5-String Question

[thumperbob 2002]

I think most of the time 4 stings are all you need- but try playing in a big Soul band where most songs are in Eb - you need those extra 5 notes- saying that I only use the low B once on Try a little Tenderness.

It just gives you a bit more scope- dont like fiddling with drop tuners

Bob

[Conan]

[quote name='martthebass' post='712549' date='Jan 14 2010, 01:55 PM']as Bruce Foxton said 'I can find all the notes I need on a 4 string'.[/quote]

I would partly agree with this, but a lot of it depends on the music you play and the band you play with. Much of Foxton's playing is in the kind of "middle" registers of the bass rather than low down on the E string for example. Within the context of a three piece with a very "cutting" guitar sound that works.

A lot of players find a five string necessary if they play with a singer whose range has dropped over the years... A good example of this would be Fish's band (ex-singer with Marillion if the name doesn't ring a bell). As the ravages of age, cigarettes, alcohol, etc have taken their toll, his ability to hit high notes has diminished. In many cases, the band has had to drop keys to accommodate this. Many of the original keys were C, B or even E - so if you drop from there on a four string the only way to go is up!! If the track is in D and you only have a four, then you will be playing on the A string at the fifth fret! No bottom end at all!

This is where I see the main advantage of a five. Or in metal bands where that really low-end riffage sounds massive...!

Just my opinion of course!

[thepurpleblob]

[quote name='Conan' post='712614' date='Jan 14 2010, 02:44 PM']I would partly agree with this, but a lot of it depends on the music you play and the band you play with. Much of Foxton's playing is in the kind of "middle" registers of the bass rather than low down on the E string for example. Within the context of a three piece with a very "cutting" guitar sound that works.

A lot of players find a five string necessary if they play with a singer whose range has dropped over the years... A good example of this would be Fish's band (ex-singer with Marillion if the name doesn't ring a bell). As the ravages of age, cigarettes, alcohol, etc have taken their toll, his ability to hit high notes has diminished. In many cases, the band has had to drop keys to accommodate this. Many of the original keys were C, B or even E - so if you drop from there on a four string the only way to go is up!! If the track is in D and you only have a four, then you will be playing on the A string at the fifth fret! No bottom end at all!

This is where I see the main advantage of a five. Or in metal bands where that really low-end riffage sounds massive...!

Just my opinion of course! [/quote]

I think it leads to a general point that if you have to change key in a hurry and don't want to have to think then a 5 can save the day. Not an issue for decent musicians, of course, but that would count me out

[Conan]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='712637' date='Jan 14 2010, 03:05 PM']Not an issue for decent musicians, of course, but that would count me out [/quote]

Heh heh! Me too!!

[Bottle]

Just throwin' my tuppence in

I'll echo most of the comments above about string spacing - had an Ibanez ATK 5'er up until September. Biggest issue for me was the weight and the string spacing. Best to get to a shop and try out several different models of five-string - there'll be at least one that's a natural fit for your playing style.

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' post='707253' date='Jan 9 2010, 11:42 PM']Was thinking of getting one of my other basses adjusted in a shop to be permanently B E A D ,
and selling my 5.[/quote]
Decided to get another four-stringer instead (the Squier) and down tuned it to DGCF, which caters for most situations. Still miss those low notes, though, so I'm GAS'ing for another four-string tuned BEAD or ADGC - maybe my next purchase .

Anyway, YMMV. I found with the 5'er that I wasn't using the top G string nearly as much - ended up going to the dusty end of the fretboard more often than not, so a bass tuned BEAD maybe a viable solution.

[martthebass]

[quote name='Conan' post='712614' date='Jan 14 2010, 02:44 PM']I would partly agree with this, but a lot of it depends on the music you play and the band you play with. Much of Foxton's playing is in the kind of "middle" registers of the bass rather than low down on the E string for example. Within the context of a three piece with a very "cutting" guitar sound that works.

A lot of players find a five string necessary if they play with a singer whose range has dropped over the years... A good example of this would be Fish's band (ex-singer with Marillion if the name doesn't ring a bell). As the ravages of age, cigarettes, alcohol, etc have taken their toll, his ability to hit high notes has diminished. In many cases, the band has had to drop keys to accommodate this. Many of the original keys were C, B or even E - so if you drop from there on a four string the only way to go is up!! If the track is in D and you only have a four, then you will be playing on the A string at the fifth fret! No bottom end at all!

This is where I see the main advantage of a five. Or in metal bands where that really low-end riffage sounds massive...!

Just my opinion of course! [/quote]

As said, 'horses for courses' my horse only needs 4 legs. YMMV

Edited January 14, 2010 by martthebass

[Bloodaxe]

One tip that turfed up on "another forum" is to start at the 5th fret on the low B (i.e. E) & ignore anything to the left of that fret - kinda like having an imaginary capo. I had/have no end of trouble adjusting to a 5'er, but this method seems to make sense & work *for me*.

I'll investigate further after this weekend, an upcoming audition is no time to be experimenting!

Pete.

[51m0n]

One of the main reasons the Roscoe really did it for me was its weight, its no more than 8lbs - which is slightly lighter than my 4 string, and makes just about every other 5 string I've picked up feel like a granite slab.

I've had to put the 4 away in a hard case since I got the 5, and hadnt played it at all for a very long time. Just for a laugh I got it out the other night, bizarre, kept going to the A string for low G

Other than that I was flying around it. The shorter scale length made it feel ridiculously easy to play.

