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

[Lagado]

Other than bouncing off of them, Jamerson-style, I too avoid them, and I assumed that every bass player comes to avoid their use as they progress on the instrument.

No. There is the right time and place, to discount that, isn't progress.

 

[Lagado]

Fine, dude, you win the internet. Congratulations! Now, on to your next crusade. Away!

You got nothing.

 

[MtManiac]

You got nothing.

You got nothing.

What is it that you want, exactly? Is there an end game to your badgering? Are you paid per post, or what?

 

[coyote1]

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

SNIP
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.

The question is flawed. The “extra string” does so much more than provide five notes lower than you’d find on a 4 string. What it does is to change the entire layout of the fingerboard. With it, if I’m playing the following progression:
Eb7 / | Edim7 / | Bb7 / | G7 / | C-7 / | F7 / | Bb7 / ||

I can do a walking line through it without ever changing position. Instead of having to reach up to 3rd position to hit a low G, I can stay in 5th position and hit that note with my pinky. And low F with my middle finger. And that becomes available in all positions, in all keys.

 

[mambo4]

I only own 4's
Any comment I make about whether a 5 is useful/better/necessary
is like an illiterate stating whether reading is useful/better/necessary
there's no way I could know

 

[g-dude]

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?

Haven’t committed to it, but this guy...

NBD: Chapman MLB1-5 Pro

 

[Bijoux]

I love the classic sound of 4 string basses.To my ear having more wood on the neck on fivers creates a richer more complex sound that is very nice,but to me it feels hard to dial back in case i want to hear a more classic type of sound.
I also prefer the sound of my E string tuned down to a D or even a C, than the sound of those notes on a B string.
I guess the reason why,must be because when you play a D on the B string you are getting a lower note on a much thicker string but with actually shorter vibrating length. And even though that is the nature of the instrument,as to how it's tuned, at that point my ear starts to hear a huge gap in texture and timber between the B all the way up to the G string. It kind of feels like the balance is off...
I actually do have a 6 string bass, a Yamaha TRB-JP2 , that seems to address that issue somewhat. So when you play on the B string the sound is not too "heavy" compared to the sound on the higher strings. And the sound of the higher strings is very warm and feels more "robust" compared to other 6 string basses I have tried.
I suppose on my Fiver I could address the issue of balance mixing different string gauges, but I do love the vibe of playing a 4 string bass.
I always take my Fiver to sessions when I am not able to check the music before hand and there is a lot of sight reading involved. And I still use my 4 string bass most of the time as I keep getting better at using my D-tuner on the spot!

 

[mattj1stc]

To the original question, I would agree that 4 string basses can do the job most of the time. Further, they offer the widest range of possibilities for shapes, sizes, tones, strings, etc.

On the other hand, I made the jump to 5 strings mainly because I liked being able to play everything with just one bass. Many songs are in Eb, drop D or other down/drop tunings. Switching into that tuning on the fly is not easy and can require multiple basses or a delay between songs. With a 5 string, you're always ready to go. Also, as you play with people who are getting older (like I am), you'll find that singers sometimes need to drop a song down a little to make it fit their range.

In the end, I think the biggest misconception of 5 strings is that the B string is going to become the new E string, where you're going to be hitting a lot of open B notes. Instead, it's more that you end up using D or Eb or Db or even C a lot more than the open B. Lastly, you can also use the B string to play further up the neck if you want to, in order to play everything in one position.

 

[Benjamin Earl]

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.

I don't just use my 5 string for the low notes. I use it to play lower notes in higher positions on the neck. For example, if I'm playing in Bb on the E string 6th fret, then I have a low 5th scale tone (F) right there on the B string. It saves me from jumping down to the the 1st fret on the E string.

 

[Mookev2]

I'm just the opposite - I found I didn't play the high "G" string that much , so I strung all my 4 string basses B-E-A-D. I got into this game for LOW notes, brother.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I have a different perspective. A five-string electric bass lets you approach making music in a different way from the four-string EB. In some genres, the fiver is necessary. In many, it's not necessary, but it does allow different approaches that you may end up preferring. Or not. The entry fee of $100 is not a large sum to explore a new way to play the bass. You can always sell it later if it doesn't work out. I used to have lots of four string EBs. Now I have just one EB: a '97 Fender American Jazz Deluxe V. (Disclosure: I'm now mainly into double bass.)

These threads offer other ways to consider the question.

Tasteful use of a B string

5'er History

 

[baileyboy]

... 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.

The latter. I grew up using only 4 string basses, and have never had any problems learning/playing classic rock tunes with a 4 string bass. Since I'm no pro, don't do any studio work, only do 10-15 gigs a year (pre-China virus), it's not a game-changer in any way that I can't access a note lower than a low E.

 

[Seashore]

Regardless of the tuning, I like having five strings or more. Something about having the extra range in either direction just makes the writing and playing process more enjoyable for me, whereas four-strings feel kind of limiting.

 

[Bander]

I've played more 5 stringers that didn't play as well as a 4 stringer, and therefore believe there's some penalty in having a 5th string. I can hear it with my band mates' as well. It may or may not offset the value in having the 5th string.

 

[mcnach]

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.

For me the 5th string is not so much about the handful of additional lower notes, but about being able to play notes *across* the fingerboard without having to jump quite so much between positions. I think that's the true strength of a 5-string bass. It makes transposing so much simpler too.

 

[lfmn16]

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.

I've never in my life heard of someone making the decision between 4 string or 5 string based on cost. Maybe I've lived a sheltered life.

 

[lordradish]

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.

After making the leap to five string, I've never looked back and four strings just feel strange and oddly inadequate to me, now. If one is only occasionally using it, they don't need a 5.

 

[lordradish]

Plus a low E just sounds so much beefier on the B. More metal.

 

[Sam Dingle]

its a whole different thing I think. I hear a difference between the 3rd fret on the B string, and the E string tuned down to D.

I am studying with a session cat right now. He has a bass setup a whole step down and a 5 string and uses them for different things when needed.

 

[Muttleybass]

First of all, whatever floats yer boat...

I was a staunch and steadfast 4 string guy for 35 years. More and more drop D songs started showing up in our set. When we got up to about half a dozen, I got a Hip Shot D tuner as I didn't feel like re-learning 35 years of muscle memory screwing around with alternate tunings. Then we started adding more modern country. It would seem there's a lot of 5 strings.

Finally I was invited to play in Mexico. The only bass I could borrow was a 5 string. Kinda got hooked after that, so I bought a relatively inexpensive 5er when I got home (Yammie BB735a). After about half a year playing that as my #1, I came across a decent deal on a high end Sandberg.

For me it was a journey, not a destination. YMMV.

And I don't understand what all the BS about amps and PA not handling the low B. Any decent gear through any PA with a sub seems to work just fine for me. Any difference is inaudible to the audience, IMO.