I'm old and play blues,so 4 strings is all I need.But,I've been thinking about getting one of these for doubling the bass lines when recording.
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Is there really a NEED to own a four string bass?
- Thread starter Kwesi
- Start date
So this is a bass guitar? Description doesn't say it's tune doan an octave, but the 34" sale indicates it must be. Nice price.
I love my one 5 string, but I love my 17 fours a LOT. I keep coming back to the 4. I string them BEAD now, and it is great vs the 5. The 5 offers two advantages really for me. One is easier chording, the other is more note options, for arpeggios and runs. I love to take a 5 string lick and transpose it to the 4. I haven't found anything I cannot play on the 4 yet. You get get that bit of high note range is all. The 4's have a few important advantages for me also. The spacing is greater for me to move and grab notes quickly. I don't have to watch my movement as much. I also prefer the 4 string necks for my left hand. I have smaller hands and the 5 hurts after a while of reaching.
I absolutely love the B string. I just tried going to C# again with the smaller gauges, and it doesn't have the OOMPH of the B. I just got through watching Maiden again on VH1 for the thousandth time last night, and YEAH 4's are the SHIZ and always will be.
I absolutely love the B string. I just tried going to C# again with the smaller gauges, and it doesn't have the OOMPH of the B. I just got through watching Maiden again on VH1 for the thousandth time last night, and YEAH 4's are the SHIZ and always will be.
I started on a 4 strings but I knew that I wanted a 5 strings bass because to me it was wierd that a bass can go lower especially on a music sheet.
So I got a very nice 5 strings bass and like it to death. After 6 years only playing with my trusty 5 strings I bought 2 6 strings because I found out that it would open a lot of doors and all my bass heros play one.
3 years later ( so right now ) I feel like well ... I think a 6 strings is a beautiful instrument but I prefer a wide 5 strings, it is just easier to use and play. Creatively it is easier to come up with something interesting on the 5. I'm just more at home.
So I got a very nice 5 strings bass and like it to death. After 6 years only playing with my trusty 5 strings I bought 2 6 strings because I found out that it would open a lot of doors and all my bass heros play one.
3 years later ( so right now ) I feel like well ... I think a 6 strings is a beautiful instrument but I prefer a wide 5 strings, it is just easier to use and play. Creatively it is easier to come up with something interesting on the 5. I'm just more at home.
Those are great! I especially like the one with all those switches and twiddily bits.
The one posted on ebay is real sweet!
Thanks for posting.
The one posted on ebay is real sweet!
Thanks for posting.
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Porsche vs Mercedes.
Sure, there ride is a little rough in the Porsche, and you don't have things like 4 wheel drive or a lot of cargo room, but nothing handles quite like it.
On the other hand, you have all sorts of extras and amenities in a Mercedes and some excellent engines available. So what if it doesn't quite turn on a dime, you gain a lot of other niceties.
Sounds like you're a Merc man. I like how Porsche's handle though.
Brilliant way to look at it. Makes sense to me.
I played only 5s for about 6 years because of bands I was playing in that required it. I'm now back to 4s and since I discovered the D-tuner hope to never have to go back to a 5. I had lots of trouble getting used to the 5, got over that and have no trouble now, but somehow it takes a lot of the fun out of playing for me. I like to hit my strings hard a lot, slap em with an open hand and stuff, and I can't do it with the same abandon on a 5. Have to exercize more control cuz the B string gets in the way of a lot of what I like to do. That dumbass floppy string.
B string only gives me 3 extra notes when I use a D tuner. And thankfully those notes aren't showing up in anything I play these days.
Well Joe you've got some nerve! If you think that the only thing a B string gives you is 3 extra notes then clearly you never learned to play a 5 string bass!
And why in the world would someone choose some mechanical klooge to tune down an E string that will be much too light for the notes when you can simply play an additional proper string that can be played all up and down the neck?
Are you nuts? I think you'd better get some bass lessons before you ever go back to a 5 string. I do agree, however, that slapping and percussive stuff seems much better on a 4 string.
This is true, but if you only "go there" a few times a gig, maybe it isn't so important to have a tight "B string" as it were.
That's a good urge, I like fours and fivers, but adding strings is not an "upgrade" nor does it help you become a more technical player. It just adds options.
It is a MiM, btw.
It is just so much more aenemic and guitar-like than he other three. It is so trebly, and yet muffled.
Yes there's a need for a four cause if the gig dont call for it, why lug around the extra weight of a 5 or 6er.
K -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
I feel you completely on this. I am a 3-times a month church player. I'm not a "hired gun", nor will I ever be.
For the music/idiom I play a 5 string works perfectly. In the back of my mind, a little voice sometimes says, "Pssssst -- you are BASS player. Where is your 4-string?"
I suppose the purist in me thinks that I need a 4. I have succumbed to this urge on a couple occasions but each time, I ended up with a bass that gathers dust.
No more. Fivers work for me and that's all I own.
Totally personal preference...I played 4s exclusively for almost 20 years...been playing nothing but 5s for the past 6...as long as your playing a bass and not some gross 6 string guitar...lol.
One additional aside though for having 5s...just notice how different the fretted low E sounds on the B string vs and open E...two totally different tones..its nice to have options...
I have played fretted (35 years) and fretless (10 years) 4 stringers exclusively. I play at church weekly and in about six or so musicals a year. For church, I am going to add a d-tuner to get to that low D that guitar-based songs seem to like. I am noticing that some of the newer musicals really like notes down to C. So far my approach has been to use an octaver to good effect (pun intended 
). Anyway, I've tried 5 stringers but 4 stringers just work for me with the tweeks described!
). Anyway, I've tried 5 stringers but 4 stringers just work for me with the tweeks described!
the number of strings is very subjective. I can only play a 4 string if its fretless. Everything else is 5 string. I HATE 6 (and above) string basses because I cant slap on them because of my huge hands. 50% of my playing is slapping. don't really care for that twangy sound either
