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4 vs. 5 String

#41
Sloppy low B strings can really turn one off about 5 stringers. I recently played a Spector Euro 5 LX and it has a really nice low B. However, there was a old, used Spector Rebop (not the newer DLX series) 5 string that had a sloppy low B. So, check a 5 stringers before deciding if it's for you or not.

I see that BEAD stringing/tuning has been mentioned in this thread. Has anyone here performed the nut modification to accomodate the thicker strings? How difficult was the mod and/or how much did it cost?

Paul Mac
 
#44
I'm no historian so please be don't hurt me here:
In the fifties the advent of electric guitar quickly made it the primary driver of popular music and the sonic range of a four is perfectly equipped to compliment it. Many styles of music are still guitar driven and oriented and the four string is still just as capable for the most part. I say for the most part because many guitarists, particularly in Rock, Metal, etc. are tuning down and this can create problems and limitations for some four string basses/bassists.
There are many popular styles of music that do not feature guitar as a primary instrument and incorperate a larger variety of ranges and sounds where a four string bass simply cannot get it done as effectively as a five, period!! Much of the Church music I play is born from the Hammond Organ bieng the primary instrument, which has mucho b@ll$ down to a low C. This range of sound has become mainstream in R&B and Soul, and has found it's way into Blues, Rock, "Pop" and even Country.
Five string basses were not invented to allow for the coverage of two octaves within 5 frets, although it can be an added advantage, low notes work well and get the job done.
On many jazz gigs I do the low stuff is just an added temptation and really not neccessary, nor is it wanted, but for someone who likes sticking with one bass it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
 
#47
PaulMacCnj said:
I see that BEAD stringing/tuning has been mentioned in this thread. Has anyone here performed the nut modification to accomodate the thicker strings? How difficult was the mod and/or how much did it cost?
Paul Mac
Click to expand...
On a Warwick with a brass 'adjust-a-nut, it was free, and it is reversible.

The (older) Warwick system was to use a screw with a rounded groove rather than a slot for each string to sit in, so you have individual string height adjustment by moving each screw in or out. I emailed Warwick with this question and they replied that all but one of the screws would accept the proposed string change, and they sent me a replacement for the one that needed to be changed.
 
#48
:cool:
embellisher said:
Five string is different, but it is no harder than a four string.
Click to expand...
:cool:
I agree.
The strings react different to.
An A- string on a 5-string bass play and feels different than a A-string on a 4-string bass.
Same for the E-string.
Placement on the fingerboard?
 
#49
i used to play a four string but now i play a six string.

i got the low b and the high c and i love the veratility it creates. you get more octave options and you can play much faster without having to jump all over the place. the neck on the six string is pretty wide, but i've gotten used to it. sad thing is i cant play a fourstring any more :crying:

You wont like me i'm angry,
-the hulk
 
#50
just outta curiousity, why cant you play a 4 string anymore?...i play a 5 as my main..until a few weeks when i get my RBX 4 maybe :D, and i always feel at home when playing a 4....5'd are starting to feel that way, but 4's just feel....dare i say it, right, and i never miss the low B when im playing a 4.....i might try stringing my 5er EADGC after i see how these daddario half rounds go
 
#51
embellisher said:
Five string is different, but it is no harder than a four string.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I played on a 5-string for years, and actually switched to a 4-string, because for one, I never used the B string. Secondly, the neck was wider with less space between strings, which makes it hard to slap and pop, and to move around the neck. At least all of this was true for me. Perhaps I'm just not that good, but I'll be the first to admit it has nothing to do with sticking with the norm, but what feels the most comfortable. I have not had a problem grabbing the notes I need in any song. If I need to play a note lower than the E, I'll either tune the E string down or play its octave.
 
#54
Knavery said:
I disagree. I played on a 5-string for years, and actually switched to a 4-string, because for one, I never used the B string. Secondly, the neck was wider with less space between strings, which makes it hard to slap and pop, and to move around the neck. At least all of this was true for me. Perhaps I'm just not that good, but I'll be the first to admit it has nothing to do with sticking with the norm, but what feels the most comfortable. I have not had a problem grabbing the notes I need in any song. If I need to play a note lower than the E, I'll either tune the E string down or play its octave.
Click to expand...

Two of my fivers have the same string spacing as a four string. All of my fives and sixes have very fast necks.

