Anyone tried a 5string and not like them? And why?

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1339900313' post='1696104']
You maybe have a hidden-undeveloped phobia of odd numbers, I believe that's why I can't get along with 4 or 6 strings...
[/quote]

I agree. Hey chris, do you not have 3 basses at the moment? Maybe you should give one of them to me, to make yourself feel better

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1339921734' post='1696192']
I liked the fact you don't have to play a open E and found most of the time with a 4 string my default hand position is the bottom 5 frets whereas with a 5 string it's first finger on the 5th fret.
[/quote]
That's what I really didn't like - well, one of the things.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1339886925' post='1696030']
You get 5 extra notes on a 5 string; 2 of which are very easily accessible by simply dropping the E down to D on a 4 string.
[/quote]

True, but not necessarily relevant. My covers band plays (usually) 3 x 45-minute sets. We normally play maybe three songs where it's useful - but not actually essential - to have one or more of those "5 extra notes".

Far more relevant is the ability to play a bottom E at the 5th fret of the low B string, or to play a fast-pattern bassline in G at the 8th fret where the frets are much closer together ... think [i][b]Twenty Yards Behind[/b][/i] by Dr. Feelgood or something of that sort.

In a 70's covers band (so no drop D, no Doom stuff) where the key we play in is as often determined by the singer's range as by the original recording, a 5-string allows me to drop the original key by up to a fourth with no issues at all.

I still prefer playing a 4-string and string-spacing on 5's is always an issue. For me, playing a 4-string is fun and natural, whereas playing a 5-string is more like using the right tool for a particular job.

[BigRedX]

As someone who is a confirmed 5-string player to the point where these days I don't play anything else irrespective of whether or not I actually need the 5th string and consequently I'm going to be selling all my 4-string basses, this is my perspective:

The extra string, neck width, string spacing etc has never bothered me, but then again I'm not one to get worked up about technical specs and I'm very tolerant of neck shapes so long as they are not excessively flat or V-shaped. Also I play 6 and 12-string guitars and have dabbled with mandolins and balalaikas in the past so I'm well used to playing instruments with massively different neck widths and string spacing. In fact as a guitar player I find that the typical 5-string bass neck scales up in a comfortable way from a guitar. Also one interesting thing I have discovered regarding the string spacing on my favourite 5-string basses is that although they have varying nut and bridge spacings at the point where I actually pluck the string most of the time the string spacing on all of them is identical!

What I have discovered is that IMO the secret to a good sounding and feeling 5-string is a well constructed neck. For me that means carbon fibre, aluminium, or multi-laminate wood construction and neck through build. Those are things you generally have to spend more money on. Also scale length is pretty much a red herring. A well constructed 34" scale 5-string will always perform better than a bass that has just had an extra inch added to the scale length. The basses that I use most regularly at the moment were all hand built by custom luthiers and 2 of them were especially made for me. For me that quality of design and construction gets you a better sound and feel than simply making the speaking length of the strings longer for any given note.

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='ChristopherGilbert' timestamp='1339877516' post='1695882']
Well, I hope this counts as helpful. Played a number of 5 string basses (while in the 'early learning' phase ) and landed on an Ibanez BTB575. It stood out because of its solid B string and after getting home, I realised that it was because of its 35" scale. I loved it to bits and found that it differed to a 4 string in a way that I liked. I owned it for quite a while and decided that if I was comfortable with a 5 string, it would be silly not to buy another one to replace my Ibanez, so I bought another one and was still loving it, up to the point where I sold it.

And so now i'm looking for another 5 string to replace it. It sounds strange too, but I didn't get on much with my previous 5 string, whereas my Ibanez made me feel like the B string should be played more often because it sounded to clear and bright.
[/quote]

+1

once you find one with a B that doesnt go all flubby all the time they are an absolute joy and imo the 35 makes all the difference with the low B clarity

[BigRedX]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1339934544' post='1696399']
once you find one with a B that doesnt go all flubby all the time they are an absolute joy and imo the 35 makes all the difference with the low B clarity
[/quote]

Out of all my 5-string basses the two with 35" scale lengths have the least good low B string. The only 5-string I've owned with a less good B was a very cheap 34" scale Washburn that I got in the late 80s.

