5 string love?

[Ant Illington]

I worked out a deal with my GC..yes a deal where I did well I picked a Squier VM Jazz 5. I am looking to get back into a country band and Nu -country has allot of sub bass (not that I like it). I prefer to just tune down a half step and use my 4 bangers.

I'm Just not feeling the 5 string much at all. I played them years ago in my rock days but since then its been all 4 stringers. The 5's tone in hard rock works but for country..not so much for me. to me a 4 string bass punches better.
The overall weight of the VM is a bit too much and the fretboard width is a stretch. I do like the string spacing thou. I find EQing the b string a chore. I know its a Squier but they have nice pups, quite loud for a passive bass. I feel this bass is very well made so that's not the issue here.
The question is would new strings make a diff? I would have to invest in a set of chrome flats to really make a decision on if this experiment will work. I only play flats and wonder if the added tension on the B thatflats will give might help?
How many here feel todays country can be handled with a passive 4 banger? Do you like 5's and what tips do you 5 string guys have for us who are looking to convert to a 5 string bass. Thanks.

I have never been a regular listener of country music but for some reason I like listening to it occasionally when I've worked on my motorcyle out in the garage or when I'm shooting pool. Classic country, that is- the people who lived pain, grew up on a farm/in a trailer, drank too much, fought in bars, had real country accents (but oftentimes didn't sing with an accent - as opposed to the guys today who sing with that over-exagerrated accent that they certainly don't have in their day-to-day country club lives).

Anyway, any country with a B string sucks, not because of the B string but because of the sham of a music industry that calls itself country music some time after the B string's prominence. Contemporary Country music is BS. It's Bon Jovi without spandex... and without Alec John Such. Basically, country music today is for people who are neither rural nor refined- people who are underthinking and/or relatively overcompensated middle class, suburban-minded goofballs who just want to party and ride around on boats and tubes all weekend with "hot" girls who are sure to put on 30lbs before their 30th bday and guys who like over-sized trucks for nothing more than hauling groceries from Costco, and lawn supplies for their quarter acre lot.

Props to the guys who are makin a killing making/selling this crap but it's prominence is just one more piece of evidence, maybe one of the bigger pieces, that 'Merica has lost its way; lost it's soul.

End of rant. Carry on. I'm sure there are exceptions but you know what I'm talking about.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

There are so many different types of 5-string basses, there is something for everyone! Try an Ibanez if you prefer a more narrow neck, for starters

 

[BurnOut]

I have a five I use some, at first I was fighting it, I'm getting used to it more and more, but I'm really liking DADG so I have some lower notes without a floppy B (the guitars are in standard tuning)

 

[bassbully]

I have never been a regular listener of country music but for some reason I like listening to it occasionally when I've worked on my motorcyle out in the garage or when I'm shooting pool. Classic country, that is- the people who lived pain, grew up on a farm/in a trailer, drank too much, fought in bars, had real country accents (but oftentimes didn't sing with an accent - as opposed to the guys today who sing with that over-exagerrated accent that they certainly don't have in their day-to-day country club lives).

Anyway, any country with a B string sucks, not because of the B string but because of the sham of a music industry that calls itself country music some time after the B string's prominence. Contemporary Country music is BS. It's Bon Jovi without spandex... or Alec John Such. Basically, country music today is for people who are neither rural nor refined- that are underthinking and/or relatively overcompensated middle class, suburban-minded goofballs who just want to party and ride around on boats and tubes all weekend with "hot" girls who are sure to put on 30lbs before their 30th bday.

Props to the guys who are makin a killing making/selling this crap but it's prominence is just one more piece of evidence, maybe one of the bigger pieces, that 'Merica has lost its way; lost it's soul.

End of rant. Carry on. I'm sure there are exceptions but you know what I'm talking about.

I tend to agree with you. The bass of old country carried the tunes. It was solid with the kick and led the chords. Today's country is rocked up with distorted guitars, fluff and a fat sub bassline. I don't care for most of it but it sells here and bands are getting good gigs doing it.

