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Is there really a NEED to own a four string bass?

#61
TrevorOfDoom said:
ouch! i've been burned! ;)

no, i believe strongly (and have great evidence) that creativity needs boundaries to flourish and grow. one boundary i've given myself is the use of 4 strings. i have to think about how my tone sits in the mix, and how to best construct basslines to maximize both rhythm and melody in the songs, and in a dense band mix, how to do both without stepping on toes. had i a 5, i could just play everything as low as possible, but that wouldn't be very interesting or creative, would it?
again, different strokes for different folks.
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Thanks for the affirmation!
 
#63
TrevorOfDoom said:
ouch! i've been burned! ;)

no, i believe strongly (and have great evidence) that creativity needs boundaries to flourish and grow. one boundary i've given myself is the use of 4 strings. i have to think about how my tone sits in the mix, and how to best construct basslines to maximize both rhythm and melody in the songs, and in a dense band mix, how to do both without stepping on toes. had i a 5, i could just play everything as low as possible, but that wouldn't be very interesting or creative, would it?
again, different strokes for different folks.
Click to expand...
You're forgetting that the point of playing a 5 string well is knowing when to drop a sub-low E bomb and when not to. Of course you're not supposed to use the really low notes all the time because they can indeed sound quite wrong, but they can really raise the roof when used at the right time. Extended range basses are all about having options and using them when they make sense musically which I enjoy quite a bit personally.
 
#64
I just picked up my first 5 string bass. I played on a 4 string for a while before. Now that I'm getting used to the string spacing and new neck width, it feels great. I don't think there is any specific need to own a 4 but it definitely can't hurt. I agree with you on your view on the subject, good luck with your playing!
 
#65
boomtisk said:
You're forgetting that the point of playing a 5 string well is knowing when to drop a sub-low E bomb and when not to. Of course you're not supposed to use the really low notes all the time because they can indeed sound quite wrong, but they can really raise the roof when used at the right time. Extended range basses are all about having options and using them when they make sense musically which I enjoy quite a bit personally.
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Yeah I'm using a 4 this weekend on a song set where I usually use a fiver, and there are two notes on one song that (during rehearsal) I wished I had the fiver. But I decided I'd rather play my G&L L-2000 this week because it's just flat out too comfortable and sounds too good. (Maybe I'll go back to a fiver next week. I change basses all the time.)
 
#67
jonotronic said:
I don't know if i've ever heard a 5 string that sounds exactly like a proper p-bass. That's one reason to own a 4.
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Mine does and then it has this extra dark string on the top that I can use when the song needs that tone. The 2008 American P-5 is a great instrument. I also have a 4 string P that I almost never play any more, but I used to play exclusively.....I loved that bass.
 
#68
boomtisk said:
You're forgetting that the point of playing a 5 string well is knowing when to drop a sub-low E bomb and when not to. Of course you're not supposed to use the really low notes all the time because they can indeed sound quite wrong, but they can really raise the roof when used at the right time. Extended range basses are all about having options and using them when they make sense musically which I enjoy quite a bit personally.
Click to expand...

of course. i haven't forgotten that at all. but as a qualifier i will say that i don't believe i've come close to exhausting all the options open to me creatively with just 4 strings, so i don't want to look into 5's any time soon.

also to note, my main 4 has a Hipshot D-tuner, which i've used to great effect many times. it's a fun tool, but a tool it is.
 
#69
I guess not. To me though, there's nothing like the charm, look and feel of a classic 4 string J, P or Stingray.

On the other hand I can't seem to accept a 4 string Warwick, Smith etc. For some weird reason 4 strings seem too few on these higher end instruments.
 
#72
TrevorOfDoom said:
ouch! i've been burned! ;)

no, i believe strongly (and have great evidence) that creativity needs boundaries to flourish and grow. one boundary i've given myself is the use of 4 strings. i have to think about how my tone sits in the mix, and how to best construct basslines to maximize both rhythm and melody in the songs, and in a dense band mix, how to do both without stepping on toes. had i a 5, i could just play everything as low as possible, but that wouldn't be very interesting or creative, would it?
again, different strokes for different folks.
Click to expand...

