your Uncle touched you in the no-no spot with his 5 string when you were a kid, didn't he? C'mon, just let it out. Let it out. :drphil:
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Seriously Thinking About A 5-String ...
- Thread starter Clinks
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your Uncle touched you in the no-no spot with his 5 string when you were a kid, didn't he? C'mon, just let it out. Let it out. :drphil:
Yes, it is.
I once let a friend of my drummer's sit in on bass at a gig. I wasn't sure he noticed that my Fender had five strings, so I tried to warn him, but I guess it didn't register. Turns out he did NOT know it was a fiver, and had a helluva time keeping up. I felt bad for him, but it was also funny.
No. Actually the first overtone (octave) is most of what you're hearing.
I got my first 5-string in '94, and that was the last time I played fours. The advantages far outweigh the negatives. You still have all the advantages of the 4-string (whatever they are), plus the two advantages of fives I pointed out earlier. I may have said this before, but it seems like you and Jeff Berlin would get along famously - or not.
Why does this seem to always come up as an "either or" debate. Why not just have both a 4 string and a 5 string. They are simply tools to get the job done.
Heck I play a 4 and a 6 so what do I know?
Excellent point.
Why does this seem to always come up as an "either or" debate. Why not just have both a 4 string and a 5 string. They are simply tools to get the job done.
Heck I play a 4 and a 6 so what do I know?
Or, just buy 5's and already have a 4, and a 5, in the same bass...
Or, just buy a 6, and already have a 4, and a 5, and a 6, in the same bass!
My first 5-string was a 72 fender BassV. It had a high C and only 15 frets. So you gain..........nothing. Never liked it. My second one was a G & L L-5000. It has a narrow neck which for me was easy to play. But after playing it for a while I realized I only used the B string on 2 songs. And never went below D. So I tuned the B to a D and was fairly happy. But I stopped using it when I picked up a G & L SB-2. Still my fave to this day(after about 20 years). A couple years ago I traded for a Kubicki X-Factor. You can drop the E down to a D on the go. No positioning changes. Pretty neat idea Just my 2cents worth
I mostly play 4s but have wanted a 5er because:
- There are player I like that use them
- For certain styles of music (newer soul, r&b, etc) not even open for discussion
- Have a low Eb can be very handy for jazz style tunes
- I like the idea of having another timbre available for the notes I'd typically play on my E string
- I didn't want to lose an audition/gig because I didn't play one
As a way to see if I liked it, I bought a used Squier Jazz V. If one is already a Fender player, I can't imagine a better way to test out whether or not you'd like a 5er. They are about $200 new and being a Squier and a Jazz have infinite upgrade possibilities. Probably not the best B in the business but the string spacing is close to US/MIM Fender 4 strings so makes it easier. Ultimately, I decided I could hang with a 5er but wanted a better one.
Next up was a Lakland 5501. These basses are also fantastic and for $500-800 used depending on finish, condition, upgrades, etc are on of the best deals going for a 5er. The neck on these basses are fantastic and feel, at least to me, like a better fender neck. Plus the pickup arrangement with Barts is more similar to what you get in many, many high end basses. Stock they are Korean, not US versions but it's a different vibe from typically jazz bass arrangement. I upgraded pickups and preamp on this bass to US Barts but ultimately I had a hard time adjusting to 35" scale length.
My current 5er is a Musicman Stingray 5, a bass I never imagined I'd own but continue to fall in love with the more I play. At one point, thought I'd need to have 18 or 19mm string spacing a la Fender but when I first starting playing SR5s found the neck and spacing to be very comfortable. To me, many 5ers feel like a 4 with an extra string. The B string on the SR5 feels like just another string. As a result the neck width is about the same as a vintage PBass. And it's a 34 inch scale. I aslo looking for a long time to find a light one. This one is just a shade over 9lbs, lighter than many 4s.
So things to consider:
- string spacing
- 34 vs 35" scale
- weight
Also, if you're like most people, it will take a while to adjust to the extra string. I'd recommend playing it exclusively until you adjusted. I've gotten much better at this since owning the SR5 but still make mistakes when looking at the neck and thinking the B is the E or the E is the A. I'm always tempted to just play my 4s but I know the more time I put into the 5 the less of an issue it will become.
