But DB used an extention or a low C strings for many decades prior to jazz who sticked with only 4 strings ( I think it is because pizzicato a low C strings isn't audible nor it was during recording at that time )
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Anyone moved away from bothering with a B-string?
- Thread starter topo morto
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But DB used an extention or a low C strings for many decades prior to jazz who sticked with only 4 strings ( I think it is because pizzicato a low C strings isn't audible nor it was during recording at that time )
False ... Victor Wooten also play 5 strings bass with Bélà Fleck and the Flecktone ... so ...Also there is a picture of Jaco with a 5 strings fretless ... so maybe he would have lived longer may he used a 5 or 6 strings.
And then you have : Anthony Jackson who is the father of the 6 strings, John Patitucci who ony play 6 strings, Alain Caron, again only on 6 strings, Les Claypool who play 6 strings from time to time. John Myung who also moved to 6 strings very soon etc ...
Also ... the 5 strings or extension for the DB exist for a very long time now ...
I won't usually consider buying a bass unless it has a B string. Even then, it has to be TIGHT.
Those extra low notes are great for club use, or for staying in your own sonic territory when playing with a band that has 2 guitars or a keyboard.
Those extra low notes are great for club use, or for staying in your own sonic territory when playing with a band that has 2 guitars or a keyboard.
I was able to find a pretty good BEADG bass, Modulus Q5 because I really thought I needed the extra range. In reality, what I found is, while the B string does give me more range, I've not really needed it.
Our cover band plays a few songs from different drop tuned bands and I've been able to pretty much do very well with my EADG tuned bass.
My Q5 just collects dust, for the most part. I really can't say the same for my 4 string basses. The Q5 is quite comfortable to play but I never felt quite as "at home" with it.
Sepp
Our cover band plays a few songs from different drop tuned bands and I've been able to pretty much do very well with my EADG tuned bass.
My Q5 just collects dust, for the most part. I really can't say the same for my 4 string basses. The Q5 is quite comfortable to play but I never felt quite as "at home" with it.
Sepp
I have not ever had the idea that a 5+ string was the only way to play, though I began on a 6 string. It was more about having the option to move higher or lower than normal in the same hand position combined with the size of extended range bass necks fitting my hands well. I just went to music stores and guitar centers and played basses till one came around that felt good and was in my price range, it just so happened to be an ESP D6. I do want to get a good 4 string sometime, though I won't be rushing into anything for a bit!
My 5er get no play...just feels obscene in my hands. Too bad, it's such a beautiful Stammie too.
JAUQO III-X
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It really comes down to the quality of the bass, the string, and the players touch. I use a 110 B string and no one has ever said that I sounded anemic.
In the attached pic, that is one of two 4 string basses that I have with a custom Hipshot double D tuner system that allows me to drop my 110 gauge B string and my .080 gauge E string at the exact same time down to C# and F# with the flip of one lever.
Hipshot endorser.
In the attached pic, that is one of two 4 string basses that I have with a custom Hipshot double D tuner system that allows me to drop my 110 gauge B string and my .080 gauge E string at the exact same time down to C# and F# with the flip of one lever.
Hipshot endorser.
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JAUQO III-X
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For me a 110 gauge B string on my non sub contra basses have a defined midrange growl that works for me and the bass response is nice and even and sits very well in the mix.
I own a 4, 5 and 6 string. Each has it's own use. The 6 string is primarily for jazz. The 5 string is for country, folk and soft rock. The 4 string is for everything else.
On all my 4s, I use 90, 70, 50, 35. Then throw in the 110 for my B. I used heavy gauge strings for 20+ years, until I tried a set of Ultra Light Ken Smith Slap Masters. I fell in love with the fundamentals and overtones of thinner strings....although it did take while to adjust my technique.
JAUQO III-X
Inactive
Try a Yamaha BB1024X. Killer B on a 34 scale. There's also a 2024X, if you can afford it. The difference is a proprietary aging process for the wood and its made In Japan.
"Bass players got along perfectly fine with 4 strings for years."
....yes and keyboard players got along fine with just the harpsichord too. Screw this newfangled pianoforte contraption!
If you're going to be anti progress why be so arbitrarily 20th century about it? Get rid of the 4 string P with flats and get an upright.
....yes and keyboard players got along fine with just the harpsichord too. Screw this newfangled pianoforte contraption!
If you're going to be anti progress why be so arbitrarily 20th century about it? Get rid of the 4 string P with flats and get an upright.
I found I didn't have the time to retrain myself to the low string as being anything but an E. Almost everything I do is improv. Jazz, blues/rock, standards, etc. Reaching for the wrong note on the low string sucks. It was a decent bass, and I was starting to adjust, but I just never fell in love with that particular instrument, or saw a pressing need for the extra 5 notes. What I did like about it though was that the E string seemed to maintain reasonable tone further up the neck, than a 4 stringer. I might try again, I might not.
OMG and I'd been led to believe he played a Precision with flats, which every 20 yrs or so, get's rediscovered and played to death in modern music until disappearing into underground cults again (like the one called bongoloid)
You might on to something with the 20-year cycle... apparently a team is beginning a new cycle soon:
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Agreed. I think the it's only five extra notes thing is why some people never really figure out how to utilize a five. You'd think they wouldn't even fret the B string above an Eb flat
. All of my low B's have the same number of notes as the rest of my strings. True story.
For instance, ever play a note on a lower position on a string and then play the same note on a lower string at a higher position? The note being played on the lower string, while still the same pitch and octave, can typically sound thicker or more full... and many people never seem to figure that out. F# on the 7th fret of a B string can sound more full than on the second fret of the E string.
The other issue I've seen quite often with dissatisfied B string owners is that, no offence, they never actually learn how to control the string. Granted, this is something you should learn to do with all of your strings but low B's tend to be even more problematic for many. I've played a ton of basses where the owner complained the B was floppy yet it wasn't floppy when I played it. IME it's playing an ideal over what you're actually holding. IME you can either play the bass in your hands or gripe about it. It's kind of like trying to force notes to be where you want on a fretless and complaining about the bass' intonation. The bass typically ain't the problem... but who wants to admit that?
And the thing I mentioned above about lower strings sounding fatter? You can minimize those differences with your touch. Or exploit them. That IMO is the cool thing about choices... but it does require shed time. I know that's not for everyone.
I got lucky... early on I got to see guys kill on basses that others declared subpar and those same basses sounded subpar in my hands. A quick logic check revealed the "problem". And I was willing to understand and admit that and it's been a boon to my growth as a musician.
No, I'm not saying everyone needs or should want a B string. I am saying that if you're going to give it a shot, give it a fair one. Try to understand how it works, put the time in, otherwise don't waste it in the first place. If the time spent complaining about B's had been spent on understanding them instead...
IME it's really not that hard to find a decent five string these days. It is however difficult for many to learn how to play one.