[JTUK]

If you are in a rehearsed band then you have time to get the change-over right..
You rehearse all the songs and the notes/fretting is in place. If you are depping and in very quick changing tunes with keys all over the place...you don't want to have to compound this by having to think about where the notes are on what strings.

That is when you really really have to be comfortable with the bass in hand.... dropped notes aren't a good thing in this situation...as if they ever where, but YKWIM..

It took me well over a year to fully transpose my style and playing onto a 5..maybe longer,

I'd never go back..

Even swapping from a 24 fret to 21 is asking for a bit of trouble, IMO.

[Musicman20]

I have 5 4 string basses and I have my first proper 5 string in mind. IMO, you cannot go wrong with the Lakland 5 string neck. I have smallish hands but I picked up a DJ5 and I could play really quick! Nice n comfy.

MM SR5s are nice, i'd like a new Classic series 5!

I found the various Warwick necks I tested too fat for me, and I like Precision necks!

Edited January 15, 2010 by Musicman20

[P-T-P]

[quote name='martthebass' post='712549' date='Jan 14 2010, 01:55 PM']Main problem I've had is finding the right one.

Lakky DJ5 - found the neck/string spacing too wide and scale length too long.[/quote]

Not saying you're wrong, because if that's what it felt like to you that's what it felt like, but that's something I would never have imagined someone saying about a DJ5. What bass did you come to the DJ5 from?

[quote name='Musicman20' post='713508' date='Jan 15 2010, 10:59 AM']I have 5 4 string basses and I have my first proper 5 string in mind. IMO, you cannot go wrong with the Lakland 5 string neck. I have smallish hands but I picked up a DJ5 and I could play really quick! Nice n comfy.[/quote]

Exactly!

[nobodysprefect]

[quote name='51m0n' post='713433' date='Jan 15 2010, 11:34 AM']One of the main reasons the Roscoe<snip>

Other than that I was flying around it. The shorter scale length made it feel ridiculously easy to play.[/quote]

Unless it's a VERY recent Roscoe, it's 35". Then again, Roscoe feels like 34" to many. (Myself included)

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='nobody's prefect' post='713607' date='Jan 15 2010, 12:14 PM']Unless it's a VERY recent Roscoe, it's 35". Then again, Roscoe feels like 34" to many. (Myself included)[/quote]
I very nearly posted the same thing, but on reading Simon's post again I think he meant that going back to the 34" 4 string was easy after the 35" fiver.

Edited to add: A shame really cos I'd be very interested in a 32" fiver

Edited January 15, 2010 by Count Bassy

[martthebass]

[quote name='P-T-P' post='713549' date='Jan 15 2010, 11:31 AM']Not saying you're wrong, because if that's what it felt like to you that's what it felt like, but that's something I would never have imagined someone saying about a DJ5. What bass did you come to the DJ5 from?[/quote]

The DJ5 was my first foray into 5 string P.

Before that the widest neck I'd probably played was vintage P type (1.75") at the nut but I'm generally happier with 1.625" (Ray/Modern P bass). The neck width and flatness just made it feel like a plank to me. The thinner neck on the Sandy and SR5 was more comfortable to my hands. I'm aware that many players find the DJ5 to be Nirvana - just not this one. Guess I'm just not a 35"/19mm guy.

[P-T-P]

[quote name='martthebass' post='714185' date='Jan 15 2010, 07:11 PM']The DJ5 was my first foray into 5 string P.

Before that the widest neck I'd probably played was vintage P type (1.75") at the nut but I'm generally happier with 1.625" (Ray/Modern P bass). The neck width and flatness just made it feel like a plank to me. The thinner neck on the Sandy and SR5 was more comfortable to my hands. I'm aware that many players find the DJ5 to be Nirvana - just not this one. Guess I'm just not a 35"/19mm guy.[/quote]

Interesting. For me, I like the fact that the Lakland necks feel like they have the same protportions as a 4 string, just made bigger to accommodate the extra string. I personally disliked the Sandberg 'cause it felt a bit too chubby. Horses for courses I suppose.

From what you've said though, I don't think you should be too put off by 35" scale though as it makes for only a minute difference in the distance between frets. The "length" of the neck, and by that I mean how far away the nut is, isn't going to be affected by scale length as such. That's going to be determined, more than anything, by the shape of the bass' body and in particular the upper horn extension and the placement of the bridge in relation to the edge of the bass.

For exampe, the nut on a Lakland JO5 seems a little further away than on a DJ5, but the DJ5 bridge is closer to the edge of the bass. A Warwick Thumb 34" scale is going to make the nut seem miles further away than on either of the previous two because the upper horn only comes out to about the 15th fret (if that).

[Musicman20]

I still havent found a 5 string im 100% happy with. The Lakkie neck is great, but the SR5 neck is also nice.

I am going to give the search a rest for now. Im quite tempted by the new EB MM Classic Series Stingray 5.

[7string]

Like a lot of people, I went from 4 to 6 strings.

Now I'm now saying that's better or worse than going from a 4 to a 5, but you're a bass player, it's only one more string. The more you play, the more you'll integrate that extra string into your playing and get used to the slightly wider fingerboard.

If you think that a 5 will fit into your style of playing and music then go for it.