I did a bad thing last night...

[Big Hoss]

I'm a true 4 string guy but you gotta do what works for you.

Oh I am not likely to go 5 string full time any time soon, but it sure was fun thumping away at that B string!

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

So now your are strung out on B strings?
There must be a counseling agency for that type of addiction somewhere.

 

[tedious1]

I expected a story about doing too much cocaine and Jack and ending up in a hotel with 3 strippers... I give this story a 2/10

Dude, patience, he was just noodling around on the 5 string. The 'Hookers and Blow' stories won't come until after he gigs that thang.

 

[Big Hoss]

So now your are strung out on B strings?
There must be a counseling agency for that type of addiction somewhere.

It's called Talkbass....

 

[Big Hoss]

Dude, patience, he was just noodling around on the 5 string. The 'Hookers and Blow' stories won't come until after he gigs that thang.

At my age, it's more like...


And the hangovers hurt more than they used to...

 

[Shortie]

Or a drummer that can't keep time...

Ultimate Hell for a Bass Player: Forever locked in a room with a drummer that can't keep time:

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Shortie]

What is this..."5 string" you speak of?????

It works like this: They attach a B string below the E - that makes the instrument thick and heavy, but it's more macho. The intonation on the B string is generally off and changes the dynamics of the neck, but you don't have to worry about that too much because the pitch is so low, nobody can tell. The 5 string is mostly for people who don't want to learn first position on a 4.

Flame away...

 

[tedious1]

At my age, it's more like...


And the hangovers hurt more than they used to...

LOL, but 'Hookers and Geritol' just doesn't have the same ring to it...

Maybe if you were grinding up the Geritol and snorting them though...

Ultimate Hell for a Bass Player: Forever locked in a room with a drummer that can't keep time:

Invalid Link Removed

No, the Ultimate Hell for a Bass player would also include a guitar player with 7 strings and an octave pedal, and a keys player with a left hand made of lead. And don't forget the drunk singer propping himself up via your headstock.

 

[Sam Dingle]

Wait...whats wrong with this haha.

 

[Ninevolt]

Give in to the dark side... embrace the power of your new low end grooves.

 

[Joebone]

Careful there…wouldn't want to grow hair on your palms….

 

[Plutonium244]

So, fooling around a little with a sweet little 4-banger got you all worked up and made you give it to your 5-banger all hot and heavy... win-win-win, I'd say.

 

[BluesWalker]

You will only find true peace when you pick up a 6-string.

 

[bassbenj]

I should mention my first foray into 5 string bass was an abysmal failure. An early 90s Ibanez SR505 that I just couldn't learn to like. The Squier VM Jaguar Bass V Special made me reconsider a 5. I decided on the SX as a good way to go after my 4 string SX turned out so well...

I don't know if I will switch to 5 string fully any time soon but this is a positive step....

I don't want to be a wet blanket here, but as with drummers and double bass pedals, it is not so much that you have a B string, but rather it is considered good form that you use one tastefully.

 

[logicman69]

So, fooling around a little with a sweet little 4-banger got you all worked up and made you give it to your 5-banger all hot and heavy... win-win-win, I'd say.

Reminds me of these 2 girls I know....

 

[Plutonium244]

I don't want to be a wet blanket here, but as with drummers and double bass pedals, it is not so much that you have a B string, but rather it is considered good form that you use one tastefully.

After acquiring a first 5-string last year, it's more useful and musical than I had originally supposed, suffice to say i had always thought many players' use and over-use of the B was gratuitous.

The proper way to think of it (speaking for myself as YMMV), is:

B string/sub-E notes neighborhood... it's a place you visit, not somewhere you live.

 

[Killer Canary]

I agree.
I've also seen guys playing 5 strings who don't touch the B all night.
Must be for status purposes.

 

[bassbenj]

I agree.
I've also seen guys playing 5 strings who don't touch the B all night.
Must be for status purposes.

Actually there are notes on the B string above the 5th fret.

 

[Killer Canary]

How does that affect the content of my post then?
Guide me in my eyes of blindness.

 

[Plutonium244]

I agree.
I've also seen guys playing 5 strings who don't touch the B all night.
Must be for status purposes.

Probably not fair to say they never touch the B string... their thumb rests on it quite a lot I'd bet

And yeah, bassbenji's reply to you might have been more appropos as a reply to my post than yours. I get what he's sayin', the B helps for position playing even without going sub-E. I kinda figured somebody would point out that you can use the B without going low, which is why I added "sub-E" to my post. I do like being able to go down to D or C as the IV of progression in A or G; or being able to play in E flat and go sub-E that way, and so on. But I don't wanna always go there. Just because it goes that low doesn't mean it should always go that low.