Whats Wrong...

[Shoot_A_Hostage]

With my old 4-banger?
I've been playing bass for a while now. And I know i'm better than average at bass.
Lately I've been going around alot of more experienced Bass players recently. I think the east experienced was 10 years...
Whenever I pull out my four string, or mention it,
they seem to be dumbfounded and ask why im not using 5 or 6.
It's really frustrating.
So I ask TB,
Why would a bass players NEED to switch?

PS Im kind of a purist, and I cant seem to find a reason to switch.

PSS Theyre mostly Jazz and Classic Rock.

 

[pbassturk]

chocolate and vanilla. any more questions?

 

[Shoot_A_Hostage]

chocolate and vanilla. any more questions?

thanks.
that clears up so much.
=)
im gunna quote you now.

 

[billhilly66]

Some gigs call for a 5, others don’t.

 

[Buster Brown]

I've experienced the same thing many, many times. I have played a 4 banger for the last 35 years. Always served me well and, frankly, have never felt the need for more than that. That's not to imply that 5-6-7-8 or whatever won't work as well, just not for me.

As to your question - You DON'T need to switch. It's purely a matter of personal choice, nothing more. If 4 works for you then so be it. If more than 4 work - cool!

So you're not alone......hang in there Bro!!

 

[David Jayne]

Unless you're playing Dream Theater or something, no need to worry, those guys are idiots. Play what you want.
About twenty gazillion hit records were recorded with 4 string bass.
A few less than that were recorded with 'multi' string basses. A few.
Most dates require no more than 4. But...
Some dates require more, 5 or sometimes 6, or even more, but this generally is not the norm.
Play what you want (unless someone requires you to play something else in order for you to get paid, see 'Lenny Kravitz 4 string policy' thread).

 

[Ric5]

I find 4 string basses very limiting ... but play what you want ...

But if you are going to play a 4 then get fat strings and tune it DGCF.

 

[wvbass]

IME, this kind of stupidity goes away after your first set. I'm not one for the "4 string is too limiting. Some songs call for a 5." This just doesn't hold up, especially not with hipshots, BEAD tuning, etc.

Case in point. Keith Urban. Modern country. Lots of drop D stuff. His live bass player is Jerry Flowers. I've seen him use an old P bass and a Thunderbird. They appear to be in standard tuning without a hipshot. Go see him live. Report back on how much you think the music suffers because he only has four strings.

 

[southernrocker]

Keep the four. It's ignorant for people to think that to be good you have to have a 5+. I see a five as unneccessary, as so many people don't even use that low B anyway.

 

[NoobOnRoad]

when i'll found a 5 that i found comfortable i'll buy it. But for now i am stick to 4 strings.

I like having 4 strings and bizare tunings. Like C A D G or thing like this

 

[FunkMetalBass]

I find that I play better with a tighter string spacing, so I dig 6-ers and tight 5's.

However, for slapping, 4-banger spacing is great.

Apples to tire irons. To each his own.

 

[Gearhead17]

Make the 4 sing and be done with it. I like my fives!

 

[NoobOnRoad]

^ what he said is true, to each his own!

 

[138BASS]

IMO, The thing about more strings is it just adds a level of flexibility if you use all the strings. For instance you can be playing in the middle of the neck and hit an F on the B string at the 5th fret instead of dropping back to the 1st on the E. But Do you need it?? of course not, it's all a matter of what you wanna play and how you wanna play it. I have a 4, 5, 6 and a DB and use all of them for different things, and some times the same things, just a matter of what the mood is For someone to judge someones playing on the number of strings they have is completely ignorant.

 

[JMacBass65]

For instance you can be playing in the middle of the neck and hit an F on the B string at the 5th fret instead of dropping back to the 1st on the E.

You sure about that bro?

 

[138BASS]

You sure about that bro?

LOL got typing a little too quick. never was much good at it. That F would be at the 6th fret. nice observation 62Jazz

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

You've managed to move to some hidden and rare netheruniverse where folks are asking you why you DON'T have more than four strings. Please let TB know where you live, so that all the folks who deal with the opposite reaction on a daily basis can move there

 

[Melodicgroove]

I've owned two Fives and they were all I played in my 3rd and 4th years of playing bass. I sold them when I got tired of the B string being a thumb rest. Went back to a 4 string and have yet to see the need for another five again, even through the metal years. Having a C string, like on a 6 string, never seemed like playing bass to me. I'm a rock bassist, not a virtuoso.

You should get a fretless and then ask all those guys why they still play with frets on their necks.

 

[-=DanAtkinson=-]

Seriously? Are we really doing one of these threads again?

 

[Kwesi]

Do you ever get even a tad bit frustrated because you'd like to be able to hit lower notes on your bass? If not stick with what you got and screw what everyone else says. 5ers are becoming more and more popular due to various reasons; bassists who want low notes without having to tune down, the surge of urban gospel artists, the natural want to experiment musically, but that doesn't mean you need one.