 

[G On Bass]

I played in a female fronted Country Band for a couple of years, and we did lots of Martina and Patsy and things like that. No Bro Country. But I used (and still use) that B String all the time, though rarely for the B itself. I also needed some notes above the 12th fret on the G as well so drop tuning a 4 was never an option either. So few songs were in the original, recorded key so having options to go lower was great. Needing those notes is not limited to Country, either. Seriously, I think I would go nuts if I had to go back to a 4 string, but I personally don't hold a bass string responsible for the decline of American Culture.

My main Country bass was a PJ5 originally made for Tully Kennedy by Pat Wilkins. It had Chromes on it and just sounded great with Sadowsky/Nordstrand guts. Nowadays, it's my main Blues bass, still with flats...

 

[dgrizzly]

I feel the flats would help me dial in the five. With good flats and setup I then would really know if I can wheel the five. The issue is it will cost me about $40-50 bucks to find out. The strings on the VMJ5 are horrible IMO...even for rounds.

Spend the scratch and find out for real. You can't keep the factory strings on there anyway!

 

[wmhill]

I went through that a lot of years ago (only not so much with country).... I just don't like playing a 5 string - the sound, the feel, nothing about em. I get along fine with my fours.

 

[Shpigel]

It's strange... many of the folks I see on the club circuit are playing 5's (especially if they're younger - under age 35), while most of the big names and older folk I see are still playing 4's (Pino, Prince, Wooten, Miller, etc). Maybe it's that they're "old skool," while the rest are keeping up with the Jonses as tastes change? I dunno.

I'm under age 35 and I prefer 4 strings basses (BTW I started with 5).
I have no issue with the B string and I always use the floating thumb technique, even on a 4 strings bass.
4 just feels "right", it's hard to explain...
I'm still using 5 strings basses but only when I need the low notes or more notes in one position.

 

[H2okie]

You can't play today's country without the low B - and I mean, you need that note! Going to D is not enough. I'm playing in a country band with lead female and male singers - virtually every song has at least the D, many have C#, and it seems like every Carrie Underwood tune goes all the way down to the low B at some point. Church Bells, Cowboy Casanova, etc... You could transpose up an octave, but it just doesn't sound the same. Funny - the female songs make more use (in general) of the low notes than the male songs. So the old adage of 'you need it to fit the male singer's range' really doesn't ring true.

I'm playing a 34" passive five string (USA Peavey Foundation) - but am looking to get a 35" scale bass to tighten up that low B some. It has taken me awhile to get used to the 5 string, but now I really like it - and I'm finding myself grabbing notes on the low B farther up the fretboard - it's fun! It also looks cool, and other bass players come up to you and go ' wow, a five string, eh?' (not many country bass players around where I live, surprisingly....) I'm on the hunt for just the right USA Cirrus or Millennium 5 (I'm picky though...)

I play a foundation 5 (34") and a cirrus 5 (35") ... Both USA. I like them both. I change back and forth between the 35 and 34 frequently and don't really notice "tension" as that big of a difference. Mellow notes I play towards neck. And punchy rhythm ... Play towards the bridge. You get plenty of the high tension feel near the bridge with either.

 

[Ductapeman]

You should play that which moves you. In your position I'd think about picking up a Squier of some sort cheap on the market place here and string it B-E-A-D and see if that feeds the beast any; much less fuss than tuning down, trust me. (I tried this, then bought a fiver in 1989 and haven't looked back.) Good luck!

 

[basslifter]

S good setup helps the B string on your 5. I have a 35 and a 34. The 35 is only just a hair better almost unnoticeable.

 

[Engle]

I have never been a regular listener of country music but for some reason I like listening to it occasionally when I've worked on my motorcyle out in the garage or when I'm shooting pool. Classic country, that is- the people who lived pain, grew up on a farm/in a trailer, drank too much, fought in bars, had real country accents (but oftentimes didn't sing with an accent - as opposed to the guys today who sing with that over-exagerrated accent that they certainly don't have in their day-to-day country club lives).

