How many 5 string players actually use the B?

[bluesblaster]

I'll take the money, you can have your B string. I never used it enough to make it worth having, sure I used it but I can live without it no problem-o, so about that cash.

I was drop D tuning years before they invented a thingy to make it quicker. So its not like I'm anti contra bass note.

I just don't play the kind of music that requires a B, and if I do its a drop tuning............works for me. Your results may vary

 

[Munjibunga]

I use the B string all the time and occasionally even play a low B.

 

[chris_b]

I don't understand the fascination some other players have with B strings.

For me the 5 string bass is a very flexible instrument but I'm always and only ever playing the notes that are required by the song or the arrangement.

So if I was playing a number that didn't need a note on the B string I wouldn't play it. Same happens with the G and any of the other strings. I can play that Duck Dunn or Nathan East part as written or I can totally alter the emphasis of my playing with the extra options provided by an extended range instrument. Choices, choices!

As always, play the instrument that is comfortable and makes you happy, but believe me, there are no downsides to playing a 5 string bass.

 

[bucephylus]

I find a lot of current covers have lines that go down there. A couple off the top of my head are Slither, Big Girls Don't Cry, etc etc. In fact, I find it quite common. If you are playing all original music or 80's and earlier, then, no, you can do just fine on a 4. More recent stuff really calls for it. IME.

Interesting seeing an older thread and observing the changes in culture that are going on.

Guess my comment for the moment is that the B string utility has more gone in a somewhat genre differentiated direction. Modern Country, for example, is making common use of the lower register. The current Top 40 fare only has bits and pieces here and there, much of which can be covered with a 4 with the HipShot. I'm playing 4's a lot, but have the B string instrument around if a gig requires it. Agree with @chris_b that I prefer to play what's needed vs playing something because I have it.

 

[stevieg]

I have a fretless Carbon 5-string with "C" as the first string and a fretless Rob Allen MB-2 with "B" as the fifth string. I use both.

 

[Munjibunga]

I don't understand the fascination some other players have with B strings.

For me the 5 string bass is a very flexible instrument but I'm always and only ever playing the notes that are required by the song or the arrangement.

So if I was playing a number that didn't need a note on the B string I wouldn't play it. Same happens with the G and any of the other strings. I can play that Duck Dunn or Nathan East part as written or I can totally alter the emphasis of my playing with the extra options provided by an extended range instrument. Choices, choices!

As always, play the instrument that is comfortable and makes you happy, but believe me, there are no downsides to playing a 5 string bass.

I don't remember ever seeing Nate play a 4-string, except maybe an ABG with Clapton.

 

[chris_b]

I don't remember ever seeing Nate play a 4-string, except maybe an ABG with Clapton.

I'm not saying he did.

I was just giving a couple of examples where my 5 string bass would cover anything and everything that I needed to play, no matter what the original was played on.

 

[mesaplayer83]

Interesting seeing an older thread and observing the changes in culture that are going on.

Guess my comment for the moment is that the B string utility has more gone in a somewhat genre differentiated direction. Modern Country, for example, is making common use of the lower register. The current Top 40 fare only has bits and pieces here and there, much of which can be covered with a 4 with the HipShot. I'm playing 4's a lot, but have the B string instrument around if a gig requires it. Agree with @chris_b that I prefer to play what's needed vs playing something because I have it.

Totally agree with all of the above - if I'm playing modern country or modern rock, I'll definitely have a 5 string with me...if I'm playing classic rock or blues, probably not...

 

[stevieg]

I have a fretless Carbon 5-string with "C" as the first string and a fretless Rob Allen MB-2 with "B" as the fifth string. I use both.

Just noticed...that should be Carvin, not Carbon.

 

[maverick]

I wondered how often I would use the b when I first messed with a 5 but now I wouldn’t be without it. For me it’s not about the low tones but finding it easier to reach notes without over stretching so less likley to make mistakes making my lines much more fluid.

 

[Nephilymbass]

On many of the bass videos on Youtube that I've watched in which the player has a 5 string, the B string remains largely unused. So that made me wonder, how many of you 5 string players use the low B often (when writing basslines etc)?

I use the low b string a lot. It’s mainly because with my originals band our guitarists 6 strings are tuned bf#beg#c# and 7 string is aeadgbe. It’s a must have for the choruses of most of our songs. I do try to get away from it some on the verses so the bass isn’t so monotonous though. On this song the low b is just a thumb rest during the verse but I do play the low D and low C a lot during the other parts. Main progression is F, D,C, Bb.



For my acoustic gig I rarely use it but that’s mainly with standard tuned guitars and a lot of covers. I do occasionally play notes an octave down from what they were originally. Like on my hero by the foo fighters Every once in a while I’ll play the c# an octave lower on the low b string for fun. But that song is the verse is literally only Open E and c# and it gets kind of boring to play it straight up.

 

[bucephylus]

Interesting seeing an older thread and observing the changes in culture that are going on.

Guess my comment for the moment is that the B string utility has more gone in a somewhat genre differentiated direction. Modern Country, for example, is making common use of the lower register. The current Top 40 fare only has bits and pieces here and there, much of which can be covered with a 4 with the HipShot. I'm playing 4's a lot, but have the B string instrument around if a gig requires it. Agree with @chris_b that I prefer to play what's needed vs playing something because I have it.

Just to show how things change, my main cover gig recently decided to start doing Can’t Hurry Love in Ab. Which is one of those transpositions that you literally can not do on the detuned 4. So, every gig that has that tune is getting the 5 for me now. And, since I have the 5 anyhow, I’m using the B for those tunes where it was originally intended. Like Another One Bites the Dust. Etc. still rather be playing the 4 for cover work, but nice to have the 5 when it is needed.

