leroydiamond Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Used a 5 string for a few years until i picked up an old Fender Jazz, fell in love and am now back to 4. Switching from 4 to a 5 was pretty smooth, but going back down to a 4 from a 5 was more difficult. However for me a 4 string feels more like home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leen2112 Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I don't remember any problems switching but I think It was because we started to write new songs so It felt natural to play with the 5 string, strangely when we brought an older song back I had to change back to the 4 string! I think I would have struggled If it was a high C tuning as I'm lost when It comes to my 6 string! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jellyfish Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 To be honest, it took me about 2-3 hours to fully adjust. But my first 5 string was my second bass and so it's never really felt too foreign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 nice bass that Roscoe. I've not really anything to add to this conversation, I've only ever tried friends 5 strings/in shops. I like the idea a lot, but 4 string necks like my stubby little fingers.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1360872804' post='1977805'] ...so if anyone wants a 5 string then tell Conan what you think is good and visit the For Sale section a week later... [/quote] Many a true word is spoken in jest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 [quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1360935559' post='1978589'] Amen to that, i seen a cover band a while back and later they returned and the bassist had gotten himself a 5 string Cheap Fender and he was using the low B too much in my opinion just cos it was there. It was getting used in songs that didnt suit the low timbre! [/quote] I firmly believe this to be the case in some bands and genres. The extra low notes just don't "work". They just don't sit right with the rest of the instruments. I'm in a band like that at the moment, which is probably the main reason why I see no reason to put the effort into adapting to a five. If I join a rock band, or if the singer starts needing to drop keys to below E, then I might reconsider... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 [quote name='OliverBlackman' timestamp='1360872449' post='1977799'] playing with; a new scale length, new string gauge, an extra string, extra frets shouldn't be difficult. As long as you practice the right things on it (Ie scales/ patterns across 5 strings ect.), and put time into it, then you'll soon get used to it. Apart from learning to string mute correctly which is essential on a 5. That could take a few weeks to get used to if you don't already. [/quote] Good advice here too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperbob 2002 Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Played lots of fives for many years. Now I have gone back to fours I realise those extra 5 notes are really not needed. Octaver chaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I've found playing a 5 or 6-string bass is almost exactly the same as playing a 4, only annoyingly heavier. I think some people confuse bass playing with juggling. Juggling 5 things is probably a lot harder than juggling 4 things. Fortunately bass playing isn't the same thing as juggling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameronj279 Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I cound 4 to 5 easy. Infact I found 5 easier from the beginning. Will soon (credit rating permitting) be going bacm to a 4. Could be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Not a big deal, to be honest. I went to a 5 string fairly early on. My first decent bass was an Ibanez BTB405QM. 35" scale, a wide, flat neck and stiff strings were all new to me. After a couple of days of hitting the B when I was looking for the E string when I was slapping, I had eased right into it. I went off 5 strings for years, preferring 4 and 6 strings. That was silly, I'm quite happy playing 4, 5 or 6 string basses these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumble Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1360872344' post='1977794'] I've tried it three times now, and on each occasion it has produced the same result - a five string bass in the for sale section [/quote] I'm one of the benificiaries of Conan's experiments (cracking bloke to deal with BTW), I managed to to steal a 5 string Curbow from him My first 5'er and the jury is still out, loving the low B but not sure about the width of the neck. Also had probs with left and right hand co-ordination, right hand hits highest string but left hand frets the string below. Minor stuff that hasn't put me off and I'm certainly keeping a watch on Conan's posts in the for sale section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Looooooooooooooooonnnnnnnng .. It took ages to feel really at ease and dart about instinctively... as I am always changing things up. I grabbed a 4 string the other day to demo something and I hated it... Can't be bothered with that so no going back. It would be undoing 20yrs or so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I can't imagine using a four for function band stuff now, if you play in one band maybe but playing the same song in a different key a few days apart is so much easier if you have learnt the songs playing off the B string even if you never touch the ERB area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Re the above I can play a 4 or 5 strings without much fuss swapping between basses during a set anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I had never played a 5 string until the day I bought one. The string spacing on my Aria Pro II 5 string is about 15mm and the neck width is about that of a 4 string, so there was no real transition, it was very easy. The second 5 string I played was also the day I bought it. I struggled with it in the shop, the neck was a lot wider with a 19mm string spacing. Even though I struggled I still felt like it was a good Bass, so I bought it. Once I got it home it took 4 hours to get properly used to it, once I did I felt justified in my choice, it really is a nice Bass. So, I didn't struggle much with the physical aspect and I seemed to automatically take to having the extra notes where they were. This might have been because I first bought a 5 string because I was into a lot of music that needed one at the time. And I very quickly adopted that lower D, instead of dropping the tuning on a 4 string, in most of the songs that I played that required it. I regularly swap between a 4 and 5 string now, with no problems at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Wide necks just feel [i]right[/i] to me, as does the 35" scale. I like the extra elbow room. On some numbers I don't even get as high as the G string. It's like having a 6th gear in a 20 mph zone. I only play the lower notes when I need them, but I'll play the B string on nearly every number. I [i]always[/i] play down to E on the B string. It's so much easier to play across the neck. I bought a 4 string bass (first one since the 80's) last year and I feel so constrained that I can't comfortably play it. My advice is don't keep swapping back and forth and just give it time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoobassman Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I originally got a 5 some years ago as my band at the time had a really good keyboard player (who actually played with both hands) and was inclined to trespass on my sonic territory, plus also a girl singer who always made sure the key was the best one for her range, often being D downwards. The five allowed me to keep low when I needed to. It didn't take me very long to ge used to having the extra width to play with and was in fact very handy in alowing me to change neck position and put in more umph on the same passages as the song progressed.Active pickups, which are more normal for 5s are another bonus. I now have 3 V's including a recently acquired passive one. The killer agument though is that with a 5 you can hit that really low B at the beginning of Comfortably Numb and shake the glasses off the bar! Redult! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynottfan Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I could never get the feel for the 5 banger, tried a Stingray 5 as I am a Stingray man, but even then it was just not comfortable at all, so it was a hipshot d-tuner and 4 strings forever, good luck to all that can make the switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I picked up my first five about 20 years ago and apart from a couple of oh-bum-i-wanted-to-play-a-G-but-that's-a-D moments early on, I took to it like a duck to water and never looked back. I occasionally play a 4 and have no problem swapping between the two at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I eventually made the switch when I finally found a 5-string I was happy with playing - I'd been rather spoilt with a JD Thumb for a 4-string and it took about 20 years from buying that to finally getting a 5-string that I could settle down with. It didn't take long to settle down with it, I just committed to using that for all the gigs I played with one band and still used a 4-string for the other band because I didn't need the extra flexibility of a fifth string (I very rarely use any notes below E but I do play more across the neck). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leadubblebass Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 5 string basses have been around for a while now-I have wondered why we do not have a 5string bass hero? Is there things you can play on a 5 string that you cant play on a 4? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share Posted February 18, 2013 Low B??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 [quote name='leadubblebass' timestamp='1361141074' post='1981888'] ....5 string basses have been around for a while now-I have wondered why we do not have a 5string bass hero?.... [/quote] We do! Many of [i]my[/i] favourite players use 5 string basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1360872344' post='1977794'] I've tried it three times now, and on each occasion it has produced the same result - a five string bass in the for sale section [/quote] ^ This Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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