Make the jump from 4 to 5 or just keep switching?

[Deedee]

I've recently purchased a rather lovely Squier VM Precision 5 string and like many other members, I'm absolutely loving it.

My question (well, more of a poll really) is, what do most players do once they get the 5 string bug? Do they opt to just play a 5 all the time, or do they switch between the two?

The reason for my interest is that many years ago when I first had a 5, I really struggled initially to get used to that extra string. I stuck at it and all was well in the end but at that time the 5 was my only bass. If I'd have been switching between a 5 and a 4 I'm sure I'd have struggled further.

I'm a little 'better equipped' shall we say now and feel that I should be able to switch without too much issue, but I'm interested to know other members experiences.

[NJE]

I think you will be fine switching if you have already been through that stage of just forcing yourself to play a 5. My advice to anyone who wants to try a 5 is to give up the four so you can't go back to what is comfortable.

I have flicked back and forth but only really have a 4 string fretless as I don't need a 5 string one.

[stingrayPete1977]

I have sold all my 4 string basses and replaced them with the closest possible 5 string version of each, 4 feels wrong to me now, would someone with a 4 string keep gigging a bass with a missing string?

[Grahambythesea]

I've played 5's for 20 years or so, initially I switched between my fretted 5 and fretless 4, then bought a fretless 5 so kept to that format for years, but last year switched my fretted for a 4 and seem to be happily switching again! However once you play 5 I see no real point to having a 4 after all you can always use the fifth string as a rather expensive thumb rest!

[GreeneKing]

I switched back and forth for years. I didn't really gel with 5 strings until I borrowed a friends Kinal for a couple of weeks.

Just recently I've found myself settling into 5 strings all the time and not wanting to make the mental and physical adjustment back to 4.

With it being so tough to sell basses nowadays I've traded most of my 4's for 5's and recent acquisitions have been a 20th Anniversary Ray 5, A Bongo 5 HH in radiance red and a GMR. On reflection it has been a good move.

[chris_b]

My 4 string P bass went into its case when I bought my first 5er. That was over 20 years ago. It's still there.

Have a good reason for buying a 5. Too many seem to to buy a 5er and then look around for something to play on it. Most problems with a 5er are the player not the bass. If you don't make the decision to switch for the right reasons you will never stay.

In the beginning most players will feel comfortable on a 4 and uncomfortable on a 5. If they keep switching back and forth they will never make the jump to feeling comfortable on the 5. It's a natural thing to want to keep going back to what you know but by doing that the chances are you'll never get up to speed on the new instrument and will lose interest. IMO those guys shouldn't have bought a 5 in the first place.

Also don't fall into the trap of thinking, that song was originally played on a 4 so I'll play it on a 4 as well. You can play any song on a 5.

Lastly, there are a lot of 5's that are just not very well made. I had a Basschatter, who had unsuccessfully dabbled with 5's, play my Lull. He just said, "I've been playing the wrong 5 string basses!" Make sure you buy a good one.

[deepbass5]

I Echo Chris b's comments,
There is a world of difference between a good V and a budget production 4 model with an extra sting. Like Chris I have stuck with 5 string and only played the five for the first year to give it a fair chance, never to return.

[Japhet]

I'm happy to switch back and forth. Some things are easier on a 4 (slapping for instance although I'm sure some will disagree) but the way I see, a 5 only has 5 extra notes but enables you to play in different positions and on different parts of the neck. A 5 can also get a bit heavy on a long gig.

[Grangur]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1482835137' post='3202937']
My 4 string P bass went into its case when I bought my first 5er. That was over 20 years ago. It's still there.

Have a good reason for buying a 5. Too many seem to to buy a 5er and then look around for something to play on it. Most problems with a 5er are the player not the bass. If you don't make the decision to switch for the right reasons you will never stay.

In the beginning most players will feel comfortable on a 4 and uncomfortable on a 5. If they keep switching back and forth they will never make the jump to feeling comfortable on the 5. It's a natural thing to want to keep going back to what you know but by doing that the chances are you'll never get up to speed on the new instrument and will lose interest. IMO those guys shouldn't have bought a 5 in the first place.

Also don't fall into the trap of thinking, that song was originally played on a 4 so I'll play it on a 4 as well. You can play any song on a 5.