Anyway, any country with a B string sucks, not because of the B string but because of the sham of a music industry that calls itself country music some time after the B string's prominence. Contemporary Country music is BS. It's Bon Jovi without spandex... and without Alec John Such. Basically, country music today is for people who are neither rural nor refined- people who are underthinking and/or relatively overcompensated middle class, suburban-minded goofballs who just want to party and ride around on boats and tubes all weekend with "hot" girls who are sure to put on 30lbs before their 30th bday and guys who like over-sized trucks for nothing more than hauling groceries from Costco, and lawn supplies for their quarter acre lot.

Props to the guys who are makin a killing making/selling this crap but it's prominence is just one more piece of evidence, maybe one of the bigger pieces, that 'Merica has lost its way; lost it's soul.

End of rant. Carry on. I'm sure there are exceptions but you know what I'm talking about.

I know what you're talking about! I realized a while ago that if the country music is recorded with an upright bass, I usually like it. Check out some Willie Nelson from the era before the beard and the weed.
Electric bass in country? Somehow it just doesn't appeal to me.
80's hard rock production? IMO You may as well just listen to Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

I'm under 35 and would not play a 4 strings bass. Even though I started on one, I knew I wanted a 5 to get those fat notes and because I learned reading very early on and I was like ... "why does the instrument doesn't go lower when it is a bass while many other instrument do have a wider range that goes below and way over the staff ..."

Once I got a 5 strings, it was it for me, I know play 6 strings only and the music I like is easier for me on a 6... but it also depend ... do you want to play note for note what is played or do your own thing ...

This remind me of the South Park episode where the boys start a Praise band ... it is epic

 

[ShirazBop]

Dyed in the wool 4 string P bass since 1975,.. 2012 started playing a couple Fender American Standard P5's (one maple board, one rosewood) and a J5 (maple) Tried a couple actives: G&L MJ5 and an Musicman SR5 (for sale),... didn't like the thinner necks(both) smaller body (G&L),... Love the conservation of motion in being able to move vertically across the strings instead of up and down the neck,...Sticking with the 5's!

 

[Doug Parent]

5'es are where it's at.

 

[Jrussblues]

I only play 5's and this has been my experience
Ibanez 505 - floppy b
Tobias growler - boomy b
Ernieball stingray h s - really solid and punchy b
Squier jazz 5 - weak and thin b
American jazz 5 standard - thin and unbalanced b
American jazz deluxe 5 - solid b, fairly punchy
Peavey cirrus 6 redwood top- tight and even but not punchy b
Modulus genesis 5 - punchy b, balanced with a good amount of bass, very versatile.
G&l l2500 - good b but very thick, not exactly punchy

I've tried out numerous basses with good b strings but it has always been something the bass either had or did not have, some nicer basses I've had were dynamic enough to control the b a little better. I could wrangle the Tobias but I had to be aware of it. The cirrus and the modulus are the only ones that played like all of the other strings, even dynamics ...the jazz deluxe and stingray ha would be the runners up to that. All of the ones with bad b's could not be compensated for with strings, eq, technique, compression or any other voodoo.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I worked out a deal with my GC..yes a deal where I did well I picked a Squier VM Jazz 5. I am looking to get back into a country band and Nu -country has allot of sub bass (not that I like it). I prefer to just tune down a half step and use my 4 bangers.

I'm Just not feeling the 5 string much at all. I played them years ago in my rock days but since then its been all 4 stringers. The 5's tone in hard rock works but for country..not so much for me. to me a 4 string bass punches better.
The overall weight of the VM is a bit too much and the fretboard width is a stretch. I do like the string spacing thou. I find EQing the b string a chore. I know its a Squier but they have nice pups, quite loud for a passive bass. I feel this bass is very well made so that's not the issue here.
The question is would new strings make a diff? I would have to invest in a set of chrome flats to really make a decision on if this experiment will work. I only play flats and wonder if the added tension on the B thatflats will give might help?
How many here feel todays country can be handled with a passive 4 banger? Do you like 5's and what tips do you 5 string guys have for us who are looking to convert to a 5 string bass. Thanks.

Strings can make a huge difference. In fact i think it's the most over looked ingredient to to getting specific sound. When people ask me at shows about how I get my punchy tone I try to come off as level headed and down to earth but I'm really thinking "because I play rounds and change my strings once a month instead of once an album cycle". Now at the same time old flats have their place also. All depends on what you like.

