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

[jonnybass]

It depends on the band/music for me.  For standard covers i use a 5.  For originals i use a 5 and for any vintage covers gigs I use a 4.  Switching between them isnt a problem now, but I've played 5s on and off for 30 years.

 

Getting a good tight B string is very important, so construction of the 5 has to be of a good level.

 

Jonny

[tauzero]

I started on 4-strings, finishing up with a Warwick JD Thumb, which has a really slim and shallow neck. I bought a couple of 5s but the necks were too chunky. Then I bought one off Ebay from Vietnam, and it had just the neck I was looking for. Subsequently I bought a couple of Sei 5s, one fretless and the other fretted, and those also had the shallow necks that I like. I've kept the 4-string Thumb and another that I had defretted and reprofiled to be the same as the JD Thumb, but they're not being used (don't want to get rid of them though). Everything else is 5, 6, or 10 strings.

 

I like the ability to go across the neck - I only occasionally use notes below bottom E. I don't understand why so many people think that the purpose of the B string is only to go below bottom E. It is so much more than that.

[rushbo]

1 hour ago, tauzero said:

I like the ability to go across the neck - I only occasionally use notes below bottom E. I don't understand why so many people think that the purpose of the B string is only to go below bottom E. It is so much more than that.

 

I've had a number of nice 5 string basses which I intended to use in my R&B band. When you're playing quite a few 12 bar progressions in 'E.' its very useful to be able to play them without having to shift your hand position to use the open note. Sadly, due to lack of aptitude and lack of patience, they've all since been moved on, although I have recently put a 5 string Bitsa together which I'm messing about on. 

 

[BigJHW]

2 hours ago, Linus27 said:

37 years of playing here and only ever played 4 string. Now I only play fretless. I did try a 5 string once but my head couldn't get used to an extra string being where the E is. So I'm thinking of taking on a challenge and buying a 5 string fretless as I love the look of the fretless 5 string headless Ibanez make 🤣

Go with the Gary Willis 5 string fretless (also ibanez) - they're about as good as fretless gets without spending silly money imo

[redbandit599]

I play in a covers band and we cover stuff from modern to classic - a 5 is very handy and I use it all the way down to the low B.

 

I've had/got a few 5s - the best B string was definitely my Dingwall (now sold) - the surprises though are a Warwick RB Corvette 32" and Ibanez Mezzo 32" which both have better Bs than several 34" basses I've had.

[Graham56]

I play a 4, but really, all I need are 2... 😁

[Rich]

2 hours ago, tauzero said:

I like the ability to go across the neck - I only occasionally use notes below bottom E. I don't understand why so many people think that the purpose of the B string is only to go below bottom E. It is so much more than that.

 

This, entirely and absolutely. For me, by far and away the most useful aspect of a 5 stringer. The main reason I still use a 5 with one of my bands is that some of the songs are an absolute arrse to play up and down the neck on a 4 and are far easier across a 5.

[Baloney Balderdash]

No!

 

4 string instruments is a joke!

 

Mozart was wrong, he should have insisted writing pieces for 5 string violins, cellos and basses! 

 

And Jaco was a hack!

 

 

On a more serious note:

 

Enough for what exactly?

 

Entirely depends on the music you write/play.

 

Do you need a low B string, but also a high G strings, then no, a 4 string would not work for that, otherwise, yes, it would be all you really need.

 

Stig Perdersen from the Danish hard rock band D:A:D (Disneyland After Dark) never needed more than 2 strings, a low E and a low A string, and is famous for owning a huge collection of weird custom made 2 string basses. 

 

This being one of them:

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[woodyratm]

I’ve been a 4 player for years, but recently started playing down at G#. So much easier to use 5 or 6 strings! 

[Baloney Balderdash]

28 minutes ago, woodyratm said:

I’ve been a 4 player for years, but recently started playing down at G#. So much easier to use 5 or 6 strings! 

Not sure I understand this...

 

G#, as in?

 

You mean G#0 as in 3 half steps bellow the low B on a 5 or 6 string bass?

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[msb]

I still like four string basses.

 

 

[Skybone]

9 minutes ago, msb said:

I still like four string basses.

 

 

Yup, me too.

 

Though I am GAS-ing a little for an 8 string (octave course, of course).

[Barking Spiders]

Having strong prejudices, I'd never touch a 5 stringer again as i associate it with with nu-metal. Also why I avoid drop D tuning on my guitars.

[Baloney Balderdash]

3 hours ago, Skybone said:

Yup, me too.

 

Though I am GAS-ing a little for an 8 string (octave course, of course).

