The occasional low note vs. gathering dust on an extra string

[Plain Old Barry]

Get what is wanted or needed.

With a five the top string does not need to be relegated to just below the E.
In fact, playing the E on the top string at the 5th fret and all the other "Open String" notes on the 5th fret (A, D, G, C) it is like playing a short scale and is actually less hand movement than a four string playing them same note arrangements.

Much easier on the hands.

As a 40 year 4 stringer who purchased a fiver for songs I'd normally tune down 1 or 2 semitones, I totally get this ^^^ and can see some advantages. The fiver played at the fifth fret is very close to a 31 or 32" scale instrument.

I still play mostly 4, as muting the B isn't natural for me yet and I prefer the spacing and tones of my Fender 4 bangers.

I think players should spend a decent amount of time early on with all bass guitar formats and see what they like.

 

[Wasnex]

My #1 since about 1995 has been a 6-string. I use the B and C when they are appropriate, and avoid them when they are not. At this point I have been playing 6-string for so long that it feels like home. When I play a 5-string or 4-string I need to be mindful of the missing string(s) and adjust...but I do have a small collection of 4-strings and 5-strings for variety.

IMHO extended range instruments give you certain potential advantages, but also carry some disadvantages. Each person should assess the advantages and disadvantages and choose what they play based on the results of their analysis. I find that after years of practice there are many advantages to playing a 6-string, and the disadvantages are minor and rarely come into play.

If you don't find enough benefit in having a B string to overcome the extra difficulty and hassle...then play a 4-string. It's really no big deal IHMO. Vive la difference!

One thing I do suggest is making sure you have reasonable expectations. If you want to be 5-string player, I suggest playing 5-string exclusively until you get really comfortable. I would say it took me about two years to get really comfortable on 6-string, and I did not fully transform into a natural 6-string player for almost a decade.

Good luck!

 

[Lagado]

Right hand floating thumb solves both of those problems

Not for me, I'd rather a moveable anchor. I've found floating thumb too light in attack unsupported, I didn't take to it.

 

[Lagado]

But here’s the real question: if you’re dropping some serious coin on a higher end bass, do you go ahead and spend the extra $100 for an extra string that you might occasionally use, or do you stick with what will work for 95% of what you play.

That's an easy one... You won't be shunned by going back to four, not by me anyway.

 

[joe vegas]

some cats just don't care to use notes beyond what's available on the EADG. lower & higher notes are out of their style & genre zones. others thrive on a more fullrange instrument- more room low and high, more genre possibilities.
personally, i've yet to find any music, feel, pocket or riff played on my 6 that sounds more "authentic" on a 4. for me, the 6 simply provides more of everything and takes away nothing.

 

[Bonafide]

I REALLY enjoy a fretted low E for my playing preference. The way I can pivot from it is a real support. For me 5 string bass is not just about the extended low end below the 5th fret. It is about playing technique and extended options above the 5th fret.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Somebody say "Jaco only needed 4"

Whew,

 

[GlennRH]

1. Having played only 4-string basses since 1984, I have never ever felt that I lacked a needed B string. Playing EADG has always satisfied.

2. Having sampled a few 5-string basses, I always notice that the notes on the B string also available on the E string (i.e. 5th fret and toward the bridge) have a foreign tone. Low F and low G, for example, on a B string just don't sound right.

So, for me, a fiver means a whole lotta unnecessary difference for the sake of a few notes that a B string alone can provide - notes I never really need to play.

 

[chadds]

I used to slide my hand off the fretbd past the nut on my ‘70 Telebass in 1971 because I heard lower notes. When 5s came along it was like I was home.

 

[g-dude]

Having two octaves in one position is handy for reading work, if that's what you are doing. Other than that I'd rather a four and detune E to D if I need to. I'd rather the spacing and the fact that there is less to mute. Some tracks that need the low D I've found can actually be easier and play a lot better on a four, with less string crossing.

Here’s the ironic part - I’ve only really bothered to read bass clef for the bass guitar since starting playing the upright.

It’s actually sort of funny how much more profound a bowed E sounds on an upright bass compared to the E or even a B on an electric bass guitar. Maybe it’s because of the anticipation of the F, followed by E, and repeated over and over again at an increasing tempo until you get bored of playing the theme from Jaws.

 

[mikewalker]

I have a 5-string Arpegionne and a six-string Viola Da Gamba.

But all of my "electric bass guitars" are four string. Get off my lawn, eh!

 

[QweziRider]

...but the ergonomic side of things doesn’t really play to the five string’s favor - at least for the combination of my hands and my five string bass.

Which is how it goes. Not all things work the same for all people. It's all good, you have to do what works for you.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

So one thing I’m noticing is that I can generally exist with four strings.

