Who made the permanent switch to 5 Strings?

[guitarrophobe]

I switched from fretted 4 to fretless 5 and have no intentions to go back.

For me the more massive neck feels better (and I also believe more massive necks yield a more massive sound but that might be debatable) and having the low B as the occasional option and as a thumbrest is great.
I am not using the low string as often as the other four but if I play on the E I don't have to rely on the pickup or whatever as a thumbrest.

I can't comment on how big the change from 4 to 5 would have been since incorporating the step from fretted to fretless was probably the bigger one and distracted from the additional string.

 

[edro]

For those that don't play Vs, my late big bro summed it up for me decades back when I started playing around with a V skrang... Helped me.

Maybe this simple view will help somebody new...

As long as you think IV + I, you will NEVER master it.
It is its own instrument. It starts at B. Period.
Learn the notes, think the notes, play the notes.
It's not strings on a staff, it is notes.

 

[BoydG]

For those that don't play Vs, my late big bro summed it up for me decades back when I started playing around with a V skrang... Helped me.

Maybe this simple view will help somebody new...

As long as you think IV + I, you will NEVER master it.
It is its own instrument. It starts at B. Period.
Learn the notes, think the notes, play the notes.
It's not strings on a staff, it is notes.

I never put this much thought into it, but this is precisely the approach I took when I switched to a 5-stringer.

 

[SCOTT_GROVE]

It's just if you are playing any cover music from the 80's or newer, you would need a 5 string to pull of what is actually being played. It is very important to grab that D or C if it is the root of the entire song. So yeah, grab a 5 to cover stuff unless you are doing the really oldies circuit.

 

[Dan Knowlton]

Started on a 4, got a 6 and then a Zon Sonus 5...and then another five...and then another five...and then another five. Sold the 4 and the 6 and have been using 5's for bout 15 years now.

Dan

 

[Lindex]

I sold all my 4s years ago.
After getting used to integrate my B-string into my bass lines it just felt like a restriction to have only 4 strings available and I also got used to the wider fret board.
So today I own seven 5ers and one 6er and never looked back.

 

[LowEndOperative]

Started playing a 5 in ‘01 but didn’t really transition from a 4. Now I bring a 4 and a 5 to every gig.

 

[ixlramp]

I started on 5, have owned a 4 but find them a waste of potential, the neck is so ridiculouly narrow you might as well have another string, you don't have to use it all the time and muting is barely any more difficult.
Always considered 4 a strangely small number of strings. 5 is a minimal bass, 6 is standard (like a guitar has 6 strings, these are 'bass guitars' after all, not electric contrabasses).

Switched to bass on 4, went to 5 "too soon" after a couple years, went back to 4 for a few more years to make sure I really knew how to play bass

There is no 'too soon', the idea that you have to slowly increase string count from 4 upwards is exasperating nonsense. The only preparation for playing a 5 is playing a 5, not playing a 4. Just go straight to the number of strings you truly desire.

 

[DWBass]

Always kept my 4 strings. Best for funking on. I added a 5 in 1991. I play both equally.

 

[Mastermold]

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 play 5 when I need it. Otherwise I use 4. But it's all personal preference. Use what works for you.

 

[Kelly]

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 have never played a 5 string....I am curious though...I have always played Fender Precisions and Jazz Basses. I admire the work of David Pegg with Jethro Tull. He uses or has used a 5 string Ibanez. What is the usual tuning of a 5 or even 6?

 

[Rabidhamster]

I switched to 5 permanently when I got my Tobias Classic. I do still play 4s because I have 4s I don’t want to sell, and I still buy 4s because I find one and can’t turn them down, but the switch is permanent.

 

[And I]

There is no 'too soon', the idea that you have to slowly increase string count from 4 upwards is exasperating nonsense. The only preparation for playing a 5 is playing a 5, not playing a 4. Just go straight to the number of strings you truly desire.

for you it's nonsense, that's fine. for me it was too soon. i was coming off of 20+ years of playing guitar. my instincts on proper economy of motion on the left hand for bass were not developed yet. the basslines i was playing did not require notes below E. i took some time to analyze how i was playing the basslines i was playing and i found that pretty much every time i would learn to play a bassline using the B string, it was making things more complicated and less efficient. could i have corrected it all on a 5 string? sure. do i feel that it was immensely helpful to me to have switched back to a 4 and stayed on it for a few years? yes. do i think my experience translates to everyone else's? no.

