Pro's/Con's of 4/5 string basses?

[Narcosynthesis]

hello,

I am looking into getting a bass of my own (i currently have one on loan from a friend) and am mainly looking at the Fender Jazz bass, but i am not sure whether a four or five string bass would be better for me...

 

a four string is basically a 'normal' bass, and should cover the vast majority of music i would look at, but the five string would give me a little more freedom, things like instead of retuning to drop d for a few songs, i could try and transpose it to the lower string, plus it would give me a bit more room to play about with on the low end

 

am i just daydreaming? would puting drop d -> five string be impossible? or would the extra string get in the way for normal rock playing?

 

David

[Tlaloc]

Try a 5 string out. See if you're comfortable with it. I used to consider getting a 5er, but I dont think I would be able to live with one because the string spacing just feels so different. Sure, you get 5 more extra semitones, but it's all about whether that extended range is worth the different feel.

[L-1329]

 

Originally posted by Tlaloc Try a 5 string out. See if you're comfortable with it. I used to consider getting a 5er, but I dont think I would be able to live with one because the string spacing just feels so different. Sure, you get 5 more extra semitones, but it's all about whether that extended range is worth the different feel.

 

 

I would tend to disagree with this a little. It will take a little time for a four player to get comfy on a five, it's not going to be something you can guage by one or two sittings in a music shop. As for string spacing there are all kinds of fives. One of my fives has the same bridge string spacing as an average four. Fives are great for me, but the only way to really know it it would suit you is to somehow get some quality time with one and work at it a little.

[Monkabutt]

For me, the biggest advantage of a 5 is when you are playing in E. On a 4 if you want a low E note you have to play the E string open. I don't feel like I have the control over the note on an open string as well if it is a fretted note. On a 5 string you can play the low E note by fretting the 5 fret on the B string. Also tends to be less shifting involved when playing in E on a fiver. That said, a lot of really good {censored} was played on a 4 string.

[bleepo]

I wouldn't reccomend having it strung G D A E D. It's pointless, and awkward. If you do choose a 5, there is no reason not to have it strung to a B if you want to go below E. If you go 4, you can mut a hipshot tuner on it. One flip on the switch, and you're in D. (or a variety of other tunings)

[sunburstbasser]

I'm of the belief that very few people actually "need" more than about 3 strings. Four will probably do almost everything you want to do, and you may even find that you don't play in drop-D as much as you think.

 

Alternatively, you can get two SX basses from www.rondomusic.net and tune one to standard and one to drop D.

[Emprov]

4's and 5's are completely different animals. I dig my 5 because I always have the D at my disposal and having more notes with the same hand position is a cool thing. The downside is that the B sting can provide a nice (unwanted) pedal tone as you're playing if you ignore it so you always have to be careful to mute it when you're not playing it. It can be a pain in the butt but you get used to it. I have a few 4's and a 5 and I go back and forth on which setup I prefer. I've been playing the 5 almost exclusively for the last few months but before that I hardly took it out of it's case. Having both if you can swing it is the way to go IMO.

[Tbirdbassist]

A few people here play 4 but string 5, (there was a whole thread about this) In various tunings such as: B.E.A.D, B.A.D.G, B.E.D.G, B.F#.B.E, and quite a few other tunings. Some 5ers have way too wide a neck, but if you start off playing a 4 without touching a 5 but ever so often, the change will be weird. The only good 5 strings ive played that dont sound muffled to me are the Warwick Thumb 5 and the Ernieball Stingray 5's, and those schecter diamond series basses are not to pass up for the prices they have.

[Zebra]

Most four-string bassists are too conservative about five and six-strings. It's not about having a few extra notes, if it were, people would have no problem playing 3, or maybe even two-string basses.

[Tbirdbassist]

Most music these days only lets the bassist use 2 strings anyway, i use all of my strings about 80% of the time. But if you really want a 5er, go with one of the Ibanez (except for the BTB series) They have 1-1/2" nuts on some of their 5ers. So you if you switch to 4 theres no big change.

[Incubitabus]

Ibanez basses, schecter basses and spector basses will have 5'rs with smaller string spacing. Check those out.

I've had my Warwick 5 for almost 2 years now, and it is my baby. I keep it tuned to BEADG, except for a couple songs that i drop it a half step for (AD#G#C#F#). I play a lot of RATM and Audioslave, and Timmy C's Drop-D lines are fairly easy to transpose...

