The GC in my town didn't have a single 5 string this morning. I rarely ever see a 5'er in the bar scene here. The GC correlation may have a role in it.
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Four bangers on the decline?
- Thread starter Kwesi
- Start date
I know this will be heresy to some, and many will vehemently disagree, but I have yet to play any 5-string (regardless of price) that can maintain the amount of note clarity that I desire when playing the B-string. This includes the 5ers that I have built for customers, although they were thrilled with the product. It's just the nature of the beast with notes that low. I know some guys love the 5 sound, but to my ears the B gets lost in the mix too easily. It becomes a generic low rumble that steps all over the kick drum.
Of course this doesn't apply to bridge-pickup only basses, as I do not touch those. My hand and arm just can't cope with the ergonomics of playing down there.
Of course this doesn't apply to bridge-pickup only basses, as I do not touch those. My hand and arm just can't cope with the ergonomics of playing down there.
Count me in vehement disagreement. I was just sent this very live video today. The audio was captured with an ambient mic, but even so my low C (we're detuned a half-step) comes through fine when I hit it properly. And I'm not going through the PA -- the sound of my bass comes exclusively from my Berg NV610, a sealed array of 10".
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I disagree with Mr. Atkinson as well.
My Dingwall's low B is just as usable as the low E. More often it's an issue of the speaker cab's response than anything else.
My Dingwall's low B is just as usable as the low E. More often it's an issue of the speaker cab's response than anything else.
Forgive me, I forgot to add a HUGE caveat. I never play anything with a bridge pickup only. I've tried, and it simply doesn't work for me. My arm doesn't feel comfortable down there.
I'll fix my post now...
Fair enough, Dan. Actually, I'm a huge P-bass guy too (the white one is an exception; it was ordered to deliver a Stingray vibe that I also like).
My current P-basses (Sadowsky) have no J pickup. I'll try to get some live video of one... the low notes might surprise you. Oh... I just remembered this Ed Friedland video, where he discusses the B string on the passive American Standard P5. The B and E sound pretty good there, but IMHO they sound even better on my Sadowsky P5s.
All that said, I agree that it's easier to get B string definition/clarity on from a bass with a bridge pickup... it's probably the main reason why P-only five strings can be so damned hard to find (kudos to Fender for helping to remedy this).
I've had good sounding B's and amps and PA's, I'm just not using it like I used to. Still, I am tor when looking for my next last bass as to if it should be a 4 or a 5. Some days I'm convinced I only NEED 4, but that B can come in handy - not for low notes so much as an alternate position option.
It's definitely trickier to get a great sounding B(besides personal taste), but it's possible, and nowhere near as hard as some give credit.
Of course, some of us like to tune our 5er's up rather than down!
Of course, some of us like to tune our 5er's up rather than down!
I've always been and always will be a 4 banger club member... the only reason I'd use a 5 is for a different position... Eb and lower are just nasty sounding to me.... granted tension/ good amp/electronics can clear it up, live it usually ends up sounding like mud to me, could just be sound engineers fail at B strings... who knows lol
It's definitely trickier to get a great sounding B(besides personal taste), but it's possible, and nowhere near as hard as some give credit.
Of course, some of us like to tune our 5er's up rather than down!
I can see doing this with a 5 as well =D
-=DanAtkinson=- said:
dan, do you mean you only play directly over the pickup and don't like your plucking hand that far near the bridge?
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If you want to hear a clear and very present in the mix low B, most of Anthony Jackson's work over the past decade would exemplify it.
Not saying its impossible to get a good sound...but here lately I've noticed a lot of people skimping on the work to make it sound good... some as far as to say that I get better bass definition from rubbing a kittens belly....
I'd love to get a 5'er one day and all that.... but I'll be happy with my 3 (or more who knows) 4 bangers for a while
I'd love to get a 5'er one day and all that.... but I'll be happy with my 3 (or more who knows) 4 bangers for a while
I've heard good B strings before on several basses including my Ric that I use in a hip hop band from time to time. Lots of clarity and presence there. But I can still sympathize with Dan's point about how it sounds. By and large I don't feel I need a B string whatsoever so I may as well stick with the traditional 4-banger.
I've found it much harder to find a crappy sounding low B than a good sounding one. Then again, I only like playing nice basses 
.
In all seriousness though, I've never played a bass that was just awesome except for the B string.
.In all seriousness though, I've never played a bass that was just awesome except for the B string.
Exactly. I've really tried to get proficient at playing over the bridge pickup, because I like that tone for certain pieces, but it just feels...wrong. And I can't play as cleanly as I want.
Most people would probably think I do it fine, but I'm my worst critic, and I'm super picky about clean playing.
Everyone keeps talking about the low B. I have a low B. I only play 4 string basses. I dont use a G string as they usually get buried in the mix.
I guess the term "usually" is relative to the type of music you listen to. That said I can't say I've noticed the G string getting any more buried than the rest of the bass in any of what I've listened to and I listen to a lot of music.
oddly enough, I have a pair of 5-string basses on order and am contemplating switching one or both to 4-strings. While I miss the B-string on occasion, I seem to in general be having more fun on the 4, and also am playing a bigger pocket. I know most (all?) of that is psychological, but the instrument ergos do influence the lines.
