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help a newbie out, 4 string or 5 string SR?

cat_empire

cat_empire

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 15, 2006
Messages
248
Location
Newcastle, N.S.W, Australia
Hey, ive been playing bass for about 2 years now and without boasting i have gotten pretty good in that time. Now i wanna buy a StingRay, but here is the problem although im not a newbie at playing bass, im a newbie regarding bass guitars. I have done a little bit of research on the SR's and i know they're the bass for me as i am very much a slap + pop/double thumbing sort've player.

The problem is though i dont know whether i should get a 4 string or 5 string. I love the look of the 5 string SR's, but i dont know whether the 5 string with closer string spacings will throw me off in whch case i should get a 4 string. I also heard someone say here that the 4 string SR was punchier than the 5.

So can someone let me know what are the main differences between the 4 and 5 string (apart from strings :P) and as a primarily slap + pop and thumbing player, which would be better.

at the moment i have a Yamaha RBX :(
 
Rod Trussbroken said:
Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Best advice would be to try each one out :)
Click to expand...

yeh id loved too, its just i cant in the next couple of weeks so i thought that just just in the meantime i could get a bit of advice here.

and thanx for the welcome, everyone seems rly nice in these forums.
 
the spacing on the 5 is almost perfect when i slap.
heh, i went from an rbx to my 'ray 5. it's amazing the difference it makes!
one of the big questions though is would you ever use the low b?
 
You really have to try both and see what feels good to you. Personally, the narrow spacing on the 5 is a bit uncomfortable for me for slap, but I live with it because the neck IS comfortable, and the sound/tone is worth it. If you are just torn based on the feel of it, you'll have to spend significant time with it. I'd suggest not trying to perform "music store chops" with the basses either. Play the kinds of things you will really play with it, and attempt stuff you want to eventually play.

And the low B can be very useful, as you get two octaves in a single position.
 
The spacing is definitely the correct issue to be worrying about. To me, they both can be comfortable, it just depends upon which you have been playing more lately. If you play a 5er for a week, itll be comfortable, but if you are playing the 4, the 5 may seem crowded. Just IME.
 
I like slapping on the 4 better but that is because of years and years of playing four bangers. Besides, my slap suckage is great.
 
If you do a lot of Wooten-style double thumbing, I'd certainly go with the 4. It's harder to do the upstroke with the thumb with tight string-spacing.
 
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What kind of music you play? Personally I would go fiver since it provides you with more options and that's never a bad thing. As far as the string spacing, you'll adapt. Just practice. I regret not getting a fiver as my first bass-- especially since I do enjoy R&B and funk as well as rock-- but it will definitely be my next.
 
4metta said:
What kind of music you play? Personally I would go fiver since it provides you with more options and that's never a bad thing. As far as the string spacing, you'll adapt. Just practice. I regret not getting a fiver as my first bass-- especially since I do enjoy R&B and funk as well as rock-- but it will definitely be my next.
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i mainy play funk, jazz and rock. But yeh the main pro for the 5 is that i can get a greater variety of tone and notes to play around with, but i wonder whether i would even use the low b that much. And im fairly sure that if i practiced my style with a 5 string i would be able to adapt it,. but cuz this is a fairly big purchase ofr me, one whici wont be able to make a mistake on, i want to get it right. I guess all will become clear once i get down to a music store and have a play around butthanx for the advice any way guys. its a great help.
 
hey guys, i managed to just get into a music store to try the difference between a 5 string and 4 string. I decded almost straight away after playing both. 4 string it is! i just didnt like the feel of the 5 string at all. The low b string wasnt my cup of tea at all and i knew i would never use it straight after playing and my fingers are fairly long so i was having trouble with the spacing of the strings, and the 4 string just felt so so good! It was quite heavy, but the neck was extremely fast, much faster than my yamaha RBX, and the variety of tones was great!

i am definetly a 4 string man. I also thought about trying a bongo, but i just cant get used to the appearance. So no bongo convert here. IM a SR man all the way now.
 
Good on you! Not a bongo but still a MM.

Best advice is always to try it out yourself. Nothing else can really make the decision for you.
 
maddog said:
Good on you! Not a bongo but still a MM.

Best advice is always to try it out yourself. Nothing else can really make the decision for you.
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Dont make him feel bad about not getting a bongo :p They arent for everyone ;)
 
cat_empire said:
i am definetly a 4 string man. I also thought about trying a bongo, but i just cant get used to the appearance. So no bongo convert here. IM a SR man all the way now.
Click to expand...

Since you don't like the looks of the Bongo, don't ever pick one up and play it. They are such incredible instruments, you'll forget all about the way it looks once you play one.
 
Just an idea

cat_empire said:
hey guys, i managed to just get into a music store to try the difference between a 5 string and 4 string.
i am definetly a 4 string man. I also thought about trying a bongo, but i just cant get used to the appearance. So no bongo convert here. IM a SR man all the way now.
Click to expand...
Hi cat_empire,
Good on you for getting out to a music store; I gotta do that pretty soon myself about a new BONGO5.
Just an idea; what if you were to play a BONGO5 and just leave the B string alone, and just don't look at it; that would sorta be like playing a 4str, and if you ever change your mind about a 5 str, you already have the extra string right there?
And you never know about the looks; maybe you'd attract a whole new gang of groupies that think the best part of you is your outrageous looking bass; I mean you never know when you'll need an extra 10 friends to carry heavy speakers and amps in and out of clubs!
SR5EP
 
SR5EasyPiezos said:
Hi cat_empire,
Good on you for getting out to a music store; I gotta do that pretty soon myself about a new BONGO5.
Just an idea; what if you were to play a BONGO5 and just leave the B string alone, and just don't look at it; that would sorta be like playing a 4str, and if you ever change your mind about a 5 str, you already have the extra string right there?
And you never know about the looks; maybe you'd attract a whole new gang of groupies that think the best part of you is your outrageous looking bass; I mean you never know when you'll need an extra 10 friends to carry heavy speakers and amps in and out of clubs!
SR5EP
Click to expand...


lol i take it you are a bongo man? well i guess i could adapt to a 5 string bongo, but i just cant get used to the look of the whole thing, i must be shallow, but i cant imagine how any tone could make up for it. with all respect to your own tastes of course. You see im about 17 and move in certain circles where i guess i could be laughed at for owning such a bass, and i guess i could get used to it. But i would rather have the stingray which many people in my circles hold as the second coming of bass guitar christ and they would think me so much mroe impressive for owning a stingray
where as they might s****** at me for the bongo.

but i dont rly mind as i fell in love with a stingray 4 string today and nothing is changing my mind ;)
 
cat_empire stung by StingRay4

cat_empire said:
lol i take it you are a bongo man? ... i fell in love with a stingray 4 string today and nothing is changing my mind ;)
Click to expand...
Good for you!! Your first love is probably your true love.

Actually I'm an SR5 Piezo holdout; it's taken the Dargie Delight to get me looking at BONGO5s.

You can't go wrong with legendary lumber like an SR4.

SR5EP
 
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