[Chrismanbass]

been playing 5's for a couple of years now and its really useful to have the extra facility there to go down below E (superstition springs to mind immediately) also if you ever consider doing pit work a 5 is essential. i have quite small hands and so imo hand size isn't an issue its more a case of finding where your comfortable. It took me about a month to adjust to playing a 5 and finding where home is i.e remembering you have an extra string. I've owned a MIA fender jazz V and a Bacchus 5 is my main axe at the moment i've also had a blast on my friends lakland 55-01 (which i think £ 4 £ is one of the best value 5 strings out there) and a streamer V all of which have been no problem just a case of getting used to them which once you've played a 5 doesn't take very long

[kendall]

I recently bought a 5 string fender jazz. Never played a 5 string before, it was a bit of a shot in the dark purchase. gotta say, I had no trouble playing it. It has opened new possibilities for me and (I may be imaginining it) but it has made me much more disciplined on my finger placement. When I pick up my regular four string, I find that my playing speed has improved vastly.

Really enjoy playing the fiver, nice tonal palette and as the neck is quite slim, the extra width is not a real issue even with my small hobbit like hands.

[bremen]

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1339868061' post='1695687']

A fantastic bass which sounded and played superbly BUT in times of stress and terror I couldn't find "home" which, to me, is bottom E.

[/quote]

Nice choice of words, and exactly why my go-to bass is still a 4 string, an old friend.

Were I to stick the 4 string in the attic (John Entwistle's uncle's attic, that is) and practise the 5 string I'm sure I'd find the new home just as cosy as the old one, though.

[Jazzneck]

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1340010532' post='1697413']
Nice choice of words, and exactly why my go-to bass is still a 4 string, an old friend.

Were I to stick the 4 string in the attic (John Entwistle's uncle's attic, that is) and practise the 5 string I'm sure I'd find the new home just as cosy as the old one, though.
[/quote]

Thanks Bremen. I did hide my 4 away, practised and rehearsed the 5 string for two weeks before taking it out in anger.
Arrived at the first gig with it (stupidly left the 4 at home) only to find that the gig was being recorded live for BBC Radio.
My so-called mates in the band thought it to be a jolly jape not to warn me in advance -bustuds!
Don't ask how but, after donning brown trousers and taking a Jim Beam and Coke, I played the gig and it went really well with no cock-ups.
I then felt super cocky and continued to use it for over a year without reverting to the 4 but I just didn't relax enough and feel comfortable at gigs when the pressure was on.
Turned up at a birthday party and was asked to jam using the bassists Fender P - it was like putting on an old shoe - comfort and confidence returned in spades so I decide to go back to what I knew best..... 4 strings.

Edited June 18, 2012 by Jazzneck

[RhysP]

I'd pretty much decided that five strings weren't for me - until I got my Spector Euro 5LX.
I'd owned others, including what a lot of people recommend as a benchmark five string, A Musicman Stingray, but just didn't like it at all. I found it big, bulky & very underwhelming sound-wise.
My Bogart was great, but still not enough to persuade me that I wasn't missing anything by not owning a 5ver.

The Spector is now my main bass, to the extent that I'm seriously considering selling my Zons.

I guess what I'm saying is that there is probably a 5ver out there somewhere that will have the same effect on somebody that my Spector had on me - I was 100% sure I was a dyed in the wool (or is that stick in the mud?) four string player until I got it, now I can't imagine playing anything else.

[megallica]

I used to play a five string as I was keen to experiment with the extra range, I tried BEADG and EADGC tunings which were fun but after playing five strings for a few years I found that I didn't really need the extra notes and like warwickhunt said I could drop my e string down to a d if needed and this gave me all the extra notes I ever needed. The EADGC tuning was nice to experiment with and worked well with different chords and octaves of the d string.
I'm happy with four strings at the moment and am thiking more about a fretless project than another five string.
I also kind of hit a stumbling block when trying to read music or tab that was written for five strings and the price of new strings was an extra five quid and being scottish....

