Can’t say better than this. It’s much like being a natural lefthander but learning to do something right handed. Once it’s done it will always be more difficult to alter it again. The five and six string basses are slightly different instruments that require different technique than a four string. If that’s what you plan to play full time I’d begin with it right away. It will be easier than going in the other direction. JMHO
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Dammit, ya’ll are making me look at the 735’s to go with my 734. It’s less about those 4 extra notes as much as it is about being able to fret some notes higher up. For instance, playing up around the 9th - 12th fret (which I do a fair bit) then having to drop back to the 2nd - 5th frets. I could play those on the 7th - 10th fret on B instead. The 1.69" nut is only about .04" wider than my P bass and I’m already getting used to a tighter string spacing on my bass VI. Dammit. I haven’t GAS’d for a bass since I got my 734.
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That’s the ticket 
Wait until Howard wakes up and chimes in on those 735’s 
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My thought process is if you have songs you like on a 5 string, get one sooner rather than later. Personally I find a 5 string much more comfortable than a 4 string. I don’t think it was too bad to make the jump either. Just a tad… weird at first. Once you get over that initial weirdness, you might like the use of the B string. Any sort of drop tuning, I try to transpose it so I can use my 5 string more lol. It’s my favorite instrument
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This is what kills them for me. I simply dislike it.
Yep. The first five or so frets of the B string sound good on 5’s I have played, but higher than that and it gets dull and muddy fast.
Another thing that can be annoying - on a 34" scale 5-string, the B string gets kind of flubby. This is why the variable scale basses were invented and they make that better (presumably the timbre too).
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Oh he already knows the answer there 
Just be prepared for it (or any other 34" 5) to not sound so awesome up above the 5th-7th fret on the B. The corresponding note on the E string will simply always sound better. This is never a factor for 16th notes and such but with anything like a quarter note will be noticeable.
I strongly recommend trying one for an extended play session if possible, even in a store, to see how you feel about the string spacing, though. Not my thing.
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Not much need. My 734 is already the 1 bass I’d save from a flood if I could only save 1.
I’m finding myself doing more songs lately in drop D. So that B string would come in handy for that, although tuning the E down to D only takes a couple of seconds.
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They are truly great. I might sell mine again, but I blame the red one for that - it’s kind of living rent-free in my head.
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Besides the 735, I’d consider a 35" Sire. I keep seeing them compared to Yamaha as far as quality vs price. I’d love to check one out for myself. I’d have to try and find something close locally to putz around on obviously.
Sire Marcus Miller M5 5-string Bass Guitar - Transparent Blue | Sweetwater
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Yeah Sire’s are great.
It’s not that the 735 has any problems at all - they are awesome. I was talking about just to see if you think you will gel with the string spacing. I tried for about two months and in the end I just did not dig it. The Sire will be the same.
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…and that’s the advice I would give anyone, really. Go and try them for a while, like a half hour of playing in the store. You don’t even need to be plugged in.
Don’t be scared by 5’s, they aren’t harder to play and in fact in some ways are easier due to the beautifully flat fretboard and the shorter EADG reach. That’s not an issue.
The issue is much more of if you will actually like the feel and be able to deal with the drawbacks versus the benefits. I did not and just found them irritating over time.
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The string spacing is going to be wider than my bass VI, I assume?
This kind of ties into the other thought stream of yours. I in no way shape or form regret getting my 734 in red. It is a stunner, but I still also love the matte black. I was thinking, if I do this, it would have to be the matte black 735. The advantage with the sire is it’s a 35" scale, which should help with some of the muddiness?
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Oh the black is definitely great but I have always, always wanted it in red. For obvious reasons.
Yeah, maybe get you an extra fret or two of decent timbre.
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So true…. But those first 5-7 frets are magical when needed…. Thing to remember is not use that string so often - just enough to make a statement. Kinda like using an exclamation point in a sentence …. Use it too much and you loose the effect of its purpose…. Oftentimes, playing the octave notes to the first 5-7 frets of that B string can totally supercharge a bass line…. Also, for playing a low E note on a fretted B string allows for a little more control of the note.
Do agree totally with the string spacing…. Certainly not a deal breaker for me, but something to consider (and get use to)…. Playing my Ibanez SR505 wasn’t too bad to get use to regarding string spacing since I was totally use to playing the SR504. Neck width wasn’t too much of a problem either since I’m use to playing my Fender P with it’s well known “Clunky” neck…. My biggest problem is just getting use to that extra string being there….
I’m finding that more of the newer music in the genres that I play other than Classic Rock (Country, Christian Worship/Rock) use the first few frets of that B string as a starting point anchor to build up from on bass lines…. Does have an effect harmonically…. But, whatever works…
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Closest thing to a BBPH any of us plebs are ever going to realistically have a chance at owning.
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Yep. Plus, it’s just his classic look with the good old 1200S.
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Dammit, okay. So I’m picking up a Meris Mercury 7 this paycheck. Then I save up a couple of paychecks for a 735. That also means I’m letting my BB300 go. Honestly, I haven’t touched it since I figured out how to EQ my 734. If I’m looking for that thumpy P sound, I just flip it into passive and dial back the tone.
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Yeah the 734 is definitely kind of a pinnacle BB. There are “better” ones historically but it is damn good.
Not digging the RV-3?
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I love the RV-3. It goes on the small board with my SGT and Bass Clone once I get that set up. The reverb on the Meris is a whole lot more customizable and plays with the Parallax better. The little bit of delay feedback that I did at the end of my Placebo cover the other night is why the Meris.
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