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5 string vs BEAD
- Thread starter robert43
- Start date
Get a 5er.
I play differently on a 5-string than a 4-string.
I feel it's more the 35" scale, and different placement of the other strings.
The A string, and G string, sound and react different on a 5er.
As much as I enjoy watching Michael Manring play around with various tunings, that sorta thing wouldn't fly for me. If I hear a certain note and I want to reproduce said note, my hands autamatically go to a certain spot. Much like altered tunings, swapping out 4 bangers tuned standard and BEAD would mean that I was futzing with my muscle memory when it comes to notes. Not worth it IMHO.
I'd just get a 5 if I wanted the low B. I'd also get a 34" scale 5'er as I feel the you need a 35" scale to get a tight low B thing is a bunch of hooey. If you have a floppy B at 34", just use a thicker low B. Tightens up the low B without making the whole damned instrument a touch harder to play.
I'd just get a 5 if I wanted the low B. I'd also get a 34" scale 5'er as I feel the you need a 35" scale to get a tight low B thing is a bunch of hooey. If you have a floppy B at 34", just use a thicker low B. Tightens up the low B without making the whole damned instrument a touch harder to play.
I don't own a five string and probably won't in the near future. Stringing one of my basses BEAD works fine for me.
I just tried this experiment. I have totally sold out to the 5 string. For me it's the "extra" stuff I like. I thought I missed the open spacing of the 4, but I felt like the BEAD was just odd after playing the 5. I like having the extended finger options and just more tuning possibilities. Really up to you and both have advantages. For me the 5 contains the 4, but not vice versa. I am getting really comfortable with the closer spacing after playing the 5 for a while. I LOVE chords, so the 5 is just sonically superior.
If I take the G string off my bass I can no longer use certain pitches on the instrument hence I have decreased its range of pitch.
BEAD is fine, provided there's also a GC available just in case you need to do some rhythm chording, soloing, higher octave or unison stuff with guitar, tapping, funk, extended runs, or any of the other many reasons why you can't have too much range.
Hey, if you don't need the strings, don't play them. Much easier not to play a string you have, than to play one not available right now.
Hey, if you don't need the strings, don't play them. Much easier not to play a string you have, than to play one not available right now.
I voted get the 5er. I really like having both (4 and 5). For classic rock, and old soul and funk, I use my 4 string Jazz. It just fits. For anything else, it's my BTB 5. The 35" low B on that thing is like thunder! Besides, getting a 5 would mean a NEW BASS! And if getting a new bass is wrong, I don't wanna be right!
I've started with 6 strings and found it too tough to play for conventional songs. So i settled for 5 and have not looked back. Currently using a Warwick 5er and the neck is like a baseball bat but i love it. Have a Yamaha 5er with thin neck that needs a little getting used to. IT's all about preference and necessity. Let your son try a 5er in the shop and see if he's comfortable with it.
Yup, but you're not playing a three string.
Add on a B string and you get some all new range.
i'm in the process of getting a 4 string pbass together. will be using just B E A strings....
taking off the last string all together. i will be using it for a heavy punk/rock type thing. i just dont' use that high string in this project.
i find that sometimes limiting the boundaries can force you to be more creative with what you have got to work with?
taking off the last string all together. i will be using it for a heavy punk/rock type thing. i just dont' use that high string in this project.
i find that sometimes limiting the boundaries can force you to be more creative with what you have got to work with?
did the BEAD thing for a while < hated it 
granted, i don't use the G string too often, but when you do need it, it ABSOLUTELY HAS to be there to make things work
i've got four 4bangers, & three fivers & will never go back to limiting my playing by limiting the number of strings i use :scowl:
granted, i don't use the G string too often, but when you do need it, it ABSOLUTELY HAS to be there to make things work
i've got four 4bangers, & three fivers & will never go back to limiting my playing by limiting the number of strings i use :scowl:
For me the hierarchy is four-string > five-string > BEAD. I like my four-strings because they are light, the necks are narrow, and they just feel rightly-proportioned. Five-string are great for moving up the neck and have those profound extra five notes on the bottom for added drama. BEAD just doesn’t feel natural to me for some reason.
Holy thread bump Batman. 11 1/2 years.
This is a very useful 7-point checklist for reassuring me that 4 strings is enough for me, and that it makes sense that I literally never pass the 15th fret.
Zombie threads are fine.
I played a 4 string bass for 25 years. When I decided to move to 5 strings I didn't stop needing a G string. I wanted to add the option of a B string to what I already was playing.
IMO BEAD just falls between 2 stools. I get why so many are reluctant to change the geography of their fretboard, but the trade off for not learning how to incorporate a 5th string is loosing the G string. That wouldn't be a solution for me.
I played a 4 string bass for 25 years. When I decided to move to 5 strings I didn't stop needing a G string. I wanted to add the option of a B string to what I already was playing.
IMO BEAD just falls between 2 stools. I get why so many are reluctant to change the geography of their fretboard, but the trade off for not learning how to incorporate a 5th string is loosing the G string. That wouldn't be a solution for me.