Lastly, there are a lot of 5's that are just not very well made. I had a Basschatter, who had unsuccessfully dabbled with 5's, play my Lull. He just said, "I've been playing the wrong 5 string basses!" Make sure you buy a good one.
[/quote]
Thanks for the post, Chris. I too am in the process of "making the change". I've a number of 4 strings that, for now at least, I don't really want to sell, but I've a couple of nice 5s. All seems to be going well. I'm sticking with a 5er for 90% of the time at least.

I'm interested in your comment about "doing it for the right reasons". What would the right reasons be?
What I mostly do is play from sight reading and occasionally there might be a low D or C, not often though. The reason I'm mostly doing it for is flexibility of places on the neck to be able to play without "excessive" movement of the fretting hand, but is this the right reason? Am I simply being lazy?

[Sibob]

I play the bass that is best for that given gig/session.
Ultimately, 4 is home for me, but I've been going between 4s & 5s since the early 2000s, so am perfectly happy playing a 5 if the situation calls for it.

Because I can easily get low Ds, Cs & Bs etc on a 4 using an octave pedal, 9 times out of 10, I'm only playing a 5 for one reason, if I'm unsure what singer is on a gig, and therefore what keys the songs are in that night. Changing positions on a 5 is infinitely easier to me than transposing on the fly on a 4 (a good exercise, but on a paid gig is often not the place to 'try it out' with tunes you might not know 100%).

If I was going to own one bass, it would likely be a 5 string Precision (or a Fodera with a split coil in that position ), but luckily I'm able to own a nice vintage Precision, because let's face it, works in 99% situations, and have a great 5er for the situations that call for it

Even on a gig that I usually use a 5er on, I recorded the album on my '71 Precision, and for the couple of low Eb & D notes dotted around, I simply tuned it down and dropped in single notes

But whatever feels best to you, and suits the gigs/situations you're in! Completely take the point that for a lot of pit/sight-reading work, 5s & 6s are often best for easier positional playing!

Si

[chris_b]

IMO the wrong reason would be because "you always fancied it." The right reasons would be because you have a need for the extra notes, need the flexibility of playing different positions in different keys and the great feeling of making the room shake when you hit a low D or C.

I've seen people buying 5ers who think they'll sound great and when they don't, the penny drops and they realise that it's going to take some time and discomfort and then they loose interest.

IMO a 5 string bass is a very flexible instrument. They give you more choices as to how you play the song. Sometimes I don't play the B string at all, but I'll still use the 5er for continuity. I don't want the faff of switching and adjusting and prefer to be on the same instrument no matter which number of strings I need for the song. Also I don't want to carry different basses to gigs.

I'm not immune to these "problems" and I've got it wrong in the past. I bought a wonderful sounding Rob Allen fretless 4 string bass. . . . with my heart, not my head. When I realised I couldn't play it as easily as my other basses I lost interest. Instead of sticking with it and overcoming the differences I sold it. I should never have bought that bass in the first place. The bass was great but all the "fault" was mine.

[No lust in Jazz]

I think that the secret is not to worry about it - just play the music.

I have similar views to those expressed in earlier posts, regards feeling at home on a four string or keeping them for 'sentimental' (couldn't think of another word) reasons. The reality is a five gives me more options for voicing parts and I have now have two; the more I play a five the more comfortable it has become.

I have some four string basses, which I currently have no intentions of moving on

[Delberthot]

I've always used whatever was needed in the band whether it had 4, 5, 6, 8 or 12 strings.

At the moment I only need a 4. I have 4 songs that require low D and 2 that require a low B so I didn't see the point of playing a 5 all night plus I don't have time to change basses so the HIpshot double stop was the answer

[JamesBass]

This year, after doing a few pit gigs using a 4 string P, and tuning up and down in other bands, I bought a Fender Elite Jazz V. I nearly always take both basses to practices, be that originals or covers.

I feel more than comfortable on my Jazz and I feel even more comfortable on my P. I'm happy to switch between the two forever and always! After all it's what suits the song more than anything!

[stingrayPete1977]

All my five string basses are similar weights to the four string versions they replaced, the US Jazz V is lighter than most Stingray 4s. The extra weight is only an issue if you buy a heavy one, I've played a 16lb 70s Jazz in the past.

[GreeneKing]

For me there's a real benefit from playing the same bass time and time again. I don't always do it mind, I usually have 4 basses in my bass 'box' and would have them all there if there was room. If I stick to the same bass for a week my playing benefits. But the temptation to wonder how the ACG Uber/J5 or Stingray 5 etc. sounds in comparison is strong.

