one 5 vs two 4's

[arbiterusa]

does anyone currently use or has ever inthe past chose to use two overlapping tuning 4's (1 BEAD and 1 EADG) over one 5? and if so why?

Money. And availability of unlined fretlesses. I already have two four-stringers. Converting one to BEAD was the price of a set of strings and a few minutes with a nut file. Getting a fiver to my specs (which is the end goal) would be a couple grand.

I usually only take the BEAD out these days anyway.

 

[2112]

I take two 4's with Hipshots and a Digitech Drop. Before I had the Drop, I took four 4's with Hipshots... EADG, EbAbDbGb, DGCF, and BEAD.

Why not a single 5? First, because I have small hands and have never been able to get a proper feel for them. Second, because I never take less than 2 basses to any gig.

 

[JW56789]

There's no empiricially right answer here.

If two fours in the two different string sets works for you, have at it. If you'd rather cover the same ground with one axe in a five (or more), then that's your answer.

Most players are going to bring two axes anyway as insurance.

 

[nilorius]

This questin can be answered by your self. If you know, need and like that 5, go for it. If you like 4 more and don't need that 5 go for 4. That's it.

 

[jad]

I'm in a cover band. 90ish% of the material is in standard tuning. A handful or two are in drop D. One song is in drop C#.

I only have 4's. My 4's have Dtuners on them, so drop D material is no problem. I've been bringing a second bass tuned to drop C# to every show for that one song. I recently picked up a Helix Stomp. Now I can leave the extra bass at home and use the Helix to pitch shift down from drop D to drop C#, and it's just a foot tap away. I got the idea from a country bass player I met recently who uses his Helix to change his 4's from EADG to BEAD on the fly.

I wouldn't record using a Helix to pitch shift down, but it's convenient and efficient for a cover band gig. It also makes practicing alternate tunings much more convenient. I built presets for half step down, full step down, and BEAD.

 

[dab12ax7ef]

It depends on a lot of things, but for me a 5 string makes the most sense. I often bring a backup 4 or 5 stringer, but I rarely switch basses. (Except the other day I used my UBass for some songs and a 4 string Jazz for others.)

 

[chadds]

Different strokes for different folks, but no, you can not get the same sound from rounds as flats. The overtones are different, the attack envelope is different, glissandos are not the same.

Sure, most people in the audience won't notice, but the differences are there and are real.

Everything matters, and if it matters enough to the player, they may choose to use one setup over another.

Different strokes for different folks.

YMMV. You stated that people you know can’t get the same sound out of rounds as flats. I honor that you think that. I respect your right to say it. You can even state that I can’t.

Doesn’t make it true.

You can’t know what someone else’s hands can do with the different overtones and attack envelopes. Perhaps your experience with flats doesn’t go back before rounds were introduced for electric basses. Perhaps you haven’t taken a bass from a monster player and been completely unfamiliar with how to remotely get his sound on that bass. The only difference was our touch.

A bassist was playing upright in NYC. He was considering getting rid of his bass because it wasn’t working for him. Miroslav Vitous sat in that evening using his bass. Vitous sounded his usual amazing self on this guy’s bass. The guy decided to keep the bass and do his woodshedding.

Don Was tells a story of Will Lee showing up at a studio and the Fender bass there is badly in need of a setup. Old strings with dead spots and intonation way off. Mr. Lee proceeds to put down marvelous tracks making up for the bass’s deficiencies with his technique.

My point is that the emphasis is on the gear not the technique/player/music.

 

[devo1]

I have two basses. One 5 and one 4. The 5 is my main bass. It's cool to have the 4 for gigs I know I truly don't need a low B string on. Both instruments inspire me to play differently which is why I have both.

 

[Runnerman]

I've not been able to get around bringing multiple 4 string basses to a gig. I'll typically play in 4 tunings through the night. Standard, D tuner, 1/2 step down and full step down. A carefully crafted set list can reduce the number of instrument changes and minimize their impact.

I played a 5 for a while and my brain could not fully adapt...probably did not give it enough time. I have one bass strung BEAD but have not incorporated it into live gigging yet. I'm a memory/pattern type player and focused on the crowd/entertainment part of the gig so it's hard to change the way I play on a song that I've played the same way for years.

I'm able to make instrument changes very quickly. I use a wireless attached to the strap. Hit the floor mute, un-plug, release the strap from the pins while the strap remains over my shoulder. Exchange instrument, hook up and go. Everything is tuned ahead of time so no issues there. I don't enjoy doing it but I've made it as painless as possible. A Helix or other pitch shifter may be in my future though.