There are options out there. My Zon and Nordstrand fives are more playable than a lot of fours. And my Lakland Skyline 5 is pretty close.
 
#55
I prefer 4-string basses. Always have, always will. However, I will say that if you're going to play professionally in a variety of different situations, it's a good idea to own a 5-string. I get about one call a year wanting me to play 5-string (still waiting for this year's call, though). But I don't like 5-string and I avoid it like the plague when I don't need it.

But what I don't like to hear from more 5 and 6 players is how they claim they just play 5's or 6's because they can leave their hand in one position and play all the different notes without moving their hand. First off, are you that lazy where it becomes a chore to move your hand a few inches? Second, I hear that line from bass players and they always add, "It's not that I want to play the extra notes all the time," and then they play the extra notes all the time! Go figure.
 
#57
JimmyM said:
But what I don't like to hear from more 5 and 6 players is how they claim they just play 5's or 6's because they can leave their hand in one position and play all the different notes without moving their hand. First off, are you that lazy where it becomes a chore to move your hand a few inches? Second, I hear that line from bass players and they always add, "It's not that I want to play the extra notes all the time," and then they play the extra notes all the time! Go figure.
Click to expand...
+167

i cant leave my hand still in the same area for to long, gets boring...i find it better to play moving around a bit, plus an E on the B string doesnt sound anywhere as good as an open E
 
#58
embellisher said:
Two of my fivers have the same string spacing as a four string. All of my fives and sixes have very fast necks.

There are options out there. My Zon and Nordstrand fives are more playable than a lot of fours. And my Lakland Skyline 5 is pretty close.
Click to expand...

See, that's part of the problem for me. If you have the same spacing between the strings on your 5r as you do on your 4-string basses, than you have a wide-ass neck. I don't have the biggest hands, and for me, it's always been a problem to reach the notes I need on a wider neck. The one bass i've played where I thought I might be able to get used to it was a Pedulla. Those necks have a profile like the Geddy Lee basses. I've played 5-string basses for 8-9 years, and switching back to 4 has not limited me in any way in any form of music that I play. But I can see if you're enjoy playing in the lower registers, a 5-string is for you.
 
#59
Knavery said:
See, that's part of the problem for me. If you have the same spacing between the strings on your 5r as you do on your 4-string basses, than you have a wide-ass neck. I don't have the biggest hands, and for me, it's always been a problem to reach the notes I need on a wider neck. The one bass i've played where I thought I might be able to get used to it was a Pedulla. Those necks have a profile like the Geddy Lee basses. I've played 5-string basses for 8-9 years, and switching back to 4 has not limited me in any way in any form of music that I play. But I can see if you're enjoy playing in the lower registers, a 5-string is for you.
Click to expand...

A suggestion: maybe you could investigate "why" you have difficulty reaching any notes. Maybe it's a technique issue. I know several bassists with small hands who easily play sevens.
 
#60
JimmyM said:
I prefer 4-string basses. Always have, always will. However, I will say that if you're going to play professionally in a variety of different situations, it's a good idea to own a 5-string. I get about one call a year wanting me to play 5-string (still waiting for this year's call, though). But I don't like 5-string and I avoid it like the plague when I don't need it.

But what I don't like to hear from more 5 and 6 players is how they claim they just play 5's or 6's because they can leave their hand in one position and play all the different notes without moving their hand. First off, are you that lazy where it becomes a chore to move your hand a few inches? Second, I hear that line from bass players and they always add, "It's not that I want to play the extra notes all the time," and then they play the extra notes all the time! Go figure.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you took them literally. I doubt anyone told you they keep their hand in one position for the entire song, set or gig:D

What they mean is that optionally, less position shifts are required. If you don't see that as a positive, cool. For others it can be. It has nothing to do with being lazy, it's all about economy of motion. It's tantamount to considering someone who uses a wheelbarrow instead of carrying individual bags of concrete "lazy". I'd call it "smart";)

I know a lot of bassists with low B strings who don't play all the extra notes all the time, myself included. I also know several bassists who wank like a chimp on uppers with a four. That has far less to do with the number of strings and more to do with the player. i wouldn't condem either instrument based on these folks... but others do;)

I play fours, fives and sixes. I could play more strings but I don't care to. I can get through a gig on any of my basses and I do on a regular basis.
 

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