[bremen]

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1340016254' post='1697546']
Fender P - it was like putting on an old shoe - comfort and confidence reurned in spades so I decide to go back to what I knew best..... 4 strings.
[/quote]

My experience exactly

One of my bands suits a fretless Precision best, the other a fretted Precision. Maybe one day I'll find myself in a band where 5 string is best but for now I'm happy.

[Bottle]

I dabbled with a 5'er about three or four years ago. Bought an Ibanez ATK 5-stringer off of a member on here. TBH it was a great, well-built bass and once I got new strings on it and a good setup, it really shone, but guess I hadn't taken long enough to get used to it, 'cos I moved it on after having it for a year. I thinkl the neck was too wide and baseball bat shaped for my liking and dinky fingers.

I've also dabbled in lower and dropped tunings on a four-string (DADG, DGCF, BEAD and ADGC) and never really got to grips with them. I guess if I was looking for the lower notes of a 5'er but the convenience, feel and size of a 4'er, I'd just go back to a BEAD tuning on a 21/24-fret neck. I'm leaning that way for my next bass project - I like the feel of a slim Jazz neck and the tonal range of the twin pickups.

Ian

[uncle psychosis]

I played 4-string with a pick for a few years and then bought a 5-string at the same time I started to learn fingerstyle.

What I've found is that I don't use the low notes on the B very often at all, but that when I go back to four string I don't know where to put my thumb on my right hand! Turns out the B string makes a great thumbrest, as well as occasionally providing more notes I'm considering getting a 4-string precision as an alternative to my 5-string yamaha but it will definitely need a thumbrest somewhere near the neck...

[dmccombe7]

I'm a trad 4 stringer for 30+ yrs and tried a cheap ESP 6 and liked it a lot but found my right hand missing strings when moving fast across the bass. When i compared string spacing i found it was 16mm rather than 18 on all my other basses. That isn't something i planned, in fact i couldn't have told what spacing was at bridge up until that point.
I then tried an Overwater custom with 18mm spacing and what a difference. That's why i have the one on my profile piccy. Don't get me wrong i still need to think a lot more when i play it but i don't get lost now - LOL.

I still tend to prefer my trusty Jazz 4 stringer though which just seems to fit all my current needs without any fuss.

There are some nice cheap 5 or 6 stringers about especially the Yamaha's which also have adjustable spacing at bridge. Keep that in mind when buying and adjust spacing to same as you have now.

Dave

[Lewmorg]

Hi,
I've always been 4 string but just recently borrowed a 5 for a few weeks, I couldn't get on with it at all! Feel as though I would have had to of started on a 5 string to be using one a lot! Think im just so used to being able to route back I my E string without having to look or even think about it!

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1339886925' post='1696030']
I'll subscribe to this to ensure that I never buy a 5 string bass ever again!

You get 5 extra notes on a 5 string; 2 of which are very easily accessible by simply dropping the E down to D on a 4 string. I've now tried (at gig/band volume for more than just a song or two) x4 5 string basses and I've yet to find one that sounds as good as a decent 4 string when playing down to low D. I will now sell the 5 tht I have and continue to detune my four strings down to D for the odd song (who needs the notes below that as they are muffled mush any way).
[/quote] Warwickhunt, I've been on this forum long enough to have heard you say that many times.... are you telling me you currently have a 5 string (again)?
[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' timestamp='1339901408' post='1696108']
I think the biggest two problems with a 5 string bass are:

Crap B strings, easily sorted by getting a decent 5er. £400ish can pick you up an L2500 or a SUB5 for example, lots of 5ers seem to be 4 strings with an extra string bolted on and a wider neck which doesn't always work IMO. For a good idea how a B string should be, a 5 string ray or Warwick are definitely basses to look to just to get a feel of how they should be.

The neck width, they are wider and the depth of the neck changes over the strings too. Some people have problems with cramp etc on the bigger necks, for some it's worth persevering and getting used to it, some don't bother.