I very rarely go below E. I do like playing without open strings and find that playing further up the neck and using the B string gives greater options. Whether this is a good reason or not to play a 5er I don't know and to be honest it's a pointless argument to me.

Some B strings do require considered technique to get the most from them imo. The B on my 34" Uber spec ACG plays like an E string though.

[Paul S]

I had to buy a 5er for a new project about 7 or so months ago - a Bon Jovi tribute band where some of the bass lines need the extra low notes. At first I thought I could cover most of it with a drop D but, it seemed, not everything. I decided to stop using 4 strings to make myself get used to the 5s and have played 5 strings exclusively since. Seven months on, to my surprise, I find I actually prefer using the 5er to the point of selling my 'non-keeper' 4 strings.

As has been said, I can play everything I used to play on a 4 on the 5 but often with greater ease and I am enjoying this period of 'discovery' as to the best way to approach using the 5 strings. For some tunes, playing notes that used to be covered by the E string on the low B gives a more appropriate, darker 'timbre' - not always, but sometimes. Some tunes I am still in the process of 're-learning' to play in the middle of the 5er, some I kept as I used to play on 4 strings and not used the B string. I can see there are some tunes that I have played in the past that would need a drop D that can't be played easily on a 5er ('Slither' by Velvet Revolver springs to mind) but at the moment I don't play any of those.

So, what worked for me was to abandon 4 string basses and use 5 strings. Be interesting to see what happens if and when I no longer 'need' 5.

[yorks5stringer]

Worked for me, wholesale change and eventually went over to all 5's.

[HazBeen]

I played 5s exclusively but am now very much a 4 and 5 guy switching between the 2. Generally I play all the drop D stuff on the 4, as well as some standard tuning songs, the rest on the 5. Works for me!

[pmjos]

I think that there are instruments that work well as 4,5 or 6 its horses for courses. I play 4,5,6 and EUB the more you play around the more versatile and useful you are as a player. It also depends on the instrument. Play every variant and keep in practice. Who knows when you might need to play either 4 or 5. The only thing I would say is stay on a similar string pitch because that can throw you out.

[martthebass]

I'd be inclined to go fully to 5s D. I've had this problem over the years, could never mix the use of 4 and 5s, I'd be playing along quite happily on a 5 then I'd have a brain dump and wonder where I was.... In the end I stuck with 4s as I only very occasionally need anything lower than an E and I'm happy to detune for the odd song. Also I love my current 4s and wouldn't want to change em.

[Painy]

I started playing just over 21 years ago and got my first 5 about 2 years later. I kept my old 4 as a backup for about 6 months before it got replaced with another 5. I've not taken a 4 string bass to a gig since.
There's nothing a 4 can do for me that a 5 can't (even for drop D you can still just de-tune the E and ignore the B ) and after all this time I'm far more comfortable on a 5 anyway so don't see the point in switching for me personally.
I think if you have a really good 4 that you really love and it sounds and feels amazing then also having a 5 available just for when you need it might make sense. If however the 5 sounds and feels every bit as good to you and you love it just as much.......?

Edited December 27, 2016 by Painy

[josie]

My first bass was a 5, initially "because I fancied it", and I loved it, and still do - it kept me motivated when the learning got hard, and still does. It was a while before I started using the B string to real effect, but it was there to ease into, rather than at some point deciding to make the switch and struggling with it.

I do have two 4s, a Jazz Aerodyne and a GMR fretless, and I love the sound and feel and look of both far too much to get rid of them just because they're missing the B string I don't have a problem switching between them now, although I did at first.

[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1482834300' post='3202930']
recent acquisitions have been a 20th Anniversary Ray 5, A Bongo 5 HH in radiance red and a GMR.
[/quote]

Just out of curiosity, what model of GMR and where did you get it? They're a bit like hen's teeth, and not as widely respected as they deserve to be.

[Muzz]

I've never taken to 5s (despite owning three) because I don't like big chunky necks, and find a Hipshot can cover everything I need. Having said that, I wouldn't have an issue chopping back and forth: I have a Dingwall, and at first I'd imagined (easy as they are to play) that my muscle memory would get fritzed switching between 36-odd scale and 34/35s, but it's never been an issue: I'll use the Dingwall and another bass on the same gig without even thinking about it. A strange and wonderful thing, the brain...

[Deedee]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. I'm just starting a new project so it may well be the ideal time to give the 5 my undivided attention 🤔