Would you ever go back from 5/6/+ string to 4 string bass?

[thedarkoceans]

that's the question.sometimes i think if i would like to go back.maybe for playing songs in DGCF.then i think,that would be useless,since i have a 5 string bass.what do you think? would you ever buy another bass for an alternate tuning?

tdo.

 

[ZEBOV]

It would depend on the purpose of the bass. I play a 5 string now, wanting to bump up to 6, but I have no problem with playing a 4 string.
I would tune a 6 string to F#BEADG. If I somehow ended up in a band where the guitarist(s) only tuned to EADGBE, I would get a 4 string next chance I got since the F# and B would simply be in the way and would probably be mostly unused with that band. And if the band split up later on, then I still gained a bass with different woods and construction from the 6 string (thus, different tone), and then I can tune it to whatever the hell I want to tune it to and use it when I want/need the different tone of the 4 string.

 

[Dayn]

I don't even have a bass and I still wouldn't 'go back' to a four-string. Versatility with as few instruments as possible for me.

 

[Origin]

I like the feel of 4, 5 and 6-strings so sure. Love me a classy P-bass as much as my fretless 5er and the Spector 6 I ended up selling.

 

[ShadowFactoryX]

sometimes i dont want all that weight and extra fretboard, i only have a 6 for now (sold my old 4) but im looking into a cort curbow 4 string and will probly tune it BEAD

 

[TelosHedge]

he who has the most strings is not necessarily the most equipped.

guitar analogy - play a D/F# chord with your thumb on a 7 string. you can't, at least not as easily as you can on a 6. you might have an extra 4th of notes with that string, but you've lost some versatility with it being in the way.

i apply the same sort of logic to the bass, but obviously with different examples. i have a 6, a 5, and a 4 here. every time i pick up my 6 i don't feel like i have more options, i feel i have less in truth. to me comfort is everything. if i can't feel the instrument the right way, i can't play it the way i want to. to be fair, in general i usually play a 5 so a 6 might feel a bit 'extra' to me. however, if i ever jump down to my 4 (and i do, quite often) i never feel anything is 'missing.' they've all just got their own jive to them. i can't do some things on a 4, and the same concept applies with a 5, and even with a 6, and probably would also with a 7 if i owned one.

oh, and as for the alternate tuning thing, yes, i would absolutely have another bass for the concept. if you're going to tune a 4th up ala victor wooten or something, you'll for damn sure need different gauge strings and a setup to go with them!

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I have.

My main basses went from five and six string Carvin and Music Man basses to a 4-string Fender J-Bass. Not to say that I'll never go back to fives or sixes, I just happen to prefer a 4-string at this time.

I'm already gearing up for a five or six string Dingwall for early next year.

 

[Murmel]

All depends on what you're gonna do and play. But yes, I actually prefer the feel of a 4 string but it's nice having that low B. On the other hand, it's more fun to play a 4 as well for some reason, probably because you can fuck around a lot more and not play shitty. At least I can

I also hate to play in drop tunings on 5 string basses and 7 string guitars where you drop the E string.. The B just gets in the way. And don't tell me to tune it to A, because if I drop it, I won't even be using the 5th/7th string.

 

[TemjinStrife]

I swap between my 4-string Schecter, P-bass, and Ric and my 5-string Dingwall and ATK. All depends what I'm playing and how I'm feeling

 

[Varcolac]

I switch between 4, 5 and upright. I definitely prefer the 5, but I wouldn't say that if I'm playing the 4 I'm going "back" - it's a different instrument, with different string spacing and a different tuning (standard, whereas my 5 is down to G#).

 

[Sephael]

started out with a 5 string, I've picked up a couple 4s but they always feel too damn tiny.

 

[6and10]

started out with a 5 string, I've picked up a couple 4s but they always feel too damn tiny.

I hear ya.

I think I would. It's not so much about versatility in an instrument, as it is that playing within a more limited range can help you think differently and open up a fresh perspective (for me at least). Just like moving to a bigger can open up new possibilities. Or using very unorthodox tunings. Or switching to fretless. Anything outside of your "comfort zone" can get interesting results.

 

[ArkaneDemon]

I went from a 4 to a 6, having only played a 5 in between a few times, but never actually owning one. 6 is my favorite number of strings for bass. I wouldn't want to go back to 4 except for the following reason: being in a punk band that doesn't require more than 4 strings, because I don't have that much mobility with my 6 string, so I can't go insane and kick people in the face on stage (not that I do that anyways though ), but also because it's just weird for me to have a 6 string for a band if I wouldn't use all 6 strings. But yeah it comes down to what I'm doing. I only got a 6 string for my own solo projects, because I require a large range, and I want to also play some jazzy type stuff and some more interesting bass lines in general. I thought 5 was enough, but then I realized that I wanted an extra high string, so 6 was the logical choice for me. But I don't think I'd go back exclusively to 4.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

I've jumped from 4 to 5 to 6 strings back and forth on many numerous occasions without flinching. Though nowadays I only own 5 strings, I may get a 4 and a 6 sometime soon.

 

[cGoEcYk]

Never... what would I do with a 4 string?

 

[guitarister7321]

Right now my only bass is a Peavey Grind BXP 6-string. I want to sell it to my brother. I love the bass to death, it's a neck-thru and is very comfortable, but the string spacing is too narrow for finger picking. I'm dying to get another 4 though. I'm suffering from major GAS for a nice Fender J. I also really want the Ibanez 5-string SR fretless. I really love how Ibanez basses play, and the string spacing on their 5's aren't all that narrow.

 

[SirMyghin]

Sometimes it is nice to not play an ironing board with frets.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I started on a 4, went up to 5, then 6...now I'm back down to 4. As the music I play changes, so does the instrument with which I play it. I'm building a 4-string fretless now, and my next will be a 36" 5-string fretted subcontra (F# B E A D). They have different purposes, obviously. The point is, I don't see any reason to isolate myself to one bass configuration.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Sometimes it is nice to not play an ironing board with frets.

But when you do, it's pretty damn awesome!



Oh wait...

 

[vansinn]

Having a 35" 7-stringer, which isn't too well suited for happy slapping, I'd love a shorter, lighter, higher-hanging 4-string P- or J-style bass for the funky happy slapping stuff.
Also, some distorted powerchord works (for hardrock, think Lenny/Mötörhead style) will be easier on a 4-stringer.
Apart from this, I have a problem seeing myself playing any less than a 6-er.

(I'm mostly a guitar player, next week finally on an 8-stringer)