once you've played a 5 string what's the point of 4?

[DDR]

I used to be a 5 hater and now I'm a convert to the point that I'm wondering, outside of the "getting hired" issue (some bands/artists won't like the look of it) why limit your range to that of a 4 string?

[Dad3353]

Just now, DDR said:

I used to be a 5 hater and now I'm a convert to the point that I'm wondering, outside of the "getting hired" issue (some bands/artists won't like the look of it) why limit your range to that of a 4 string?

 

Why not six, then..? 

[tauzero]

Some people just don't get on with fives. Not sure why, but there's always a few in the marketplace being sold by people who tried a five and didn't like it. It's always possible they were just horrible to play and the sellers thought it was because they were fives, not simply because they were shit.

[lozkerr]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

Why not six, then..? 

Well for me, it's the neck width. I've played fives for quite a while now and can't see myself ever going back to a four, but I don't have hands the size of shovels and I'd struggle with a six. And yes, I have tried a few.

[BassTractor]

One point of a four might be that (if true) one never gets "that" low E timbre from a five.
Just throwing this in: I have no idea myself, but this was said by a producer in a well-known studio. Me, I'd imagine that a wider neck's stiffness would indeed change the timbre, but you guys must know a lot more about this than I do.

Edited 1 hour ago by BassTractor

[police squad]

I did 5 string 25 years ago. Did it for a few years and went back to 4. Fretless and fretted, I easily adapted to 5.

I sometimes played a 'd' on the low b. Didn't really like the sound below that

Here's a picture of my custom made 5 string made by my friend Andy Crockett

Edited 1 hour ago by police squad

[Steve Browning]

5 hours ago, DDR said:

I used to be a 5 hater and now I'm a convert to the point that I'm wondering, outside of the "getting hired" issue (some bands/artists won't like the look of it) why limit your range to that of a 4 string?

In my case, because I want to. I don't like the sound of the B string. They never sound 'right' to me. 

 

An entirely personal view, but I will never own a 5 string. 

[Burns-bass]

Scale length, weight, string spacing, design, aesthetics. And the fact that you’ll look like an 80s sideman. I’ve tried playing them and it’s just not needed (for me).

 

5-string basses are like Land Rovers in that 90% if users will never need the extra capabilities. 

Edited 1 hour ago by Burns-bass

[SumOne]

 

'Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication' (Leonardo da Vinci)

 

[Reggaebass]

I played a 5 for about a year to see what it was all about and still do very occasionally if a certain Bassline has any lower notes ,but that’s rare, so 2 reasons for me, I can do everything I want on a 4 and I play vintage basses which only have 4 

[uk_lefty]

A drop D tuner on my 4s works fine for me when I need it. I have owned the same fretless fiver for coming up to 23 years now but never made it stick on any other bass, though I have tried a few times. For the gigs I play a 4 is perfect, so a fiver just is not really needed. 

[odysseus]

I used a 5 in one band where it was warranted, but went back to a 4 after it finished because I didn't really need the extra depth. Another band I was in used D a lot so I just tuned down to D standard on a 4, which worked well in that context.  It's also easier on the hands and forearms... for me, anyway.

[OliverBlackman]

6 hours ago, DDR said:

I used to be a 5 hater and now I'm a convert to the point that I'm wondering, outside of the "getting hired" issue (some bands/artists won't like the look of it) why limit your range to that of a 4 string?

I have both and 99% only need to play a 4 so I make it easier for myself by playing a lighter, thinner necked 4 string.  I play my 5er more than 1% but only really so it’s not totally alien when I need the lower range or if I want that maple neck jazz bass sound.

[franzbassist]

I took a long time to adjust to 5s, but I pretty much play them all the time now. The main advantage I see with a 5 is it makes some patterns easier to play (i.e. you don't have to shift up and down the neck as you do on a 4, you just play across instead).

 

Some 5s have a poor low B tone, which can certainly give a bad impression to a new user.

 

I've tried a 6 multiple times, but it's just too much for me.

 

If I slapped a lot I'd probably stay on a 4, but I like the increased versatility of a 5 overall and won't go back.

Edited 52 minutes ago by franzbassist

[Burns-bass]

12 minutes ago, franzbassist said:

I took a long time to adjust to 5s, but I pretty much play them all the time now. The main advantage I see with a 5 is it makes some patterns easier to play (i.e. you don't have to shift up and down the neck as you do on a 4, you just play across instead).

 

Some 5s have a poor low B tone, which can certainly give a bad impression to a new user.

 

I've tried a 6 multiple times, but it's just too much for me.

 

If I slapped a lot I'd probably stay on a 4, but I like the increased versatility of a 5 overall and won't go back.

Solid advice. Play the instruments you like to make the music you love.

[stewblack]

7 hours ago, DDR said:

I used to be a 5 hater and now I'm a convert to the point that I'm wondering, outside of the "getting hired" issue (some bands/artists won't like the look of it) why limit your range to that of a 4 string?

Interesting question. I played 5ers for a couple of years, way back when. It was in the spirit of adventure and discovery and a bit of a pose, as five string bassists were something of a novelty out in the sticks. 

I never particularly favoured five or four, but returned exclusively to four string basses ten years back. 

Now they just feel more comfortable, more natural to me. I displace the octave where I meet with a note below the E, and I enjoy finding creative ways to navigate the fretboard.

Would I ever go back to a five string? Absolutely, anything is possible. Except slap bass. That is not for me.

[itu]

That B requires lots of string changes, before it started to sound similar than the other strings.

 

I use both, 4 and 5, and they are different animals.