Should I learn on a 4 or 5 string bass?

[bassbenj]

It all depends upon what you expect you will play as your main instrument down the road. I've never felt the need to play (or therefore, own) a 5er. I know people who play 5s and 6s exclusively.

^This.

It's about the music and shaping your knowledge to fit the music you are trying to learn. Basses have different purposes and things they do best. But since you are planing on a teacher of 5 and 6 string basses, then obviously you get the most out of that with at least a 5er. I'd recommend the G&L Tribute. (I own BOTH a G&L Tribute and a MIM Fender Jazz V both are great basses but I love G&L more) I play 5 and 6 string basses (almost) exclusively and this from a guy like Arrowsun who played 4s back when that's all there was and did it for MANY years. But 4's do have a place and I'm just not in that place right now.

 

[Doublesixes]

My humble contribution after playing 4 string Fenders for like a million years, get a 6. I have switched to a 6 about 2 years ago and never looked back. In my case, I play mostly alone so the 6 gives me a huge advantage when it comes to chordal work. You simply can't touch the capability of having an extra C and the lower B right there. Emphasis on harmonic and of course some melodic work.

Interestingly, when I grab one of my 4s every now and then, I find them really easy to handle. They feel toylike, even the fretless Jazz.

If you will be just practicing and eventually comping, a 4 has unquestionable merits. Good luck with your choice.

 

[jimmykicker]

I think it depends a lot on what you want to accomplish and your physical attributes. Even 4 strings are so wide that guys with small fingers couldn’t manage most fives. Me? I have big fingers and so I find that the wider the better. I like 19mm, 5 strings. 35” scale when i can get it. They are more comfortable to me. That’s me. If you have smaller hands, a 4 string might fit you better. Or a narrow 5 string. From a sound perspective? I think basses should have always been BEAD and 5s would have just added the extra string G. To me going from a 5 to a 6 is a lot easier that going from a 4 to a 5. Adding the string on the bottom really messes with you more than adding one on the high side. Just me. I play 5s pretty exclusively now. I can’t imagine not being able to hit that low D or even lower anymore.

 

[shewhorn]

Is an Indonesian made G&L 5 string a well made instrument that I can play for years, or is the MIM Fender jazz bass a better quality bass for the next 10+ years?

Get the one that feels the best in your hands, and that gets you the most excited about playing it. The differences in quality between those two instruments will be trivial next to the value of having an instrument that makes you want to pick it up.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I used to teach bass. One of the students I had (a complete beginner) told me he wanted to start on a 5 string. I play 4 strings more often, and told him if he wants a 5 string bass, then he should get and learn on one. He did. This was in the early 2000's, and he's a pro bass player now. I think you should get whatever you want.. The Fender would probably have a slightly wider neck, and string spacing which I prefer but whatever rows your boat is the best for you. Good luck!

 

[Thumpin6string]

Neither. You need a 6 string.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Most 5 string players view moving from 4 to 5 as a natural progression and inevitable. Most 4 string players view 5 string as something they are fine without.

I think the extra weight, extra string to mute, and cost of strings are a pretty big deal if you don’t have a need/want for them.

There isn’t a wrong choice, but there is a wrong way to make the choice. Pick whatever you want, but don’t buy into one or the other path as being more correct.

This is some of the best advice I've ever read on TB. But then you always have good thoughts.

 

[chris_b]

I am an advanced beginning bass player. I have an old Washburn Bantam XB102 PJ bass with a p bass type neck that feels very wide. I'm getting ready to begin lessons with a pro who is a 5 and 6 string aficionado. A local shop with a great reputation is selling a MIM Fender jazz bass and an Indonesian made G&L 5 string with active electronics. Which bass would be best to learn on?

There are no downsides to any format of bass. Don't believe anyone who tries to tell you there is, or that one is easier or more difficult than the other. Each different style of bass will require a different technique. If your technique is good then you can easily play any bass from extended range to upright.

I played 4 string bass for 25 years and then 5 string bass exclusively for 25 years. I prefer the flexibility of my current bass but my advice would be to keep your Bantam until you have had a few lessons. Then you can make a better decision about which instrument you'll want to focus on.

 

[sheltjo6]

Find a bass with a neck profile you enjoy regardless of the number of strings.
My personal preference is G&L's #8 neck and Warmoth's standard Jazz neck.
You probably can guess from my response I'm a 4 string bass player.

Play as many basses as you can and find one that fits your hand.

 

[Sav'nBass]

For me 5 is bass. if I were to teach someone I would recommend that they get a 5.

