Who made the permanent switch to 5 Strings?

[five7]

I did and now have a hard time switching. So, I don't "sit in" when asked if the bass is a 4 string. I buy a 4 at least once a year, play it for 10, 15 minutes, case it up and then sell it. My wife doesn't understand. lol

 

[Element Zero]

Have owned only 5 strings for the last 21 years out of the 25 I’ve been playing. I can do everything a 4 can do plus more. No reason to go backwards. Zero regrets.

 

[Cousin Iggy]

I don't know about "permanent", but I did switch to a 5 because of how much the current group does in the key of D. I really like it, so I don't see myself switching back even if the group changes, but you never know...

 

[RickBlair]

Except for my 2 Mosrite basses all of my others are 5 string (including my NSX electric upright). I tune all of them E - C because I play mostly big band charts and have much more use for the C string than a low B string.

Rick B

 

[phillipkregg]

Did the same thing several years ago.

At first it was really hard, nowadays, I can't imagine not having that low B string. Before the 5, some songs I would have to drop-tune the low E for... that meant that the pattern of 4ths that I was used to playing in was all jacked up now and I couldn't depend on my muscle memory to play the right notes.

There was a point where I tried to go back to 4 stringers - simply because it just "seemed cool". But I quickly got over that when I realized what it's like to no longer have the B string. There's no way I would want to go back to 4s again.

Over the past year I've also purchased a couple of 6 strings, but find myself rarely using the high-C. I consider myself primarily a 5 string player who dabbles in 6ers. Who knows, maybe in a few years I won't be able to live without the 6?

 

[Abrahampost]

Picked up a 5 and never looked back(well my upright is obviously 4 strings ).

Took me a few weeks to really get accustomed and then 4 string basses felt very odd for about a year when I would occasionally pick one up, sit in and such.

After awhile I really started to enjoy how open and uncluttered a 4 string bass felt. I was glad I kept my 4 in the closet, tuned her up and put on some flatwounds... now I have a whole other tonal option that was free!

I guess, do you need the money? Can you just let it collect dust for awhile? No wrong decision just always good to not be impulsive

 

[MynameisMe]

Started on 4, moved to 5 for 10 years, got a cheap 4 on a trade mid 2018, bought 2 other 4's and just traded my good 5 for a good 4. I'm holding on to my first 5 for sentimental reasons.

 

[erigod23]

I'm about a year into my switch to a five string. So far I enjoy it. I've sold my fours except for a fretless P-Bass that I will never get a decent sell price for so I may as well keep it in case I ever need an old school flavor.
Anyway, I only look at fivers now.

 

[JimmyM]

I'm fighting going back to using a 5 with all I've got, but it looks like I'm going to have to give into it for some of my upcoming gigs. Damn you, Jamareo Artis! Why did your bassline on "Uptown Funk" have to be so perfect???

 

[SteveC]

Damn you, Jamareo Artis! Why did your bassline on "Uptown Funk" have to be so perfect???

One of the reasons I keep playing a 5 as well.

 

[txdahaley]

Yes! I made that change a while back. The string spacing makes for less work and the B string makes for a really great thumb rest.

 

[gmarcus]

I used to play a 4 string and needed to go to drop D for a song. After the song I hit the mute button, tuned back up to E and started the next song with the Amp muted. Ordered a 5 string that same day and haven't looked back. Key of Eb.....no problem.....drop D guitars....check.....need some deep deep pedal tones yep.....play it like a 4 string....yes indeed same reach with a convenient Thumb rest. 4 strings mess me up now and 6 strings change the reach across the neck with that extra high string. That's how I see it anyways.

 

[Bassheart365]

I sold my one remaining 4 string a few months ago. I can do everything on my 5 that I could on my 4, and more. I didn't see the point in having it.

 

[TrevorG]

Over the years I've collected fretless 4 and 5 but my main machine is a fretted 5. Looking for another for many reasons including tuning E to C. Don't use the four much because its a smaller gauge rather than a string short. Hate the idea of six - too heavy, too wide! Find sight reading easier with 5 as the left hand doesn't have to move around so much. Four will aways be more fun for slap but I'm not as into that anymore.

 

[SLO Surfer]

Just got myself my first 5 string and after a few weeks of acclimatisation and technique overhaul I am loving it.

I’m loving it so much I’m seriously considering selling my 4’s and going with 5 strings - anyone done the big change over? Any regrets?

I went 20 years without owning a 4-string. Just played 5-strings. Now I’m almost exclusively back on 4-strings.

 

[Slevage]

I did.
E ~ C. Including an EUB.

Got double bass currently being built too.

 

[Sbassman Scratch]

I probably would not have picked one up but an instructor I had early on suggested I get one. I'd play a 4 once in a while if I had one.

 

[Bassheart365]

I switched back to playing mostly 4 strings incidentally as part of returning to my P bass. The simplicity gives me peace of mind. 5 strings tend to have more strings. Which I do like. But they also tend to be active and have more than 1 pickup, which is distracting. I'm happy now keeping my bass simple and constant, and I'm finding pedals to be a more rewarding outlet for knob twiddling nonsense. A P with an octave pedal is scrappier and more exciting than a sensible 5 string, and it's even a bit fashionable at the moment.

I was going to say...seems like 4 strings are a fashion statement for some players.

 

[Geri O]

Who made the permanent switch to 5 string?

No one still alive.

Semantics much?

 

[Two-Spirit]

II like 5s if the neck isn't enormous.