High C Musing

[-Asdfgh-]

A year or so ago, one of John Giblin's fretless basses came up for sale. He played with various people, but this bass appeared in the video to Love and Anger by Kate Bush. This was slightly before Bush was thrust back into the limelight. I was tempted but ultimately passed as it said high action and could I fix that? Unknown. But it was a five string, and I was thinking about trying a fiver again. But then I realised that probably what I would have ended up doing is getting fed up with BEADG and restringing it to EADGC to make some of the Eberhard Weber lines on various Kate Bush albums easier to play. The irony. Like rain on your wedding day, if slightly more in tune, I'd hope.

Anyway, I'm still on four strings, with a tinge of regret.

 

[Dlew919]

Be patient. The 5 string bass that is yours will appear.

 

[chris_b]

If you are waiting for a reason to play 5 sting basses you could be waiting forever.

Make a decision and make it happen. Then work at it, seriously and diligently, and you'll look back and wonder why you left it so long.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I'm not looking to get a five string - it was a passing fantasy. It was supposed to be an amusing anecdote about one owned by a fretless player for an artist when my ideal would be one for a fretless player on the same album, different tuning.

 

[bassbrad]

Having a Hi C string opens up possibilities if you like or need extended higher range lines, chords or soloing. I keep two of my Five strings with a Hi C a Gibson EB14 and an Aslin Dane tuned DADGC. To me it makes equal sense when many keep a bass in D standard or BEAD, I have basses in those tunings as well in the bass barn.