is it worth buying a 5 strings ?

[coy garcia]

It's a very personal and subjective choice. I learned on 4's, played 5's for over a decade, now only play 4's. My reasons: I prefer a narrower neck, I enjoy changing positions and doing slides, I rarely feel like playing below E. If you need a lower register you can always sting a 4 BEAD. If you like having extra notes in the same position and need the lower register than a wider neck might be worth the tradeoff.... only you know the right answer but... no you don't "Need" a 5.

 

[RichterScale]

There are no rules.
Long ago, far away, when I hadn't had a bass in a few years and wanted a new one, I wanted to try a 5 string.
Instead of saving up and buying $1000 5 string, before knowing if I'd like it or not, I ordered a $200 Rogue 5 string out of a musician's friend catalogue.
I ended up liking it and my next 2 basses were nice$$ 5 strings.
I was still able to play all the songs I'd learned on a 4 string.
If I didn't like it I could've just sold or traded it.
You don't "need" a 5 string and there's also no rules or requirements for having one.
If you're interested in seeing what it's all about, get one. It's the only way for YOU to know.
If you don't like it, trade it back for a 4 string.
(I'd say save up and buy a $200 5 string like I did and keep the 4 string,....but $200 basses don't exist anymore).

 

[B-Mac]

Hello mates! One does really need a 5 ? I am interested about it but since I am intermediate player I dont want to slow down my learning or even complicate my already gained progress, but maybe the 5th also teaches me new things , like expand the scales and stuff...

Its easy to say " go get one" , just keep in mind that I dont have a big budget to own 2 basses so I would have to sell mine 4 string to get a 5.


What do you guys say?

Thanks!

Need?
Only if you play music that demands a low B and Low C

You can get by with a 4 string with the E string dropped to D for songs that require D or Eb.

More like want.

5 strings are normally tuned BEADG

However they can be found in EADGC configuration which is more for soloing in the higher register.

I own a few 5 string basses and really just noodle on them. One is fretless tuned EADGC and is the easiest to play for me for obvious reasons.

If you’re going to jump down the Metal rabbit hole and buy a 5 string in BEADG tuning put your 4 string away for at least 4 or 5 months because invariably you’ll be reaching for E and be hitting B.

5 string is much easier if you never touched a 4 string in the first place.

 

[misterCRUSH]

i got my first 5 for Christmas last year, and I literally have barely touched my other basses. Everything I can do on a 4, I can do on a five. It is great for me because of all the increased fingering options. I play jazz, and this has been really awesome, as frequently I am playing Eb, it's nice to do that in the money zone. The Ibanez I play SRF 705 is realatively light and doesn't bother me. As far as figuring it out and not messing up, I played Giant Steps at a show 3 weeks after getting it, so it definitely can be done. I vote yes, get one, they're really great!

 

[Lobster11]

... just keep in mind that I dont have a big budget to own 2 basses so I would have to sell mine 4 string to get a 5.

Lots of good information about the pros and cons of 5's vs. 4's, but focusing on this particular part of your post I would say that you should definitely not get rid of your 4 in order to get a 5 -- unless you have some compelling reason why need a 5, which it seems you don't. Think of a 5 as something that you might want to experiment with someday, in addition to rather than instead of your trusty 4.

 

[thmsjordan]

This question is a frequent one on TB but the answer really depends on what you are going to "need" to have in order to play the part.

There are some gigs that need a fiver, many that do not is the short answer.

I have posted this before in other threads but here was my experience freelancing on the East coast and doing upright and electric bass. I was a gun for hire and here is what I saw:

• All pro level theater work that involved electric was written for five string. If you want those gigs, there isn't an option.
• If you plan to freelance and will be playing in many different musical styles, having a five will definitely help you at some point.
• Corporate type gigs where you were basically a juke box for dance sets, weddings, retirement parties, etc. a five seemed pretty optional. Much of that material was from a time before five strings and sounded fine on four.
• Pro level Gospel I would say a five is very useful and possibly necessary in many circles.
• Orchestral pops work where you could be hired to double on electric and acoustic (Think artists like Bernadette Peters, or variety showcases where several different artists perform) a five is nearly a requirement anymore. The parts for this type of gig are written out and usually for five string.
• Modern Jazz that uses electric usually needs a five string. It seems to be getting pretty standard for the bassist to use some type of Jazz style five string bass with an active pre-amp (lots of Ken Smith, Sadowsky etc here also). I have seen and done these gigs on a Precision five but the low notes are needed for many tunes (think Grover Washington Jr and similar).
• I did not do this type of gig but I hear fives are increasingly needed for more modern country music.

There are plenty other types of situations. These are just the types I did in addition to classical work in orchestras. I will leave it to other players to speak to other types of situations.

 

[bassdude51]

Extra tuner. Extra string. Wider neck. Larger bridge. Larger pickups. More weight. ........................for 5 extra notes!

Of course, there are advantages with a 5er. But the reality is 5 extra low notes that all in all are not that often used.

Ultimately, you'll have to decide if you want/need one.

Next, I'm going to get slammed by TB 5 string lovers who strongly disagree with me.

 

[FatherTrucker]

Welp to each their own. My Squier Precision Bass Special was a dog. I spose spending 10x gets a better lighter bass for the extra 4 notes.

That model has probably the widest neck I've ever encountered on a 5 string. The nut width is stupid wide.

 

[steimlem]

i like the ideas of 5 and 24 frets. the idea of "one bass to do all" with as many options as possible.. but in reality i don't like how they feel or look. in reality i prefer simpler and smaller. i just keep a bass strung bead for when i need the low notes which is rare.

