4 string is enough for you??

[bubinga5]

Never thought his would happen as i love 5 string basses, and love playing Gospel... but i have come to conclusion (for me) that 4 is enough..ive had many 5's and a six and feel really comfortable on both.. maybe im getting old and like a good ole 4..

No doubt i will get a lovely Lakland 55-02 at some point, just because i love those basses....

i realise that this is totally down to personal taste, and what sort of music you play.... but has anyone else come from 5 strings 6 strings, maybe even 7,8,9,10 stings but then after time come to this conclusion...? or maybe you play both?

[Soliloquy]

I like playing a 4 string, I love my new/old Jaydee Mark King bass.

I do like my 5/6 strings though, especially for reading gigs. It just makes things a lot easier with not having to move about so much.

[MythSte]

I think when I become a better bassist in general a 5 string will probably be in the works. At the moment I don't really need a 5th string and I'm so much more comfortable on a four!

[MartyBRebelMC]

I play in a covers band and this was the initial spur for me to play 5 string (transposed song keys and a number of songs that needed D or lower). However a blast of GAS for another ACG meant I have now started playing a 4 string again and whilst I have put a D tuner on to cope with some of the songs I am really enjoying it. I was getting a bit lazy on the 5 string and sat around the 5th fret playing everything without thinking (probably only a problem if you're playing standard covers stuff) - the 4 string has forced me to revisit the way I play, which is no bad thing.

Martin

[cetera]

I've never needed anything lower than a detuned D (and to my mind any lower isn't heard properly anyway)... so I'll stick with 4 strings. I did own a lovely 5 but it became surplus to requirements...

[Fat Rich]

I rarely play the low B but I've been playing 5s for so long I feel a bit lost without it.

I'm struggling to get to grips with a 6 string though.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I think five strings are better. Except when a four string is better.

[chris_b]

I've tried playing my Precision but it doesn't work for me anymore. I'd never say never, but 5's are so comprehensively better for me that I can't see me ever changing back.

I don't see much use for 6 strings in my style so I'll settle for what I've got.

I would like a Rob Allen bass but that would have to be a 5 as well.

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='MartyBRebelMC' post='1064711' date='Dec 20 2010, 03:14 PM']I play in a covers band and this was the initial spur for me to play 5 string (transposed song keys and a number of songs that needed D or lower). However a blast of GAS for another ACG meant I have now started playing a 4 string again and whilst I have put a D tuner on to cope with some of the songs I am really enjoying it...[/quote]
4 and a D tuner is fine for me too. Played 5 strings in a heavy band because that was the sound but then left the band and only play 5 for poops and sniggers at home now.

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='1064750' date='Dec 20 2010, 04:15 PM']I think five strings are better. Except when a four string is better.[/quote]
Some days you only need 2.... but it's nice to have a few more just in case.

[retroman]

I much prefer playing 4's, but the one 5'er I have has been a really good experience so far. One band I am in tunes to low A, and the other band does a cover that needs the Low B. Took me a little while to get my head round it, as all of a sudden the normal bottom string is where the A string is, so a few times I fretted a few bum notes on the B string!

Given half a chance, I would go back to playing a 4 though. Just feels much more natural to me. I did a little work on one of my 4's to tune it BEAD, and tried using that, but the lack of G string made some song parts much harder to play, so I took the plunge into 5 string land

[fingerz]

I'm really a four string guy, after years of 5 string playing, I really found my sound on a 4 string. 5 strings are like a necessary evil for me, and useful tools for many gigs and styles... I have been multi-stringed in the past and feel I have nothing to prove in that respect, I'd much rather play with a sound I love. It's probably a vintage thing. Guys into modern tones will play 5's all the time, a no brainer decision for versatility. Vintage/Old school guys will plod around on 4 strings mostly I expect.

[purpleblob]

If I were forced (at gun point and fearing certain death) to choose one configuration, I would choose a five string tuned E-C. In reality this offers me everything I really want from an instrument.

Thankfully I can have more than one instrument, so I'll keep my 4's, 5's, 6's, 7's and 8 string ERB

[gary mac]

I know this will sound like a narrow minded, ill thought out reply but to me the bass guitar is a four stringed instrument.

