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Why a 5? Or, How Much Do You Use That Low B?

#221
BigBeatNut said:
If the equipment makes a perceivable and positive difference to the listener, then there's every reason for it to matter, surely ?
Click to expand...

Yeah... That's right. I'm interpolating here, but I just hate that there might be some monster player out there that's not getting a chance because plays a 4 string Squier through a Peavey 15 watt practice amp. I'd love for the equipment to never be a factor... but it always is.

For me, it's not an implicit "let's use Jeff because he plays a 5er," but more of "load in is at 3pm, bring your 5 string."
 
#222
I've tried four (Ibanez (two models), Kramer, and sterling SUB.
One I had for a year, two for a month or two, and one for a week. Just don't need it.
Other than songs I used it on specifically for getting them, I was using the B string for a thumb rest mostly.



Fender JP-90
Epi Bass Club #169 JC sig
 
#223
Spector 35" scale with a DR Lo-Rider 130 or even 125 is a fantastic low B. Nothing floppy or indistinguishable about it.

Reading certain posts in this thread, I was reminded of this quote:

"Why do you need new bands? Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact."

- H. Simpson
 
#224
I've played a six for years and I couldn't go back.

The greatest advantage that playing a six has done, is end my feeble slapping attempts; the tight spacing has put an end to that! As for how often I use the B string - I've never counted, but I tend to think I use it all the time. I got my first because our singer likes the key of A, and the number of times I've needed a D flat or C, were ridiculous (INXS' Devil Inside was the final straw. Played it in B, so the verse went I-V-VII in B and A flat, requiring an E flat. Tried playing it an octave higher, and the bottom disappeared). I decided that, if I was going to be forced to adjust to a new string spacing, I was going all out, and got a six instead of a five.

As for intonation, I've found that you have to have GREAT technique. If my left thumb isn't riding down the center of the neck, my fretting finger will pull the string sharp because of the lack of tension on the B string. With good techniques, my basses are never sharp.

YMMV.
 
#226
JustForSport said:
That is very true- too many don't realize that the correct gauge and tension for a B (regardless what string manufacturers like to put in the package) along with a good setup is key to fixing most 'floppy' B's.
It seems that some would rather dis then sell a bass with a 'floppy' B just because it doesn't sound or feel good 'as it is'.
Click to expand...

My six started working "properly" when I got a .136 low B, so sometimes you need to go a bit extreme. Now it intonates perfectly and the tone is clear up and down the neck.
 
#228
Now that my bass lines are rewritten to use the 5th string (mostly between the 5th and 9th frets) I won't go back. I could, but why? I like the fatter tone of the E on the 5th fret of the 5th string, vs open 4th.

Don't think of the B string as having 5 extra low notes. There is a lot more to it!
 
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#230
It really just depends on the material your playing, if your playing in a cover band playing old tunes you might not need a 5 at all. For me i mostly play originals in my rock band with guitars in c#,b and A. So i use the low b string in just about every song at some point. Really you could just have a second bass set up "bead" instead of a 5. But i like having all the range at the same time. I don't want to have to carry 3 or 4 basses to a gig anymore, been there done that, it got old fast. I'm more of a get one bass for everything guy, and of it can't do everything start modding.
 
#231
I think its based on what type and style of music you use. In our band and the style I play (Praise and Worship) i use it very often because I do a continuous walk. Its very handy to have the extra scales and notes you can run too. I couldn't go back to a 4 if I wanted to because I continuously reach for the top string and it wouldn't be there lol.
 
#232
Short answers...why a 5-string? I like the extra low range and positional advantages (playing in F on 6th fret of B instead of 1st fret on E). How much do I use it? Enough to justify having it, but probably a little bit less than the E, A, and D strings overall.

Long answer...I really start playing bass seriously in the late 90's and 5-strings were pretty common back then in rock groups that I listened to so it wasn't a big deal to me. Most of my favorite bassists played 4-strings but I started to build my style around having the low B, crafting lines that wove into the rest of the bass guitar pretty seamlessly. Now, I don't play original music as much but when I do, I've got to have a 5-string....I am just so used to having it that it feels limiting to be without it. In my classic rock cover band, I typically play a 4-string though because most of the material doesn't really call for a low B and I found myself almost NEVER using it. I wanted to a more classic tone, so I got a cheap P-bass that has served me very well. However, my other band runs the gamut of old and new R&B, hip hop, soul, funk, and dance music. For that band, not having a 5 would be detrimental to most of the modern material that we play. I have also been in metal bands in the past where the low B was needed, but for me, the low B has never been only about that. For example, I especially love the impact the those low notes can have during a ballad where the mix is a bit sparse, a long, sustained low D can really fill up the room.

Bottom line...if I ever did have to limit myself to only one bass, I would never choose a 4-string for my personal playing style and the type of music at I play. Just my experience. Had I started playing in the 80s or before, I might feel completely different about it.
 
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#237
I've played fours most of my playing life, and just dabbled with fivers from time to time.

I dig the couple extra notes, more at home where I'm not torturing anyone. But the 35" scale length of my five-string gets just the right tension for me. In other words, I do more playing above the B string than on it. But the tone is the thing.
 
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#238
hdracer said:
Get one with the same or very close spacing as your 4
Click to expand...

Or vastly different. I've had all kinds of trouble trying to adapt to a five string with narrow or the same spacing as my fours. But I jumped right into playing a six string, super narrow, Squier VI. Yeah, I still make plenty of string related mistakes but paradoxically it feels much more natural to me than any five I have tried and I feel that I will learn it and continue to love it whereas with a fiver I managed to learn it but never, ever even liked it, forget about loving it! If I ever try a five again I will probably convert a four string to five strings with a super narrow spacing.

My four strings don't have a B string. They do have a C string and they are tuned in fifths so they are not exactly the same as a fiver although they will do much the same work. They actually have half a step more range than a fourths tuned fiver. I use the C string all the time and I use the open C quite a bit. However the amount to which I use any of the notes below the traditional open E diminishes rapidly with each half step below that E. So much so that I have only once wanted to have a B. One of my basses has a Hipshot tuner that can give me an open B or A depending on how I set it up and that one time I was ready to flip that lever to B. I even started to practice it. But then a last minute key change by a guest vocalist removed the "need" for that B and so I have never really used the B, Bb, or A that I have available.
 
#239
I use it pretty much all the time I just tune AEADG , never have to detune for drop D... Mainly play metal or some brutal stuff... Or you could always just use it as an anchor for your thumb:) if you have small hands like myself I mainly play an ibanez sr5005 prestige it's almost like playing a 4 thin neck and string spacing isn't to far hands don't get tired from a fat and wide neck ..
 
#240
I love my 5-string. Not enough to want to strictly play 5's, though, which is why I also have a 4 string. Generally speaking, I can play the same stuff on my 5 as I can on my 4, but the feel is different for sure, so it can be easier to play on the 4. Other times, I do miss having the low B (both due to not having the lower notes, other times because it's easier to play up the neck instead of jumping all over the place).

As for adjusting, it didn't take long. And since I changed instruments so often (between buying/selling/trading over the years, and switching between 4 and 5 string basses and electric guitars), I learned to adapt pretty quickly. I may find some string spacings and setups easier to play than others, but unless the strings are inches off the fretboard, I can typically play any of them all the same unless I'm playing something particularly tricky/intricate (which is rare), at which time I want my own specific basses for maximum comfort.
 

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