Does a 5 make your 4 redundant?

[GIBrat51]

AFAIC, the only thing a 5-string bass makes, is no sense - For Me. I'm perfectly aware that 5-er's are the cat's ass for lots of people, so don't hold your breath waiting for me to try talking you out of yours... All 19 of my basses are 4-stringers; nothing I like to play would really be any easier to play on a 5-er; and I don't have to play the things, anyway. Besides, most of my basses are contemporaries of this one (it's mine, by the way); and, as far as I know, there weren't any 5-ers back then. Now, if Kramer breaks away from Gibson; moves back to Neptune, NJ; and starts making 5-string versions of the one I have? I'll think about it - maybe...

 

[bassbenj]

6 string electric basses first appeared in the 50's not long after the first fenders. you waited 3 decades for nothing.

anyway, who's "we?" nothing at all limiting about playing a 4 for those of us who like playing 4's better. i don't need the extra low notes, i don't need or care about the extra range in a single position (why not play a 30 string bass if that's your goal?), and even though i have a 5 and practice on it fairly often, i greatly prefer playing 4's.

i got no problem with whatever anyone wants to play...you have to do what makes you happy. but not everyone is made happy by 5 and 6 string basses. it has nothing to do with viewing the 5 in the "wrong" way.

and that's where a thread with good intentions like this one always goes wrong every time someone posts one. invariably they turn into "my gear can beat up yours" threads.

Boomy is right on. Even though I am his polar opposite and even though I played 4s for who knows how many years, today it's all 5 and 6s. I don't play 4s so much (except for my 8 string which plays basically like a 4) unless my arm gets twisted. I don't enjoy the limitations and the 4 string way of playing anymore. But that doesn't make 4's useless. If the music calls for a 4, I play a 4. It's all about what you want. When you have two different ways of doing things you always find that for some things one way is better and for others its worse. It's the same old argument of pick vs fingers or among drummers of matched grip vs trad grip. Certain people like to pretend that their way is the ONLY way to play. The real question is why can't you play BOTH WAYS and adjust your style to fit what you are trying to do? Boomie prefers 4s but still owns and plays 5, I prefer ERBs, but I still have and play my 4s.

These "everybody should do it my way" arguments are just plan silly. The best bass is the one that really makes the music work. That makes you happy and everyone else happy too.

 

[Korladis]

I think that the OP coming to his question felt that a 4 string is not as useful as a 5. It is for some and for others not. Depends on the situation.

The above quote mentions cellos, violins.

The electric bass occupies a different space in that its job is to provide a further than acoustic frequency. Especially in recording production is a 5 string useful to add power of that lower than low frequency. Frequencies that are relegated to synths and organs. Hence in the context of song craft a 5 string has started to hold its own. It is meant to provide an addition to a whole. Many session bassists will have in their collection a 5 string.

People on TB often act as though to have a low B, you must own a 5-string. But that isn't true. I have three basses that have low B strings. And I don't own a 5-string.

 

[Slapndbayass]

People on TB often act as though to have a low B, you must own a 5-string. But that isn't true. I have three basses that have low B strings. And I don't own a 5-string.

Defintely food for thought. What gauge strings are you using?

 

[Korladis]

Defintely food for thought. What gauge strings are you using?

Same gauge as the bottom four of a five string set, or near enough. 130, 100, 80, 60. D'addarios nickel XLs.

Another thing I constantly see is people with 5s going on about how it's hard to find a "good low B string." Those basses are three different price points. They would have cost $200, $500, and $1500, new. All of them have B strings that sound great. Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

[Slapndbayass]

Another thing I constantly see is people with 5s going on about how it's hard to find a "good low B string." Maybe I'm just lucky.

I think this only forces string makers to come up with a solution for a better B string if that's possible. When we look at the evolvement of the extended bass designs to the Fender VI where the guitar and strings were not really a decisive direction (for bass) and something new, it took this long, since 1961, for this present genre of bass guitar to develop.

I'm using the DR Lo Riders 130 where the claim is the hexagon core makes for a stiffer string. Not many like the stainless wrap but then again it's really technique that gets the B string to react and behave. Basicaly this is all still evolving.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

I've never encountered a bad B-string before. What makes a B-string bad anyway?