Personally I went from a 4 string to a 6 string, then back down to a 5. Once you're used to a 5 string it does everything a 4 string does and more. Because I can play a 5 string, I don't see the point in limiting myself with a 4. I wouldn't mind owning a decent 6er but with my main band being a 3 piece, I very rarely need to play anything high up (the music thins out too much without more instruments fattening it up) and with my 2nd band being ska-ish, I'd struggle with a lot of the basslines with the extra string on.
[/quote] yep, a lot of the 5's I've tried were not good B strings, put me off to be honest. I like the idea of a 5 string bass.
[quote name='Lewmorg' timestamp='1340036345' post='1698037']
Hi,
I've always been 4 string but just recently borrowed a 5 for a few weeks, I couldn't get on with it at all! Feel as though I would have had to of started on a 5 string to be using one a lot! Think im just so used to being able to route back I my E string without having to look or even think about it!
[/quote] I get what you are saying, but I don't get it at the same time. Same with I'm used to a D profile neck and that was a C or V so I sold it... surely it's just practice, technique and getting used to things?

[EmmettC]

Hmmmm, I'm still torn. My main bass is a stingray 5, but I still love my P bass, and I have serious gas for a Jazz with a P neck. In my original band the low notes are handy, and even though only a low D is really necessary it's nice to have the extra range as alot of our songs are in D. It's my function band that makes me unsure which is best......we have a few singers and depending who's on a particular gig the keys can change gig to gig, I find a 4 string easier to play so it might be easier to transpose on a 4, but I keep using my 5 because I find it easier to learn a song and just move the position around as needed and this is definitely easier on a 5. It also gives me the option of lowering the key instead of going higher, and I definitely wouldn't want to use a drop-D on a last minute key change, but a 4 is definitely more fun to play because it feels natural..............

[Thurbs]

I think it depends on what you play and how you play... Rocking out root notes then why bother?

For most other types of music, reading, improvising etc then there definitely is a reason to bother as it gives you more options and more ways to express ones self musically. Playing a 4 string feels like (what I imagine) being in a straight jacket is.

Not yet at the level on the DB where I would feel comfortable wondering around the neck as my intonation goes a bit array once passed position 7 or 8. More practice required!

[megallica]

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1340266315' post='1701802']
I think it depends on what you play and how you play... Rocking out root notes then why bother?

For most other types of music, reading, improvising etc then there definitely is a reason to bother as it gives you more options and more ways to express ones self musically. Playing a 4 string feels like (what I imagine) being in a straight jacket is.

Not yet at the level on the DB where I would feel comfortable wondering around the neck as my intonation goes a bit array once passed position 7 or 8. More practice required!
[/quote]

I can appreciate the restricted feeling going from an extended range bass to a four string but most of my bass heroes used four strings to record some ground breaking albums and if it's good enough for Steve Harris/Cliff Burton/Dennis Dunnaway etc then I can't see any boundaries really.

[Thurbs]

[quote name='megallica' timestamp='1340273528' post='1701974']
I can appreciate the restricted feeling going from an extended range bass to a four string but most of my bass heroes used four strings to record some ground breaking albums and if it's good enough for Steve Harris/Cliff Burton/Dennis Dunnaway etc then I can't see any boundaries really.
[/quote]Ah, but how much better would they be if they had a 5'er?

[megallica]

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1340273688' post='1701980']
Ah, but how much better would they be if they had a 5'er?
[/quote]

1000% better

To be fair playing five or six strings takes a bit of getting used to and when you do, you find you don't have to move around the neck so much.
I can see the benefit but I personally prefer a comfy four string

[Muzz]

Had a couple, never got on with them, didn't like the necks/spacing/string tension*, I'm more than happy using a Hipshot (got one on all my basses) and IMHO it's just not worth the mither for those 3 extra notes, which I've never needed to play.

* The best I've tried were Dingwalls, but even then, well, it was still a 5...

[merlin]

Hi I have been using a six now for quite a long time, went to a five string when I started to depp with bands found busking easier dont know why, so got a six, just to show off with.
But I still love the four string bass,but have to think when playing...hand falls off the neck