[BigRedX]

I've been playing 5-string basses for over 20 years now.

I don't always need the extra string - sometimes I only need a single string, but with a 5-string all the notes I might want to use are there and I don't have to think about detuning or swapping basses just for the sake of the songs that need lower notes than E.

I still have a couple of fretless 4-strings that I use from time to time, but as soon as I've found 5-string versions of these I'll be moving them on.

I've also discovered that deciding to only play 5-string basses has done wonders to curb my spending as there's a lot less that appeal to me.

[LiamPodmore]

I play mainly 5, i could easily live without one, just after playing one for a year and getting used to playing songs on it, it just feels easier, and also i think i look wierd with a 4, it looks too small on me, so theres abit of aesthetic in there too. My next bass is either gonna be a 5 or 6, unless i find a REALLY good deal on a MusicMan Stingray 3EQ.

Liam

[Cat Burrito]

I have nothing against 5 strings but I like the limitations of 4 strings

[stingrayPete1977]

I thought we did this thread last week? Carry on though as Im on the other side of the fence this time (see my signature) so to contradict everything I said last week you must have a 5'er!

[Doddy]

I have no problems switching between 4,5 and 6 strings-although my 6'ers haven't been out much lately. I've been using a five string for pretty much everything lately,but I always have my good old Fender Jazz sitting nearby. I prefer to thump on a four string,as I don't particularly like the sound of it on the low B,but it's no big deal.
I could probably do most of my work on a four string,but you never know when you'll be given a part with those lower notes written-which seems to be happening more often these days,now that arrangers and MDs are getting hip to the five strings range.

[BottomE]

I am going back to 4 strings. Spent the last couple of years trying to like 5 strings but i just prefer 4 strings. They feel more like a "real" bass whilst 5/6stringers seem more like freaks. That said, i am getting on a bit and maybe its the old dog new tricks syndrome.

So anyone looking for a nice 5 string Lakland Skyline 55-02 in absolutely mint condition?

[thodrik]

I always thought four strings was enough but now I am confused. I used to play tuned to C, which was fine on a four string with biggish strings. Then everything became drop D or standard and again a four string was enough. Now I'm playing stuff where a low A is needed (or I think is needed) and I'm thinking a five could be needed. I could easily change one of my basses to be able to get a drop A, but I don't think I could get a string that could do both a drop A and a drop D, which would mean taking two basses to practices or gigs (each bass wouldn't be much of a backup to each other either). Also, I don't like the idea of altering either my Vigier or old Precision to the point that it would be permanently in low A tuning, as I would feel it would either a waste of a great four string bass, or I would be worried about whether the old bass could take it.

So on balance, now that I have a bit of money together, I'm now on the look for a five string bass, preferably with 24 frets.

[Rayman]

A while back, I was determined to go "old school" and stick to an old Precision with flats on it, [i]but[/i], it just didn't work, I missed the low B too much. At home, for fun, I use a 5 string fretless, but within both bands I'm very happy with the Spector Euro 4, there's really no need for a B string from a band point of view.

[bubinga5]

[quote name='BottomE' post='1064875' date='Dec 20 2010, 06:18 PM']I am going back to 4 strings. Spent the last couple of years trying to like 5 strings but i just prefer 4 strings. They feel more like a "real" bass whilst 5/6stringers seem more like freaks. That said, i am getting on a bit and maybe its the old dog new tricks syndrome.

So anyone looking for a nice 5 string Lakland Skyline 55-02 in absolutely mint condition? [/quote]
Yes i frickin am BE but cash is lacking..if i was to get any 5 it would like yours..love them 55-02's..

[nick]

[quote name='gary mac' post='1064815' date='Dec 20 2010, 05:21 PM']I know this will sound like a narrow minded, ill thought out reply but to me the bass guitar is a four stringed instrument.[/quote]

Same here, sorry!

[RhysP]

I recently bought a 5 string bass after 30 years of playing 4 strings, mainly because I got fed up with people asking me if I played 5 string, and if not why not? Now I can at least say I tried it & it wasn't really for me.

99% of my favourite players play 4 string, and I've never heard anybody play anything on a 5 string that made me think "WOW! I've just GOT to have that low B".