With just about all things related to learning an instrument, YMMV, your experience may be helpful to others but your opinion doesn't invalidate someone else's experience.

 

[Scottgun]

What is the usual tuning of a 5 or even 6?

A low B on the 5th string. If 6, a low B and a string above the G tuned to C. Every now and then you will find a 5-er with a high-C, but not often. Funny thing is, I remember the '80s and 5-strings were starting to get more popular and some manufacturers you had to specify whether you wanted strung for high C or low-B.

 

[SteveC]

Started learning on a cheap (but surprisingly good) 4. But I've always wanted to play a wide range of music including Jazz and jam/improv, and so my second bass was a 5-string. So was my third, fourth, sixth, and seventh. (Fifth was a 6-string, the 4 is long-gone and I never bought another.)

My Reasons for not owning a 4:

* I want to play a wide range of music. A 5+ is essential for Jazz (IMHO) because of Bb and Eb instruments that heavily favor Eb.
* I want to play with multiple vocalists and give them a free choice of key. This means I never want to learn a song based on open strings, I'd rather play up a few frets and down one string.
* I want to play improv/jam and do pick-up Jazz work. That means working off chord charts. It's easier to work the chord shapes if you can stay away from the open strings.
* I have small hands and I like working a little further up the strings.
* I like having the option to use the tone of the higher frets on the lower strings.

And the big one. In my mind, there's no reason NOT to have that 5th string on standby. That extra string does not get in the way. You don't have to reach over the B at all. You can completely ignore it when you don't need it. And when you do want it, bam, there it is. It's like carrying a spare tyre, or some spare cash while travelling overseas, or having a mistress.

Note 1: The same is not true of the 6-string. That top C does get in the way of normal business, you have to reach over it. But the 5 is a free, bonus string and I'll take it every time.

Note 2: Swapping between 5 and 4 is mentally demanding, so I just avoid it by not doing it.

All good points. Thanks for the reminders. I need stuff like this when I think about a 4 string.
The C string issue is why I don’t have mine any more. It was an amazing bass but I didn’t use the C enough to keep it and the B on a 5 is just like you said.

I don’t swap much, but I do find I have spent so much time optimizing my 5 string that when I grab a 4 it isn’t as intuitive for me.

 

[IronLung1986]

I so wish this was my history. I had fun and learned a lot trying dozens of basses, but I spent a lot of money and used a lot of time doing so. I wonder how much better a player I'd be if I just had "sucked it up" and dealt with my first. The first bass was a Hondo P bass so not the best. Cheap basses weren't a good 40 years ago as they are now. First good bass would have probably been a white 74 Rickenbacker.

But you could have done nothing other than what you did. Because only by going on that journey did you discover that you would rather not have gone lol. Some people never leave home and spend life wondering. Or they lose their sh*t, sell the house and move into a VW bus at age 40. So don't worry what you've missed, you've found your own wisdom.

 

[SteveC]

But you could have done nothing other than what you did. Because only by going on that journey did you discover that you would rather not have gone lol. Some people never leave home and spend life wondering. Or they lose their sh*t, sell the house and move into a VW bus at age 40. So don't worry what you've missed, you've found your own wisdom.

For sure. I don’t necessarily regret it because I played a pile of sweet basses.

 

[IronLung1986]

For sure. I don’t necessarily regret it because I played a pile of sweet basses.

Lol hell yea.

 

[bigcam]

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?

No regrets here.
Started playing back in the early 60’s with a 1963 Fender P. In 1990 bought my 1st 5 string, Fender Jazz. By 2000 I no longer had a 4 string in the stable. Currently own 6, 5ers. 2 USA Fenders, 1 USA G&L, and 3 Ernie Balls.

 

[jacko]

I switched to 5 in 1995 band haven't played a 4 since. My 3 alembics are 5s, my Kelly acoustic is a 5, my NS eub is a 5 and my double bass (in my avatar) is a 5. Still keep my precision and fretless 4 in cases in the attic but the odd time I get them out, the necks feel like toothpicks.