Five- or Six-String Players: How much would you miss your low B, really?

[alaskaleftybass]

I play mostly 80's rock so rarely miss the 5th string. I've been playing some Garth Brooks lately and that requires a 5th string. I kinda think I'll try a drop tuner on the E string first. I have been eyeing the new lefty SR505 but I have a new (old) SR1200 hippie sandwich 4 string come in this week that's absolutely gorgeous and I think I'll have a honeymoon with that for quite a while first. No one's really doing bar gigs anyway (not in Alaska).

 

[smart51]

I've changed the way I play, so rather than play and open E string, I play a fretted E on the B string. And rather than play and open A, I play a fretted A on the E string. My left hand is further up the neck, so jumps to higher notes are not as far. I find that I struggle with songs I learned on a 5 string if I have to play them on a 4.

 

[Nuage420]

Good thread, I'm looking at moving up to a 6 string from 4 and skipping 5 all together. I'm a long time noodler but only recently started studying. I want to master theory and do everything from rhythms to solo. I figure why not just get the 6, even if I'm mostly playing the middle 4 of I'm feeling it and wanna keep going one way or another it'll be there.

 

[Silthis89]

I would miss it alot. I switched to 5 strings very quickly after picking up the bass and continue to be the only basses I buy. From experience though I have a semi regular jam at my friends house and I use his gear because i'm lazy which includes a 4 string bass. No 5ers'. Everytime I find myself reaching for notes that aren't there. Can I play a 4 string? Sure! Do i prefer playing a 5er and would I miss it if i didn't? Defintely!

But as always it's not about me but about you and the music you play, the way you play and what brings you joy. If the extra strings aren't getting any mileage and you aren't interested in adjusting your technique to make the most of the extra strings then sell them and enjoy playing the 4's. It's only music man, do what you love.

 

[aledeville]

Not one of our songs could be played with standard tuning. Therefore, I'd miss it quite a bit

 

[nilorius]

I play 5 string fretless, with B as a 5th. If it wouldn't there i would miss it much, i play it very often and i think the sound comming out from it is good hearable for listeners.

 

[Volker Kirstein]

... how often do you use your low B strings? Would you miss them if you were forced to play four string basses? What genre do you mostly play?

When I had a 5, I used all 5.

Nowadays, I only have 4-bangers in various tunings. Whatever the tuning on the bass, I use the bottom/top strings as often as I do the others. I even find excuses to go to the bottom end on my BEAD... for example "blues in E", and go to the low B for the turnaround.

I don't "know" my scales, nor can I name the notes on my fretboard above the 7th fret without some thought. I know where my primary roots, are, tho, and what's what "in the money." I visualize my fretboard as boxes and triangles. Playing a bass is almost like playing Tetris for me... I'm making the boxes that drop down into the music.

I mostly play blues, blues rock, punk, and classic/hard rock.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I mainly play six string basses now, but I find myself almost never using the low B or high C strings. Since I don't really use them that much, I'm thinking about selling my sixes and replacing them with some four-strings. I know the old thing about Jaco only needing four strings, but I'm not Jaco and neither are most of you. So those of you who consider yourselves five or six (or more) string players, how often do you use your low B strings? Would you miss them if you were forced to play four string basses? What genre do you mostly play?

I will never understand why so many buy ERB and then find they have no use for the expanded range.
Don't you know if the music you play drops down below E?
Don't you aspire to play way up in "the ionosphere"?

 

[Diminishedfilth]

I went 7 years without, between my first one and my current 5-string, so I could probably cope.
I became pretty quick at dropping the E string to D between songs, but letting the open low B string ring out, feels like it’s giving you an extra testicle (paraphrasing a quote from Greg Lake).

 

[EchoEcho]

Well I play a 4 and 5, the latter being bought recently to try out a fretless and a 5 string to see what they're all about. I don't think I will be using the low B - I've not warmed to the tone, and when played normally(ie not scales and stuff) it flops and flubs and clanks and clunks to verify its existence - so I just use it as a thumb rest when I'm playing the E string, and even then it gets in the way.

If I decide to continue with a fretless, eventually I'm going to ditch the 5 string anvil and replace with a lighter 4 as the spacing continues to feel as alien as it did on the guitar (so it's not something that I will ever "get used to". The string spacing issue is much of the reason why I switched away from guitar).

And then there's extra string costs, extra weight, and less choice. If you know your fretboard, I don't really see any true advantage of playing up rather rather than along which everyone touts.