 

[Big Shrek]

Interesting seeing an older thread and observing the changes in culture that are going on.

Guess my comment for the moment is that the B string utility has more gone in a somewhat genre differentiated direction. Modern Country, for example, is making common use of the lower register. The current Top 40 fare only has bits and pieces here and there, much of which can be covered with a 4 with the HipShot. I'm playing 4's a lot, but have the B string instrument around if a gig requires it. Agree with @chris_b that I prefer to play what's needed vs playing something because I have it.

Agree, and I'll toss in, take a look at Billy Sheehan's gear...not a 5 in there...
4's & 6's aplenty, not to mention all the guitars as well...
But there's a reason for that, he's as good on a guitar as he is on a Bass.
A good guitar player can transition easily over to a 6-string bass and really
make it go bananas, especially if they paid attention to how Billy Gibbons plays!
In fact, kinda makes me wonder why he even bothers with a 4??
Because really, when you can do what he can do with a 6, why even own a 4??

 

[iriegnome]

I use the B string all the time and occasionally even play a low B.

EXACTLY!!!

 

[SteveC]

Totally agree with all of the above - if I'm playing modern country or modern rock, I'll definitely have a 5 string with me...if I'm playing classic rock or blues, probably not...

I've never understood this logic. I mean, I get that there's a certain "feel" to a 4 string neck compared to a 5 string, and that maybe it just "feels" better to play classic rock or blues on a 4 string. But if you are a 5 string player (as I have been for a long time now) and play a 5 string for other genres of music, why not just play your 5 string and not use the B string if yo don't need/want to. I do that all the time. If it isn't appropriate or tasty I don't use the B string. Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it. Just like having 24 frets. I play a 24 fret 5 string not because I always need it, but when I do, it's there. If I have a 4, I don't have that option.

I have tried to go back to a 4 string, with really nice basses - Sadowsky, Fender, etc. Yet, in the end, it seems like I always go back to my 5 string. Sudden transposition requests, low notes, position possibilities, etc. all keep me on a 5 string. That and the fact that my 5 string is a really nice bass with a great neck, tonal variation and great looks.

I still have an inner discussion (that sometimes spills out here) with myself about "simplifying" my playing and gear. Sell all the fancy stuff, get a passive, 20 fret, 4 string bass and deal with playing things up an octave, down an octave, whatever. After all, "insert name here" has done it that way, most bass players do it that way. Those of us on TB that have all the fance gear are like 1/10th of 1% of all bass players.

Here I go again...

 

[CapnSev]

I still have an inner discussion (that sometimes spills out here) with myself about "simplifying" my playing and gear. Sell all the fancy stuff, get a passive, 20 fret, 4 string bass and deal with playing things up an octave, down an octave, whatever. After all, "insert name here" has done it that way, most bass players do it that way. Those of us on TB that have all the fance gear are like 1/10th of 1% of all bass players.

Here I go again...

Don’t do it. I had the same inner discussion years ago, and listened to the voice that said: “Go back to 4; all the cool kids are doing it.”

I’ve been playing a 4 for several years now and I miss the 5 terribly. The only reason I haven’t gone back to 5, is I’m holding out for the right one again.

 

[SteveC]

Don’t do it. I had the same inner discussion years ago, and listened to the voice that said: “Go back to 4; all the cool kids are doing it.”

I’ve been playing a 4 for several years now and I miss the 5 terribly. The only reason I haven’t gone back to 5, is I’m holding out for the right one again.

My wife will not let me sell my current bass. She may let me add a bass as I keep talking about getting a simple P bass, but not at the expense of my Roscoe 5. She loves the bass sound when Pino is playing with John Meyer for example, so she gets it that I may want to try one. Except I have tried a P a couple times in the past and it never stuck so she's like why try again? Maybe true, although I didn't give it much time either. That was back in the day when I'd sell a bass when it was still in transit to me.

 

[mesaplayer83]

I've never understood this logic. I mean, I get that there's a certain "feel" to a 4 string neck compared to a 5 string, and that maybe it just "feels" better to play classic rock or blues on a 4 string. But if you are a 5 string player (as I have been for a long time now) and play a 5 string for other genres of music, why not just play your 5 string and not use the B string if yo don't need/want to.

Simple - if I'm playing classic rock or blues, and I know I won't go below E standard all night, why would I bring a 5 string for that? - considering that 5ers typically weigh more than 4s, have a wider neck that certainly doesn't make playing any easier, and leaves me to mute the B string all night, when I wouldn't have to on a 4 string... Then, there's the look of a 4 string P bass for that sort of gig - in short, *to me* it doesn't make any sense whatsoever to use a 5er for a gig like that when a 4 string is more appropriate and more suitable for the job... Lastly, I have some really nice 4 strings that are definite keepers, long term - why wouldn't I take them out for gigs like those?

No disrespect intended, but I've seen you vacillate *a few* times regarding gear choices - and to be frank, I don't place much stock on your opinion on this subject, as you've proven to be very fickle on matters like these...

In short - this working bassist brings the right tool for the job(4 or 5), and finds it difficult to see how anyone could find fault with such an approach...

 

[mikeswals]

I use it all the time. We cover dance music which is largely low synth bass lines which tons of them are done in Eb, as well as C, C#, and B.

 

[Lownote38]

I use the B string all the time, and not just to play lower notes than E. It's about minimizing position shifts while playing. I've been playing 5 strings for over 20 years, and I feel like it would be pretty stupid to do so if I didn't use that string regularly.