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5 string love?

#41
bassbully said:
I worked out a deal with my GC..yes a deal where I did well :thumbsup: 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.
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I have a few Ibanez ATK 305 and ATK 805 basses and as much as I love the sound of the ATK 805 neck pickup on the EADG strings, it's too tubby for the B string and I use Chromes, Rotosound Jazz 77, and La Bella 1954 strings. I do use a very clean and fat sound (Tech21 Blonde into mixer) so I can't say much about distorted sounds and a B string.

From my experience, I've concluded that the solution to tubby strings (assuming the strings and bridge are set up properly) is to angle the low string side of the pickup towards the bridge and the high string side of the pickup towards the neck, and place the pickup where it generally suits you. In other words, the opposite of what Fender does. If I had my way, I'd use one pickup per string, that way I can get the placement just right for clarity and girth of each string then set the heights for string volume balance. But good luck getting Instrument Manufacturers to do that even if they can afford it.
 
#42
Clef_de_fa said:
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 ..."
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Keep in mind, bass guitar (similar to upright bass) is written an octave above what it plays. When you play an open B string, it's written two staff lines below the line, but the note that sounds is an octave lower than that. This is done in order keep it in the staff, and easier to read. Open B is the same as the lowest B on the piano.
 
#43
G On Bass said:
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.
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Hahahaha. This is great.

Ductapeman said:
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!
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This is a great suggestion; I may try it myself. I already tune one of my basses down to D overall, in a cheap attempt to avoid having to play a 5er... Might as well go all the way and see how/if it works out.
 
#44
I didn't like 5ers until I got my Stingray. Not just a great B string, but just felt "right", and where I constantly struggled with others, I just took right to this one. Now I love the flexibility it gives me for where on the neck I want to play. I'm still waiting for a set of LaBellas to try on it. Good luck with the flats on your VM.
 
#45
bassbully said:
I worked out a deal with my GC..yes a deal where I did well :thumbsup: 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.
Click to expand...
I use Squier VM Jazz 5 too. I feel this bass is awesome and versetile. My only suggestion is you have to try to switch your strings with d'addario half-round. ;)
 
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#47
I feel your dilemma. I'm also a 4-string lover. That being said, I recently had to make a decision on whether to set my second bass up for D-standard tuning, or just break down and buy a 5er. I wrote a thread on that some time ago. I play in a female fronted band, but many of the original songs featured male vocals. So we're doing songs anywhere from original key to a minor third higher. Some are transposed by a whole step, some by a half. As a result, the keys we play in are varied like the colors of the rainbow, and a 5 seemed to make the most sense. Still, I hesitated.

I finally went after a Yamaha TRBX505 over the summer, just to put the quandary to rest. It's a 34" scale 5er, and as I do with my 4-string Jazz, I put GHS Pressurewound strings on it. They're just a touch stiffer than typical rounds, and I really like the B string as it's currently set up. I like tight bottom, prominent mids and controlled highs, and these strings are built to provide that. In order to re-train myself around that extra string, I've used it on every gig since purchase. My Jazz has pretty much become my backup. And inasmuch as I never thought I'd hear myself say it, the thing is rapidly growing on me. I still feel more fluid on a 4, but the gap is closing. Plus, it's an absolute joy of a bass for the money - probably the best value I think I've ever experienced in an instrument. Fun to play, reasonable weight, sounds beautiful, and I find myself using that extended sub range a lot more than I thought I would.

If I keep this up, I'll have to re-train myself on a 4!
 
#48
I strung one of my 4s up B-E-A-D.. Pretty cool... I was going to pick up a country gig, which fell through, but I did see one thing. If you go this route, play it for a bit before you go messin with the nut. I decided to go back to E-A-D-G, because I didn't want to dedicate that Bass to this tuning. Now I have a 5er to go to if I pick up a country gig. I traded for a Corvette std5. With Chromes on, it is tight! It is German, so it is heavy, but like mentioned above, I am 6 feet tall and 220lbs. The weight doesn't bother me. It does make my dual Mono M80 noticeably heavy to have my Thumb4 and my Vette5 in it, though, lol. :bassist:
 
#50
Garret Graves said:
Keep in mind, bass guitar (similar to upright bass) is written an octave above what it plays. When you play an open B string, it's written two staff lines below the line, but the note that sounds is an octave lower than that. This is done in order keep it in the staff, and easier to read. Open B is the same as the lowest B on the piano.
Click to expand...

oh butI know that, I still think we should have it writting like it should, just like a piano.
 