The 4 string feels like a sportscar and the 5 feels like a tank with a 1 wheel trailer.

 

[Chickenwheels]

It’s all good. I own 4 four strings and one 5. I like the 5 string though.
Also, a lot of music (almost) needs it now. Some scores I’ve been given actually have “5 string bass” headed on them, so it’s good to have it. Saves on transposing and bluffing the lower notes.

 

[Graham Long]

I mainly play six string basses now, but I find myself almost never using the low B or high C strings. Since I don't really use them that much, I'm thinking about selling my sixes and replacing them with some four-strings. I know the old thing about Jaco only needing four strings, but I'm not Jaco and neither are most of you. So those of you who consider yourselves five or six (or more) string players, how often do you use your low B strings? Would you miss them if you were forced to play four string basses? What genre do you mostly play?

 

[The_Owl]

I mainly play six string basses now, but I find myself almost never using the low B or high C strings. Since I don't really use them that much, I'm thinking about selling my sixes and replacing them with some four-strings. I know the old thing about Jaco only needing four strings, but I'm not Jaco and neither are most of you. So those of you who consider yourselves five or six (or more) string players, how often do you use your low B strings? Would you miss them if you were forced to play four string basses? What genre do you mostly play?

I literally couldn't live without a low B-string, personally. I've been playing fives for so long, it feels weird not having a B-string. I've owned 6-strings, too, but I found that I rarely used the C-string. Five strings is where it's at for me, personally. I play in a band with acoustic guitar and piano, which leaves a lot of sonic space for me to cover, so having a low B-string means I can fill out the band's sound much better.

 

[chris_b]

I've player 5 for the past 25 years so I'm sure I would miss my low b string. However, the classic R&R I play today doesn't need a low b at all.

I'm not disagreeing, but just a thought.

IMO it's a B string. Just thinking about the B string in terms of low notes is missing the point. I often play classic R&R and I use the B string all the time. The E, F, G all sound great.

 

[Persona87]

I will never understand why so many buy ERB and then find they have no use for the expanded range.
Don't you know if the music you play drops down below E?
Don't you aspire to play way up in "the ionosphere"?

Really? You can’t imagine that someone has an idol on a six string and hope to be like them one day? Or that someone wants to do solo/chordal stuff, but finds that they enjoy playing that kind of stuff more on guitar? Or that the group they join doesn’t need that extra range? Or that sometimes expectations just don’t live up to their reality? Or that people’s styles change over time? There are plenty of reasons why a person might buy a bass that doesn’t work out for them, regardless of the number of strings.

 

[Flatwound]

Hey, if I’m getting rid of the B, I might as well get rid of the G too. These look nice.

 

[eddododo]

At this point, I find myself switching between configurations as a method of breaking habits / refreshing the creative juices. There are definitely some gigs that need the symphonic authority of an extended range bass, and some gigs that necessitate the approach and reserve of a 4-banger.

if you told me I COULDN’T use a low B anymore, I’d be pretty annoyed but I’d certainly survive.

genre data- on my own time, it’s gonna m a lot of music that come ‘from’ the jazz tradition and language, as well as hip hop, any groove music across the board, and a lot of punk and post-punk music. I do a ‘lot’ of session work for any genre, and I specialize as a last minute sub for ANY gig.

 

[booch29]

I had a five string once...I don’t miss or need the B string at all. what I will say is; I do miss the feel of a 5 string! It has a certain feel,as if i’m some kind of a hip hop or gospel player.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I mainly play six string basses now, but I find myself almost never using the low B or high C strings. Since I don't really use them that much, I'm thinking about selling my sixes and replacing them with some four-strings. I know the old thing about Jaco only needing four strings, but I'm not Jaco and neither are most of you. So those of you who consider yourselves five or six (or more) string players, how often do you use your low B strings? Would you miss them if you were forced to play four string basses? What genre do you mostly play?

I’m definitely not the second coming of Jaco, but as a commercial bassist, if you are playing music written after 1980, more than likely you are going to be playing songs that will require that lower 5th range.

Your choices are down tune to it, BEAD it ( but you lose the upper 5th range which is still required by commercial music today), or a 5 or 6 string.

Keep in mind, just because you aren’t using that lower 5th range now, does not mean you won’t forever. Keep the bass.

 

[31HZ]

When one can approach a low E from only one direction, one's options become limited.