Do I really need a 5 string bass?

[basslayer]

Does the Low B sound good? You said you drop it to Bb...did you mean Eb?

The low Bb sounds good to me. There is no accounting for taste but it is musically useful to me. I have done it with both Eb and Bb, but in this context I mean Bb.

 

[40Hz]

Nope! But don't let that stop you if you want to get one. YOLO y'know?

 

[mellowinman]

Back in 1981, Robert Wilson tuned his E down to B and recorded this classic with a four string Precision. The B sounds weak compared to a good five, but this is still an all time slow jam bassline.

I find the bass in this song to no longer be musical. It is more of a low frequency effect rather than part of the music. Sort of like controlled rumbling. I want him to come up an octave and join the rest of the band.

That song has been a r&b staple longer than many TBers have been alive. A whole lot of folks like that B just fine.

That song is pure sex appeal. VERY nice.

 

[mellowinman]

I had a bit of a floppy B on this Squire Affinity V. I decided I didn't play lower than D often, so I did a custom tuning, that really works for me.

I ended up going with DR High Beams from Welcome to Bass Strings Online - Your Custom Bass String Shop...

D .120 G .090 C .065 F .050 Bb .035

The bass is pretty stock, other than that, (and it had the Fender on the headstock when I bought it - I would never bother with a thing like that) and it sounds and plays really nice.

 

[SteveC]

I debate this with myself al the time. I have a pair of beautiful 5 strings - Roscoe fretted and fretless - that I love. The only B string I have really liked and found useful - other than a Warwick Dolphin I had a long time ago and my Lakland wasn't too bad.

Anyway, I do use the B string for both range and position, but I don't need to as I play in bands with at least one keyboard player that could take it down an octave for the last note and such.

I sometime go through the thing where I watch/listen to great players playing great on a 4 string P or J and think maybe I should simplify and go to a passive 4 string but then I go play at church and my Roscoe just kills it.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

You not liking it is a matter of taste. The song was a huge hit, so it obviously spoke to a lot people, and the song is still played on r&b stations today.

YES, you are absolutely right, pretty much all music is a matter of taste and that one doesn't speak to mine. That was my opinion on why it sounded bad to me and as you probably already know, I can be pretty opinionated. And regardless of my "opinion" it certainly is the earliest example I've ever heard that attempted to incorporate those low notes into a song, so I will at least acknowledge its significance for doing that.

 

[ZiggyDude]

Not sure after 37 pages anyone will even see this

I play 5's almost 100% of time on stage and when I want otherwise. There are songs for various reasons I can use the 5th string to make the song easy/better/my way. Many others have already mentioned these so I won't repeat. But that is hanging out and not under fire in a live situation. So, I am in a set with mostly 4 string songs and a 5 string song comes up but no time to change bass. Party On! So - while doing that one song I am kicking myself for not having a 5 in my hands. So - for new basses I only buy a 5. Actually the cost is little mores and I feel for a 4 I am getting ripped off somehow. It is a lot tougher with vintage stuff and hollow bodies as the choice is basically all a 4.

Me - when in doubt get the 5

- Ziggy -