 

[dmt]

What kind of music do you want to play? If you want to play classic rock, classic country, classic blues, classic folk or new stuff but along those lines, that was/is pretty much all done on 4 stringers. Old school funk. Motown. Punk — 4 string. Grunge

If you’re into modern pop, modern country, [I guess, from reading on here] modern gospel, [I guess, from reading on here] modern Christian Contemporary (but maybe not the very latest stuff), fusion, [I guess, from reading on here] modern Broadway play-type music...well, then a 5 string is probably your best bet.

I guess Metal can either be a 5 string or a tuned down 4.

I’d say it depends on your vision for where you’re trying to go with your music. There’s a different visual impact between a 4 and a 5. When you look at basses in a store or online, which look appeals to you more? When you see someone playing on stage?

There is also comfort (weight, neck width) to consider. If you have small hands, consider a short scale 4.

Cost can be a factor (including the bass itself, but also more expensive string sets for 5ers and possibly the need for an amp that will do a low B justice).

There’s a facility, a practical benefit, to being able to get low roots and 5s without having to move to a new position on the neck with 5 strings, and lower notes for songs in keys like Eb, D and C (without re-tuning the bass or at least the E string) can sometimes be a real benefit. Tuning a 4 string BEAD could give the same benefit if such is desired, but then it’d be at the cost of a G string. Cello tuning (CGDA) can help a 4 string cover more range if needed (not common, but it’s possible). However, if the type of music you like was/is done on 4s, more range isn’t needed. It’d still be nice to be able to reach right up from wherever you are on the E string and grab a lower note sometimes...

Personally, for me it’s 4. I have no interest in any genre in which 5s are common; no players I like play 5s. The basses I desire, the classic Fenders, Rickenbackers, Gibsons, etc., are all 4s. If that sounds like you, get a 4. If you have different tastes and ideas, and/or need/want the facility of the extra string of a 5, get a 5. Regardless, good luck with your playing!

 

[dave64o]

I started messing around on bass when I was about 40 but didn't start to really try learning to play until I was about 47 or 48 (53 now). Pretty much all of the music I grew up listening to and still listen to has been played on four string basses yet I decided I wanted to play fives. The low notes were only part of it. The main reasons I liked the five was to have more notes available in a given position to reduce shifting and also to make transposing a little easier. I play fives almost exclusively.

When I was still taking lessons, I found some reasons to want a four so I bought an inexpensive one. I mostly used it for sight reading exercises because I found it forced me to look/read ahead farther in order to prepare for position shifts. I also play it once in a while just to force myself out of box patterns and think more about the notes I'm playing. But I really play fives. My four is just an exercise/practice tool.

If you really want a five, get a five.

 

[Band Mom]

Taken as its own question, there's no right answer when comparing 4 vs 5, but as others have stated, there are various other factors that can lead to a right/wrong choice.

I myself have recently converted to 4-string only after having played a majority of 5-string for the past few years. What eventually sold me on going 4-er only was that I simply don't have time to practice what I would consider to be 2 different (but related) instruments. I found that I rarely ever used the low B on the 5 string (I play mostly rock, but not egregiously down-tuned or anything), and while it made certain runs and fills a bit simpler, I found that I was having to approach the bass differently depending on which bass I picked up.

So, when it came time to decide on 4 vs 5, I opted for the 4 due to the simplicity of the instrument as opposed to 5. While the permanent thumbrest is nice in theory, I play predominantly with a pick (gasp) so the low B would just get in my way more often than it would help me.

 

[NoiseNinja]

If you like the feel of the relatively slim Jazz bass neck and is mainly going to play classic rock then I would say a 5 string would not only be unnecessary but also probably the wrong choice for you.

Unless you really need that low B a 5 string would offer there's really no need for more than 4 strings.

Plenty of famous bass players mainly plays/played a 4 string, prodigies like Jaco included.

Personally I prefer a 4 string by far too, though I am going to invest in a Bass VI type instrument at some point, which is typically a short scale 6 string with close string spacing tuned E-E, like a guitar tuned an octave lower.

In any case, ideally, I would recommend you to learn to play bass on whatever bass you plan on playing in the future.

 

[jcsk8]

My first bass was a 5, then a 6, but now I only have 4 string basses. Anyone will serve you.