#51
Also ... the B string just like the C string, require a different attack to make it works. You can't expect the B string to react like a E string, it just won't happen and I think this is part of why a lot of people say this bass or that bass have a boomy, undefined, thin or sound like a different bass. The other part is the strings. Many will use very big B string and it is not balanced well with the rest or they use plain strings instead of a tapered which help a lot in ajusting and harmonic definition.
 
#52
TKing16 said:
A lot of Nashville players will use four string basses but I believe that most of them are tuned B-E-A-D.
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I thought about this but my main two players are medium scale basses. So is it as easy to just get a five string set, throw out the G string, adjust nut and install? Is there a B string that will work on medium scale basses?
 
#53
I have the same bass and i love it. Yes they're heavy but a good strap will solve it. Also is built like a Tank. The weight help ne because i play with a pick and sometimes i pick to hard and this bass stays steady. I use dunlop super brights in mine. I played with a 4 piece band with very loud guitar players and didnt have ussues in the mix. Don give up on it because if the weight.
 
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#54
I really want to like the 5 string just confused on what to do
rafitoprtx said:
I have the same bass and i love it. Yes they're heavy but a good strap will solve it. Also is built like a Tank. The weight help ne because i play with a pick and sometimes i pick to hard and this bass stays steady. I use dunlop super brights in mine. I played with a 4 piece band with very loud guitar players and didnt have ussues in the mix. Don give up on it because if the weight.
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Cool to know. Is yours stock? Its a very well built bass as good as basses costing hundred's more. I'm trying really hard to like it but it needs new strings for me to really know if its going to stay or go back.
I think the B is tubby sounding down in the first position but sounds good from the 5th fret up when fretted. I'm getting old have to see if the weight becomes and issue. ;)
 
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#56
I'm playing in a variety cover band hitting just about every style of music depending on the gig and crowd. I also have a number of nice 5 strings which I gigged for a lot of years. However, since adding a Hipshot Double Stop Xtender to my Lull M4V and Fender Am Std. P, the 5's almost always stay at home now. With the ability to drop from E to D to C# at the flip of a switch, rarely do I need to go lower. I also really like the sound of an open D or C# as opposed to fretted for some songs. I've also switched back to passive basses for almost everything and I feel 5's work better with active electronics, IMO. Additionally, I REALLY like the feel and weight of my two main 4 strings mentioned above.
FWIW, my band leader has flat out told me that he feels I groove better when playing 4's, although his favorite bass of mine tone wise is the MM Sterling 5 in my avatar. Just my .02
 
#57
bassbully said:
I really want to like the 5 string just confused on what to do

Cool to know. Is yours stock? Its a very well built bass as good as basses costing hundred's more. I'm trying really hard to like it but it needs new strings for me to really know if its going to stay or go back.
I think the B is tubby sounding down in the first position but sounds good from the 5th fret up when fretted. I'm getting old have to see if the weight becomes and issue. ;)
Click to expand...
Mine is stock but im planning to buy the fender B string retainer that Fender install in the Dimension basses i read that it helps. Other than that is perfect the way it is.
 
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#58
I played 4's years ago and then nothing for a long time. I didn't truly understand why a fifth string was needed, so I bought a 4 P/J bass and still like playing it a lot. I also have a Gretsch that I still play depending on the venue. Having said all that, I picked up an inexpensive Ibanez 5 in GC one night while the CFO shopped for fabric elsewhere and was hooked. I loved it. I loved playing a closed E. A low D. All of the things that folks like about 5's. It just felt right. So, I bought it. Then a fretless 5. And, lastly a new Elite Jazz V. It is my favorite by far. I pick it up first almost every time. First, the neck on that bass is different and very easy for me to play. The Ibanez have thinner necks and are different, but equally easy to get around. Something chunkier may not suit my style. I have been playing around with newer country and found what you said to be true. I also like being able to walk up to a note fretted on the E without changing positions. I will say that I find some areas of the B to be a bit tubby as others have described, but I am not going to buy another bass just to get a long scale. Yet. :) I've purchased so many things that "I would never buy" that I refuse to say that any more. I will say that I like the ones I have and don't see a need for more.

All that is to say, while I like my 4's and enjoy playing them, my 5's are my favorites.

Edit-- After re-reading the OP, I felt I should add that I installed TI flats on my Jazz and really like their playability and versatility. I have been a flats guy since the 70's, so this wasn't a big change, but they are brighter in many ways than most flats.
 
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#59
Ok this might be a stupid question so don't flame me please. The country band I'm auditioning for tunes down a half step... Ok cool did this when playing blues and really liked the tone. So I'm cool with that but what about the five string?
I would have to tune down the EADG strings a half step to stay in key and still use regular fingering positions . Do I flatten the B then to B flat. I'm more at home with my 4 strings tuned down a half step...I think I'm confusing myself here.
 

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