I switched to 5ers back in ‘99 and don’t miss 4’s one bit.
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switching to 5 string
- Thread starter ics1974
- Start date
Switched to 5 string about 3-4 years ago. Took to it very quickly. 4 bangers started suffering in their cases. So I let them move on. Now I have six 5 stringers and will never go back.
I picked up an interesting looking 4 string last week(I think). First of all. The neck felt like a toy. I kept falling off the bottom of the neck. I thought it was funny. I also caught myself thinking of the E string as a B.
Yeah you can play anything on a five. Better than you can on a four. Not sure why anyone would limit themselves to a four.
So nobody start talking about Jaco or D. A. D.
I picked up an interesting looking 4 string last week(I think). First of all. The neck felt like a toy. I kept falling off the bottom of the neck. I thought it was funny. I also caught myself thinking of the E string as a B.
Yeah you can play anything on a five. Better than you can on a four. Not sure why anyone would limit themselves to a four.
So nobody start talking about Jaco or D. A. D.
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Yup, got my first 5 in 1991 and now all my basses are LowB.
Welcome to the lower end. Lol
Welcome to the lower end. Lol
To me, 5 seems to be the way it should have been from the beginning. As I am moving only to short scale, I am waiting for my Ibby TMB35 to arrive to continue with it.
You need them all. 4s, 5s & 6es! There’s times I find the B gets in the way so I’ll play the 4. There’s songs that I play that are in drop D so I have a de-tuner on my 4. If I’m playing standards I’ll reach for the 6es.
I alternate between 4s-6es, my hands are probably too small for a 7. I also alternate between 34 & 35 scale. The only thing I really struggle w, but I’m working on it, is alternating between a lined & unlined Fretless. Those lines throw me off!!!
it’s great that you picked up the 5 but I’d recommend you don’t completely leave the 4. You may find at some point that there may be times when that B string will get in the way or other times where a high C string is nice to have too.
I go back and forth in phases. Bought my first 5er in 2002 (still have it!), and at first it took a while to adapt - a few weeks or months until it felt natural. But then I essentially only played that bass for a number of years, and was mostly All 5 All The Time. And I dug it.
Then about 6-7 years ago I started picking up my 4 string more, and thought about getting a nicer 4, and got a G&L M-2000 that I love and that displaced my Q5 as my No.1. I've since got more of both, a fretless 5er and a Jazz 4. I like them all. I play them all. I can switch between a 5 and a 4 between sets or between songs and not really miss a beat, or at least not miss any more than I would anyway...but I do subscribe to the Lee Sklar motto of 'if I need a 5-string for one song, I'm playing a 5-string for the whole set', so no mid-set switches for me.
I tend to rotate a bit and take the 5s to gigs/jams I know will have drop D, Eb, or lower notes that I'll need. I'll go through phases where I don't touch a 5 for weeks, then I'll only play a 5 for a few weeks.
I don't subscribe to the 'Why would anyone NOT play a 5 - they do everything a 4 can do but more!' belief, though - they feel different, they play differently, some things are easier on a 5, some are easier on a 4, etc. I like 5s for some things and 4s for others. I like having both options.
Then about 6-7 years ago I started picking up my 4 string more, and thought about getting a nicer 4, and got a G&L M-2000 that I love and that displaced my Q5 as my No.1. I've since got more of both, a fretless 5er and a Jazz 4. I like them all. I play them all. I can switch between a 5 and a 4 between sets or between songs and not really miss a beat, or at least not miss any more than I would anyway...but I do subscribe to the Lee Sklar motto of 'if I need a 5-string for one song, I'm playing a 5-string for the whole set', so no mid-set switches for me.
I tend to rotate a bit and take the 5s to gigs/jams I know will have drop D, Eb, or lower notes that I'll need. I'll go through phases where I don't touch a 5 for weeks, then I'll only play a 5 for a few weeks.
I don't subscribe to the 'Why would anyone NOT play a 5 - they do everything a 4 can do but more!' belief, though - they feel different, they play differently, some things are easier on a 5, some are easier on a 4, etc. I like 5s for some things and 4s for others. I like having both options.
