5 string addiction - strange.

[white_cloud]

I recently switched to five string for the first time in 30 years and I am finding that my four string basses are sitting gathering dust. The thought of going back to four strings even after this short time is inconceivable to me at the moment. Just picking them up feels ....so wrong!!
 
I didnt expect to feel this way after so long as a four string die hard. Can anyone else relate to this type of experience???

[rustyg61]

To me a 5 string feels unnatural! I can't coordinate my left & right fingers to be on the same string! There are times when I would love to have the low B string, but right now I use a drop D tuning on my Jazz Bass for the low stuff.

[yogalembic]

Can I relate?  Well,yes....and no.
 
When I got my 5, I put the others away and kept it at the ready for 30 days...in the stand and ready to grab.  Every day play?  No.  But, when I DID play, it was the mighty 5.
 
It's a 35 scale so, not only was I forcing my mind to rethink the 5th string, I also was working a bit harder due to the longer scale.
 
My only continued challenge is to THINK.  That ain't a E, that's a B!  So even to this day,  
when I'm flat out gettin' it on and on automatic pilot, I'll lay into the bottom string and throw out a clam.
 
For me, the 5th string is more of an effect, and the 4 string will forever be home.

[stout71]

I can certainly relate.  I'm a 4-string player who plays 5-string basses sometimes.  What really helped me was getting a wide enough neck to accomodate a string spacing close to what I was used to.  Sometimes a neck will have the strings crammed in there so tight that there's a ridiculously small amount of space to get around in (with my right hand).  I was used to string spacing with 19mm or so.  Even a 1mm change is noticable.  Hitting the B by accident when I wanted the E also played a part, because I'm used to resting my thumb on the E string.  It's more difficult to slap on the E, so I generally use my 4-string when I'm playing funk stuff.

[terryc]

Never liked 'em, never will...they became very popular in the 80's to combat the amount of synth basslines used on records.
Four was good enough for Jaco, Jamerson, Clarke et al, it's good enough for me.

[rustyg61]

I'm with you Terry! No disrespect to 5 string players, but I have always been a purist when it comes to my bass, 4 strings & no effects!

[sonicus]

Four Strings For Me Too !  I once strung my 71 P Bass BEAD  to be able to play lower then the  E for a gig.

[hgregs]

i'm with white cloud on this... i sold my 4s after switching to 5s... and now 5s are all i'll consider.

[811952]

I've done the BEAD thing with excellent results, and often switch between 4- and 5-strings with not a lot of angst.  Sure, sometimes I realize I've screwed myself fingering-wise, and other times I'll grab something that's a 4th off one direction or the other, but when I'm *just playing* I find it refreshing to have those limits and opportunities imposed and forcing my brain off of auto-pilot.  I do also find that I don't play the low-B nearly as often as I once did, and pretty much limit it to an effect.  Thus the 4-string is really where most of the meat is, for me at least and at this point in time.
 
John

[white_cloud]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I can totally relate to the four string guys that have offered their opinion - as only a matter of weeks ago I would have inhabited that same camp.
 
I also always used the hipshot DTuner fitted to my four strings to gain that little bit extra depth, but the 5th string now kills that stone dead (for me). All of a sudden my worn in comfortable old four string gigging stalwarts just dont feel right anymore.
 
But hey; music is art - there are no rules! Im having fun.

[tncaveman]

I've tried 5-strings a couple of times and much prefer the 4-string thing.  Sometimes I wish there was a little more range, but the 4 seems good to me.  It still amazes me to watch a 6-string master like Alain Caron though.
 
D-code   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcsjlFFBU6M
 
Stephen

[wishbass]

You know,it's funny how things go.Back in '86,I bought my first fiver,and fallowed it up 3 yrs later w/a custom built 5st fretless.In 2007 I bought a Fender Jazz 5 because I'd never had a Fender.Two years later I finally got a Stingray.I had intended to get another 5st,but this 4st just had that right feel.I sold the Fender in 2010(fine bass,I just wasn't playing it).24 yrs of 5 string playing,and I have strung BEADG and EADGC on my fretless.I never thought I would go back,but now I prefer the 4st.I'm not sure why ,I've never had a problem w/switching from 4, to 5 ,or 6st,but after all that time ,4 st just seemed to suit my playing more now.I don't miss the Bst in my fretted  playing, but to be honest, I use it a lot w/my fretless bass.There really is no right or wrong,just what feels right.And although I have nothing against 5's,when I build my custom,it will be a 4string.....at least that's how I feel now!

[oddmetersam]

Interesting concepts here. I'm an ear/position/pattern player (*sigh*), so I never had any note confusion issues.  For the most part I just switched my left hand position to the B string as my default or starting point and frequently pedaled on the open B like a mad man-- taste be damned!
 
I normally anchor my right hand by pivoting my thumb on the neck or bridge pickup edges, not on the E (and now B) string, so again, not really much of an adjustment besides being more careful with muting techniques. If you watch me play, I'm frequently moving my left hand all over the place to very quickly mute by lightly touching the string so that it's almost but not quite a ghost note -- though sometimes it accidentally becomes one!
 
One thing I noticed is how differently the B sounds on various manufacturers' basses and through different amps. I prefer my B to not sound appreciably louder or sustain too much longer than the other strings, if possible.  In other words, as even as possible across the fretboard as opposed to sounding like a regular 4-string with a disassociated B without sonic continuity.
 
Luckily for me, my Alembic fits that bill perfectly!
 
I will say, though, playing my Line 6 Variax 4-string seems like child's play, neck-wise after my 35 scale 5'er. But the more I play my 5, the more the neck seems to shrink.

[darkstar01]

I switch between 4, 5, and 6 between frequently without many issues. not to imply that i'm good at bass or anything, because i'm probably not. i just don't really have an issue with changing. i play a lot of upright (exclusively 4 string... any more on an upright doesn't work for me), but when it comes to electric i don't really have a preference. if there is a preference, it has to do with the bass itself, and not the number of strings.

[jazzyvee]

I  have a light preference to 4 string basses, however, the reality is that  my choice of instrument I use is purely based on the music I have to play on a gig.  So if any song on a gig needs something below bottom E, then I use a 5 stringer for the whole gig unless it's a Stanley Clarke  number. :-)
 
I have more navigation issues when switching between my Europa/Elan and any other bass because that bass is the only one I have with a narrow string spacing.
 
I doubt if I can ever see a need for me to have a 6 string bass but as was alluded to earlier its great to see some 6 string masters at work.  
jazzyvee