 

[Ric Vice]

I played four strings well into the late 90’s. So I didn’t own a five string until the turn of the century. I got my first Lakland 55-94 in 2000. After about a months adjustment, I never went back to either a Fender Precision or a Fender Jazz. Lakland Basses are wonderful basses they have great necks, lightweight bodies, incredible fretwork, and a huge tonal palate to work with.

 

[micguy]

Of course, there are advantages with a 5er. But the reality is 5 extra low notes that all in all are not that often used.

You haven't gigged a 5er apparently. It's not only 5 more notes, it's also more solid notes (more fundamental) on the B string that you're used to playing low on the E. You have your choice of the open E string, and F and G and....or the same note with a different timbre on the B string. If you ever play above the 5th fret (usually done because you like the tone better) a 5'er is right up your alley. In my case, working church gigs, when a singer decides to drop a step or a half step, the extra range and the enhanced ease with which you can transpose certain keys is often a life saver.

 

[Discount Bassy]

It was worth buying a five string for me. The only 4 string I still own is a dedicated loaner. I don't use it. My main is a five (24 fret) and I love it. I thought about it as a four with four extra notes for about twenty minutes before I realized I could play a full two octave scale without a position shift and I was holding more than I realized. That "flexible thumb" rest gave me new tonal options and a new way of looking at an instrument I already loved. I've never needed a four after acclimating to a five and never looked back. I've never been turned down for a gig because it had too many strings. My muting game improved out of necessity and my musical vocabulary expanded with the new opportunities. I'm waiting on a fretless six and am already anxious to see how it changes my playing.

 

[coy garcia]

Next, I'm going to get slammed by TB 5 string lovers who strongly disagree with me.

Just remind them of how many strings Jaco needed

 

[eriky4003]

You don't need a 5, but they have both advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:

• Lower range
• Added flexibility in fingering positions

Disadvantages:

• Heavier
• Wider fingerboard
• Different Orientation

Different Orientation is key to me. I am a long time 4 player and resisted 5s because I have short fingers and because I always have oriented on the E string. Now I am playing more 5 because the band I'm in tunes down 1/2 step and I refuse to loosen my string tension (that's another long discussion) and I've struggled with hitting the right string. I've been at it now for about 5 months, so it is getting easier and I hit the wrong seldomly now.
I do like the availability of alternate fingerings.
The only issue now is I have to readjust my brain when I use a 4.

That is my experience; however, it may be different for you. Since you are a relative beginner, you will have less to unlearn. It is like a small child growing up in a multilingual environment. It will learn both languages and not get them confuse. But, for an adult, learning a new language is a struggle.
HTH

I'd say it took me about 6 months to get used to playing a fiver, so it sounds like your on track! Keep at it!

 

[thmsjordan]

You haven't gigged a 5er apparently. It's not only 5 more notes, it's also more solid notes (more fundamental) on the B string that you're used to playing low on the E. You have your choice of the open E string, and F and G and....or the same note with a different timbre on the B string. If you ever play above the 5th fret (usually done because you like the tone better) a 5'er is right up your alley. In my case, working church gigs, when a singer decides to drop a step or a half step, the extra range and the enhanced ease with which you can transpose certain keys is often a life saver.

+1
I remember a freelance gig where the artist just turned around and said to the band "I am getting over a cold so I need to take this one (Marvin Gaye's "What's goin on") down a half step. I was grateful to have the five that day. Imagine having to take that opening line up an octave. It would have sounded "Off" to many ears.

 

[jd56hawk]

Hello mates! One does really need a 5 ? I am interested about it but since I am intermediate player I dont want to slow down my learning or even complicate my already gained progress, but maybe the 5th also teaches me new things , like expand the scales and stuff...

Its easy to say " go get one" , just keep in mind that I dont have a big budget to own 2 basses so I would have to sell mine 4 string to get a 5.


What do you guys say?

Thanks!

Never needed one in eight years...and I have more basses than I need!
Some people like them, though.

 

[ToddB1963]

I'd been a four-string player for 30 years, and after having landed a gig with a guy who wrote a lot of original material in flat keys, convinced myself I needed a five string, so I lashed out and bought one.

It was ok for a while, but I began to realize that just having an extended lower register was only scratching half the itch, so I stuck with the bass until the gig subsided, sold it and went back to playing my four-strings. Thereafter it slowly dawned on me that what I really wanted was the ability to extend into both low AND high registers, so I took the plunge and bought a six-string.

Adjusting to the sheer physicality and mechanics of playing the instrument is challenging, but it sounds great and is worth the effort. I could not be happier.

Sorry, that probably doesn't help you, LOL

 

[TheSeagoats]

A five string bass has a four string built in. I can play either but if I had to only own one I would definitely own a five.

 

[LeonineAlpha]

5 string if needed, usually lots of drop D songs, then u dont need to d-tune, or specific music, usually musical theatre etc written for 5 string, some funk n rnb.

Otherwise its not "needed". Maybe a want, maybe some fingering options, but will u use the string much, or is it just a noisy thumb rest, with a wider neck, more maintenance and you pay extra?

 

[Ric5]

Hello mates! One does really need a 5 ? I am interested about it but since I am intermediate player I dont want to slow down my learning or even complicate my already gained progress, but maybe the 5th also teaches me new things , like expand the scales and stuff...

Its easy to say " go get one" , just keep in mind that I dont have a big budget to own 2 basses so I would have to sell mine 4 string to get a 5.


What do you guys say?

Thanks!

about 22 years ago I got into a band where I needed the low D for many songs. So I explored my options.

1 - drop D ... I simply cannot bond with a bass in drop D
2 - D standard or DGCF ... this works very well for me, until I need a note lower than the D which happens
3 - BEADG. This is what I settled on as my main solution, and with my current band that is BEADG all 1/2 step down.