is it worth buying a 5 strings ?

[Dr. Cheese]

I don't know that I can agree with the statement of "most" but would agree with "some" had you put it that way. While there are wide necks, fat necks, narrow necks wide, medium and narrow string spacing and any number of permutations, not to mention different scale lengths. There are so many variations that I don't think any generalization works. If I may cite two of my own basses, on the the extreme of my small collection.

Yamaha TRBX605. 34" scale, 43mm nut and 18mm string spacing. 8.5 pounds. I think it sells for $650 still and SO easy to play. But then I have an Ibanez BTB675. That was actually the first 5er I bought and thought I'd return it because it was "too big" waiting for the Yamaha to arrive. 35" scale, 48mm nut 19mm string spacing. By the time the 30th day of the 45 day return period came I was in love with this bass. The Yamaha had come and I fell in love with it too and ended up keeping both of them. Then, due to happenstance I ended up with a 2010 (vintage important) MIM Jazz 5. The biggest difference of that one is the 9.5" radius. And then I have a 6er too. Of all of them not a single one has a FAT neck. In fact they tend to be rather shallow in depth with the Yamaha being the best balance of nut width and depth, IMO perfect for a guitar cross-over player. My Jazz 4 is wonderful, but a skinny, skinny neck. And you know what, of all the basses I have I tend to be the most precise on the BTB, the one with the widest and longest neck. If y'all know Ibanez they are are famous for their flatter necks.

My point being is that someone looking for their first 5 is bound to find something easy to get along with. Once acclimated to 5 the world opens up. Don't be afraid of opening up to the 5. So many reasons to have one and play one and so few reasons not to.

It’s nice to read such a sensible, fact grounded post. Maybe after so many years on TB, I am tired of the same discussions over and over. I will just say that I do not care how many strings someone uses. I just hope a person plays well with what she or he has. Good bass playing is joy no matter how many strings are used.

As for being tired of reading the same discussions over and over, I have no doubt there are more than a few people tired of reading my posts about GAS.

 

[frankie5string]

I may also add, that most (if not all) 5 string have WIDE string spacing and FAT necks. Get ready to stress out your fingers. Like 3phisto said "not for everyone".

That's not true at all. Most of the original 5-strings had fairly narrow string spacing. The early Yamaha 5s were almost comically narrow, but totally playable. It wasn't until much later when companies started making 5-strings with 19mm (or wider) spacing. Over 20 years, not a single 5 string I have owned has been one with wide string spacing.

I don't know a single 5 string player who complains of "stressed out" fingers because they're playing a 5.

Do some of you go around telling piano players that they shouldn't need a grand piano to play Mozart, because he played everything on a 66-key Fortepiano?

 

[jdthaddeus]

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!

I'm really happy I went to a 5 string. It just works for me. I think it's more fun to play.

 

[zontar]

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!

Well I have joked that you pay all that extra money & only get 5 more notes.
(yes there is more to it than that)

Depends what you are doing with it--I'm good with a 4 stringer--but some use the 5 string to it's full potential--or close.

 

[jdthaddeus]

I like to play funky octaves using the 5th string to get weird tones. So I feel like it's more than just "4 more notes".

But I'm really tall with big hands, so the Fiver feels like a big guitar to me. It's FUN. I've not picked up my 4 string since the moment to got a Fiver.

 

[zontar]

I like to play funky octaves using the 5th string to get weird tones. So I feel like it's more than just "4 more notes".

But I'm really tall with big hands, so the Fiver feels like a big guitar to me. It's FUN. I've not picked up my 4 string since the moment to got a Fiver.

(5 more notes)


And yeah another thing it is, is another location to play some other notes (Depends on how many frets you have)

and it is more than that--so it's cool to have those options for those who was & use them.

 

[Greywoulf]

Answer to the OP: ~No, it's not worth "buying 5 strings" if all one has is a 4-string bass!
(Usually the 5th string is too big for comfortable use as a spare...)

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Do you think a beginner should learn on a 4 and 5 string at the same time or only start on one of those, assuming that they might eventually play a 5 string?

That is an excellent question, but I don't have an answer. I don't think I'm qualified to make that call.

 

[trseal]

I guess I look at it like a golfer might look at a set of golf clubs. You can play 18 holes with one club but there are situations where a #9 is just more suitable than a driver. I have a handful of basses (a five included) with different characteristics, ie., passive, active, round wound, flat wound, nylon-wrapped, P, J, frets, no frets. No, they're not all NECESSARY but they are fun and give me a flexibility that I like. I have a fav and a go-to but I love and play them all.

Tim

 

[mcnach]

We don't half like to overthink things, eh?

 

[retslock]

I have no desire to be attacked by the "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" brigade. Ya'll seriously need to chill on the absolutes.

One of my pet issues with humans in general. It goes way further than bass playing.

 

[fourstringbliss]

I have taught students at exactly this level, who asked this exact question, for decades. I have extensive experience in finding solid player level basses, in all configurations/prices. I have matched more bass playing humans than I can count with basses that fit their needs/taste. I am not going to offer an opinion in this thread based on the myopic ignorance, baseless sweeping generalizations, and childish over-reactions already shared. I will gladly do this with the OP by PM, but I have no desire to be attacked by the "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" brigade. Ya'll seriously need to chill on the absolutes.

Absolutely.

 

[Wibble666]

Absolutely.

absolutely condescending?

 

[Lowandfat]

absolutely condescending?

Maybe, but not as condescending as the posts from people talking out their butts. The mansplain factor in this thread is substantial.

 

[Maulraizor]

Ideally I'd have a Hipshot d-tuner thingy on a 5 string. One of the bands I play with does a lot of drop-D stuff. That open D pivot note gets used a lot and it doesn't quite have the same ring when using the D on the B string.

But I just detune when needed, these days. You get surprisingly fast and accurate if you do it often enough.

My most comfortable tuning is in octaves. Real bassists give me a hard time about. Not sure what Im supposed to say. Thats just how I play. From low to high: A D A D G

 

[Greywoulf]

Absolutely.

If no one asked you, why respond in the first place? "Experts" putting everyone else down are also rather childish over-reactions IMO, and not uncommon enough here on TB....

 

[fourstringbliss]

If no one asked you, why respond in the first place? "Experts" putting everyone else down are also rather childish over-reactions IMO, and not uncommon enough here on TB....

Touchy touchy.

I'm not putting anyone down, just trying to be helpful.

Life is too short to get mad on TB.

 

[FollowMeDown]

...
Do you NEED one? You decide. Won't make you a better bassist though, remember that.

I for one would probably sound significantly worse if I ever had to go back to a 4. To me It certainly feels way more awkward/limited to play a 4.

 

[fourstringbliss]

I for one would probably sound significantly worse if I had to ever go back to a 4.

I worked that out a while ago by always thinking of the b-string as a tuneful thumbrest. It's more of a 4+1 string.

 

[Seano76]

I play a 5 for comfort. For a lot of years, I always assumed a thinner neck meant a bass was easier to play. Thats what people used to say "Oh a J bass has a thinner neck thats more comfortable than a P."
I bought a 5 literally just because I liked the way it looked, figured it'd be a "novelty" bass for me but playing around on it, I noticed right away that the terrible cramping I always got below my thumb was gone. Turns out that for me, a guy with big hands, I was scrunching up my hand on the smaller 4 string necks.
I only pay 5's now. I could get away with a 4 for most of what I play, no doubt but I wouldn't go back to a 4 now just because of the cramping.