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Famous players that only use four string?

#21
David Pegg
Neil Murray
Willie Dixon
Tommy Shannon
Mick Karn
Glen Matlock
Jonas Hellborg

I've been playing hundreds of covers in various styles with a 4-string, for several decades, and never needed anything lower than the occasional detuned D.

I've owned a Fender 5-string since '95, but have rarely used it. It is a bit too heavy, and the neck is a bit too thick. Not really worth it for those three extra low notes.

But I appreciate that there are many out there that love their 5,6,7,8 strings. It is just not for me.
 
#22
I think ideally I'd have a really nice passive 4 string P bass, a really nice active 6 string and a really nice fretless 4 string jazz. In real terms maybe:

Pino Signature
Roscoe Century Signature 6
Jaco Signature

Now, to find $10,000 to realize my dream.
 
#25
earlofmar11 said:
I've been playing bass for about two years now (after more than 35 years of guitar) and only played 4 string basses until now. Recently I've been getting gas for a 5 string. So I'm trying to convince myself that I don't really need it. Restriction can be a good thing...

To support this, I've been thinking that there must be quite some famous bass players that stick to 4 string basses. I may be mistaken, but I think that some of my favourite players never use anything else: people like Chris Squire, Mike Rutherford, Geddy Lee or Pete Trewavas...

Is this correct? Do you know other famous examples (speaking of course of the time since 5 string basses are widely used)?
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Why don't you just try one and see if you like it. To convince yourself you don't need one because alot of famous people don't play one is pretty silly to me. If we were to list a bunch that do play a 5-string, would you then have to get one?
 
#27
I love 4 strings had a 5 for several years and sold it but recently have been thinking about getting one again to add a high c instead of low b as I would get a ton of use outa that in my band.... It's original and I play lead alot for what it's worth I can certainly understand the worth of a 5er in covers and even slap bass
 
#28
therhodeo said:
Plenty of stuff requires notes below D. Even modern country. That may not be the case IYE but I would say that that has more to do with the breadth of your experience and less to do with what reality actually is.



And as a "mature" player who also sings alot (lead and BGV's) that "rationalization" is quite valid as I see no need to jump all over the fretboard to play stuff on a 4 when I could be in one position on a 5.



And yes I own both 4's and 5's. And if I don't know the set before hand or need to be flexible or need to sing I'm taking a 5.
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Out of curiosity, please reference the mainstream covers one would be likely to encounter in a club cover band with required notes below D. Thanks

As to my experience, thanks for the slag.

I can guarantee you that there are plenty of bass parts a player may/will run into especially those written in horn keys that require facility with position shifts. You may deny this but it is fact
 
#29
bucephylus said:
Out of curiosity, please reference the mainstream covers one would be likely to encounter in a club cover band with required notes below D. Thanks

As to my experience, thanks for the slag.

I can guarantee you that there are plenty of bass parts a player may/will run into especially those written in horn keys that require facility with position shifts. You may deny this but it is fact
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Off the top of my head I'll say that alot of Jason Aldean stuff that I've had the displeasure of playing is in C#.

Not a slag on your experience. A slag on you thinking that your experience is the rule all over.

I don't disagree with that at all. That doesn't mean that it doesn't lessen that by having a 5th string.
 
#30
therhodeo said:
Off the top of my head I'll say that alot of Jason Aldean stuff that I've had the displeasure of playing is in C#.

Not a slag on your experience. A slag on you thinking that your experience is the rule all over.

I don't disagree with that at all. That doesn't mean that it doesn't lessen that by having a 5th string.
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Missed the part where I either said or inferred that my experience is the rule over all. Quite the contrary. Always looking for new information.

I have only covered Johnny Cash and Hicktown, but don't recall needing the C# for either. However, not an expert on that band and don't doubt the bass parts might include the C# as you are saying. I just haven't run into the gig requiring it. And, yes, that is with my "limited" experience.

And, quite right, you can still perform position shifts on the 5. All I meant is that the 5th string doesn't solve that part of the problem for me. That's all.
 
#33
Corevalay said:
Why don't you just try one and see if you like it. To convince yourself you don't need one because a lot of famous people don't play one is pretty silly to me. If we were to list a bunch that do play a 5-string, would you then have to get one?
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My point is that I'm actually tempted to try one, but that maybe I should wait until I've exhausted the possibilities that 4 strings offer. When I'm asking about famous players I mean that if these people can get so much more out of their instruments than I can at this point, it may be better for me to keep working on expanding my skills on the instruments I have now, rather than introduce one more variable...

And of course, it saves me the cash ;)
 
#34
earlofmar11 said:
My point is that I'm actually tempted to try one, but that maybe I should wait until I've exhausted the possibilities that 4 strings offer. When I'm asking about famous players I mean that if these people can get so much more out of their instruments than I can at this point, it may be better for me to keep working on expanding my skills on the instruments I have now, rather than introduce one more variable...

And of course, it saves me the cash ;)
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If you wait until you've exhausted the possibilities of 4 strings, you'll never get a 5. I'm pretty sure I'll never get perfect on just one string!

The best justification for a 5 string is that you just want one. You may like it, you may not - but don't wait until you're 'good enough' on 4.
 
#36
John Paul Jones.

I actually played one early on after I'd been playing bass for about a year. I used the low B quite a lot. I moved back to 4 string though and only drop down to D for one song in one band, and I go down to B with an octave pedal in 2 other songs in a different band.

I don't miss it. Not to say it wouldn't be good for you though. I actually play a lot more of my songs between the 5th and 12th frets and beyond but when I started I was always between the open strings and the 5th fret and always wanted to go lower.
 
#37
bassteban said:
Disagree. Assuming for the sake of argument we are talking EADG tuning on a four, and no detuner, hit a low B, C, C#, D or D# on one. Slap in any of these keys.
Some basses can absolutely do things others cannot.
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Um...if you can't slap in the key of B, C, C#, D or D# on a 4-string bass tuned EADG, that's the musician's fault, not the instrument's.
 
#39
Me she'll Ndegeocello, Tal Wilkenfeld, Esperanza Spalding, Gene Simmons, Stanley Clarke, John Taylor.
WAY too many to list.
I sometimes think the same thing. And I own only a 5, but to be completely honest, the low B is pretty much a thumb rest at this point.
 

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