Is 4 strings really enough? (Oooo i went there)

[BigJHW]

So let me start by saying i'm a 5 string player.. Learnt on a 4 string, but a dance show we were playing live for wanted us to play black velvet at a show and for the life of me i couldn't figure a way to do it on a 4 string so i bought a 5'er... this was about 20 years ago now and i've played a 5'er ever since... BUT............

 

i'm considering going back to 4 string (with a hipshot d'tuner for those Drop D tracks)

am i being crazy thinking about going back to a 4 string? Should i just stick with my 5'er and that amazing low B - or is 4 string really enough (lets face it i'm sure i mostly use it as a soft bendy thumb rest a lot of the time).

 

Thoughts?

 

Cheers low enders.

Edited September 19, 2023 by BigJHW

[neepheid]

I've owned a couple of fivers and I didn't really see the point (not saying there isn't one, I just didn't find it as useful as some people do).  I play 4 string exclusively - if I need a Eb or a D I just tune the E string down and recalculate.  Doesn't make me a monster, or "doing it wrong" - according to whom, exactly?  You don't need to justify your bass choices to me or anyone else.  Just try it, it'll either work for you or it won't - only you can decide.

[cetera]

I play 4 string exclusively. I don't play downtuned metal or modern dance music so have never needed more. Lowest I go is D so simply detune the E string, use a hipshot extender or the Digitech Drop pedal as required.

I play Black Velvet in my band and never needed a 5 string? Odd....

[BigJHW]

3 minutes ago, cetera said:

I play Black Velvet in my band and never needed a 5 string? Odd....

think the original was in E-flat and our guitarist wanted to make things harder for himself and i didn't want to downtune haha (i was a much fresher faced bass player 20 years ago)

[casapete]

I’ve only ever owned 4 string basses. Had a few goes on 5 strings and TBH I just cannot get used

to the bottom string not being an ‘E’ !  Full of admiration for those who can swap between 4 / 5 and

even 6 strings, but my brain just doesn’t compute like that. It’s the same as using altered tunings

on guitar, or even ‘D’ tuners on bass - old dog / new tricks syndrome I guess. 
 

[fretmeister]

I play mostly 4 as most of the stuff I've been playing has been written for a 4, but that being said, I'm almost always playing with transposing instruments and I'm quite often in Eflat so having an extra string certainly opens up options.

 

The extra string is also very handy if there is no actual bass part and I'm having to try to read the bass clef on the piano part. If there's a descending run that goes below E then it can be a bit jarring to just octave jump for 1 or 2 notes, especially if the rest of the arrangement is all going in 1 direction. A 5 is excellent for that.

[obbm]

Moved to a 5 in 1998 and it my go to for about 16 years

 Eventually my fingers wouldn't stretch and went back to 4. Reckoned there were only about 3 songs that needed drop D so I now have a Hipshot on my main basses. Sometimes think I'd like another 5 but my brain says no

 

[2pods]

8 minutes ago, casapete said:

I’ve only ever owned 4 string basses. Had a few goes on 5 strings and TBH I just cannot get used

to the bottom string not being an ‘E’ !  Full of admiration for those who can swap between 4 / 5 and

even 6 strings, but my brain just doesn’t compute like that. It’s the same as using altered tunings

on guitar, or even ‘D’ tuners on bass - old dog / new tricks syndrome I guess. 
 

 

See, that's the strange thing.

I have no trouble with altered guitar tunings.

Just the bloomin' fifth string.

 

I have currently justified ( and yes, I'm Ancient) this point of view, with a "For Sale" ad

 

[synthaside]

 I've tried several fivers over the years but sadly every Five String I've ever played .... has felt/sounded flabby to me, I'm sure it's a tension thing perhaps remedied by finding the right gauges but as a result, the only one i ever really gelled with was an oldTeal OLP bought on here that was set E-C , which is the only 5 i regret moving on.

I get the logic of having access to the lower octave allowing for faster runs  and moving out of the money zone,  but for me that B ends up just being an extra thing to mute, 
Whether it's something about the way I set my tone it just seems I'd rather play a high D than a lower one and I'm almost never looking for a Low B.  Firmly a member of Team 4 string 

 

[BigRedX]

It very much depends on what you play.

 

I play 5-string in one band where I go all the way down to low B on a couple of songs and makes a handful of others easier to play. In the other band I play Bass VI (6-string tuned an octave down from the guitar) where I alternate bass and melody parts with the synth player. For me the extra strings very much earn their keep at the moment. On the other hand I've played in several bands where I could have done everything on a 2-string bass tuned E and A. I actually took my 1-string fretless bass to a rehearsal for the Dad Rock covers band once and found that the fact it was fretless was a bigger stumbling block to playing the bass lines than the fact it only had a single string.

 

If you are comfortable playing the 5-string why change? 

[BigJHW]

10 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

If you are comfortable playing the 5-string why change? 

narrower neck, more comfortable to play - do I really use the low B enough to need one or is it just a glorified (and oddly expensive) thumb rest
i might keep my BB1025 just in case and after i sell the white rockbass thing i'm selling atm grab a 4 and see how i get on with it.. defo need to get an extender as the band i'm in atm do enjoy a drop D track and with the 5'er that's easy enough to navigate (except killing in the name of - which i still can't stretch to play on a 5 well enough so i end up dropping the E--> D anyway haha)

[cetera]

53 minutes ago, BigJHW said:

think the original was in E-flat and our guitarist wanted to make things harder for himself and i didn't want to downtune haha (i was a much fresher faced bass player 20 years ago)

Ah yes, we detune to Eb for the whole set and then play it in E so job done - sound the same

 

[Rich]

I played 5s almost exclusively for a good 20 years or so, but in the last 3 or 4 years I've started using 4s again too with one of my bands. For no reason other than I've got a couple of nice 4s and wanted to use them, and the big fat string wasn't seeing any action in that band. At the end of the day it's your money & your choice. Do what's comfortable and what makes you happy. Keep your 5, get a 4 and see how you get on. If you decide to stick with one or the other, that's cool. 

