Is there really a NEED to own a four string bass?

[Rickett Customs]

I prefer a 5 for the fact that most of the guitarists I currently gig with switch up so much from standard to drop D to Drop C and I find myself ready to go while they fumble for their other guitar, in the middle of a set. It's also a matter of convenience for me.

However, when I'm around the house, i'm usually found with a 4.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

(think Wooten's "You can't hold no groove")

Wooten only plays 4's.
Jaco only played 4's.
Michael Manring only plays 4's.
Steve Swallow...
James Jamerson...
etc. etc. etc.

i like to joke with bass students that 5 strings were invented to help bassists become lazier, that you have to be creative and intentional with a 4 string.
but honestly, i've just never found a need or desire for a 5.
when i do, i'll buy it.
but until then, it's whatever works best for you.

 

[superfunk47]

Wooten only plays 4's.

...Except for his two fivers.

A fretted Fodera and a fretless Compito.

On topic, I'm comfortable with 4s, have no use for a low B, and can't yet justify a high C (and that'll probably end up being its own 4, a tenor).

Use what you like, and like what you use. Live and let live. And so on.

 

[natw42]

Wooten only plays 4's.
Jaco only played 4's.
Michael Manring only plays 4's.
Steve Swallow...
James Jamerson...
etc. etc. etc.

I'm just being a nitpicker here, but I'm pretty sure Swallow plays Citron and Parker 5 strings and Wooten plays 4's, 5's, in addition to a crazy 6-string stepped fretboard bass by Read Basses.
And Jaco apparently had a 5 string ABG tuned w a high C string

But to not be OT, it's ultimately about personal preference. If you feel you can do everything you need to do on a 5er, stick with that.

IMO, etc.

 

[Pilgrim]

Is there a NEED to have any bass with more than four strings?

I've never found one.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

...Except for his two fivers.

A fretted Fodera and a fretless Compito.

I'm just being a nitpicker here, but I'm pretty sure Swallow plays Citron and Parker 5 strings and Wooten plays 4's, 5's, in addition to a crazy 6-string stepped fretboard bass by Read Basses.
And Jaco apparently had a 5 string ABG tuned w a high C string

i hang my head in shame. as penance, i shall now sell both my basses and buy a 7 string to play only at country and western bars until the end of my days.

 

[rjreynoldsbass]

I prefer a 5 for the fact that most of the guitarists I currently gig with switch up so much from standard to drop D to Drop C and I find myself ready to go while they fumble for their other guitar, in the middle of a set. It's also a matter of convenience for me.

Same here. My other guitarist uses a 7 string, so the B is going to be there whether I want to play that way or not.

I just prefer the way it feels for me. It makes me think in a different way from my bandmates, so it creates a little room for ideas to change. However, I'm turning one of my 5's into EADGC and I'll have a 4 that's a fretless. I can't really figure out another reason for me to have one.

 

[Basshappi]

I truly hope I live to see the day when the number of strings a person has on their bass becomes so insignificant as to cease being a subject of angst, anxiety or even discussion.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

i hang my head in shame. as penance, i shall now sell both my basses and buy a 7 string to play only at country and western bars until the end of my days.

Manring also plays 5s and 6s- he's been in talks with Zon about making a double neck with both necks being 6ers as well for years now.

Now you have to buy an 8-string

 

[P-oddz]

Is there a NEED to have any bass with more than four strings?

I've never found one.

+1. It's a matter of style and preference. I have no need for more than 4 strings, and personally I don't like the feel of any bass that has more than 4 strings. That's just MY cup of tea.

 

[theophilus762]

i feel naked with a 4 string since i'm a 5 string player. kinda like putting on shoes without socks, or putting on a jacket without a shirt.

 

[VroomVroom]

Is there a need? Yes, absolutely. When that four-string bass speaks to you and offers something sonically that differs from whatever else you're playing. As much as I love a 'B' string, I couldn't be happier with my Lakland JoBo or Rob Allen MB-2.

 

[SactoBass]

+1. It's a matter of style and preference. I have no need for more than 4 strings, and personally I don't like the feel of any bass that has more than 4 strings. That's just MY cup of tea.

Same here! I just don't feel the need for those extra five notes below the low E. I suppose they are fun to play once in a while, but I just don't have the need or desire for it. It's kinda like sports...I see alot of people freaking out about it, but I just don't care about it.

 

[JohnnyB53]

...As a comfortable 5 string player is there any real need to own one? Does anyone else feel this way about 4s? Just looking for for some opinions and good discussion

If I were a larger person, had larger hands and stronger fingers, and/or had been playing 5-string comfortably for awhile, I can see where I might have adopted fivers and never looked back.

But for traditionalists, old-timers, and small-handed people like me, there's nothing so comforting as the profile of a 4-string J-bass neck snuggling in my hand--all the bass notes contained in western music (until the last couple of decades) emanating from a 1.5" wide nut.

 

[DeluxeRed]

It's very tough to be really cool without one.

 

[TheNightLife]

i have a 5string fender jazz and while it sounds great i really have no need for it. i also have 2 4 strings from fender aswell which get used a billion times more then the 5. personally i think every 5 or 6 player should own atleast 1 of the classic basses like a p or a jazz. with alot of the 5s and 6s that are out there now i would say they sound more modern then anything and dont sound like any of the original fenders, musicman. iduno to me its a sound thing, i have a certain tone in my head and the modern 5's and 6's wont cut it.

 

[Rocky McD]

I love it when someone says they prefer the "fast, slim" neck of a Jazz bass over the wide, fat neck of a Precision. Then you find out they play a 5 or 6 string. Go figure?
I have a 5 and a 4 but can't play either very well after 45 years of trying.
Rocky

 

[JohnnyB53]

i feel naked with a 4 string since i'm a 5 string player. kinda like putting on ... a jacket without a shirt.

4-string player:

 

[your idol]

nope..5 is my magic number..considering when i get my custom built rocking a 6er though

 

[johhn smith]

i've been playing for 26 years. i love my 4 strings. i have a really nice 5 as well. while i like playing the 5, i kind of think of it as a novelty. i think it is just because i have become so used to a 4 string. i play a lot of fast fusion like stuff at times and i can't seem to get around as good on a 5 as it is not instinctive to me . i think a five or 6 is great for someone who takes the time and really learns how to play one but it has been my experience that a lot of people use them so they don't have to shift positions as much, and they end up sounding like a 4 string with a few extra notes. it reminds me of some of these huge kit drummers. don't get me wrong, some really big kit drummers can play but a lot of them rely more on the gimmick of having so many different sounds more than they do about interesting stickwork or technique. when you are a small kit player you have to learn a lot more about creating different sounds on different parts of the drums and also have to concentrate more on stick work to make your playing sound different enough with the limited kit you have. IMHO, to each their own though.