Play what you want. A BEAD bass gives you almost all the notes. If you find you don’t play higher register notes and want a 4 string bass, that’s fine.
Your really only missing a few notes that you would have with a G string. You can get up to A#/Bb (assuming a 20 fret bass) on your D string. With a G string, there are only 5 more notes available. If you don’t play up there (and I can think of a lot of songs that never require those notes) then you don’t need a G string.
I play 5 strings as for me, I need to have a low B string and a G string possibly in the same song. I’ve been playing a 5 for so long that I find I really miss the B string. And honestly, it makes a great thumb rest. That “dig” doesn’t bother me.
And yes, you could play most James Taylor songs with a BEAD bass.
Your really only missing a few notes that you would have with a G string. You can get up to A#/Bb (assuming a 20 fret bass) on your D string. With a G string, there are only 5 more notes available. If you don’t play up there (and I can think of a lot of songs that never require those notes) then you don’t need a G string.
I play 5 strings as for me, I need to have a low B string and a G string possibly in the same song. I’ve been playing a 5 for so long that I find I really miss the B string. And honestly, it makes a great thumb rest. That “dig” doesn’t bother me.
And yes, you could play most James Taylor songs with a BEAD bass.