Missed out? yeah maybe, depends on what music you play. I played in a large church, 5 string was necessary. Had to have the big lows to fill the building. Now I play in a small mainly acoustic coffee shop sized dive, I bought a 4 just to play here. Actually fits better, plus it have me an excuse to buy a 4. Well, buy and sell 5 looking for the perfect 4 stringer
I mostly play 5- or 6-string, but I've still got some 4-strings. Sometimes (always?) the simplest tool that can get the job done is the correct answer. I just laid a track on my J4 the other day, in fact.
I haven't really picked up a 4 in ages. Fives and sixes just make more sense to me.
I have only owned and played fivers for many years. My EBMM stingray special 5 HH is my favorite and go to bass. Of course we’re crazy
Ahhhh grasshopah…do not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. No matter where you go there you are!
skyline_01
Endorsing artist: Nordstrand Audio, Tsunami Cables
I started on 4 string and then moved to 5 string about four years later. It was not a very hard transition for me - I used the B string as a sort of thumb rest at first, then slowly started playing things an octave down here and there until it was comfortable.
I only own one 4 string at the moment (a fretless) and I've no desire to buy any more, unless I stumble across something rare/vintage.
BTW I own a Stingray Special 5 HH and it ROCKS!
I only own one 4 string at the moment (a fretless) and I've no desire to buy any more, unless I stumble across something rare/vintage.
BTW I own a Stingray Special 5 HH and it ROCKS!
I bought my first fiver back in 93? 94? Never looked back. I do have some four stringers, though, and I might be in the market for another. Nowadays I am fine with either - even swap 'em out between sets sometimes.
I switched to fives in 2012 and thought I'd never play a four again. Pandemic couch-playing made me appreciate fours again for a variety of reasons. Now I play either with a full band, with no confusion at all. Sometimes I enjoy using a four just because it makes me play the neck differently which makes my brain create differently. Besides, I have some fours that have a tone and responsiveness that really make me smile. Of course I find times when the B string would have been handy to what I'm playing, but I get over it and nobody else notices.
Going into a situation that's semi-unknown I would always take a five though: it's pretty-much a requirement of modern times IMHO. I have reduced to just one six now (Ibanez 1806e) that I played for a while but it really is not needed or expected in what I play, and just doesn't add enough to my enjoyment for me to want to re-imprint all my chording patterns.
Doug Parent
Supporting Member
Yes. I bought my first five string bass and I took it on a cruise ship gig for 3 months. Kind of "do or die" scenario. Thats one way of making the transition but it's not for everybody.
I had to switch from 4 to 5 string about 12 years ago to keep up in the modern Jazz and Theater world and I did it kicking and screaming. Now my working basses are both fivers and I couldn't imagine going back. I think 5 string is the future of the electric bass but like so many other things, we are all entitled to our various opinions.
You know there is some precedent for your idea (sorta) that goes way back before the electric bass. In 1929 the low C extension was created for the Classical Double-bass and was an instant hit in the musical world. These did have their problems but composers started writing for them right away and having a low C on your bass was a good way to get more gigs than the guy down the street who didn't have one. These are now giving way to five string Double-basses (which go back even further to the 19th century!) but it just goes to show us that those low notes are useful regardless of the type of music you play.
Enjoy that new bass my friend!
I went from 4 string to a narrow 6 string almost 20 years ago...since then, only 5s and 6s and I prefer a wide spacing (19mm). When I play a 4 in the music store now it feels too small / narrow in my hands and, for the style of music I mostly play, I like the low B, C, and D. I find I am constantly over reaching the E string aiming for the missing B string when I play a 4 now.
Bought my first fiver just this past December, so I'm still fairly fresh at it. While it did take some getting used to, I'm now quite at home with it and there are a few things about it that I even prefer over the four string, even on songs that don't utilize the B string. I've found it makes a better thumb rest than the pickup, which is what I used on my four string. And the neck just feels great to me - I guess I like a wider neck after all.
After playing 4’s for a couple of decades, I switched to the 5 in October 2014- a Modulus Quantum 5, (which I still have) and I practiced about 3 hours a day for a week & played a gig with it that very week. Definitely one of the best moves I’ve ever made.. I used the low G on the E string as “home bass”, until I got comfortable with the low B. Very fast transition and 5’s & 6’s are all I play these days.
