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Any 5 string Players happy going back to 4 String bass?

#202
Anders Barfod said:
I blame three musical styles for the nessecity of a 5 string (joke)...

Gospel when the root of the bass wants to go below the bass singers and give you that low C.
Rockballads from the 80s.. high pitched singing in D-minor. You simply need that low D to give you that broad fat sound.
Nu-metal. Which are crazy people not even content with low B so they tune down to low A.
For the rest a 4 banger will do with possibly an E-flat tuning for the deeper baritone singer or with a hipshot D-tuner an a 110 string for those D-minor rock ballads :)
I guess i am old an narrow minded
Click to expand...

Haha! You'd be surprised how much other music is in drop tuning on a fairly regular basis. Country being one. Then you have everything from punk bands to a band like Kaleo using drop tuning often. Its far more common then most people think.
 
#206
Newer to the TB forums, but I'll chime in and revive this thread yet again :). I started on a 4 over 20 years ago and just recently picked up my first 5. Can't say that I will never go back to a 4, but for now I am really finding that B string is useful for my needs. I started playing in a modern pop/R&B band where those lower notes are heavily featured and I find that I've fallen into the "the four strings are still right there " camp. It's really opened up a new world for me and it's been fun in what almost feels like learning a new instrument! Maybe I'll add a 4 again down the road but for now since the budget (and fiancé) will only support one bass , it's a 5 for me. :bassist:
 
#207
I've always wanted to get to the point where I could switch back and forth between 4s and 5s effortlessly, and I'd say I'm getting there finally. Only has taken me 15 years or so, trying to play both types and switching often. So I'm not "going back" to 4s, I just added 5s to the mix. Not quite there with the 6ers yet though, the high C still makes me stumble a bit.

For me the 5 is as much about not having to move my left hand up and down the neck moreso really than it is for the extra 5 lower notes. Though I do certainly use them.
 
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#208
I find I end up playing more like a 'mad man' on a 4 because I am used to playing a 6. I have to admit, it is a lot of fun :) I don't have a 4 currently, but wouldn't mind getting one again. If Pedulla MVP 4's were cheaper I'd be in trouble with the Mrs :)
 
#209
I can't remember what I posted earlier, but now that I'm not doing my previous gig with a lot of flat keys, four strings are doing the job possibly better than a fiver. One less string to keep track of for muting means more brain power dedicated to playing the song.
 
#211
I played 4's from mid 60's to 1991 then got my '91 Peavey Dyna 5 and have rarely played a 4 in the past 26 years except my beautiful Ric 4..nothing sounds like a Ric 4 and I couldnt get a Ric 5 at the time..was hard enuf getting the Ric 4 into Aust..lol Either way I prefer the flexability of the 5..I own 2 4's and 2 5's..the EBMM5 and Peavey Dyna5. I'd be lost without that bottom B.
 
#212
I continue to struggle with this. I have a 4, 6 and 6 string. The 4 is a cheap G&L JB-2 (Tribute) with TI Jazz Flats. I use it for jazz gigs. The others are Roscoe. Soaps on the 5 and JJ for the 6. I don't need/use the C string much any more. The contemporary jazz gig died off. I use it for church. The 5 is for the cover band. I use the B for a few tunes, but could probably get by with a 4. I love playing my G&L. Simple and comfy. Fast. The Roscoe necks are also very fast and they are amazing, but people love the sound of my cheap G&L. I used to have a MIJ Geddy Lee jazz that people also loved. I have a pair of $3,000 basses and they want the $250 bass.

It may take a bit but I'm sure I'd get used to not having a B string in no time. Some songs would miss it but most wouldn't. I could always detune, but that's why I play a 5 - so I don't have to.

Still, I loved that skinny fast Geddy Lee neck.
 
#213
I have 5 various brands five strings and one 4 string p-bass. The low B string has become a part of my style and I am uncomfortable without it. I use the low B string for E, Eb, and D mostly but, I'm not afraid to go lower if I think the music calls for it. I'm not a virtuoso by any stretch, I just enjoy staying in the pocket and supporting everything else. I guess I could be called a "pocket player".
 
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#214
I was playing today on my 4 and there were a few times where I noticed no B, not for low notes but position. I want to be a 4 string guy, for some artificial reason, but I use my B string. I guess I'll just keep playing a 5, unlike my "heros" who play 4's and do just fine.
 
#215
I subscribe to the Anthony Jackson school of thinking that the 6 string Contrabass is the 'full' representation of the bass guitar. It's was a very young instrument when Anthony started to innovate on the number of strings, as well as being one of a cadre of bassists who really challenged and changed how we approach 'playing bass'.

I don't really play fives anymore because if I'm going to have a low B I'll typically want a high C. However, my favourite bass is a four string and I am ultimately most comfortable and happiest on a four string. I love having the extra notes available on a 6 string bass but I also love the flexibility it gives in moving across the neck in one position and the extra chord voicings it gives.

A lot of the more melodic things I transcribe, I do on the G string when playing a six, even when it might have been more appropriate to use the C string because I want to learn patterns I can take over to the four string very easily. On some pieces, this doesn't work but I try to do that where I can so I can play the part on a 4 string without changing the fingering.

There are few gigs you really need a low B for but it's mandatory for some. Detuning can work as a band aid but it's not a complete solution.
 
#217
Well ... I'm only going back to 4Str just for recordings. It's because of string noise and my improper muting technique for 5Str. I am practizing hard to become better for muting on a 5Str, but I am still better on a 4Str. For live and rehearsal I only use 5Str.
 
#218
Truthfully, it wouldn't matter to me. I'm primarily a 5-string player, but I wouldn't mind playing a 4-string bass or a 6-string bass. I did play 4-string basses with my brother's band mainly because of different tunings. I was thinking of buying a 4-string bass once again. most likely a passive 4-string bass like a yamaha trbx174ew or a peavey millennium. speaking of passive basses, I do plan to buy a passive 5-string bass as well. I was thinking of getting either the yamaha bb235(when it's released) or a peavey millennium 5-string. other than that, I'm pretty satisfied with playing either a 4-string or a 5-string.
 
#219
I picked up a four string about a month ago. Took it to the next gig about three days later. Hadn't practiced with it other than just picking around some at the house. Decided to use it on the first few songs because they were ones I could get by without the B string a lot. I ended up putting it down after the second song. I was totally lost. Couldn't figure out where I was at all. Spent way too much time having to think about the notes rather than just playing. I have messed around some at the house with it now and it is getting easier but I really underestimated how difficult it was to switch back and forth.

I'm currently refinishing a body and have a four string neck to use on it and I am contemplating stringing it BEAD just so I'm not so confused.

BnB
 

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