mmmm never tried a 5 string

[gub]

I was having a ponder what it would be like playing a 5 string after being used to 4 for so many years , never actualy tried one but was wondering what you guys think who have gone from 4 to 5 ? is it really strange or does it come pretty natural? what ya think?

[moonbass]

Just made the change 2 months ago after 20 years on 4 string... Best thing I ever did! Stingray 5 all the way. It's a bit like turning your amp up to 11 - those magic seconds when you first venture down to D, C or even lower. Watch out for the brown note though. It took me about a fortnight to get used to not mixing E and B strings up - well worth it.
A

[stingrayPete1977]

Everything he said down to the years played, when I changed and what I changed too. Very strange......

[mcnach]

[quote name='gub' post='1089834' date='Jan 14 2011, 08:54 PM']I was having a ponder what it would be like playing a 5 string after being used to 4 for so many years , never actualy tried one but was wondering what you guys think who have gone from 4 to 5 ? is it really strange or does it come pretty natural? what ya think?[/quote]

I've come and gone several times.
First I got a wide-spacing 5 stringer... but sold it to get a very narrow spacing 5-stringer, which was easy to play with a pick, but not so much fingerstyle, and slap forget it.
I'm just coming round to 5-string basses myself... and what I find is that some basses I can't stand, and others feel much more natural. So my advice is to try everything you can get your hands onto.
I find slap style harder to adjust to. Muting that low B takes a lot of concentration and doesn't come so natural to me. Playing fingerstyle however is relatively simple and after a weekend you'll feel confident to gig with one. Or I do. But slap still makes me sound crap. I am a mediocre slapper when I am at my best, and on the 5-string bass I sound so much worse. But finger style is not hard.

The nice thing is to play the 5-string continuously... and then get the 4-string again. Suddenly it feels as though you could fly

The best about the 5-string is not so much the lower notes, but the ability to play higher on the fretboard which can make many things a lot easier to play.
On most of my 4-stringers I have a Hipshot D-tuner, which allows me to get the E string down to D at the flick of a switch. So if you just need to get a few lower notes occasionally, a D-tuner may be an option that requires a lot less effort.

Edited January 14, 2011 by mcnach

[bubinga5]

The best most comfortable 5 ive ever played was a Sting Ray 5, comfort, punchy tone..effortless...

.. going from 4 to 5 was fairly easy. going to 6 was a little more time consuming.. i always found a wide neck more difficult.. my ultimate 5 string would have a very narrow, jazz like neck, with 18/19 string spacing at the bridge..

Edited January 14, 2011 by bubinga5

[stingrayPete1977]

I wouldnt say you were a mediocre slapper mcnash I have seen your chilis clips!

[tippbass]

As a 5 Stringer of a good few years now I can only recommend it !!! I'd echo all the comments above ...... what I find the 5 does it enables you to be a bit more economical with your playing i.e less left hand up and down the neck....but play a 4 every while to keep yourself sharp !! and as it has been mentioned above ..... Slapping a 5 ???? ....NAA....thats for the 4 strings...I know there are people who can but I cant,I'd be an average slapper but the B string just gets in the way !
Best 5 string for the Job in my opinion ..... my current squeeze the Musicman Stingray 5....virtually plays itself

[7string]

This is turning into a MM5 love-in

See if you can try a 5 string out for a while and see how you get on. Don't worry too much about the extra string, just dive in!!

[Rich]

Got my first wide-spaced 5 in 1994 and have never looked back. You might find yourself hitting the B instead of the E occasionally at first, but you soon get used to it. And once you do, it is really simple switching between the two.

[stingrayPete1977]

On advice from EBS_freak I gigged my MM5 the day I got it, There was a few (more) bum notes than normal but it was a good confidence booster and I did a mates wedding the week after that I wouldn't of dreamt of only a few weeks earlier. Slap has to be done mainly on the 4 I agree although I do a bit on the five in both bands I use it in. I did a little slap for someone the other day in a studio and the pre EB just shines I don't care what the doubters say it was incredible!

[bubinga5]

i want my SR5 back..anyone remember the guy who was selling ? blue with matching headstock..

Edited January 14, 2011 by bubinga5

[AttitudeCastle]

[quote name='7string' post='1089938' date='Jan 14 2011, 10:28 PM']This is turning into a MM5 love-in

See if you can try a 5 string out for a while and see how you get on. Don't worry too much about the extra string, just dive in!![/quote]

+2 (+2, one for each string i leapt from the 4 stringer!)

Was fine for me! still working out and refining the technique on it, but its not like a new instrument

[7string]

Yup, I went from a 4 to a 6 as well.

It was great fun and wasn't that bad at all. Got lost a few times, but nothing too serious

[Schnozzalee]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1089871' date='Jan 14 2011, 09:28 PM']The best most comfortable 5 ive ever played was a Sting Ray 5, comfort, punchy tone..effortless...