- There are player I like that use them
- For certain styles of music (newer soul, r&b, etc) not even open for discussion
- Have a low Eb can be very handy for jazz style tunes
- I like the idea of having another timbre available for the notes I'd typically play on my E string
- I didn't want to lose an audition/gig because I didn't play one
As a way to see if I liked it, I bought a used Squier Jazz V. If one is already a Fender player, I can't imagine a better way to test out whether or not you'd like a 5er. They are about $200 new and being a Squier and a Jazz have infinite upgrade possibilities. Probably not the best B in the business but the string spacing is close to US/MIM Fender 4 strings so makes it easier. Ultimately, I decided I could hang with a 5er but wanted a better one.
Next up was a Lakland 5501. These basses are also fantastic and for $500-800 used depending on finish, condition, upgrades, etc are on of the best deals going for a 5er. The neck on these basses are fantastic and feel, at least to me, like a better fender neck. Plus the pickup arrangement with Barts is more similar to what you get in many, many high end basses. Stock they are Korean, not US versions but it's a different vibe from typically jazz bass arrangement. I upgraded pickups and preamp on this bass to US Barts but ultimately I had a hard time adjusting to 35" scale length.
My current 5er is a Musicman Stingray 5, a bass I never imagined I'd own but continue to fall in love with the more I play. At one point, thought I'd need to have 18 or 19mm string spacing a la Fender but when I first starting playing SR5s found the neck and spacing to be very comfortable. To me, many 5ers feel like a 4 with an extra string. The B string on the SR5 feels like just another string. As a result the neck width is about the same as a vintage PBass. And it's a 34 inch scale. I aslo looking for a long time to find a light one. This one is just a shade over 9lbs, lighter than many 4s.
So things to consider:
- string spacing
- 34 vs 35" scale
- weight
Also, if you're like most people, it will take a while to adjust to the extra string. I'd recommend playing it exclusively until you adjusted. I've gotten much better at this since owning the SR5 but still make mistakes when looking at the neck and thinking the B is the E or the E is the A. I'm always tempted to just play my 4s but I know the more time I put into the 5 the less of an issue it will become.
Yeah, if you get one don't give up on it too soon. I may have. I got one and gave it a good try but could not bond with it. On a whim I tried tuning my four in fifths and found that I instantly loved that, and it pretty much does anything a fiver will while having only four strings. Four strings do have an advantage that you give up when you go to five: the dead obvious one that there are only four strings, nicely spaced, to keep track of! So I sold the five, got a couple more fours, and was happy for a while. Then I tried uptuning one of the fours by a fifth and that was very nice too except now I wanted to try a five tuned in fifths so I could both tunings at once.... I did get another five and I am bonding with it now. In fact I bonded with it almost instantly. It still isn't quite as nice as a four but it doesn't feel like some strange alien creature either.
So I would suggest that if you get one and don't like it you should try laying it aside for a couple months and then come back to it. That seemed to work for me. At first I thought it was the string spacing. The new one is only half a mm more than the first was but when I first got it I wedged some pennies in between the bridge saddles (you can do that on a MIM Fender bridge, and no I am not kidding) to widen it up to 18mm and I attributed my second time success with the fiver to that. After a few weeks I pulled them out however and I still like it. So now I am thinking I just gave up too soon on the first one.
Ken
Thanks for all the responses, y'all.
I feel there were some details I left out:
* I own a Squier P-Bass and I recently bought an Ibanez SR370F (fretless). I enjoy the affordability (hope I spelled that right) light weight, slim neck and overall comfort of the Ibanez. While Fender is a highly respectable company, their basses are heavy and expensive. My ears are not developed enough to have "hear" a "higher quality sounding" bass. I like my Ibanez' features above.
* I like the potential a 5-string offers. I'm still learning (the "crawling phase," if you will), so these "new" challenges keep my interest piqued. Besides, "normal" is a bad word to describe me (by any means). So screw it - why not?
