4 String vs. 5 String

[PM5K_IceFreak]

Alright alright, im sure you've seen this post plenty too many, but i don't feel like reading old posts and bringing old news back to life. But heres the deal, and this may sound kinda weird cuz its like totally opposite of the normal question.. alright here goes.. Alright, well when i first started bass, my first bass was a 5 string, and i got right into that.. alright well lately i've been having a weird craving to switch to a 4.. I realized that i don't use my low B a whole lot.. only when it comes to playing other peoples songs, but when it comes to making my own stuff, my guitarist only has a 6 string.. and the B is useless. I realized that i have absolutely no point for my B, and i've played a few 4 strings lately, and im really starting to like the feel.. I also realized that theres a lot bigger of a variety of basses in 4 strings.. and they also tend to look a little bit better.. so my question is, out of experience, which of the 2 do you prefer, and why? And what should i do, stick with the 5, or switch to a 4?

 

[Aussie Mark]

my guitarist only has a 6 string.. and the B is useless

If the tune is in the keys of B, C, C#, D or Eb there is plenty of opportunity to use the B string on a 5 string bass, regardless of whether the guitard is playing a 6 or 7 stringer. I don't see the problem. Then again, I play exclusively 4 stringers, because I'm an old dog that can't learn new tricks.

 

[oldbluebassman]

I find it really useful when in G because the lower 5th of G is D. Great for countryish numbers. Then again in D appears in E blues scale, E minor, etc.

I find I can use the B string all over the place.

 

[dlloyd]

Alright alright, im sure you've seen this post plenty too many, but i don't feel like reading old posts and bringing old news back to life. But heres the deal, and this may sound kinda weird cuz its like totally opposite of the normal question.. alright here goes.. Alright, well when i first started bass, my first bass was a 5 string, and i got right into that.. alright well lately i've been having a weird craving to switch to a 4.. I realized that i don't use my low B a whole lot.. only when it comes to playing other peoples songs, but when it comes to making my own stuff, my guitarist only has a 6 string.. and the B is useless. I realized that i have absolutely no point for my B, and i've played a few 4 strings lately, and im really starting to like the feel.. I also realized that theres a lot bigger of a variety of basses in 4 strings.. and they also tend to look a little bit better.. so my question is, out of experience, which of the 2 do you prefer, and why? And what should i do, stick with the 5, or switch to a 4?

I've considered getting a five... there are tunes where my left hand position is all over the place and having that extra string would be a great help, even if I don't go lower than E.

I've only ever had fours, because those were the basses that spoke to me when I had the money to buy them.

 

[Samingo]

Hmmm well I too started on a five string so I know what you're talking about and now all of my basses are four bangers. Though I always feel so comfortable ona five string it's ridiculous, I suppose it has something to do with the strings being closer together. As for your question, the answer to that could be enormous. Just based on the fact that there's different and similar reasons to use each as I'm sure a lot of the forum members here could agree with.

For instance: Of course there's always tuning but what about the fact that the strings are closer together? That's entirely a comfort thing. Also not to mention being able to have all those notes without moving from the middle neck position. So essentially you're still not going under a four string tune but when it comes to those low notes on the E string you don't have to slide your left hand over to grab them as they're right up on the B string.

As for a four my main reasons for using them usually have to do with the fact that when I'm jumping around and realy getting into something I appreciate having the extra room. I suppose the extra spacing has never hurt when it comes to slap play either.

My suggestion would be don't choose. Deep down a great bass is a great bass and whatever you feel like playing you should play. So if you can, I'd say just grab a four string bass and keep the five. There's no reason to Have to play only a four string, or only a five string bass All the time.

Anyhow, sorry that was so long, but I can't sleep. That's my naive two cents.

 

[crazybass888]

4!

 

[Melv]

You could always have ur 5 string tuned E,A,D,G,B being the same as ur guitarist but without the high E. I find the low B very useful. It adds a total different side to my band.

 

[lowstrung]

Keep the 5 and get a 4. If you gotta wait to get the 4 then wait. You still have the 5. Then you will always have a backup. If you start playing other kinds of music then you will have the 5. You never know what's in the future. Most of these guy's will agree that there is no such thing as to many basses. Just ask Bovine.