.. going from 4 to 5 was fairly easy. going to 6 was a little more time consuming.. i always found a wide neck more difficult.. my ultimate 5 string would have a very narrow, jazz like neck, with 18/19 string spacing at the bridge..[/quote]

Your next for a Marleaux then!

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Rich' post='1089944' date='Jan 14 2011, 10:34 PM']Got my first wide-spaced 5 in 1994 and have never looked back. You might find yourself hitting the B instead of the E occasionally at first, but you soon get used to it. And once you do, it is really simple switching between the two.[/quote]

Rich hits the nail on the head by mentioning the spacing.

If you're used to a 19mm spacing on a 4-string (most P's and J's, for example) then a 16.5mm 5-string will feel impossibly cramped but the fretboard on a 19mm 5-string will feel impossibly wide.

Try before you buy, and make sure that the string-spacing feels natural to you.

After going through a dozen fivers (no, I'm not joking) I've settled on 18mm as my ideal spacing for five strings, but I will also be keeping one with a 19mm spacing because I just love it to bits.

[Schnozzalee]

The 4/5 times i've played a 5 or 6 string I've never really used the B, only as a thumb rest or instead of drop Eb/D tuning.

[Jigster]

Altho I play 4, I find my self thinking about 5's a lot - pretty much set on a mooch to Brum this Sunday to have a play on a SR5 or something...I have a battered old Yamaha 5er that I would never gig but I like the economy of notes and playing higher up the board so much that I keep looking at my other basses and wondering what I might sell/trade to make the move for a decent 5 string --

[AttitudeCastle]

[quote name='7string' post='1089978' date='Jan 14 2011, 11:08 PM']Yup, I went from a 4 to a 6 as well.

It was great fun and wasn't that bad at all. Got lost a few times, but nothing too serious [/quote]

Were talking all over Basschat tonight haha

I still get lost, on a four string

[absolutpepper]

If you're interested and giving the love for the SR5s in this thread maybe check out my Ray 35 thats for sale. Sorry in advance for the obvious JAG.

[bassbora]

I usually dont comment much here but I thought I might. Changing from 4 to 5 is different for us all. Different size of hands and all that. I had been playing for 7 years or so when I finally bought my first and only 5 string. It suited me perfectly. I have been playing that bass for 14 years or so now. No its not SR5 but a Warwick Thumb NT. I will never buy another 4 string. I sold my SR4 because of it missing that crucial B string.

Like someone said I found that you play less up and down the neck and more vertical. I have to say I never found it a problem slapping on a 5 string. When I bought a 6 string I found it more of a transition than changing from 4 to 5.

What I would suggest is go to a shop and try out as many 5ers as you can. You can read all the advise but a 5 might not suit you at all and the hipshot extender might be more for you. If a shop is not an option you might find a very cheap 5er on here and could try that out.

[WalMan]

Fine for me. Used 4's for the first 25+ years bass playing and the switch to a 5'er was very easy with just one exception, that being I use a Hipshot D-Tuner on the 4 and was used to the shifted positions. Got the 5, took it to a gig without a r/h and had a bit of a 'mare as the positions & muscle memory on songs where I used the D-Tuner were all out. Otherwise, great and I've not looked back, to the extent that I added the Fretless L2500 to the Fretted one I have.

As well as a 'Ray you should also try a G&L (if you can find one) IMO. Great basses.

[hillbilly deluxe]

I love my 5 string,it has a 34" thumb rest.

[jimmyb625]

The first bass I bought was a 5 string, although I had played 4's a couple of times before that. I've just bought my first 4 string (a fretless one as well) which is a remarkably stupid thing for someone who plays as badly as I do.

For me, switching between the two hasn't been that bad, although I have had the occasional moment of 'brain fade' where I end up playing on the D string of the 4, when I wanted to be on the A.

[mcnach]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1089874' date='Jan 14 2011, 09:29 PM']I wouldnt say you were a mediocre slapper mcnash I have seen your chilis clips![/quote]


/whispering

how much did we say I would pay you?

[mcnach]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1089948' date='Jan 14 2011, 10:35 PM']On advice from EBS_freak I gigged my MM5 the day I got it, There was a few (more) bum notes than normal but it was a good confidence booster and I did a mates wedding the week after that I wouldn't of dreamt of only a few weeks earlier. Slap has to be done mainly on the 4 I agree although I do a bit on the five in both bands I use it in. I did a little slap for someone the other day in a studio and the pre EB just shines I don't care what the doubters say it was incredible![/quote]


I'm surprised so many people go with "nah, slap on a 4-string" comment. Well, actually it's been two people, but if you read them one after the other it gives you the impresion of a generalised statement

I want to be able to slap fine on a 5er... many people manage just fine. It'll just take a bit of effort to get there, and it seems like a step back at first which I think puts people off (it puts ME off for sure).

As for your pre-EB... ah, you just haven't heard my OLP