Right. So I’m a bonafide noob who can barely play a 4-string. So do I need another bass? A 5-string bass? Of course I do!!
I snagged a very sexy Schecter Hellraiser Extreme 5! Got it from a friend of a friend for a great price. Wow this thing is beyond me. But, it gives me inspiration to keep learning and playing. I’ll post pics when it comes back from the shop (getting a set-up).
I have a similar model Schecter 5 string. I too don’t pick it up much either, only because I am still getting the 4 string down. But it is fun, and talk about LOW END…BEAD bass thumps.
That’s something I’ve read often about the 5-string. Not in a sense of “Urgh, why did I get it?” but rather “It’s nice but overall I want to get the 4 strings down first.”
I hope I don’t get G.A.S.'d into a 5 string by this community. At least for a while
Well, the 5-strings have that Metal aura that seems to shine from afar. The moment I feel confident enough and want to cover metal songs, I will have to take the leap and learn to play one
Why??
I understand where the notion “I need to get the 4-string down first before I can play a 5-string” comes from, but it is wrong. There’s nothing you can do or learn on a 4-string that you can’t do or learn on a 5-string. (In the end, it could be a matter of personal preference, like what @howard describes).
The problem with 5-strings arises if you never play them and only pick them up every blue moon or so. Play it as often as your 4-string, and pretty soon, you feel no “added challenge” from that extra string.
You’re probably right on this. However, simply looking at the fretboard of a 5-string gives me the feeling of a hard challenge with fingers knotting and cramps
Yes, I understand. And there will be some (initial) confusion, but that goes away with getting used to it. On the plus side: you actually expand your visual understanding of a fretboard exactly because you feel navigating it is a bit harder.
There’s nothing complicated about playing a 5 string, it’s just an extra string. You can learn on a 4 string and switch to 5 string or vice versa, no problem. I find some songs easier to play on a 5 string, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t also play them on a 4 string.
I learned bass on a 5 string and now have two of them. As others have said, it’s a personal preference.
@howard just out of curiousity, when you tuned your 4 string down to BEAD, did you switch to heavier gauge 5 string strings and omit the G string, or just leave the 4 string strings on there?
@Kopusetic
I started out with an Ibanez 5-string. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it, will never sell, yet, I really don’t play it that often. Only when the music demands it. And I don’t find that to be the case very often.