As someone who played piano and synth for years between trombone and bass guitar, your logic makes little sense to me. Even with a 6 string bass guitar, it's range is significantly limited in comparision to where I'm from and what I'm used to, and therefore pushes me towards creativity and more interesting playing/parts.
 
#73
T. Alan Smith said:
As someone who played piano and synth for years between trombone and bass guitar, your logic makes little sense to me. Even with a 6 string bass guitar, it's range is significantly limited in comparision to where I'm from and what I'm used to, and therefore pushes me towards creativity and more interesting playing/parts.
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actually, that's exactly what i'm saying. :)
 
#74
It's funny now that I think about it, but I was playing "Signed, Sealed Delivered.." the other night and thought--weirdly--that the low B would have really helped me out; that was the first time, really. But, hey, there could be more. I think I am working up an excuse to buy a new bass. Wondering what a good 5er for an elderly beginner might be. Any suggestions?
 
#75
I played 4's forever. Then tried a 6. I loved the extra range, but found I used the low B more than the high C (plus, strings are more expensive and there are fewer choices). So I got into 5's. That was it.

I had a few 4's after that and always felt something missing. So now I have all 5's. No 4's, no 6's. In all honesty, part of me wishes I could re-aclimate to 4's because there are so many more options. But I can't.
 
#77
No 4-bangers for me. I have an awesome L1000 (1982!) that I love to death, but that was a special gift from my guitarist. Other than that, I would preferably never buy or play another 4-string. They're fantastic, but 5 is the perfect number for me - I love the heft, feel, sound, and look of them. Sounds strange, but I feel naked with only 4 :-)
 
#78
Kwesi said:
I played 4 and 6 strings for a couple of years and after a while felt that I didn't effectively utilize the range that 6ers would give but I'd find myself missing the B string when I went down to my 4. As a compromise, at least until I think I can really put a 6er to work, I've gone strictly 5 string basses. There wasn't much of adjustment at all for me and I feel just as comfortable on them as I did on any other bass that I've owned. I've found that a huge advantage of 5ers is that because of the lack of a high-C, it's much easier to do complex slap, pop, double thumbing grooves and do them cleanly (think Wooten's "You can't hold no groove"), though I'm sure it could be done with practice. The thing is, while those kinds of things are just as easy to do on a 4 I now have a B string to thump on when I want to. I really feel like picking up a 5 has only taken a 4 string, given me more notes and voices, and subtracted nothing.

I'm not saying that 4s are no good by any means but as a comfortable 5 string player is there any real need to own one? Does anyone else feel this way about 4s? Just looking for for some opinions and good discussion :)
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For me it depends on what type of music I'm playing at the time. My regular 'rock' stuff could go either way, but I prefer my 4-banger with the detuner. It's just more comfortable. I used to have a couple of 6-ers myself, but I found I really didn't need a low-B string. There's only one song we have that has a lower note than low-D and I use an octaver for that.

For chordal stuff, I love my 5'er strung E-C. My fretless is a fiver, so I really don't have a choice there.
 
#79
Mastermold said:
...there are two notes on one song that I wished I had the fiver. But I decided I'd rather play my G&L L-2000 this week because it's just flat out too comfortable and sounds too good.
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That's where I'm at. And quite often I used it at the end of songs. I can easily get by without doing that - we have a keyboard player anyway.

TrevorOfDoom said:
also to note, my main 4 has a Hipshot D-tuner, which i've used to great effect many times. it's a fun tool, but a tool it is.
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Mine is also equipped with a D-tuner. Very handy and I think keeps me from over-using it.

AJ Brown said:
I love my 5'er strung E-C.
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I still may try this with my 5'er - for jazz gigs. Maybe open up the solo side of things a bit.
 

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