I'm a guitarist mainly bit of a drummer and I thought to myself the other day i know ill try my hand at bass. So i went out and got myself a nice 5string Ibanez black and shiny for £230 But was 5stings worth it? from what ive seen most use 4 strings so im a little confused about tis extra string i have. Im sure it'l come in use when i get good but until then i dont know what to do with it.

I use 4 string, and I don't feel I need 5 string. My hands are not to bigg...

In my ignorance I think 5 string basses is often used as the 7 string guitars in nu-metal... They give a heavyer sound.
I talked to a guy who plays 6 stringhe said 4 string was for commies Well I'm a commuist so it fits

Go to the store and try both, and buy what you like best.

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I use both 4 and 5 strings, I find it easier to play on 4 strings because the neck is a bit thinner and faster.

the 5 strings are neat too, you can play them 'lazy' style, because you don't need to go down the frets for lower tones. plus you'll have a lot more low end, which is good.

and not only for gay nu-metal, a whole shitload of bands play with 5 strings.

just don't drop A tune it and slap like a moron, and you'll be fine.

Yeh, 5 strings r cool, but i dont tend too use mine much, i stick to 4 string and gig with my vintage 4 string, mainly, but there cool things, and have a nice low B which has an amazing growl.

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there's nothing wrong with five strings, they give you that extra low-end. i play 4-strings though.

5-strings can be very usefull if you want to learn songs from bands, especially newer ones (past 10 years) because they have become more available and so many mkore bassists have them now. I personally have a 4-string, and find that in order to play different bands, I often have to tune down which can be annoying. Sometimes I don't even bother - I just play an octave higher. As for when it come to creating music a 5-string can be usefull although you can easily make do without.

And haha to the tuning the B string down a step and slapping. **Plays Mudvayne's dig an octave higher**

i like 5 strings better because you dont have to downtune as much and you can get a heavier sound out of it

I use 4,5 & 6 string basses. I love the 6 string for the higher range of playing

The thing you have to remember is, you really are only getting 5 more notes out of your bass. If you want to spend the extra money and you think it's worth it, go for it.

ive got a four string but gonna buy a five string soon....the thing with 5 string is that u hav access to some notes which are not available in a four string

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yeah that's the reason that I will buy me a 5 string bass next I think.

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i dont want a 6 string...i looks to wierd...if u want a 6 sting instrument ..might asa well get a guitar..hehe

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Ive realised if youve played 4 string for 2 years solid, and move onto playing 5 string now and then in between, your more comfortable with the 4 string, and cant mould into a 5 string. cos of the string spacing.

theres some useless information for you.

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Yeh, ive played a four string for years, and i tried a mates five string, and it was pretty uncomfortable, although i have small fingers so it might be that.
I love four string frettless, i played a mates one untill he sold it, and i cant find any more

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just search on musicians freind, or on ebay theres tons of em out there.

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Hahah thanks.
Now i just need some money. Anyone feel like donating some... whatever, its not gonna happen

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5 strings are a good thing to progress to from a four.
they are the same only u have an extra string to play with....

I dunno.. i feel that if you move onto a 5 string, you lose your feel and touch to a four string, which is a downside to me..

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i think esp f and df series rock

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Dude...right now I play a 4 string Fender, and I'd fucking die for a five string...something like Alex w. from Cannibal Corpse owns. That's my dream rig...so feel good about a 5 stringer. They play just like any other bass, it just has an extra string...

Oh, and it all depends on what kind of music you wanna play...4-5 string basses fit mainly anything...so your in a good spot right now.

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I've got a 5-string, but i could have a 4 string. I rarely use the b. I'm trying to sway away from metal. (blasphemy eh)

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some1 plz tell me whether ibanez gsr 205 is worth buying or not

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yes it's worth buying.
I like mine.

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5 strings are great things to have. I use 4&5 strings but i think having the 5th string forces you to think a bit more when playing. It's like you have a tonne more room to play with.

Oh...Why is everyone paying out on nu-metal? I thought that everyone on here, being musicians, would be a bit more open minded. Theres good music and bad music. Theres crap jazz....crap death metal....crap 80's metal and crap nu-metal. Not all nu-metal bands are crap.

Which nu-metal bands are you talking about?

That was in my mind too.
I also thought we are talking here about 5 string basses and not about nu-metal ...

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Haha yes we were, and we are.

Local hero: Dont spring a question that is going to make this go off topic, and could possibly start a flaming session, got it?

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Ok.

Ibanez basses are ok starter basses- relativley cheap for what you get. However, if you're willing to blow money on a 5 string, you might want to check out ESP ( www.espguitars.com ). Much better quality, and a tone more attuned to metal, if you ask me.

depending on what instrument u used to play would determine whether u would want to start on a 5 string or a 4 string (i use a 5 string squier) and whether u want to start playing on something thats gonna be harder to learn on but be better in the longrun also price is a big factor (my 5string cost less than a 4 string epiphone empassy)


btw hey im new here (duh )