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Why 5 Strings?

#2
If you are playing metal, these days a lot of guitarists tune pretty low. Drop D, drop C, C#, or use 7-string guitars- these "extra" B string notes get used constantly in those cases. For many using a 5 string is preferable to detuning one or two whole steps.

I'd be interested in why jazz players would use a 5 string.
 
#3
DeanT said:
I'm not exactly sure what the point of a 5-string bass is. Not to disparage those of you that like playing them, but what's the big attraction? All you get are a few extra notes on the bass. Can someone explain the lure of the 5-string to me?
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Besides the obvious going lower than a 4, it gives you the ability to play higher on the neck. (ex. like playing in E starting on the low B string)
 
#4
in addition to metal, modern gospel, contemporary christian, country, and slick pop rock often require notes lower than low e as well.

What would a slick power ballad sound like these days if the bass didn't go down an octave in the final chorus?
 
#5
chaosMK said:
If you are playing metal, these days a lot of guitarists tune pretty low. Drop D, drop C, C#, or use 7-string guitars- these "extra" B string notes get used constantly in those cases. For many using a 5 string is preferable to detuning one or two whole steps.
Click to expand...

To elaborate more specifically, going down low is used to get the "distorted wall of mud" sound used often today.
 
#9
what if you're in the key of Eb and want to use that low Eb? without the 5th string, you'd have to detune. also, having a 5 string allows you to play parts that would normally be down the neck, farther up where the frets are closer together making it easier to play. I used to wonder this same question...then I got a 6 string and found out what was so special!
 
#10
chaosMK said:
If you are playing metal, these days a lot of guitarists tune pretty low. Drop D, drop C, C#, or use 7-string guitars- these "extra" B string notes get used constantly in those cases. For many using a 5 string is preferable to detuning one or two whole steps.

I'd be interested in why jazz players would use a 5 string.
Click to expand...


Ive seen alot of jazz players string it up eadgc so they can do chordal stuff. that high C sounds so great during a solo ala John patitucci. check him out...please if you guys haven't he's killer!
 
#11
thehurlatron said:
Besides the obvious going lower than a 4, it gives you the ability to play higher on the neck. (ex. like playing in E starting on the low B string)
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If I decide to get an ERB, it would be for this reason. More range at a given position. Why tune to guitarists? Seems to me that defeats the purpose of an extended range bass...limiting your range to the guitarists! I'm not trying to start a flame war...play what you want, when you want--
 
#12
5 words... four full ocatves of "A" (in my tuning, that is)

The versatility when playing chords is far superior to my 4-string. Scales and other figures can be played in more positions on the neck. Honestly, I rarely use my lowest 3 notes, but I would be almost lost without the extra string. (I'm also saving for a 9-string)
 
#14
For me, it wasn't so much to get the low notes as to cut down on the shifting. Which means I can grab the neck where the frets are a bit closer together and play the same notes a 4-string would be playing - and have some higher notes available as a bonus.
 
#15
We perform a lot of songs in D...which means that you have to jump up to the 10th fret, E string, or 5th fret, A string, or open D string to get a note that's NOT in the register you want.

Five strings give more versatility. It's not even about the low B, which (in my experience) rarely gets used.
 
#16
It depends on the music you are playing. Or how you express yourself on the fretboard. For rock and pop music it is really not necessary. I play pop rock and use a fiver but am moving back towards a four. I just don't use the low notes that much,(almost never lower than d), and don't solo much. I find the five more than I need! It is nice to be able to play in the middle of the neck and often I like the timbre of the thicker strings, but with good technique you should be able to accomplish the same sound on a four. And most cabs don't reproduce the lows very well. I have it covered with Acmes but they can get really lost in a rock mix.
 
#17
Well I see two really good reasons.

That low B and the "few extra notes" it provides are essential. That's where you get a lot of booty from. I don't use it much in jazz... maybe as an impact at the end of the piece (great if it ends on some sort of B chord, haha...) But in church, I use it a lot. Those low notes are just essential.

The more legitimate reason is that with a 5 string, you can do 2 octaves in any given position. Great for walking all around and staying in one position.
 
#18
That low B makes for a great thumb rest :)

just kidding, but not much to add. I like the ability to play Eflat and D down low, plus the occasional octave punch to a C or B. I also like the ability to stay in one position more easily while still getting a full range of notes out of the bass.
 
#20
CherryFive said:
They didn't need 5 strings in the 60s and the 70s for lower notes, and you don't need 5 strings now.


Well, there was that very rare Fender high C in the mid '70s....
But that's different!
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And they didn't need electric basses in the 30s and 40s, but something seems to have changed, huh?
 

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