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Who needs five strings??!

I do the same thing with my 4 strings. 5 strings throw me off a bit because the A string runs down the middle of the neck and feels weird due to the way I position my right hand. I ditched my 6 strings a few months back and just strictly use 4s now.
 
would Jamerson have played even better on a 5 string ? how about McCartney ? Bruce, Squire, Entwistle, you could go on and on and on...

Truth is, We'll never know if they would have been more awesome with a different platform.

Those guys are better musicians than most, so they perhaps didn't need the kick in the pants I got from having a low B to change their patterns and approach (for the better) like I benefited from by having a low B. It's seldom about the five lower semitones for me, it's the pattern shift up the neck and then the ability to play more often across the neck rather than up-and-down the neck that made me a better bass player.
 
I just do what I want and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. I don't need anyone's approval to use whatever I want to use. A thread like this just gives people a chance to tell you that you're doing it wrong. It's like you're actually inviting them to do it. Not me...no need to open that can of worms up!
 
I tune my Schecter BEAD, if you are interested in keeping it that way try DR DDTs , they are made to be downtuned,....I dont think they make double ball end strings for the XL2 though, i think the the L2 could use any string but the XL2 was upgraded to only accomodate double ball strings.
 
umm...ok

BENJAMIN-BARBA-1.jpg


lemon-meringue-pie-2.jpg

Kinda reminds me of a Herb Alpert album cover...(who's bassist at the time probably played a 4-string. Arrgghh....)
 
Mod. 3 Ode-1.jpg Who needs 5 strings? Enough people to keep the companies that make them very busy, evidently. Personally, this '63 Ode Model 3 is the only 5-stringed instrument that I have any use for. Basses with only 4 strings work just fine for me. On the rare occasions that I play anything that would really benefit from a low-B, I have a nice Carvin that's strung BEAD. But that's just me..:)
 
I don't get the logic behind the statements like: James Jamerson only played 4 string basses, so we only need 4.

Jamerson didn't play Rickenbackers, so do we tell bass players they shouldn't either?

And, whatever you do, please don't tell Anthony Jackson he's been doing it all wrong for the last 30 years.
 

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