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is it worth buying a 5 strings ?
- Thread starter 10emmanuel
- Start date
I don't like them and they are all too heavy and they all have huge necks and they are all active and I see no need for it because I don't like them.
This guy says. . . . when I switched to 5 string basses, in 1996, I discovered bass playing plus. I love them. I find them easier to play than 4 strings basses, better sounding and way more flexible. It seems, reading TB posts, that many don't get on with 5 ers and some don't want to get on with them.
With the right frame of mind, changing formats is very easy. Of course it takes time to get used to the new geography and new note positions, but in comparison to the effort everyone had to put in to learning bass from scratch, switching is pretty straightforward.
Who's Jaco and why couldn't he cope with 5?Many people will tell you Jaco only need 4 strings
Ever since I had my first 5er years ago, I have always felt that 5 should have been how basses were made in the first place.
NOT for lower notes per se, other than an occasional D, but for the added range (The E is right there for Blues in A)and being able to play nearly anything right in the middle of the neck. The Ibanez 5s are wonderful and still light weight with thin necks. I even have a sub-shorty Ibby miKro that plays and sounds great. YES, I need to re-work my songs to use a 5, but it comes pretty easy. I now have a Ibanez TMB 305 short scale on order - it will be my Country Music bass and if it is like the rest of the TMB line, will play and sound fantastic.
NOT for lower notes per se, other than an occasional D, but for the added range (The E is right there for Blues in A)and being able to play nearly anything right in the middle of the neck. The Ibanez 5s are wonderful and still light weight with thin necks. I even have a sub-shorty Ibby miKro that plays and sounds great. YES, I need to re-work my songs to use a 5, but it comes pretty easy. I now have a Ibanez TMB 305 short scale on order - it will be my Country Music bass and if it is like the rest of the TMB line, will play and sound fantastic.
These are not very popular here on TB, and I don't know why.
I've been wanting to try one out at GC or somewhere,
But haven't seen one in person.
I think I'd like this to be my 1st 5er,
especially since I prefer shorties,
But I generally have a try-before-buy policy.
It would be even more attractive if it were passive.
Since it's not I might go with @JPK_DK recommendation,
the Harley JJ-550P even though I can't try it first...057912
One thing I think I think from my guitar days is that a bassist with a 5-string can be very useful for certain keys or songs but just because you have the low B string doesn’t mean you have to live there.
It can be handy for playing certain songs to have the low string there even above the 5th fret. But if you spend a lot of time playing the low B,C,D it gets annoying and fatiguing to the listener.
I don’t know how to explain it, but those frequencies at the bottom of the human range of hearing can easily become distracting and distasteful if overused.
I think of it like salt or seasoning, or hot sauce. Great… up to a point.
It can be handy for playing certain songs to have the low string there even above the 5th fret. But if you spend a lot of time playing the low B,C,D it gets annoying and fatiguing to the listener.
I don’t know how to explain it, but those frequencies at the bottom of the human range of hearing can easily become distracting and distasteful if overused.
I think of it like salt or seasoning, or hot sauce. Great… up to a point.
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I usually reply, “yeah but imagine how awesome he could have been on a 5”
Why would another string make anyone any better?
I think what you say about the frame of mind is key.
I tried 5 strings on and off for 12 years before "I got it". The Lakland 5502 was sooo nice to play, the USA SUB5 sounded amazing... but I never dared playing them live for fear of making mistakes, so they eventually got sold. The last time I tried, however, it was a very different experience and as a result of it now I feel completely comfortable with any 5 string.
What was different?
This time I had no gigs, there was no 'pressure' about performing since I was playing just for myself. Another thing that helped A LOT was that since we were not gigging, we'd spend more time recording ourselves and we were writing new material... and I found the 5th string so useful! And lastly, the UB40 tribute band I had been playing with decided it was time to expand our repertoire and learn a bunch of new songs. Our singer is able to sing most of the songs in the original key, but he does struggle with a number of them and it's not unusual to decide to change the key to something else the singer is comfortable with, and after a couple rehearsals we change the key to something else again... On a 5 string I don't ever care, let's do a different key each time, I don't mind, I don't even need to think, which is where I want to be: when I'm thinking is when I make mistakes, my brain is faster/better than my physical ability
If playing a 5 string feels like a chore compared to a 4 string and you don't see a benefit... then it's going to be a lot harder, and maybe it's best to wait until you see a reason to do it.
If you're starting out on bass... it's going to feel equally difficult, so might as well go 5. A lot easier going 5->4 than 4->5 (based on my very statistically significant sample of one person, of course
)
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okay the neck is a little wider, but it weighs less than my four string jazz. And, how is this ugly?
Here's my 5-string:
The neck is wider than a 4-string (obviously) but it's thinner front-to-back than either of my 4-strings. It also weighs in at under 9 lbs because of the contours and thinness of the body.
As far as tension, usually the D and G strings on bass are higher in tension than the B string
One consideration is scale length which often contributes positively/negatively to the tone and feel of the B string. It's thought that 35" scale leads to a tighter and better sounding B string. I think this is generally true, but it also depends on build quality and the strings you choose.
I only use flatwounds on my basses so it's been a challenge to find a set of strings that have a B string that sounds like the other strings. Roundwound folks find it easier I think.
Bought it on Monday. Gigged it on Sunday. With a day job. Spent that week running scales while naming each note in my head. Had a bit more trouble going from 5 to BEAD for a punk gig that implied a 5 would be unwelcome.
If money is an issue, my suggestion would be get a cheap 4 and BEAD it. That would let you try the low notes and the extra tonal options for a much cheaper price. Obviously, you won't get the extended range in any one position like a 5 string. But you might find having both. EADG and BEAD 4 strings get the job done for you.
Be aware you will need to file out the notches in the nut for the fatter strings. Otherwise your fretted notes are gonna Play a bit sharp
I would recommend keep woodshedding on your 4 and start saving for a decent 5. In the meantime, do some research, maybe go to music shops and noodle around with a few 5s, see how you like it. As you’ve read here, opinions and experiences are all over the place. I have 2 fours and 2 fives. I play a 4 with my cover band and the 5 with an original doomy metal band where the guitarist plays a 7 string. We have several songs that are kind of sepultura-ish and i use the low B C and D pretty often. Really just depends on what you want to do. And for the record, my stingray 5 is under 9 pounds and has a very playable neck that is far from a baseball bat.