[Grahambythesea]

I’ve played 5ers since 1996, but now only have 1 and 3 four stringers plus a 4 string EUB. There is hardly any thing I find I need to break out the 5 for, however if there’s likely to be several songs in either Eb or Bb  then I think the 5 gives more scope.

[BigJHW]

haha oddly enough we downtune 1/2 a step for everything now - don't remember the last time i had a bass in standard tuning.. Singer is getting old and half a step saved his voice on some tracks

[BigRedX]

If you prefer the 4-string then go for it.

 

Personally I've never got on with down-tuning strings. They always feel too floppy (I'm the person who has a guitar with an extra heavy bottom string permanently set up just for drop D tuning). And I don't think I could go back, I'd been playing 4-string bass for less than ten years before I got my first 5-string and that is almost 35 years ago now. But I'm not you so do what you think is best.

[chris_b]

Play the bass that is right for you.

 

I moved to 5 string basses in 1996. The additional notes, positions and sounds are now integral to my style and technique.

 

In nearly 30 years no band has made negative comments about my gear or their music being played on a 5 string bass. It's the right instrument for me.

[Leonard Smalls]

I had the error of my ways explained to me when visiting Bass Direct once; despite having played 4 strings for 30 years I was assured that wasn't good enough and that I had to have a fiver.

But being a contrary sort I did just the opposite and stuck with my four. If I need to go down a tone or two I can just programme a patch into my Helix - that's the only new trick this old dog learned!

[Muzz]

Yep, I have all my sounds in the Helix in various drop (and raise) tunings: helps with the fact that I play in multiple bands, some Eb, some E, and one with a singer who shifts down a lot, and at jam nights you have to be very flexible. Eb? Easy. Low B? Easy... 😁

 

I love a verrrry skinny neck, which is my main issue with 5ers - example: I love a BB bass, but the best one for me is the cheapest, the BB414, because it has the slimmest neck: no matter how good the 2024 is (and it is very, very good), I couldn't live with the fatter neck, so a 5er's got no chance...

[SteveXFR]

I play a 5 string and barely use the G string so I could get away with a 4 string tuned down to drop A and have used that set up but I've found a multi scale 5 string gives me better clarity on the lowest string. There are 4 string baritone basses designed specifically for my purposes but they're more expensive than a second hand Ibanez. 

Maybe I should just remove my G string (the one on my bass) since I don't use it.

[Dan Dare]

1 hour ago, cetera said:

Ah yes, we detune to Eb for the whole set and then play it in E so job done - sound the same

 

Our singer has a penchant for Eb, so I carry two basses and tune one down a semi-tone. It's not just because it's easier to play in E than Eb. I also like having the low fundamental.

[Ed_S]

I started on a 4 but moved very quickly to 5 and stayed there for 10 years, then moved back to 4 for the next 10 years, and now I'm back to 5 again.

 

The 4 had some advantages - I think some shapes just look 'right' as a 4, they're often a bit cheaper and lighter than the same 5, they're generally less expensive to restring, I always found them slightly more engaging to play due to having to think my way around the board, they were a bit easier to 'rock out' on, and I came to realise there was less chance of getting a bad FoH sound from venue sound techs when playing one, as they would usually see a 4 string P and instinctively know how to leave it sounding like a bass instead of trying too hard and making a mess.

 

I never found myself unable to play a suitable part on a 4, so I reckon it's absolutely enough... but it's just not my preference right now.

[pineweasel]

I played fours for 30 years, but I’ve played a five for the last 3 years and I can’t see myself going back. I love not having to move positions so much, and having the lower range without needing a drop tuner. I also find it easier to visualize patterns across 5 strings. For me there is no downside, and I use my five string for everything. 

[casapete]

2 hours ago, Muzz said:

Yep, I have all my sounds in the Helix in various drop (and raise) tunings: helps with the fact that I play in multiple bands, some Eb, some E, and one with a singer who shifts down a lot, and at jam nights you have to be very flexible. Eb? Easy. Low B? Easy... 😁

 

I love a verrrry skinny neck, which is my main issue with 5ers - example: I love a BB bass, but the best one for me is the cheapest, the BB414, because it has the slimmest neck: no matter how good the 2024 is (and it is very, very good), I couldn't live with the fatter neck, so a 5er's got no chance...

I think that apart from my lack of brain to tackle a 5 er, the additional neck width and weight/bulk is 

enough to stop any further chance of me worrying one. Unless of course Danelectro decide to do

a Longhorn 5…….😆

[Dad3353]

When playing bass, it's usually a four, as that's what I have most to hand, but the fiver and (fretless...) six get their turn too, when the need arises. I don't think or play in 'patterns'; I play notes, intervals, chords and melodies, so the number of strings makes no difference for me. I'm far from virtuoso (on bass; I'm a drummer...), so optimising finger movement, high speed or slap/popping are not part of my repertoire; I just go from one to the other (and guitar, or a bit of keys...) without even thinking of these little (to me...) details. Simple, me..? Yes sirree..!