one 5 vs two 4's

[bassrique]

Some BLs only want to see four strings.

 

[Ellery]

How about two fours AND a five?

That'll cover some ground!

 

[dalahorse]

I used to keep one bass in BEAD and another in EADG. Over time, I found I only used the EADG bass for playing stuff that really needed the G string and moving up the neck didn't really solve the problem. The combination of the lower range and the ability to transpose up the neck won out over the few songs I played where I absolutely needed the G string.

My basses have 24 fret necks and I use the whole range. If I had a Fender or Ric, BEAD wouldn't always work for me.

Hope that helps!

 

[dalahorse]

Some BLs only want to see four strings.

Some BLs shouldn't be BLs.

 

[chris_b]

Some BLs only want to see four strings.

If it's a gig you want then that's what you play. Easy choice.

 

[JZQuantum]

I'm so boring...my 4 stringers are GDAE and my fives are GDAEB.

 

[Richard_K]

"...my 4 stringers are GDAE..."

I am intrigued by the idea of tuning a 4-stringer in 5ths. I would start with DAEB to get a low D--a 5th below the G. Would be confusing as hell at the start. Anybody doing this or have experience doing same?

 

[twinjet]

Crude car analogy #569.
A Mini Cooper isn’t a BMW 3 series minus size or horsepower. It’s a complete artist’s/engineer’s dream that performs like its intended. When you’re driving it you want for nothing.

Man, what a perfect analogy. Also a great way to really be content with what you have. I dig it, man.

 

[Hounddog409]

we've heard the 4 vs 5 debates, and the BEAD vs 5 debates and we all know that every choice comes with plus and minuses so the question on my mind is 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? ....thanks for playing

2 is always better than 1.

 

[Real Soon]

Funny thing, this thought crossed my mind not long ago. I've got a spare 4 that has already been used as a modding platform to good effect, and I wondered how odd it'd be to cut a nut, pop it on in place of the old one (since its currently installed nut is NOT firmly glued in place), and try going either BEAD or ADGC (higher). Or maybe even cello tuning, C G D A.

Yesterday I busted out my 5-string, which I haven't played on in quite a while, and discovered that practicing hard on my 4 and ALSO on my 7-string has collectively given me a lot of extra command and flexibility on the 5... so I think I shan't be replacing it anytime soon (esp since it's lighter than anything short of a Danelectro). But having a cool alternate tuning of some kind can yield fun creative results for sure, and I think a BEAD could in fact be used very practically.

 

[JimmyM]

I have a 5, and I have a bunch of 4's, though none of them BEAD tuned. And I don't want to string any of them BEAD, so I go for the 5 when I need it. And then at my earliest opportunity, I switch back to the 4.

No category for me, though...a 4-stringer who will switch to a 5 when absolutely necessary and then switch right back.

 

[Samatza]

I suppose it depends on what you're playing. I could do this but I choose to just take a 5 string to the gigs that required it even if I use the B for one song.

For me swapping basses is a bit of a chore so I only really want to do it to swap fretted to fretless, swapping for tuning doesn't appeal to me.

Of course this is personal opinion, if you find it easier to swap between two 4 strings with alternate tuning that's great, I don't have any problem with people doing what works for them.

 

[okcrum]

Some BLs shouldn't be BLs.

Like Lenny Kravitz, maybe?

 

[coyote1]

You might think that but what are the minuses for playing a 5 string bass? I can't think of any.

I have two 6-strings and two fours. Yet I can certainly see some minuses.

Take a Jazz Bass. The 4-string version, in almost every case I’ve encountered, sounds better than the 5-string version. The extra string does something to the instrument; it changes the overall tone. And I’m not the only bassist or musician who has noticed this.

 

[6Bass101]

I’ve had it all - just a standard 4-string, just a BEAD 4-string, a standard 4-string and a BEAD 4-string, just a a 5-string, and finally what I have now, all three.
If I could only have one, it would be a tough call between BEAD and the 5-string. But I definitely want a low B string.

 

[dalahorse]

Like Lenny Kravitz, maybe?

Dunno anything about him. But if he judges basses and bassists by counting rather than listening, I sure wouldn’t be interested in playing in his band.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.
My main gigging bass is a 6, most of my other basses are 5s.

I carry a BEAD 4 as a backup instrument. The reason for that is, that it's a Washburn copy of the Steinberger paddle. The smallest and lightest bass I could find for a few bucks. My basses fail on average about once a decade, so It is something that happens but it's so rare that I can put up with missing strings then.

If you want a rest head bender, try a 4 string with a drop D, then going to a 5 string....

 

[2many]

we've heard the 4 vs 5 debates, and the BEAD vs 5 debates and we all know that every choice comes with plus and minuses so the question on my mind is 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? ....thanks for playing

Nope, I use overlapping 5's The low b tuning for certain songs and the high c tuning for ripping solos.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Uno cinco

 

[A9X]

I'd have 2 fives, one as a backup.