 

[bigtone23]

In my 80s cover band, I really only need a 5 string to cover everything. In our rotating 35-40 song set, it turns out that only about 3-8 of the songs need the notes of the low B string. I do bring 2 basses to gigs, so for backup and tonal variety, one would be an active 5 and the other a passive 4.
To keep it more authentic, I wanted to play 80s era basses. However, 80s era 5 strings are not necessarily my cup of tea (the string spacing is rather narrow on them). I got a Peavey Dynabass and strung/tuned it BEAD for those songs. It did the job really well, but I ran into the same problem using it as I do using just a 4 string--there are songs that need the missing string. I end up switching instruments more often than the pace of the set allows, sometimes it works out because the guitarist would be switching between a stock Strat and a humbucker/Floyd Rose Strat. I would look at the set list and mark the tunes that required a specific bass, but most of the time it's just easier to carry a 5 and 4 and switch less often.

 

[Jrussblues]

I bring 2 5’s
One to play and one for backup

 

[fauxtoe]

For me personally, it'd be harder to switch between a BEAD and an EADG 4 instead of a standard tuned 4 and 5.
Two basses with identical layout, but different notes on the fretboard seems to be harder to keep in the back of your head than two basses with identical layout, only that one of them has a bonus string...

This. I don't have any problem going from a 4 to 5 string and vice versa, but going from EADG to BEAD would likely throw me off. A few of my favorite bassists have a 4 and a 5 string in the same bass model and only use the 5 when they need it. Plus, the 5 string is essentially a backup to the 4 since you still have all of the strings there.

 

[ACWild]

The band I play with does songs with tunings in B, C, C#, D, Drop D, Eb, and standard. I’ve learned the songs with my five string, four string in Drop D, and four string with a Digitech Drop. Which bass I use depends on my mood for the day. I think it helps keep my mind sharp because it’s relatively effortless. My purpose for doing this is in case I break a string and need to grab a backup.

 

[dabbler]

YMMV. You stated that people you know can’t get the same sound out of rounds as flats. I honor that you think that. I respect your right to say it. You can even state that I can’t.

Doesn’t make it true.

You can’t know what someone else’s hands can do with the different overtones and attack envelopes. Perhaps your experience with flats doesn’t go back before rounds were introduced for electric basses. Perhaps you haven’t taken a bass from a monster player and been completely unfamiliar with how to remotely get his sound on that bass. The only difference was our touch.

A bassist was playing upright in NYC. He was considering getting rid of his bass because it wasn’t working for him. Miroslav Vitous sat in that evening using his bass. Vitous sounded his usual amazing self on this guy’s bass. The guy decided to keep the bass and do his woodshedding.

Don Was tells a story of Will Lee showing up at a studio and the Fender bass there is badly in need of a setup. Old strings with dead spots and intonation way off. Mr. Lee proceeds to put down marvelous tracks making up for the bass’s deficiencies with his technique.

My point is that the emphasis is on the gear not the technique/player/music.

I'm not disagreeing that it is possible to over-obsess on gear, and different people may have different levels of hearing precision. But the physics is the physics, and the differences exist.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[LBS-bass]

Didn't I see a picture of Billy Sheehan or someone playing a double-neck with two fours for this purpose?

 

[LBS-bass]

Didn't I see a picture of Billy Sheehan or someone playing a double-neck with two fours for this purpose?

Yep, I did.

 

[Charlzm]

Yep, I did.
View attachment 3634330

He would rather do that than play a 5 string, he said in an interview I read.
Man must have a back of steel.
I saw him with Sons of Apollo last year and, if I recall right, he played that doubleneck for the entire 90 minute show. He got to take a few breaks when solo spots were happening, but that's still a crazy amount of time to wear that thing at his (or any) age.

 

[bigtone23]

This. I don't have any problem going from a 4 to 5 string and vice versa, but going from EADG to BEAD would likely throw me off.

This is also my thing. No problems at all switching between 4s and 5s, but EADG and BEAD does require a little mind shift. My brain sees 4 strings and my muscles then follow 4 string note locations.

 

[LBS-bass]

He would rather do that than play a 5 string, he said in an interview I read.
Man must have a back of steel.
I saw him with Sons of Apollo last year and, if I recall right, he played that doubleneck for the entire 90 minute show. He got to take a few breaks when solo spots were happening, but that's still a crazy amount of time to wear that thing at his (or any) age.

Yeah, I agree. I don't have huge issues with instrument weight (yet) and at 60 I'm pretty lucky about it, but I would not want to wear that thing.

 

[chadds]

I'm not disagreeing that it is possible to over-obsess on gear, and different people may have different levels of hearing precision. But the physics is the physics, and the differences exist.

Different strokes for different folks.

Yes those differences exist.
I play ABGs. I have since they were introduced. So often on here people yank their bronze strings and put on flats.
I play with some accomplished acoustic guitarists, (Jerry Garcia told me it’s rude to name drop ). They don’t and I don’t get that squeak or brash clank sound from bronze wound strings. I get as smooth and full a tone as one would want.
While I’m here, there are three of us on TB who can make a Telebass with the single coil and rounds sound like a doghouse upright. I’ve described how here. It’s not a secret. We are making it sound like it was designed to sound. Meanwhile I love love Ron Wood tearing it up with Rotos on a Telebass through two Marshall Majors. (Spanish Boots!)