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Should I get a 5 string bass?

ics1974

ics1974

Apr 13, 2012
1,754
3,605
#1
I have two 4 string bass's and kind of curious if I should get a 5 string bass. The reason I am thinking is playing songs in the key of Eb, D and Db etc.
For you 5 and 4 string players. Do you find it's better to just tune your 4 string to the desired tuning or does a 5 string really make it allot easier. Looking for pro's and cons.
Thanks
 
#2
A five-string bass is a tool you may need in your toolbox; in addition to the extended range, you have more options of positions on the neck. I have four- and five-string basses and regularly play both. I owned a six-string bass but decided I didn't need that much range and the additional weight and much wider neck weren't as comfortable. You may decide the same thing about five-strings, be sure to play some and see if they are practical for you before you buy.
 
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#3
ics1974 said:
I have two 4 string bass's and kind of curious if I should get a 5 string bass. The reason I am thinking is playing songs in the key of Eb, D and Db etc.
For you 5 and 4 string players. Do you find it's better to just tune your 4 string to the desired tuning or does a 5 string really make it allot easier. Looking for pro's and cons.
Thanks
Click to expand...

When I found myself wanting to play an Eb1 or a D1 the logical answer was a 5 string tuned B to G. It takes some getting used to the extra surface area to cover with your hands for muting purposes and the B string simply existing, but a 5 string is the perfect setup imo. You can cover a lot of ground from one position on the fretboard, and you don't have to settle for a D2 or downtune your base to hit a note as low as B0. I don't tune out of standard tuning for anything and personally wouldn't enjoy doing so, although I'd be able to make due as long as it was still tuned in 4ths.
 
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#4
IMO, the answer lies in your bands set list almost entirely. If you are having to change tunings on your 4 string many times per set, then a 5 string is the way to go.
Even having to go from E to Drop D to Eb is enough to warrant getting a 5 string.
Conversely, Some bands do a ton of Drop D tunes and drop D is all they need so that is the best option in that case.
as an example, I play "Spoonman" on a 5 string and also Drop D. It's fun as heck on either one but easier on the Drop D.
 
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#5
I play a five string on gigs the majority of the time. I don't have to use that open low B hardly ever, but C, C#, D, and D# get used all the time. I've flirted with the idea of a double-stop Hipshot D-tuner on my four string, but when I experiment with the fingerings if dropped to C, it doesn't quite work for the things I have to play.

So yeah, five strings make most things very convenient to play. I'd love to just play a four string, because I think the E string just breathes more and feels better to play, but the benefits of the five outweigh that.
 
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#12
osonu said:
Yep, find one you like the feel of - I tried an Ibanez first and thought I hated 5-strings - then fate handed me a 5-string Stingray and I never put it down!
Click to expand...


This happened to me recently.

I have a SR505 that I've played since 2009. I bought a Harley Benton stingray clone 5 string and I can't belive how much chunkier and wider the neck and spacing is but I somehow find it better feeling than the Sr505. I can't explain how or why but it just is.
 
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#13
I love my 5s and the ability to change keys on the fly is a huge benefit.

Plus, some styles of music almost require it. If you’re playing pop country, gospel, r&b, 80s music, or show tunes, you really need a 5.

It will be hard to adjust at first, but worth it in the long run if you just stick with it . I say go for it, you’ll thank yourself years from now.
 
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#14
In the middle of set, dropping and re-tuning a bass (not to mention guitars) is probably not the best part of your set. As I write the set lists, I make sure all down-tuned songs are played together to reduce this down time. A five string bass is definitely helpful for the whole set. If you are going for a five, give yourself at least 4-6 months where you dedicate most of your practicing on the 5er to give it a chance. If you go this route, good luck.
 
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#15
I'm of two minds:
  1. a 4-string bass is a 12-key instrument; I play in Eb and other flat-side keys on my upright 4-string all the time without issue
  2. a 5-string bass is a wonderful tool for composing, arranging, transposing and improvising, with a bonus of five extra notes below E1
Alternately, I think a strong case can be made for down-tuning a 4-string if you're playing with down-tuned guitars. Also, I used to play with drop-D tuning for some songs in the key of D, but I don't like how that messes up the string crossing intervals, and it's really of limited use outside of the key of D.

The beauty of a 5- or 6-string is that you've got all those notes under you fingers with consistent intervals, so it's very easy to find your way around.
 
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#16
I was struggling over this as an aging bass-hobbiest getting back into bass after several years.

I felt the 5 was worth the extra complexity: muting, in my case it turns out.

My prior bass was an Ibanez 6-string, so I thought 5 would be a good compromise.

At the risk of being Captain Obvious, I would only suggest watching string spacing. Ibanez can have very close string-spacing, whereas I think my Sire P7 5er is only 1mm less than the Fender 4-string standard.
 
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#17
ics1974 said:
I have two 4 string bass's and kind of curious if I should get a 5 string bass. The reason I am thinking is playing songs in the key of Eb, D and Db etc.
For you 5 and 4 string players. Do you find it's better to just tune your 4 string to the desired tuning or does a 5 string really make it allot easier. Looking for pro's and cons.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Yes, get a 5-string. I put that off for years and then back in 2009 played with a group where I needed to down-tune my E string for 5 different songs and only two of them were in one set, let alone next to each other. I was caught on the next song forgetting to tune back up before we started and having to do that one-string transposition on the fly. I finally broke down and bought a low-price 5-string. Still have it though the last two groups I've played with only had one song each where I could use it. My 4-string Jazz sounds too good for me to switch to the 5-string for everything.

It's really a pretty instrument and it sounds good enough that I haven't replaced it with a more expensive one. But I have upgraded my amp and cabs to the point I don't need to buy anymore (at least for the time being) and I am looking at upgrading my 5-string next. Here's what I currently play for outdoors and festivals:
2basses1amp_2.jpg


But I think once I get gigging again that I will be saving up for this Sklar Signature model Dingwall. May have to save up for a while though:
Leland Sklar Sig Dingwall 5-string.jpg
 
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#18
I've played 4 strings exclusively since I started playing bass in 197x. I bought my first 5 string about 6 weeks ago. I bought it for the extra voicing possibilities with the low b string. Not so that I could play in drop tunings. I mostly play blues and jazz. Now that I've had some time with it, I'm really liking it.

Get one. Make sure it's the right one. It took more time for me to adjust to the slightly narrower 18mm string spacing and muting than to learn to use the extra string. I'm really comfortable with it now.
 
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