction. Now, a couple years after that, I just donated my last 4 string - I'm exclusively on 5's - playing the same physical form factor (all my basses have the same neck profile, scale length, etc.) makes things nice and consistent. Before I donated that 4, I played it for a bit, and yeah....now a 4 string feels weird - Where's my middle string? Which one of these things is the A string?

My only 4 string left is my original bass from when I first started playing. It's been through a lot so I keep it but I'm 5 string all the way.

 

[songwriter21]

If I find a 4 sting I like playing, will the 5 string version feel and sound as good?

basically I’m struggling to find many 5’s in UK shops.
I’m thinking, if I find a 4 I like and the company makes a 5 string version of that bass, maybe I order it in.

what do you think, is that a reasonable way to gage what the 5 might be like?

Remember, a 5-string has a 4-string built in....

 

[dbsfgyd1]

If I find a 4 sting I like playing, will the 5 string version feel and sound as good?

basically I’m struggling to find many 5’s in UK shops.
I’m thinking, if I find a 4 I like and the company makes a 5 string version of that bass, maybe I order it in.

what do you think, is that a reasonable way to gage what the 5 might be like?

Before I buy an instrument, I want to play it first. To me I treat them like a different instrument, like going from a baritone horn to a tuba. Years ago my son bought a 5 string Jazz. EADG strings sounded just like a JB, the B sounded like it was from a different instrument. I’m sure the newer ones are not like that, but like I said, play before buying.

 

[themickster]

A couple weeks into playing on a 5, I looked down at my bass, and (luckily this was at home, not on a gig), my brain became fixated on the thought: "I have a middle string?". It's just different, and at times, you will have brain farts, and end up "re-harmonizing" something - one string from where you want to be, but with persistence, you can and will get through it.

Ah. That gives 6s a use, after all. They keep us from freaking out over a middle string, whilst letting us have a low B.