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Low B, novelty or useful?

#21
My equipment is new SWR professional gear so it's not the amp. I know how to set up an amp. Neither, is it the axe.

Even most of the pros I see with a 5 string only use the low B string on rare occasions below the 5th fret. The work horse of all bass players, regardless of how many strings they have, is the E, A and D strings. They always provide the backbone of virtually all performances.

Given the slow, chunky necks of most 5 strings, and the problems with operating on the fringes of human hearing range, I think we have to call the low B string a novelty.

I can see how it would be good for slapping as the string is usually pretty loose.

That said, I sure would like to have a new 5 string Dingwall VooDoo! Ieeeeeeee we b bass'in now.
 
#22
I think just about everybody who has replied here has mentioned uses for the low B and explained how they use it and have definitely been against the proposition that it is just a novelty and given the number of 5-strings being sold and used, I think that the general feeling amongst bass players and manufacturers is that the low B is here to stay.

As to the chunky neck issue - I find nowadays that I can't find any 4-string neck that suits me and I much prefer the necks on 5s and 6s which is another advantage. I think that bass players who limit themselves as to which part of the instrument they use are just missing out on the wider tonal palette you can get - there is nothing like the sound of slapping a B string at the 24th fret and then letting it fall - as just one example.

If you look at a lot of really good Jazz/Funk players, they will play lines all over the fretboard. I would feel very limited now if I had to stick to playing 1st to 7th fret only say and I most commonly start thinking about lines around the 10th - 12th fret as this gives you more options of where to go from there - down onto the B string or up to the higher strings - you just have more options all round and I always tend to think of F on the B string now and almost never play it on the E.
 
#23
F on the B string. That is me. I rarely use the F on the E string anymore.

And like you, a lot of my playing is done from the 6th or 7th fret up.

I'm no soloist, but I like the easy access you have to the horn register from this part of the neck, plus, when you want to grab those notes below E, it's just a quick drop down, I don't even think about it.

The thing that has really opened up my playing since I got a quality 5 string is the ability to play large intervallic leaps easily, even though I have short fingers. If I am riding the G at the eighth fret on the B vs the 3rd fret on the E, the octave and double octave notes are a much easier reach.
 
#24
Played 4 string basses for over 20 yrs . After owning a Warwick 5 string thumb bass for some years now I find it odd not to have the tonal depth a good 5 string bass can add, granted , a not so good 5 can not add much more than some obscure harmonic resonance that lacks definition . If you (like me ) play lots of different types of gigs a good quality 5 string should be part of your quiver , they work in all sorts of situations , from jammin to slammin

 
#25
Well, I'm convinced, it is not a novelty but perhaps more useful in some types of music and styles of play than others.

It seams like lots of 5 string bassists like the continuity of operating on the midrange frets which allows for richer (beef-e-er) notes on the B string even though they can be played on a 4 string in the lower frets. Better range while operating vertically on the neck rather than having to make big horizontal chances (like on a 4 string); might be another way of looking at it.

Am I starting to get it now? I was thumping around on the open B string and I know now why I wasn't happy with the sound.
 
#27
Don't know the size as these are not my instruments. Would that much difference? They are round wounds, which I really don't like.

Maybe I will pick up an inexpensive but decent quality 5 string for some expermintation. Something in the $500 to $600 range, any advice on a specific brand or model? I've been looking at the Deans and MTD Beast, I like the idea of the 35" scale but don't really know why.

I have had a couple of 5 strings but they sucked, bad experience so far.
 
#28
Nanook, I'm with you.. I've had bad experiences with 5's and 6's but I'm thinking about getting a 5 again, because I think I finally understand what to do with the B. If you really don't want to spend a lot of money, check out the Squier Standard Precision Bass Special 5. It's a decent bass for about $275, and might be a good, inexpensive way to see if the 5 is for you.
 
#29
Nanook, I was not saying that I DON'T use the low notes, I use the open B, the C and the D all of the time.

I was just saying that the low notes are only about 25 - 30% of what I use the B string 4.

On a bass with a good B, I have no problem hearing those low notes. But it IS true that a lot of tuners have a problem with the low B.
 
#30
the reason why i was asking is that, depending on the neck rigidity, a lighter gauge low B (~.125") might end up sounding really weak and thin on a bass without a very rigid neck. convesely, a very heavy low B (~.135" or greater) can sound very dull and boomy, again if the bass doesn't have a rigid neck.

in my experience, a rigid neck, more even than scale length, is the biggest structural factor in determining whether your bass will have a good low B or not.
 
#31
I think that John is right about the construction of the bass determining how good the B sounds - after trying literally hundreds, I generally found that only fairly expensive basses had good B strings and that generally the cheaper the bass the worse the B string.

On the other point - I do try to avoid open strings where possible and generally feel that the B sound better higher up the neck and have only used the open B on one song.
 
#32
Totally agree with john in regard to string gauge , it's all about mass and rigidity.A good quality "b" usually has some weight to it , I use a 135 on my warwick which is a neck through bass and a 130 on trb6p which is also neck through but is much more active than the 5 string.There are cheap 5 string basses out there , all they need is a little attention to string gauges and set up and they will all rock. I find the lighter side of 130 is best on bolt on type neck set up's and a minimum of 130 on a quality neck through bass is a good rule of thumb. We cant discount what type of rig one uses to push this through either!!.
 
#36
I think a major part of the problem with the low B in a lot of cases is the quality of the amplification.A lot of bass cabinets don't really reproduce the fundamental frequency of those 4 semitones below E,and even those that achieve this always require more power to do it well.Compared to a 4 string bass,I've observed that even twice the power sometimes isn't quite enough to get those notes out good and solid.But,when the amp is able to do it,it can be glorious!
 
#38
Originally posted by virtual.ray
I think a major part of the problem with the low B in a lot of cases is the quality of the amplification.A lot of bass cabinets don't really reproduce the fundamental frequency of those 4 semitones below E,and even those that achieve this always require more power to do it well.Compared to a 4 string bass,I've observed that even twice the power sometimes isn't quite enough to get those notes out good and solid.But,when the amp is able to do it,it can be glorious!
Click to expand...

I don't think that the low B is quite that difficult to reproduce. Granted, my Crate 15 watt practice amp has a little trouble with it, but I have a 20 year old Peavey 130 watt combo with a Black Widow 15 and an SWR Basic Black which is 120 wattts with 15 & tweeter, and both of these reproduce the low B with about the same volume and clarity as the low E.

But again, like John Turner and Bruce metioned, the quality of the bass and the stiffness of the neck is a factor.

The low B on my Pedulla sounds fuller and more defined than the one on my Ibanez.
 
#39
For the raspy sound with rounds...try Nickel roundwound strings. Not as raspy as Stainless steel. Watch your technique, it's a major reason you get a raspy sound and the easiest cure for it.

Can't hear the B...with your equipment that's flat out amazing.

For an inexpensive 5, Mike Tobias has a new model that costs less than the Beast, I was told it's called a K5. Nice neck, wide spacing, nice, tight, very audible B :D, single MusicMan pickup, passive. $449.
 
#40
Embellisher,Do you use the amps you mentioned with a band,and if so,what genre of music? My comments were in reference to playing with a fairly strenuous drummer.I was going to get an SWR WM 15 but returned it cause I had to have it maxed out unless we put it through the PA.I have heard several people,however,play gigs with 4 string bass using that amp and sounding fine.I agree that the quality of the bass and the pickups has a lot to do with it.I also discovered the benefits of the taperwound B string,I find they increase clarity and generally sound better regardless of the bass they are on.
 

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