These may not be very good reasons (especially not financially); but I am who I am, I'm not gunna change myself to please others.
Thanks again guys. I definitely have a some thinking to do.
I feel there were some details I left out:
* I own a Squier P-Bass and I recently bought an Ibanez SR370F (fretless). I enjoy the affordability (hope I spelled that right) light weight, slim neck and overall comfort of the Ibanez. While Fender is a highly respectable company, their basses are heavy and expensive. My ears are not developed enough to have "hear" a "higher quality sounding" bass. I like my Ibanez' features above.
* I like the potential a 5-string offers. I'm still learning (the "crawling phase," if you will), so these "new" challenges keep my interest piqued. Besides, "normal" is a bad word to describe me (by any means). So screw it - why not?
These may not be very good reasons (especially not financially); but I am who I am, I'm not gunna change myself to please others.
Thanks again guys. I definitely have a some thinking to do.
My background: I've played mainly 5-strings for about 20 years, and only 5-strings for the past 5. Nothing against 4-string basses, but I like 5 strings, for feel, aesthetics, and sound.
Here's a couple of things I haven't seen mentioned:
Here's a couple of things I haven't seen mentioned:
- Make sure your rig is up to the task. A lot of people hate 5-strings because they use a rig that is not designed to handle the lower notes. Since I got a rig that can REALLY handle those low notes (fEARful alert!) my low B speaks as clearly and cuts through as well as any note on my bass, and the B string no longer feels like a conjoined twin hanging off the side of the bass.
- Use those low notes with taste. I love the sound of the low notes, but when I play (for example) with my Pink Floyd tribute band, they just don't sound right, except in some of the newer songs where there is an occasional low D.
- One technique adjustment I make on some of my basses is to play favoring the bridge pickup and/or pluck closer to the bridge when on the B string, so that it speaks and fits better with the band's sound.
I am the proud owner of an Ibanez SR505. Picked it yesterday at Guitar Center. My guitarist buddy who was with me must have thought it was an impulse buy / me trying to act like a high roller / it was gunna leave me broke. Proud to say none of that applies.
Again - thanks for the input, y'all.
Again - thanks for the input, y'all.
7 string or gtfo. 
Nah 5 strings are fun little toys. I honestly cant play anything with less because im so used to 7. You also dont have to tune them B-G. You can also tune them E-C if youre more of a lead and melody player. Of course both tunings require different gauge strings. Anyways thats my 2 cents. Enjoy your possible new 5 string!
Nah 5 strings are fun little toys. I honestly cant play anything with less because im so used to 7. You also dont have to tune them B-G. You can also tune them E-C if youre more of a lead and melody player. Of course both tunings require different gauge strings. Anyways thats my 2 cents. Enjoy your possible new 5 string!
I like having both- the five string has more tonal variety and you can really provide the deep bass notes that can really make a song, but yes, it's heavier and while it is possible to slap and pop on the fiver, I find it far more comfortable on the four string - so I use the 4-string for songs that require heavy use of funk lines.
You might not like playing 4 string. I picked up a Yamaha BBN5 and, after a couple weeks or so, transitioned so completely that my 4 string felt like a toy so I sold it.
The best reason to go 5 is the type of music your band plays.
I was hired by a modern country rock band which does several songs in which I play below the low E.
Having been classically trained on the Double Bass, it pleases me to not have to play an open E.
The best reason to go 5 is the type of music your band plays.
I was hired by a modern country rock band which does several songs in which I play below the low E.
Having been classically trained on the Double Bass, it pleases me to not have to play an open E.
Generally good points! I agree, it's nice to play fretted E. And I now play fiver exclusively.
I will nitpick one thing: for me, five string is better for all forms of music, doesn't matter what your band plays. I was originally interested in it for the low notes, but then realized that the advantage is having greater range in all fingering positions, even 5th fret and above where you are entirely in 4-string territory. The low notes allow you to play modern bass lines without detuning, but the extra range is useful even when you never travel below low E.
