5 Strings - worth it?

[iiipopes]

A few years ago, I finally took the plunge and got a 5-string, after playing decades on just 4-string basses, for several reasons: 1) the band I rejoined twenty years later has the original members, and they are starting to take songs down a step or two. So to retain integrity of the bass lines, I need the extra low notes; 2) they play some covers that have 5-string bass lines; and 3) patterns are much easier and more precise in both intonation and rhythm going string-to-string instead of up and down the neck.

[Lozz196]

I played with another band on Wed, doing rock/metal. Songs in drop C# and drop B. A five-string would have made things harder to learn - as all tab showed it worked out on 4 strings - but probably easier to actually play once I`d learned them and transferred them to the right frets on the lower string etc. Plus when being told "the next notes an Ab" when I`ve no idea where all the notes were due to these daft tunimgs, well that didn`t help. i`d know where an Ab was on a five-string tuned normally.

[lowhand_mike]

kind of my dilema, there are a few songs we cant do as the singer cant get up that high so transposing it down would help, but do i really need a 5ver for a couple of songs or is the overal sound change in certain notes worth it (open E to fretted E) would also mean i wouldnt have to down tune for Summer of 69 (i know) but i would have to relearn it