 

[nismaniac]

My first bass was a four string, but now I consider a 5 normal and sometimes use a 6. As was said earlier, just because your guitar player doesn't have a low B doesn't mean you can't use yours. Use different octaves and don't try to always mimic the guitar line, it will probably be more interesting for you that way.

 

[bovinehost]

my guitarist only has a 6 string.. and the B is useless.

That is something I'm going to have to think about for a while. Lemme get back to you.

*breaking out calculator*

 

[Mobay45]

I started on a 4, moved to a 5, switched back to a 4 when I wasn't playing as much for a while and I am now back to a five.

I find that if I'm not playing a lot, it's easier for me to pick up a 4 string and get right into a tune. But I find that if I'm well practiced a five string works better for me. When playing tunes where the bassline has a definite repetitive pattern, a five usually works much better that a four because you can set up the pattern, just move around the root position play the same pattern. You can do a lot of this on a 4 too, but quite often you end up playing an octave higher than you want to play. One other point - You can do anything on a 5 that you can do on a 4. You can't say the same when comparing a 4 to a 5.

 

[spectorbassguy]

5 string was really tough after playing 4 string for 20+ years. Now that I play 5 string exclusively I get all messed up when trying to go back to 4. 5 is the only way to go IMO. A lot more versatile.

 

[Morrow]

I grew up playing fours and I prefer the necks on fours. There were times when I would be sitting in and playing someone's fiver and the extra string would drive me crazy so I bought a fiver just to get used to the feel. I do almost all of my gigging on four string basses but I recently put some money down on another five string...I will probably continue taking the four string basses out to gigs.

 

[Mantaray]

Being unorthodox, my first bass was a fiver. I also had a custom six string which I recently sold. Now I'm devoted to 4 strings.

I don't think that you need more than 4 strings IMHO. I would only consider a fiver or a six for a fretless. This way you don't just get an extended range, but also a very detailed one.

 

[cgworkman]

I find I can use the B string all over the place.

+ infinity.

 

[phatduckk]

so far i'm a 4 string guy and dont want a 5 ... but thats based on my experience with my playing style. there's no way to generalzie and say a low b is useless (or say its a must have); it jsut depends on who you are and how/what you play.

i could see a bunch of cool things you could do with the low B but to me the price/value ratio isnt there

 

[mike not fat]

I tried some 5'ers but was not very happy with them. They are heavier (and it's a big prob for me) and harder to play. For some songs i just drop the tuning of the 4 so I can have the low notes.
I think it depend's on what kind of music you play in your band. A 4 is appropriate to me.

MNF

 

[Moondog]

4 comes before 5

I went to a 5 a year ago & adapted quickly. Like someone already mentioned, my biggest problem was going back to the 4 thinkin my E was B (my basses hang real low & it's the only string I see). I have one 5 and two 4's and if one had to go, it would be the SR5. The 4's (stingray & sterling) are preferred & my sterling has a hipshot just in case.

 

[PM5K_IceFreak]

lol, yea.. to tell the truth i really do love the spacing on a 5 string, but as was said.. it's a lot harder to jump around and play on a 5.. especially when the songs you play consist of mostly E.. And i've heard this theory about having a high b instead of a low B, and im thinking about it, im just afraid that either my string will break from being way too tight, or i wont be able to get used to the difference. But, as was said, less movement, although moving up and down the fretboard really fast has never been too much of a problem. And slapping, yes slapping is a problem on a 5... but i've kind of already adapted to that. I think i'll end up getting a 4 on the side just to see which i like better.. but the thing is i've had a 4 b4, and i never used it.. So i think that I will most likely stick to 5.. i just wish Ernie ball wouldnt give 5 'rays such ugly pickguards.. But hey, i'll live.. i was planning on getting a Bongo anyways.. but alright, heres my question about bongos.. if any one knows from experience.. alright i've seen pictures of 4-string and 5-string desert gold bongos.. and in most pictures the desert gold on a 4 looks a lot better.. im hoping it has to do with picture quality.. And yes, color is a stupid reason to decide on a thing like that.. lol but i figure if im going to spend so much on a bass that i'd like to at least be able to enjoy the color. So if any1 happens to have a Desert Gold Bongo 5, does the finish still look as good, or even post pictures if u have some.. alright thanx for everything though..