Switch from 4 to 5

[Supernaute]

Yes, that was happening to me.
I've realised it was because my bass tone was too muddy.
Since I've been working on tightening up the tone, it's become less of an issue.

I see, thanks for the explanation. Well, I actually like a muddy or gritty tone. I rarely play clean. I always have some kind of overdrive going. I guess that means I should probably stay away from 5 strings lol.

 

[Appogee]

Well, I actually like a muddy or gritty tone. I rarely play clean. I always have some kind of overdrive going. I guess that means I should probably stay away from 5 strings lol.

I too mostly play with a bit of grit - on my 5-string.

To clarify, I think "muddy" and "gritty" are two different things.
To me:

• "muddy" describes a boomy sound in which it's hard to pick out the root note
• "gritty" describes a sound in which the root note is clearly discernable, but thickened somewhat with distortion.

So, 5-string is an option for you if you want it to be.

My net net on the question is: if there's a reason to play a 5-string, then do it. But if there's not, may as well just keep things simple and play a four.

Possible reasons to play a 5-string, from my perspective, are:

• you play songs where the 5 lower notes are required, or add something special to a song.
• you'd like the creative freedom to play notes and shapes lower than the standard E string.
• you're a bit bored playing a 4-string and want to add some spice to your life.
• you just love the sound of a low low string (this is my main reason)
• you need a disincentive to buy all the awesome 4-string bass guitars you see for sale.
• you want to be able to respond to "opinions on this bass?" posts with "it has one string too few"

 

[Marty Forrer]

My reason is none of your reasons. It's to be able to play most everything I do up between the 5th and 12th fret. This gives me a fatter tone, I seldom play below the 5th fret, particularly on the E-G strings, and some songs I do I'll hit a low D or Eb on the B string. Another benefit to playing higher positions is keeping the left wrist straight so less fatigue.

 

[10emmanuel]

Do you need a 5 to play the music you love?

I do sometimes.

 

[10emmanuel]

The earlier the better. It's easier to disrupt your relatively short progress than it would be to learn it after 10 years.

There simply WILL BE some setbacks, but it's also just not that bad. Figure out your current right hand technique and muting strategy, do a little research and then BE INTENTIONAL about the muting strategy you want to employ on the 5'er. Make choices, rather than bestowing consequences upon yourself.



3 years isn't exactly a noob, but certainly there's still plenty of work to do and things to learn, so I'll offer this analogy..

In powerlifting and strength training generally, there's this phenomenon where people constantly want to test or show off their maximum strength, as well as resisting any form of short term sacrifice to set up long term gain and health. What I tell them universally is "Hey, you're not actually strong yet, so you don't need to worry about your current top end." It's really easy to confuse having achieved a 400lb squat with actually being strong, as it's the strongest they've been and they're stronger than 95% of average Joes.. which is fine, but if you want to be *actually strong* in terms of your desired peers and goals, then if you aren't putting yourself through setbacks constantly, then you aren't going to get there.

Similarly is the issue of parents doting on their talented 13 year old baseball player, and going ALL IN on specializing in the sport- much better to continue to foster a diverse and comprehensive, athletic profile, and potentiate them for ACTUAL success whenever it may come, instead of hoping and praying that they just happen to grow into the perfect body for the sport they chose pre-facial hair.

good analogy thanks

 

[Willie5String]

Hello mates!

I've been thinking about going for a 5 string bass. But my fear is that after playing for +3 years, I might loose this "notion of freedom and orientation " that I have achieved. Like I'd be re-learning how to play. I grabbed a 5 yesterday because I am interested on it and I could not play a song. I was just lost. People around me must have thought I did not know any of the songs I was trying to play. So I wondered If it really worth to get a 5 , since honestly, I dont needed it, I dont play that much music that requires the low B, I just crave for it to expand my range and because I like low bat notes.
People all over say that " if you practice enough it should not be a problem", but since I am not a professional musician, I can't dedicate a huge amount of ours to practice. So I am afraid that I don't get any good in the 5 and that I loose touch with the 4.

I dont know if you understand what I mean.

Took me a bit to learn to play well on a 5 (not sure that play well is the right way to say it, as I'm not sure I play well on anything). Because of my style and method of play, I immediately got the concept that I could easily play root 5th stuff and by moving position I could play anything I normally played. Also, there's a lot to be said for playing something like Johnny B Goode in C on a 5, which kinda sucks on a 4.