How important it is to have 24 frets?

[DangYankee]

Me neither. I don't think there's anything I play above the 9th fret.

Dang... Ive got some songs where I dont go BELOW the 9th fret.

 

[nilorius]

If you have Fender P-bass with 24 frets and 4 strings then you have everything all right. Stay in tune.

 

[nonohmic]

I like having one of each.

 

[ifrisbee]

"Money is in the first 5 frets".

almost - there is that one passage of "Money" by Pink Floyd that goes up to the 10th fret.

Q E E q Q Q Q Q Q E E q Q Q Q Q
|----4------------------|----4--------------------|
|------4-------------0--|------4-------------0----|
|-2------2-----0--2-----|-2------2-----0--2-------|
|-----------2-----------|-----------2-------------|


Q E E q Q Q Q Q Q E E q Q Q Q Q
|----9--------------------|----9--------------------|
|------9------------------|------9------------------|
|-7------7---------7--10--|-7------7---------7--10--|
|-----------7--10---------|-----------7--10---------|


Q E E q Q Q Q Q Q E E q Q Q Q Q
|----9--------------------|----9----------------------|
|------9------------------|------9--------------------|
|-7------7---------7--10--|-7------7---------7--10----|
|-----------7--10---------|-----------7--10-----------|

 

[MtManiac]

I ask for my Fender P-Bass is a 24 fret bass and we have at least one song where I use all 24 frets.

Which has got me thinking:

1. How many if much songs require you to have 24 frets?
2. Should I just go with the 5 string?
3. if I do #2 wouldn't having a 4 string and a 5 string make things complicated.

I am more stuck on the importance on having 24 frets.

It's 3-4 notes more than the usual bass offers. It's 3-4 notes that don't exist in most recorded bass lines. It's also 3-4 notes higher than the 24 or so that are immediately lower, which are also not present in most recorded bass lines.

Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" is the only bass line *I* would ever play that uses the highest note on a standard P or J bass. So for me, 24 frets is of zero importance.

 

[pbassnut]

I'm a roots music player for the most part and subscribe to the saying "there's no money above the 12th fret".

 

[MoeTown1986]

According to my guitarist a bass should only be 12 frets and 3 strings. No G necessary.

 

[fingerguy]

I can't be the only one on TB wondering what song you play that requires you to use all 24 frets! the suspence is killing me ! Wish song ?

Name escapes me. Will have to look at my music sheets but it's in there.

 

[MtManiac]

According to my guitarist a bass should only be 12 frets and 3 strings. No G necessary.

Good thing he's not the boss of me.

The higher up the neck you play on the E and A strings, the fatter the sound. I wonder how he'd respond to someone saying guitars should never downtune, at all, or play any notes below the 5th fret on the A string?

 

[MtManiac]

almost - there is that one passage of "Money" by Pink Floyd that goes up to the 10th fret.

Q E E q Q Q Q Q Q E E q Q Q Q Q
|----4------------------|----4--------------------|
|------4-------------0--|------4-------------0----|
|-2------2-----0--2-----|-2------2-----0--2-------|
|-----------2-----------|-----------2-------------|


Q E E q Q Q Q Q Q E E q Q Q Q Q
|----9--------------------|----9--------------------|
|------9------------------|------9------------------|
|-7------7---------7--10--|-7------7---------7--10--|
|-----------7--10---------|-----------7--10---------|


Q E E q Q Q Q Q Q E E q Q Q Q Q
|----9--------------------|----9----------------------|
|------9------------------|------9--------------------|
|-7------7---------7--10--|-7------7---------7--10----|
|-----------7--10---------|-----------7--10-----------|

Geezer and Geddy are also all over the neck all the time.

 

[MoeTown1986]

Good thing he's not the boss of me.

The higher up the neck you play on the E and A strings, the fatter the sound. I wonder how he'd respond to someone saying guitars should never downtune, at all, or play any notes below the 5th fret on the A string?

He wasn't serious. It's kinda like an ongoing joke between us. I play 21 and 22 fret 5 string jazzes and he likes to give me a hard time. Always tells me I have 2 too many strings. And 10 too many frets.

 

[fingerguy]

That's ironic, just recently been working on "Money".

 

[micguy]

I need to have frets above the 14th so the strings have something to bounce off of when I dig in. As far as playing notes up there, doesn't happen very often. And, of course, I do a gig now and then with zero frets.

 

[MtManiac]

He wasn't serious. It's kinda like an ongoing joke between us. I play 21 and 22 fret 5 string jazzes and he likes to give me a hard time. Always tells me I have 2 too many strings. And 10 too many frets.

Might be fun to show up with wire cutters and cut off his E and A strings next time.

 

[lfmn16]

It's only important if you need them. How are other people supposed to judge what YOU need???

 

[Altitude]

Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" is the only bass line *I* would ever play that uses the highest note on a standard P or J bass. So for me, 24 frets is of zero importance.

This is a ridiculous thread IMO, but I thought of that song immediately too. Though - I _think_ I play that correctly and I only get up to the 20th fret. Do standard Fenders only have 20, or 21?

 

[MtManiac]

This is a ridiculous thread IMO, but I thought of that song immediately too. Though - I _think_ I play that correctly and I only get up to the 20th fret. Do standard Fenders only have 20, or 21?

20! You're safe.

 

[MtManiac]

 

[Waytootrue]

To my mind, any note above the twelfth fret just sounds dry and thin to where if I'm not just screwing around I won't use it. I say that but...

 

[Barticus]

I own 1 bass with less than 24 frets... It's the one that I 'must own' due to bassist peer pressure an American Deluxe Precision (you must own a P bass, right?)... It is also the one bass that never gets played due to less than 2 octaves. Looks great in the rack and I can say that I own the obligatory P.

So I think it really depends on the type of music you're playing - and sometimes more than 9 frets are useful. LOL