As always the one and only @JoshFossgreen makes learning something easy and fun. Great new video. I gave up on my 5, stripped the frets, changed the bridge and made a bead fretless monster.
I’ve yet to find a 5 with with enough spacing for my sausage fingers…maybe if i was better with that damned evil pick.
7 Likes
I’m late to the party, but I’ve put a .110 E on a bass that came with a .130 B and it worked out. May not always and it was a $200 Ibanez Mikro lol, but it worked🙃
That said, plastic nuts are inexpensive and you can slot them with a set of cheap diamond files and sections of the string itself to finalize it.
China (Ali Express) has them for $400 
lol…
6 Likes
I’ve got short fat sausage fingers and i still love my gwb35 fretless with 16.5mm spacing. Still lots of room compared to a guitar 
5 Likes
I wish. There was a crush injury to the plucking fingers many years ago.so They are essentially ruined for playing. I still try my behind off, though.
5 Likes
Keep on keepin’ on, man.
Heart, soul and groove always win.
4 Likes
Added 5 String Basses Suck for Beginners (7 Reasons) to Bass Gear Reviews of the BassBuzz YouTube Video Guide.
4 Likes
Heh. I assume this has been done with not so serious mentality 
2 Likes
The title is a bit click baitey but his reasoning is sound.
For example, a brand new musician deciding to learn bass from scratch doesn’t need the extra frustration of learning to mute a string they will rarely use in the very beginning. It’s about not making an already difficult task, more difficult and helping to remove potential barriers.
Regardless, plenty of people start on a five string. Most of us go with the idea that you should do whatever makes you happy and want to play more bass. If that means starting on a five string, then you should do that.
6 Likes
I’m going to be building one soon so will be able to give a beginner’s point of view on this topic.
5 Likes
So i recently bought the sub ray 5 from @PamPurrs, it’s really my first foray into the 5 string world. I had bought a cheap one before, but couldn’t play it and frankenbassed it into a fretless monster.
It’s been a steep learning curve, for sure. I want more metal in my life, so it’s going to happen-but it’s slow. I’m starting with some really slow stuff just to get the feel of it.
It’s definitively not the same as my standard 4 string models, and while this bass and i don’t know each other well (yet) we are slowly developing a relationship. One of the key things learned in b2b is that nothing comes without time and effort.
I wish i could say that it comes easy after learning how to play, but i simply can’t. But i think it’s worth it.
11 Likes
One foot in front of the other. Good luck.
7 Likes
For me, its harder to transition from the 5 string to a 4 string. That’s probably because I learned on a fiver.
5 Likes
I tried 5 strings a couple of times, for the lower tuned songs etc. But I dunno… Even playing just the 5 exclusively to try and get more used to it, we just didn’t get along 
I’ll just stick to 4 strings & the drop tuner I think, not really the same, but it’s cheaper & near enough Never once seen a song where I’ve needed all 5 strings anyway 
5 Likes
I got tired of having to mentally remap the fretboard every time I changed tuning for a song. I borrowed a 5 string to try, and found it easy enough to adjust to so I’m adding a 5 string to the stable.
I think it’ll be easier (for me) to physically adjust to the extra string than mentally adjust to constantly changing multiple tunings.
5 Likes
I’ve never become accustomed to a fiver, so hear is my answer
Ibanez MDB5, GHS Bass Boomers, BEAD tuning, SPB-4 and SJB-2 pups, all the clanky goodness I could ask for.
8 Likes
Most likely what I’ll do too, once I get another worth keeping
5 Likes
BEAD is a lot of fun. I found few times where I wanted both a B string and a G string.
5 Likes
I’ve finished the course now, so that means I can get a five string as I’m not a beginner, right?
Seriously though, I’ve been looking to upgrade from my cheapo Chinese P bass (by a company called “Donner”, it’s actually surprisingly good for the money and I don’t think it really hindered my progress), and the Yamaha BB735A is calling out to me. I’ve played it a few times in shops and loved it, and didn’t find the extra string really made much difference in terms of playability. If anything I found it easier - that B string is a great thumb rest and the tighter string spacing on the EADG strings made it easier to reach them.
I’ll only ever play with fingers or a pick (no slapping) so I guess the spacing shouldn’t matter as much. Plus the active EQ, PJ style and extra string seems like it would offer maximum versatility for playing pretty much anything. There’s just a part of my brain that says “are you sure” because of videos like this recommending against it. That and I don’t want to think I’m a poser for having an extra string…
3 Likes
Outstanding bass, I’ve owned a BB734A and @PamPurrs owns a BB735A. One of the best basses on the market for anywhere near the price.
Don’t worry about 5-strings; they aren’t difficult to adapt to. You may find you prefer 4-strings, but you will do fine playing a 5. No reason to fear it.
3 Likes
Yes, I went through the the entire B2B course on a Yammie BB235 and then later upgraded to the BB735. Both are great instruments.
5 Likes