Is it "cooler" to play a 4 string bass?

[Old P Bass Guy]

When your bass has nicotine stains under the strings above the nut your probably an Ol P Bass player.

 

[Clipped]

I believe so, yes.

 

[MEKer]

Dear OP....When I see such weighty questions I always fall back on what Archimedes said in the spring of 223 B.C. as he gazed out over the harbor of Syracuse and, according to legend, frowned, farted loudly and then exclaimed, "γεια σου φίλε, πάντα τέσσερα!"

So there is your answer.

 

[Bizorballs]

If you are a bassist and can lay the in pocket so the rest can “noodle” without losing the groove, you got the right # of strings.
Virtuoso players are different beasts altogether. They play lead (bass) guitar.
He who has the groove....has the bass.

 

[Watchootognbout]

There is a certain smug arrogance in rejecting anything that is different from norm.
Especially if one has never tried them out.

Guy 1."Hey try this six string"
Guy 2.Smiling says"No"
1."Try this five string"
2.Smiling says"No"
1."Try this fretless four".
2.Smiling says"No".
1."Try these new strings".
2.Smiling says"No"
1."Try this non-Fender bass".
2.Smiling says"No.

Yeah.It's real cool to reject everything else and just play a four.
Why?
Because it's cool.
And we all know that cool REALLY means something.

 

[Pirate Captain]

the fewer the strings...the cooler you are

 

[Durham52]

I've always thought that "cool" is in the eye of the beholder, or what is currently "in" because the purveyors of trend and fashion have said it is. Any number of strings, dependent on what the music needs, is fine. No right, no wrong, no better or worse and for me, definitely no "cooler", or uncooler.

 

[Old P Bass Guy]

If you follow trends and fashion would that make you a conformist? I think their should be a law against any 50+ year old who:

Wears a baseball cap backwards (unless your umpiring a baseball game)
Wears platform shoes, White make-up and plays pointy bass guitars.
Hope everyone knows I'm just kidding.

 

[Bassndrums73]

That one guy in the video at the beginning has two girls kissing him at the same time on each side of his face. That tells me right there playing a 4 string bass is cool.

 

[JGbassman]

I’ve never been cool regardless of how many strings I use. Need I remind you I play bass?

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

Is the coolness of a 4 string negated at all if it is worn really high? Like above-your-belly-button high where your right arm looks like a T-Rex.

LOL, like this?

The irony is that Paul Denman - seen here playing with Sade - played bass lines considered by many to be the epitome of 'cool' within that particular genre - early 80s pop. Alas, he seems to have diminished the coolness factor by playing on stage with a strap that was 18 inches too short. On a positive note (no pun intended) he played a MM Stingray.

 

[Karlson541]

LOL, like this?

The irony is that Paul Denman - seen here playing with Sade - played bass lines considered by many to be the epitome of 'cool' within that particular genre - early 80s pop. Alas, he seems to have diminished the coolness factor by playing on stage with a strap that was 18 inches too short. On a positive note (no pun intended) he played a MM Stingray.

All things considered, I'll cut him some slack.It was 1984, the height of New Wave and looking like a complete tool in front of 10000 people was hip...obviously.

Wouh!

Yeah, if you consider it cool to be choked because you can't get your strap high enough up I guess he was cool.

 

[12BitSlab]

What is hip?
Tell me. Tell me if you think you know.
What is hip?
And if you’re really hip, the passing years will show.
You into a hip trip. Maybe hipper than hip.
What is hip?

 

[ERIC31]

I’m a big Paul Denman fan but wearing that bass like a necklace is harsh! I wonder who taught him to do that. The wrist angle just looks painful!!

That being said, he is a groove monster and has had quite a nice career being a pro bassist and I envy him for that!

 

[Ian Lewis]

So I've played 5 strings for years and have about 6 of those basses sitting in my living room right now. But I just bought a nice Fender P bass with flats from the classifieds last night because of what I'm starting to notice.

Over the past few years I've seen a lot of "cool" young bands seem to only have bassists with 4 stringers. I know that "cool" is totally subjective, but they're usually bands that stir up a good bit of publicity in the pop and indie rock worlds.

Bands like...

Vulfpeck with Joe Dart. He always has a variety of basses, but they are only 4 strings:



Michael League of Snarky Puppy is almost always seen with one of his classic P basses:



The band Pomplamoose:



The 1975:



Greta Van Fleet:



Even the brilliant music educator Adam Neely has switched over to a 4 string P bass with flats:



Of course, these are just a handful of modern bands and players. We could make a list miles long of all the bands that have 4 string bassists.

I primarily play 5 strings and my jazz ensembles band leader constantly rags on me for having a 5 string bass. There are of course, lots of cats in Nashville who play 5 and 6 string basses, but the trend seems to be toward playing a 4 string P bass with flats.

A few months ago I even went out and got a Fender American Pro 5 string and put Chromes on it. I love the bass, but I still get strange looks from people. It's hard to believe that in the year 2018 there seems to be a bias against bassists with multiple strings. You saw them everywhere in the 80s and 90s, but nowadays you seem to only see extended range basses in the Jazz/Fusion world, Gospel, and in Metal bands. Hardly ever do you see them on a stage with a band that's considered "modern" and "cool".

So is it just me, or is anyone else noticing a trending bias against extended range basses in favor of the 4 string? Even more interestingly, do you feel that bringing more than 4 strings to an audition might cost you the gig?

All basses are ‘cool’ The reality is that 95% of the time you don’t play below E, so why have a B string? My response is that when sight reading charts (in keys big bands play in, like Eb & F) I find it easier to have my 2nd finger over the root on the B string.

 

[dmt]

It’s pretty straightforward, people

 

[5StringBlues]

View attachment 3188260
It’s pretty straightforward, people

Not many folks know Fonzie invented slap.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Not many folks know Fonzie invented slap.

 

[mikeswals]

The irony is that Paul Denman - seen here playing with Sade - played bass lines considered by many to be the epitome of 'cool' within that particular genre - early 80s pop. Alas, he seems to have diminished the coolness factor by playing on stage with a strap that was 18 inches too short.

in the 90's Paul's bass moved down to waist level

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Cooler, Hell I don't know. But Chevy Chase has my comment: (LOL)