I wouldn't mind one of them Hagström short scale 8 string basses either:

Edited September 20, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[WinterMute]

7 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

He mentioned a NS stick, that is not tuned the same was as (most) chapman sticks, they are 8 string instruments generally tuned in 4ths from B to Bb. so 2 strings on top of a 6 string.

Exactly why I considered it (briefly), I have played an original 10 string Stick, well, I say "played", it was certainly making a noise...

 

Nope, 5 strings is plenty.

[woodyratm]

40 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Not sure I understand this...

 

G#, as in?

 

You mean G#0 as in 3 half steps bellow the low B on a 5 or 6 string bass?

 

Yeah.

G# D# G# C# F# B

 

[bass_dinger]

7 hours ago, greavesbass said:

Nope 4 strings is not enough. All those Motown tunes and gazillions of 70's chart hits sound awful without that fifth string....he said.

 

This is a good point.   I have been learning classic basslines on my 5 string, and I have so far only found two songs that need a note below E.

 

Waterloo by ABBA, and Everybody wants to rule the world. 

 

Thus, I have the fifth low string but all the songs I play don't require it.  I would have to shift position away from the original artist's playing to be able to use the low B string.   Some songs lend themselves to that - the outro to You're my First my last.... requires a 12 fret leap on a 4 string,  but a 7 fret jump on a 5.

 

I have only ever played 5 string basses, and only in the past 2 years have I had the skills to play across the neck. 

 

5 string is hard, for me, in a 4 string world. 

 

 

 

 

[snorkie635]

1 hour ago, Skybone said:

Yup, me too.

 

Though I am GAS-ing a little for an 8 string (octave course, of course).

Then you need one of these, based on your avatar:

 

 

[dclaassen]

It’s all about preference. I played all styles of music for decades on a four string, spent months getting used to a five. Now, it’s pretty much all I play. I really appreciate the ability to play 2 octaves across the neck.

[jrixn1]

1 hour ago, bass_dinger said:

the outro to You're my First my last.... requires a 12 fret leap on a 4 string,  but a 7 fret jump on a 5.

 

What I do is play the C on the E string.  Then it's two medium jumps instead of one large one.

[peteb]

5 hours ago, Rich said:

The main reason I still use a 5 with one of my bands is that some of the songs are an absolute arrse to play up and down the neck on a 4 and are far easier across a 5.

 

Personally, I'm completely the opposite. I find it much easier to play a 4 string and I'm much more fluent playing one. I am using a 4 string bass for all of my current gigs. 

 

However, I was once up for a gig that involved playing songs that had obviously been recorded on a 5 and the guy (understandably) wanted me to play pretty much what was on the album. It was a real struggle to try and play them on a 4. I went out and bought a decent 5 string straight away. 

 

I prefer to play 4 sting basses, but as ever, it depends on the gig... 

 

[Skybone]

1 hour ago, snorkie635 said:

Then you need one of these, based on your avatar:

 

 

Absolutely. 👍

[StickyDBRmf]

All my basses are four (except the Ibanez Studio) right now, tuned either standard or "down". They are all in storage right now, so I currently only play 12 string. The Chapman Stick Dual Bass Reciprocal. I know, I know, etcetera, etcetera, but once you play it...FOR A WHILE, it's easier than a standard bass. You tap with either hand. No calluses. (OMG). It's not like I'm gigging in a cover band...

Also. The last 5-string I had was tuned EADGC. I de-tuned the E manually when needed. Ho hum.

[lozkerr]

5 hours ago, Rich said:

 

This, entirely and absolutely. For me, by far and away the most useful aspect of a 5 stringer. The main reason I still use a 5 with one of my bands is that some of the songs are an absolute arrse to play up and down the neck on a 4 and are far easier across a 5.

Exactly the same here. The five-string is much easier than the four, as I find for most songs there's very little jumping about needed. That helps a lot, especially when I'm singing at the same time.

 

There are a few songs - some Smiths songs, Bowie songs and Back On The Chain Gang spring to mind - where the four-string fingering is simpler because the basslines involve playing open strings and then immediately fretting them, but being able to whizz across the fretboard rather then jumping about to find notes makes life so much easier, even with songs that use all five strings.

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

I personally much prefer the more narrow fretboard of a 4'er, and for one actually appreciate that there is a bit of physical action going on when playing, having to jump up and down horizontally on the neck to get the notes you need.

 

The inevitable wide fretboard of a 5'er just feels clumsy and cumbersome to me, and staying in one spot feels dull and makes playing less fun.

 

So for me 5'ers compared to 4'rs are both physically uncomfortable and less fun to play for me. 

 

And horizontal playing just somehow, beside being more fun, feels more naturally to me.

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash