Time of the Fivers?

[lozkerr]

1 hour ago, Norris said:

I switched to a 5 at the start of last year. It took a little while to get used to but now feels so natural and has improved my technique. I'm wondering if I'm likely to play any of my 4's again.

 

I think I'm a bit rare around these parts though - there are not many other local 5-ers that I know of

I switched from a four to a five six years ago and I can't see myself ever going back. Once I'd got the hang of extending box shapes across the fretboard and re-positioned the starting notes for scales, everything just fell into place.

 

I did go down the rabbit hole of thinking I had to play across the fretboard for every song I was learning though, and it took a wee while to break that habit. Five-string fingering very often makes things easier, but sometimes it makes things harder. Depends on the song.

 

The only time I play a four these days is when I'm teaching the Girls Rock School Edinburgh bass class, as that's designed for rookies - it's more of a confidence-building environment for women than an attempt to discover the next Suzi Quatro - so four-string basses and tabs are the order of the day. 

Edited March 23 by lozkerr
Missing word

[Norris]

53 minutes ago, lozkerr said:

 

I did go down the rabbit hole of thinking I had to play across the fretboard for every song I was learning

That's another thing. Just because you have a low B now, you don't have to spend the whole gig down there. Personally I just play "normal" 4 string range parts using the 5th string to make life easier on some trickier bits, and then hit the "brown notes" sparingly for more impact 

[LowB_FTW]

I got my first 5-string bass in the very early '90s (I still have it)

I got my second one for Christmas, 2021 (I'm never getting rid of this).

I then joined Basschat and I now have 8 of them.

 

This place.

*walks away shaking his head*

 

Mark

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I got my first real five-string
Bought it at the five and dime
Played it 'til my fingers bled
Was the spring of 1996

 

It doesn't have quite the same ring to it 😎

[tauzero]

3 hours ago, Norris said:

That's another thing. Just because you have a low B now, you don't have to spend the whole gig down there. Personally I just play "normal" 4 string range parts using the 5th string to make life easier on some trickier bits, and then hit the "brown notes" sparingly for more impact 

 

Same here. I'll use the B string for the occasional low D as a fill note when playing to a G chord, and for a beefier sound when I want it.

 

I had a fretless 5 for a while in the 90s, didn't particularly get on with it, and couldn't find a 5 with a neck that I liked anywhere near as much as the slim and shallow neck on my '87 Thumb until I happened to buy an Antoniotsai bass purely on a whim from Vietnam. It so happened that I also bought a Squier 5 at the same time, a Super Special or something, P body with J pickups. The Antoniotsai came and the Squier went straight away. That was 2007 and after a bigamous period of a year or so, I went fully 5.

 

Now I still have the Thumb 4 (and a fretless equivalent) and an acoustic 4, the other 20+ are 5s or 6s (plus a 7, 10, and 12). I take the 4s out now and again to open mics, which keeps me on my toes. I completely agree with @lozkerr that just because you can use 5-string fingering doesn't mean you must. In fact, playing Oasis's "Don't look back in anger", I find myself alternating between 4 and 5 fingering, partly in order to stay awake.

[ped]

I’ve never really bonded with 5s. I’m so used to playing 4 strings tuned in drop D that it feels off - for as long as I can remember my octave shapes in the bottom string have been altered accordingly. I’ve had loads though despite this, from Ken Smith, Vigier, Alembic, OLP, Carvin

[Bassfinger]

I have one. It never really tugged my rug. I only really used it for songs where hitting the octave instead of the low note doesn't sound quite right, and there arent many of those, at least to my ear.

 

I guess I'm a bit old fashioned (says the man who still wears a top hat and rides a penny farthing.)

 

 

 

 

Edited March 24 by Bassfinger
Alien sex experient

[SumOne]

I recently went back to 4 from 5 as out of three bands I play in there is probably <5% of the setlist songs that go lower than the low E, and those that do mostly are just D for a couple of notes that can be substituted. So no 'need' for a 5. 

 

Saying that though, I have been missing that 5th string, particularly for home playing as 4 feels a bit restricted. Similar to the fact I have an 88 key home piano and a 61 key stage keyboard (with octave up/down buttons). So I reckon I'll be back to a 5 soon. 

Edited March 24 by SumOne

[LukeFRC]

I have two of each. 
 

the main differences are my fingers are on the short side so 4 string is easier in some ways, and making sure the strings in the online shop are long enough for a 35 inch scale length 

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

At the moment I am just using the fiver for the 'classic rock' band. I have some control over the order of the setlist so can group together songs benefiting from the extra range..

[Baloney Balderdash]

12 hours ago, lidl e said:

I'm strictly a 4 string player. I've owned quite a few but neber really got in with a 5. I'd say 5ers started getting big in mid 80s. In the 90s everyone was using them. Nowadays I'm seeing mostly 4s.

 

Heres me in early 90s playing my MM 5er. This would have been like 92-93. 

 

Dont have the hair nor the bass anymore. 

 

 

 

I believe this to be true.

 

5 string basses has been bigger than they are currently, these days 4 string P Basses and 4 string short scale basses are all the fuzz.

 

And it's been like that for quite some time by now.

 

To OP, thought maybe there is a reason why so many is selling their 5 string basses currently, other than because of them being popular?

 

I do believe though, while still very much being a quite a niche instrument, that 6 string basses perhaps are getting slightly more common.

 

 

That said I personally quite recently converted from an 28.6" scale 4 string Ibanez Mikro Bass (regular standard 19mm string spacing) , tuned in A# standard tuning, as in 1 half step above the upper 4 strings of a 6 string bass in regular B standard tuning, being my main instrument of choice, to an 28.6" scale 5 string Ibanez Mikro Bass (16.5mm string spacing), tuned in G standard tuning, that is 3 half steps above the upper 5 strings of a 6 string bass in regular B standard tuning.

 

And I don't see that likely to change anytime soon.

 

For regular bass playing though, that is in regular E standard tuning, I still very much prefer 4 string basses though (regular 30" short scale, preferably).

 

Edited March 24 by Baloney Balderdash

[jazzyvee]

I use 5 strings for virtually every gig i do. Occasionally if i get a gig where all the tracks don’t need the heft of the lower B string i will use a 4 string. Even when i use a 5 string on classic reggae tracks for gigs i tend to stay off the B string just to keep the tone closer to the original. 
i would like to gig more with a 4 string. 

[Ed_S]

I got my first 5 (a trans-red Jackson C5A, which I kinda wish I still had) very soon after starting playing, and my first gigging band was a duo where I accompanied an acoustic-guitarist-singer-songwriter friend from school. She was a 'proper' singer - done her grade 8 and all that - and she'd see where her voice felt strongest that day as she warmed up... and then change key/capo accordingly without a great deal of warning. Having a 5 made that a much easier gig to deal with.

 

There was a 10 year period in my metal band where, despite all the songs up to that point having been written on a 5, I stopped gigging with them due to a 4 string P being the only thing my lower back was comfortable with at the time. I enjoyed playing a 4 in its own right, but now my 5s are lighter and more sensibly shaped (as am I, and my back is a bit happier for it) I hope I can stick with the 5s going forward, as they're definitely what I'm most at-home with.

 

I've seen a much greater number of 7 string guitars on the heavier-music scene recently than I ever have before, and it seems to follow in my very unscientific observation that in bands where the guitarist plays a 7, the bassist usually has at least a 5. Perhaps one reason that there are a few more around? Our two have just gone for a 7 and a baritone respectively, but when they tried to sneak the songs currently played in C# standard down to B, the singer told them to get stuffed, so they're back on their 6s and Drop pedals for those. I got rid of the Drop from my board when I returned to playing 5s, so I'm back to a bit of transposing as I go.

 

[chris_b]

4 hours ago, jazzyvee said:

Even when i use a 5 string on classic reggae tracks for gigs i tend to stay off the B string just to keep the tone closer to the original.

 

The bass player in Toots' band used a 6 string Warwick.

Edited March 24 by chris_b

[chris_b]

Everyone's choices are valid. I only play 5 string basses because I want to have the same geography under my fingers every time I gig.

 

We don't play all the strings on every song on a 4 string bass, and the same is obviously true on a 5 string. Songs of any era don't "need" a particular number of strings.

 

I played 5's on a 60's/70's cover band gig last night. No one noticed or cared. Why would they?

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

We don't play all the strings on every song on a 4 string bass

 

When I was playing dad rock covers I could have got away with a two string bass with E and A strings for a substantial part of the set. I once took my fretless Atlansia Solitaire 1-string bass to a rehearsal. The fact that it was fretless was more of a hinderance then the fact it only had a single string.

 

These days I only play 5-string basses and Bass VIs. I sold my last 4-string bass during the COVID pandemic.

[BigRedX]

19 hours ago, Dood said:

The first commercially available (mass produced) five string came out in 1984. The Yamaha BB5000. Nathan East was seen everywhere with his white one and I think Pino used one too. I've always wanted one as they had a really close string spacing. 

 

I used to own a 5-string Overwater Original that according to Chris May was made in 1983. My other Overwater original 5-string which was my main bass for most of the 90s was made in 1985 or 86.

[uk_lefty]

22 years ago I got a fretless five, but I have to say I'm a four string guy. Though that bass is very special to me, my main gigging basses are 4 strings with a hipshot d-tuner. Drop D is big, gutsy and punchy, but I find anything lower just doesn't have the definition... On any fiver I've had at least.

[ordep]

I always think of myself as a Four string player, but current band needs the Low B and the higher notes so mainly using a fiver now. 

 

Got Five 4 string basses and one Fiver. 

Edited March 25 by ordep

[lozkerr]

21 hours ago, Norris said:

Personally I just play "normal" 4 string range parts using the 5th string to make life easier on some trickier bits, and then hit the "brown notes" sparingly for more impact 

That's pretty much what I do. Out of interest, I've just been through the songs in both my bands' current repertoires and found that only two need notes below low E - Song 2 needs low E flat and She Sells Sanctuary needs low D.

 

But there are a lot more that I do use five-string fingering so I can stay pretty much in one place. It works out like this:

 

Total songs: 62

Need notes below low E: 2

I use five-string fingering without dipping below low E: 39

Songs all in the higher registers or five-string fingering more difficult: 21

 

I really like having the flexibility and being able to stay in one place helps when I'm concentrating on singing.

 

 

[Dood]

17 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

I used to own a 5-string Overwater Original that according to Chris May was made in 1983. My other Overwater original 5-string which was my main bass for most of the 90s was made in 1985 or 86.

 

Absolutely there were non-mass produced 5 strings (and six - Anthony Jackson's 1975 Carl Thompson made Contrabass for example)) available before the Yamaha. The Overwater would have been a super nice bass as they are today, did you keep any pictures of it?

[Beer of the Bass]

I like my five string and it's my only electric bass unless I've brought out the fretless. Though listening back to my bands last album and the rhythm section tracking we've just done for the next one, I'm extremely sparing on where I use notes below E, it really is only a handful of places where it makes for a more interesting variation on a line, plus a couple where I wanted to underpin a guitarist in DADGAD. So I could absolutely do it with a four string plus Hipshot, if I chose to.

[Rodders]

I have two 5's, I should really play them more and get used to using the extra range in one position. I used to use one for about a month straight every year playing for my local panto but other than that 4 is still my go to.

[BigRedX]

51 minutes ago, Dood said:

Absolutely there were non-mass produced 5 strings (and six - Anthony Jackson's 1975 Carl Thompson made Contrabass for example)) available before the Yamaha. The Overwater would have been a super nice bass as they are today, did you keep any pictures of it?

 

Here's both of the Overwaters I used to own - the 1983 version on the left and slightly later one on the right:

 

 

IIRC the 1983 model was the first 5-string that Overwater made and was based on their C-Bass design. This one used to be owned by the session bassist Michael Féat, and may possibly have been used on some very high-profile albums, although I can't find any direct evidence for what it was played on.

 

They were both very good basses, but overall didn't suit me as well as my Gus G3s and therefore weren't getting much use. Both were moved on when I had my big clear out some years ago.

[jazzyvee]

On 24/03/2024 at 14:37, chris_b said:

 

The bass player in Toots' band used a 6 string Warwick.

Good point and i have seen a few reggae bass players on youtube using a sixer but i can't imagine the thin string gets much play time. I hardly use my G string when doing reggae.