[D Aussie]

Well, did anyone read the question?

 

4 string Pros... a bit lighter, narrower neck for easier movement, skinny necks look pretty, learn to drive on a four and move up to a five or six later, easier transition later to upright bass

4 sting Cons... less semitones available means more moving your hand, you need to go up to d, not down to d.

 

5 string pros... more semitones availble, handy to have all those notes, you wont have to upgrade to a five later, you already have one!, lots of five string basses suck

5 string cons.. string sets cost more, fat necks lok naff, some four stringers will call you a poser, lots of five string basses suck

[james on bass]

I consider myself a 5 string player. I love having that low B. Chugging on a low d or c is how I love holding down the groove. String spacing can be an issue when I slap, but I don;t slap all that often. I played a friend's 4 string a few months ago during a jam evening and I was lost. Neck was too thin, kept trying to groove on a string that wasn't there etc...

 

I'd like to have a 3 string (B,E,A) Music Man like what Tony Levin played at one time to use a bit during gigs. It would be quite cool and rather unique playing a beast like that, though I need the d and g strings for a lot of what I play.

 

I would suggest you get what feels best to you, but don't rely on just playing for a few minutes at a store.

 

If you;ve got the cash, the one suggestion for two 4 strings, one strung b to d could be an interestng option. At least you'd know how much you like playing on the b string.

[Narcosynthesis]

sorry, i didnt mean tune it to DEADG, i would have it in BEADG but it would let me play things in drop d without retuning by transposing it onto the b string (up a few frets)

 

i am going to check the shops where i live, but i dont know what basses they have, and in what form (i am guessing mostly 4's)

 

i am trying to work out if the extra string would be useful to me and cool to have, or just get in the way for more normal rock playing

 

i am looking at the fender standard basses atm, mainly the jazz, fender are a solid brand, and the basses seem decent value (and as a plus, are classic shapes, so always look good)

 

David

[KeroseneTrewthe]

I had a 5er before but went back to 4's mainly because I hardly played the B string and it manly was my thumb rest. But with that said now that I have been playing for a couple years I wouldnt mind having a 5 string again because I like the sound of the low D note on the B string verses tuning the E string down to D on my 4 stringer. It just sounds more focused. But in the band Im with now I play a couple songs in drop D and thats not enough to warrant another bass.....not at the time being. But the future is uncertain.

[The Unknown]

If it helps... I have 4 and 5 string basses... Started on a 4, then got a 5 (and kept the 4), then got a fretless 4, then got another 4 string (as good as the 5 in terms of sound)... After all these years, I prefer playing the 4 string and picking up the 5 when it's a necessity. The 4 string gets alot more action.

 

The way I see it is: get a good 4 string and when you'll feel you need a 5 string to do what you have in mind (which means maybe soon, maybe never), get one.

[Rusty the Scoob]

Everything said above is true... I'd just add that a decent 5 string is usually a lot more money than a decent 4 string. There may be a few exceptions (for the flamers) and a few lucky finds out there, but it's fairly accurate as a rule of thumb....

 

For me the flexibility of the extended range and ability to stay in one position on the neck outweighs the disadvantages of higher cost, higher string cost, and muting requirements. My first 5 was very widely spaced, as wide as a P... my 2nd was quite narrow, more so than a J, and my current is in between... a good compromise between slapping and fingerstyle.

 

I'm a one-bass kind of guy, otherwise I'd slap and play loose hard rock on a 4 and do the modern, technical stuff on the 5. I will not be trading back to a 4 as my main bass in the forseeable future, to me the 5 handles the 4's duties much better than vice versa.

[Rhythmalism]

I find the B-string does get in the way for normal rock playing, it's just another string to trip over, especially if you go crazy with a pick.

 

 

 

 

That being said, I still love my fiver, and it's my main axe. I love tighter string spacing.

[Narcosynthesis]

 

Originally posted by Rusty the Scoob Everything said above is true... I'd just add that a decent 5 string is usually a lot more money than a decent 4 string. There may be a few exceptions (for the flamers) and a few lucky finds out there, but it's fairly accurate as a rule of thumb....

 

 

i am looking at the fender standard jazz basses, just the low end mexican made ones, and the 5 string is about