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Am I simply not a 5/6 string player?

#161
I keep a 5 just becasue, just 1, and it hardly gets played. I might use it here and there for studio work if If I think a low B would be beneficial to a recording, but I always play 4's. I don't know why but the B sting just doesn't feel natural to me, never has probably never will. I had 3 5's at one point, trying to make a point to insert them more into my playing and trying to explore the benefits, but I always ended up gravitating towards to top 4 strings. My technique is just so set to 4 at this point, I don't see it changing.
 
#165
To me, five stringed basses (with low B) fill the need when vocalists’ ranges require (sound better) for the song to have a low bass note lower than E. While I do own a five string bass for those special occasions to accommodate vocalists without a need to tune down, I enjoy playing a four string more than a five string bass. If I were a pro touring bass player and my band’s lead vocalist range was lower (like lots of today’s country), I’d probably play a fiver all the time...but I’m no longer a pro touring bass player, so my instrument of choice is the four string bass ~ entirely a matter of personal preference.
 
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#166
I know what you mean. For several years I kept buying fretted 6 string basses and fretless basses. It took me many years before i realized that I wanted to like them but just couldn't do it.

The kicker was when I bought a custom made Carvin fretless 6 string bass. Took 6 months to make. I hated it. What a waste of time for all involved.

I now know that I strongly prefer fretted 4 strings, but I love 5 string fretted too. I own both.
 
#167
Two months is hardly enough time to gauge progress and competence on a 5er.

Give yourself at least six months, even more, to learn how it works--people have the misconception that an added string is no big deal, but it changes how you play up and down the neck and across the neck. You aren't going to master that B string in two months. Then again, maybe you have, we don't know.

However, as a previous comment mentioned, if your 5er is a cheap entry level bass and your main 4 stringers are higher quality than entry level, that could also have something to do with this.

When I started playing 5ers in 2005, I was playing a StingRay and realized that if I went with anything lower in quality, I may not stick with it. I got a StingRay 5 and got to work. Having a bass with a neck profile I was already familiar with helped a lot, and knowing that I wasn't playing an inferior-to-what-I-already-have bass I think helped to some extent.

Took about a year of practicing around 30-45 minutes a day (I was on active duty with the USMC at the time, so practicing wasn't as consistent as I would have liked it to be) to get the hang of it and I haven't gone back to a 4 string bass since, well, except for the 9 months or so having an Adam Clayton Sig. Jazz Bass, which was eventually sold.

Have fun and good luck!
 
#168
It's a known limitation for me, and not just for bass guitar. When I try to play 5-string bass guitar, I get disoriented easily... I forget which string I'm playing. I discovered the same thing bothers me playing steel guitar. I started playing 6-string lap steel many decades ago. I tried moving to 7-strings and beyond but constantly had the same issue with not being able to feel what string I was playing.
 
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#169
For me, the extra string on 5 string bass do help for some song in my band. But most bass guitar under USD 500 price range i been try has disappointed B string. The squier VM J V is one of them.

Cort B5 has nice and useful B sound before 7th fret, but the D and G sound lacking warmth since both pickups placement close to bridge side. Increase the Bass knob from Markbass preamp just make overall tone in muffle LOW MID voice.

Yamaha TRBX 305 has nice B too, but 18mm string spacing feel less comfort to me.

Squier VM P5 also nice, but tone get boomy and muddy after 6th fret .

Squier Deluxe Dimension V has very nice B , ring wonderful until 12th fret , but overall tone on MID heavy side.

Ibanez ATK305 are the best for me in low price range, but discontinued.

My current Sterling SUB RAY5 has similar B as Squier Deluxe Dimension V , useful B string tone until 12th fret.
The string on it is a set of EB Group III flatwound , a great flatwound 130 B string after Cobalt flat 130B.

my2cents
 
#170
frankie5string said:
I'm just curious. What does the above bolded statement mean? If I am playing a part that requires those lower notes, and I play it an octave higher, it will often sound dinky and clash with the singers. That would be the exact thing that would get me a "look" from the band leader.

A lot of modern music is written for that extra string, and you can't simply play it higher.
I have done theatre shows where the sheet music even said "5-string BG(Low-B)" or "6-string BG (Low-B)"

But if you don't play that stuff, then I suppose it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...
I was thinking in terms of a few notes higher rather than lower. “Curse of the Black Pearl “ in the 29th bar calls for a C# which would be played at the first fret of the C str, instead I play the sixth fret on the G st. Limiting to be sure but if it’s only a note or two it keeps me familiar with my fretboard. Not playing with a band I can use what I already own. Sorry I was not clear.
 