I think if a 4-string player is not used to the thickness and slower vibration of a B-string, they might say it's bad.

Though it could just be an excuse some players use to avoid playing a fiver. I've seen some people say they can't find an amp that can handle the low B frequency

 

[topcat2069]

thanks for the replies, I'm thinking about my first 5, but it's pricey for me and I'm wondering if I should sell a 4 to help offset.

If you can afford it, keep the 4 string if you like it. I've made the mistake of getting rid of a 4 string Bass I liked to get a 5er only to realize that it would be better to have both. Regret tastes like crap.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Yes and no. If I have a gig that calls for low B and can only take one bass, then it does.

But if I don't need the B string, it's way easier to manage a 4 string. Al things equal it's smaller, lighter etc. and after playing a 5 for a while it feels like a toy so it's fun to go back to 4 string and get a little "hand heavy" with it, as my friend @rojo412 would say.

 

[Baird6869]

I am used to a 5er now after using them as my main basses for the last decade or so.

Even though I might only use the B string 25% of the time, it is a good thumbrest when I don't need it.

I will likely never sell my 1974 P and 1972 Jazz basses, but even though I still play them, I only bring 5ers to gigs.

To each their own

 

[two fingers]

Depends on the kind of musician you are. If you're the kind who has twelve basses, each with a particular specialized use for different kinds of songs, then I can well imagine some being 4s and some being 5s (and 6s and more). If you're the kind (like me) who has two 5er basses, your main player and a backup, then you probably have no need for a 4 on top of them.

This. Exactly this.

 

[chadds]

They sound different so that is enough. Say a P-bass 4 is a fave. It is a complete instrument that isn't missing a fifth string. It sounds and plays that way.

When I've needed either a five or four they come into my use because they play and sound sweet.

 

[Korladis]

I think this only forces string makers to come up with a solution for a better B string if that's possible. When we look at the evolvement of the extended bass designs to the Fender VI where the guitar and strings were not really a decisive direction (for bass) and something new, it took this long, since 1961, for this present genre of bass guitar to develop.

I'm using the DR Lo Riders 130 where the claim is the hexagon core makes for a stiffer string. Not many like the stainless wrap but then again it's really technique that gets the B string to react and behave. Basicaly this is all still evolving.

I don't really use any sort of different technique with my BEAD basses versus my EADG ones. I'm not sure why many on talkbass seem to think it's hard to find a low B that sounds good.

I've never encountered a bad B-string before. What makes a B-string bad anyway?

I think if a 4-string player is not used to the thickness and slower vibration of a B-string, they might say it's bad.

Though it could just be an excuse some players use to avoid playing a fiver. I've seen some people say they can't find an amp that can handle the low B frequency

I play only 4s. Three of mine have a low B string.

 

[jlepre]

I would say that it does replace your 4. I made the switch back in 1991, and I've never went back. Can I still PLAY a 4? Sure, but why would I if I have the versatility of the 5?

 

[Slapndbayass]

I'm not sure why many on talkbass seem to think it's hard to find a low B that sounds good.

There must be something they hear that's missing. Until someone hears the same thing that designs bass strings, we won't know. I would not have expected DR to use a hexagon core to stiffen strings nor wrapping strings under tension.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

I will be getting a 6-string soon, it will make my 5 redundant

 

[40Hz]

Can't speak for everyone, but I play a 4 completely differently than I do a 5. So there's room for both on my rack.

 

[Slapndbayass]

Can't speak for everyone, but I play a 4 completely differently than I do a 5. So there's room for both on my rack.

Actually this is the undeniable gist of it.

 

[hrodbert696]

This. Exactly this.

ha ha - except since I posted that, I've gone up to five basses - two fretted 5s, two fretted 4s, and a fretless acoustic 4. Oh, well. I love 'em all.

 

[tfer]

I've found that the problem with a B string, isn't the bass, it's the amplification.

Most cabs and amps can handle an E string, but the B string is a different beast.

With the proper equipment, I haven't heard a bad B string.