Occasionally, I do play something where it might be good to be able to go below E, without having to deal with tuning down. In fact, I’d probably estimate that at least half (if not more) of my notes below E don’t need to be below E, I just play them like that if I had a five string on hand.

In theory, I could restring my five string from E to C. Then again, I don’t tend to find myself wishing I had a higher string. Maybe I could find a use for it.

But here’s the real question: if you’re dropping some serious coin on a higher end bass, do you go ahead and spend the extra $100 for an extra string that you might occasionally use, or do you stick with what will work for 95% of what you play.

4

 

[Lagado]

Here’s the ironic part - I’ve only really bothered to read bass clef for the bass guitar since starting playing the upright.

It’s actually sort of funny how much more profound a bowed E sounds on an upright bass compared to the E or even a B on an electric bass guitar. Maybe it’s because of the anticipation of the F, followed by E, and repeated over and over again at an increasing tempo until you get bored of playing the theme from Jaws.

It's a whole other sonority with a bow, to have that kind of consistent unwavering sustain. I stepped in for a band years back, and they told me that their regular bassist had got so fed up of the B string on his five that he just took it off. And played the gigs like that from then on...

 

[dbsfgyd1]

So one thing I’m noticing is that I can generally exist with four strings.

Occasionally, I do play something where it might be good to be able to go below E, without having to deal with tuning down. In fact, I’d probably estimate that at least half (if not more) of my notes below E don’t need to be below E, I just play them like that if I had a five string on hand.

In theory, I could restring my five string from E to C. Then again, I don’t tend to find myself wishing I had a higher string. Maybe I could find a use for it.

But here’s the real question: if you’re dropping some serious coin on a higher end bass, do you go ahead and spend the extra $100 for an extra string that you might occasionally use, or do you stick with what will work for 95% of what you play.

That depends on the music you play. If you are playing music written before 1980, odds are you don’t need a B string. If you are playing music written in this century, a 5er is a pretty good idea.

 

[drumvsbass]

Solution : Four string bass. Double lever Hipshot Extender Key. First stop D second stop B. String gauge accordingly on the heavier side for the number of times you need a low B.
Also, playing a power chord shape (I,V) will now give you octaves on the lowest two strings.

DoubleStop Lever AddOn

 

[RBrownBass]

So one thing I’m noticing is that I can generally exist with four strings.

So do that.

 

[thabassmon]

The problem quite a few five players have, is that even if they are not using it, they still have to mute it. That, and the fact that it's in the way at the same time.

I think that if players are not using it and it's in the way, perhaps a 5 isn't a good choice for them.

If they do use the low B and they have trouble with muting, the two most obvious options are work on muting effectively or assess whether a BEAD tuning would work better for them.

I think players should make the instrument work for them, not against them. You should not have to fight the instrument to make music.

Make choices that enable you to produce your best performance in the musical situations you are in. I choose not to have a low B, others may find it crucial, choose whatever works best for you.

 

[fretlessman71]

So one thing I’m noticing is that I can generally exist with four strings.

Occasionally, I do play something where it might be good to be able to go below E, without having to deal with tuning down. In fact, I’d probably estimate that at least half (if not more) of my notes below E don’t need to be below E, I just play them like that if I had a five string on hand.

In theory, I could restring my five string from E to C. Then again, I don’t tend to find myself wishing I had a higher string. Maybe I could find a use for it.

But here’s the real question: if you’re dropping some serious coin on a higher end bass, do you go ahead and spend the extra $100 for an extra string that you might occasionally use, or do you stick with what will work for 95% of what you play.

By all means, let your four-string freak flag fly! If you won't miss that B, play basses that don't have one. There is - and should be - NO SHAME in preferring a 4 string, and don't talk yourself into feeling inferior because you prefer an instrument that you're convinced for some reason is ALSO inferior. And it's true - Jaco DID only need 4 strings. So did Stanley, Entwistle, Geddy, Larry, Sting, and a zillion other bassists.

Me, on the other hand, I would DESPERATELY miss that B. But I was tuning my E string down to D and C when I was 15, and got one of the first 5ers to come across the ocean from Aria. I've hardly looked back. I use it when appropriate, and I like it for a lot of things where the original note was an octave higher. I like that low B so much, I even have an Xtender Key on most of my 5ers to drop it to A (that note generally gets used no more than twice a gig). It totally ends the argument between bassists and keyboardists as to who can play lower notes, which comes in handy. But if that ain't you, that ain't you. Rock a great 4 string instead. What kind of 5er are you selling?

 

[jamro217]

I only use four string basses and have since 1975. Never owned a 5. Never lost out on a gig or an audition because of the perceived limitations of a standard four string.