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#171
godofthunder59 said:
I'm not a 5 string player and I'm ok with that. 4 bangers forever!
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I m not either! I tried but just kept screwing up on the low B sring! one work around i've used; drop d tuning!
I was jamming with some dudes, drop D tuning. but we drop tuned the entire bass & guitars (D,G,E, A,i nstead of EADG; not just 1 string!) it worked great ! no need to transpose in your head, or remember 1 string is different from the rest! it got me thinking instead of getting a 5 str. I could just drop to BEAD instead! I'll just use/ bring 2basses to rehearsal! 1 std tuned;1 drop d or b tuned! I still have some shedding to get it down,but I figured I saved some money!
 
#172
I traded my 4-string Rickenbacker for the 5-string I currently have about 7-8 years ago. That was after playing that previous 4-string for nearly a decade. Admittedly, I wasn't really playing bass very much anymore during that time or even the time prior, but I thought it might reinvigorate me to change things up. Unlike you, I only had the fiver, so I didn't have the option to grab another bass or I would have definitely stuck to the 4-string. At first, the B-string was basically a thumb rest. But very recently I started playing bass at a church and there are constant key changes and 4-string just wouldn't do it adequately. Take for example, a I - VI - V - IV chord progression is perfect on bass in the key of C, but then you put it in the key of Bb or some such thing and you run out of room to continually go down. You can take the higher note, but it doesn't quite sound right for the song often. Now you got that extended range. That's how I started actually valuing the B-string. Then eventually I actually sat down and learned it and instead of flying down the fretboard, I could just play upper register on the B. It made playing so much more relaxing. With all that said, there are times I play and I have no need for it. I just don't have an alternative bass. If I only had one bass, it'd always be a 5-string though.
 
#173
Yellow Bang66 said:
I m not either! I tried but just kept screwing up on the low B sring! one work around i've used; drop d tuning!
I was jamming with some dudes, drop D tuning. but we drop tuned the entire bass & guitars (D,G,E, A,i nstead of EADG; not just 1 string!) it worked great ! no need to transpose in your head, or remember 1 string is different from the rest! it got me thinking instead of getting a 5 str. I could just drop to BEAD instead! I'll just use/ bring 2basses to rehearsal! 1 std tuned;1 drop d or b tuned! I still have some shedding to get it down,but I figured I saved some money!
Click to expand...
Yes, BEAD is a good way to go. I have a SUB which is my beater and I use Dunlop 60-130s for 1/2 step down or BEAD, you may need to do a small truss rod adjustment but it will work fine.
 
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#174
ToneMonkey said:
It's a known limitation for me, and not just for bass guitar. When I try to play 5-string bass guitar, I get disoriented easily... I forget which string I'm playing. I discovered the same thing bothers me playing steel guitar. I started playing 6-string lap steel many decades ago. I tried moving to 7-strings and beyond but constantly had the same issue with not being able to feel what string I was playing.
Click to expand...


I had the same issue. I remember one time coming back into a big hit I hit F# instead of B. I actually went back and listened to the live recording and luckily it didn't sound too bad. Almost intentional. Took me like 6 months of playing a few hours a day to work through that.
 
#176
el murdoque said:
Ask yourself one question: If that Squier you bought had one string less, would you play it more?
What this gentleman said.
When the answer is along the lines of "No, that's an entry level instrument and I much prefer to play my very expensive pro level basses because the necks are smoother, the sound is fuller and the action is lower"
Then the answer to your question is "I don't know if you're limited to 5 strings, but I can tell you that you don't like playing cheap entry level basses while top notch models are sitting close by".

When the answer is more towards "of course I would, I really like the neck and the feel of it, it's just that I keep getting confused with the B string"
Then the Answer is:
You have not tried hard enough to get to a conclusion. Take all your four bangers and lock them up. Should you manage to practice daily, about seven to ten weeks will suffice. Play nothing but the 5 String tuned BEADG.
Nothing, not even for a few minutes. When you've brainwashed yourself enough so that the 5 String Platform feels like home (learn a few new songs and incorporate the B string), you can lift the lockup for your four string basses and see whether it feels like coming home after a long trip or if it's just a different bass with a different number of strings.
For some, it'll be like "meh, I can do either now"
For others it's "finally the right amount of strings again"
and then there are those that are "huh! this bass is missing a string. How am I supposed to enjoy myself on it?".
Click to expand...
Yes !
 
#178
Element Zero said:
It’s like anything. It takes time. Just curious. In the last 2 months, did you put your 4 string away and only play on your 5?
Click to expand...

I put my 4 strings away the first month. I have a couple of 4 strings but my favorite by far is my 2007 Fender Jaguar. I decided to switch back to it when I was shedding "Bernadette" by the Four Tops and since going back to the 5 string, I just haven't been as eager.
 

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