I think the number of strings on a bass should really come down to each persons personally situation. I'm a decent size 6' 250lbs. Playing 4 string to me probably feels similar to a smaller guy trying to play a mandolin or something. It just Feels weird. Play what's comfortable for your hand size. I know I've owned basses with up to 7 strings and could probably handle a 9 string reasonably well but 5 is just the best compromise of range Vs weight and other factors for me. If you're not feeling 5 string have one of your 4 strings setup bead.

But I will say this. The biggest reason I think a lot of people try a 5 string and don't like it is because they simply didn't play a good 5 string. 5 strings also don't have to be about a low b either. Eadgc is a very popular tuning for a lot of more progressive music like fusion and jazz for example. Check out Janek Gwidala on YouTube. His main fodera 5 is eadgc.

 

[richntiff]

I have never been a regular listener of country music but for some reason I like listening to it occasionally when I've worked on my motorcyle out in the garage or when I'm shooting pool. Classic country, that is- the people who lived pain, grew up on a farm/in a trailer, drank too much, fought in bars, had real country accents (but oftentimes didn't sing with an accent - as opposed to the guys today who sing with that over-exagerrated accent that they certainly don't have in their day-to-day country club lives).

Anyway, any country with a B string sucks, not because of the B string but because of the sham of a music industry that calls itself country music some time after the B string's prominence. Contemporary Country music is BS. It's Bon Jovi without spandex... and without Alec John Such. Basically, country music today is for people who are neither rural nor refined- people who are underthinking and/or relatively overcompensated middle class, suburban-minded goofballs who just want to party and ride around on boats and tubes all weekend with "hot" girls who are sure to put on 30lbs before their 30th bday and guys who like over-sized trucks for nothing more than hauling groceries from Costco, and lawn supplies for their quarter acre lot.

Props to the guys who are makin a killing making/selling this crap but it's prominence is just one more piece of evidence, maybe one of the bigger pieces, that 'Merica has lost its way; lost it's soul.

End of rant. Carry on. I'm sure there are exceptions but you know what I'm talking about.

Well thank god you are here to lead the flock to the promised land . Where I'm at, it's DECIDEDLY rural, and guess what sells? New country and Americana, which is of course just all hipsters playing mandolins and URB. Lol!

 

[selowitch]

Pino and Marcus aren't TalkBass members. Play what you want.

How do you know I'm not Pino? Or Marcus? Besides the obvious, of course. ;-)

 

[Matthew Fisher]

I have never been a regular listener of country music but for some reason I like listening to it occasionally when I've worked on my motorcyle out in the garage or when I'm shooting pool. Classic country, that is- the people who lived pain, grew up on a farm/in a trailer, drank too much, fought in bars, had real country accents (but oftentimes didn't sing with an accent - as opposed to the guys today who sing with that over-exagerrated accent that they certainly don't have in their day-to-day country club lives).

Anyway, any country with a B string sucks, not because of the B string but because of the sham of a music industry that calls itself country music some time after the B string's prominence. Contemporary Country music is BS. It's Bon Jovi without spandex... and without Alec John Such. Basically, country music today is for people who are neither rural nor refined- people who are underthinking and/or relatively overcompensated middle class, suburban-minded goofballs who just want to party and ride around on boats and tubes all weekend with "hot" girls who are sure to put on 30lbs before their 30th bday and guys who like over-sized trucks for nothing more than hauling groceries from Costco, and lawn supplies for their quarter acre lot.

Props to the guys who are makin a killing making/selling this crap but it's prominence is just one more piece of evidence, maybe one of the bigger pieces, that 'Merica has lost its way; lost it's soul.

End of rant. Carry on. I'm sure there are exceptions but you know what I'm talking about.

You know what your problem is? You just can't relate to anything more musically challenging than Mac Davis, Helen Reddy, and The Carpenters.

I'm kidding. Inside joke ... don't ask. But, whoa, that was a class A rant there. Tell us how you really feel.