 

[somebrains]

Warwick Artist Series Adam Clayton Signature Reverso 2011 Amber Burst

 

[GreyBeard]

This is definitely a good question for your teacher. One thing for sure is if you walk in for your 1st lesson with a 4 string he/she will be fine with that. Coming in with a 5 string might be a problem. I wouldn't buy anything until I had a few lessons with your new teacher.

 

[GilbouFR]

My bass teached told me to start with 4 strings.
Because 5 string requires you to learn differently. It's no use to have a 5th string if you do not use it.
The idea between 4 and 5 strings in that when playing, your hand instead of going up on the neck, the hand tends to move less, and your fingers move down reaching the 5th string as you go up on the notes of a scale.

My teacher told me : 4 strings.
Learn every note on the neck : teacher wants me to be able to give the note name as soon he points to any position on the neck. So each time I see the teacher, he points all around the neck and I must give the proper note name each time.

Then, after learning every note on the neck at every position, I had to be able to tell the teacher everywhere I could find an A or B or.. whatever. Teacher would give me a note and I would have to show everywhere that note is available.

Teacher told me that once I could do that, I would be able to move to a 5th string, and after learning the note of every position of the 5th, change the way I play every scale I learned to move fingers down without moving up the neck when playing scales using the 5th instead of moving the hand up the neck like you do on a 4-string bass.

Seriously, it took me monthes to learn the notes both on the whole neck but also be able to find all the positions of a given note on the neck. I dont want to re-learn the scales with a 5-string use.

 

[Drgonzonm]

My bass teached told me to start with 4 strings.
Because 5 string requires you to learn differently. It's no use to have a 5th string if you do not use it.
The idea between 4 and 5 strings in that when playing, your hand instead of going up on the neck, the hand tends to move less, and your fingers move down reaching the 5th string as you go up on the notes of a scale.

My teacher told me : 4 strings.
Learn every note on the neck : teacher wants me to be able to give the note name as soon he points to any position on the neck. So each time I see the teacher, he points all around the neck and I must give the proper note name each time.

Then, after learning every note on the neck at every position, I had to be able to tell the teacher everywhere I could find an A or B or.. whatever. Teacher would give me a note and I would have to show everywhere that note is available.

Teacher told me that once I could do that, I would be able to move to a 5th string, and after learning the note of every position of the 5th, change the way I play every scale I learned to move fingers down without moving up the neck when playing scales using the 5th instead of moving the hand up the neck like you do on a 4-string bass.

Seriously, it took me monthes to learn the notes both on the whole neck but also be able to find all the positions of a given note on the neck. I dont want to re-learn the scales with a 5-string use.

My bass teached told me to start with 4 strings.
Because 5 string requires you to learn differently. It's no use to have a 5th string if you do not use it.
The idea between 4 and 5 strings in that when playing, your hand instead of going up on the neck, the hand tends to move less, and your fingers move down reaching the 5th string as you go up on the notes of a scale.

My teacher told me : 4 strings.
Learn every note on the neck : teacher wants me to be able to give the note name as soon he points to any position on the neck. So each time I see the teacher, he points all around the neck and I must give the proper note name each time.

Then, after learning every note on the neck at every position, I had to be able to tell the teacher everywhere I could find an A or B or.. whatever. Teacher would give me a note and I would have to show everywhere that note is available.

Teacher told me that once I could do that, I would be able to move to a 5th string, and after learning the note of every position of the 5th, change the way I play every scale I learned to move fingers down without moving up the neck when playing scales using the 5th instead of moving the hand up the neck like you do on a 4-string bass.

Seriously, it took me monthes to learn the notes both on the whole neck but also be able to find all the positions of a given note on the neck. I dont want to re-learn the scales with a 5-string use.

Most of the music I play comes from lead sheets. I am seriously considering a five string to play treble clef. Just less hand movement and octave shifting. I'm lazy

 

[bassbenj]

Most of the music I play comes from lead sheets. I am seriously considering a five string to play treble clef. Just less hand movement and octave shifting. I'm lazy

Me too. Main advantage of a 5 or 6 string is easy transposition and little up and down neck playing. People love to go on and on about the "five lower notes" But while Eb sure is handy using a note lower than say D is not something I regularly do. As a story let me say I had my semi-hollow body Carvin AC50 strung for a while with high C string for blues solos. It worked out fine but basically you played it like a 4 string, but with an extended upper range when needed. well, sorry, I just finally got lazy and tired of key shift hassles and put it back BEADG. Yeah, I miss the range for stratospheric solos, but laziness won the day. Obviously a 6 string would solve it all, but I found that 6 string basses are just not socially acceptable among the blues Nazi crowd.