Why do so many 5 & 6 string players NEVER use their low B?

[lordradish]

It's not a low "B," it's an over priced thumb rest.

Sure, if one wants to limit themselves in that way.

 

[mattj1stc]

To the original question, I’ve been playing various 5 string basses for over 25 years. I can’t speak for everyone, especially not the “monster players” (I’m not one), but I think there are a few answers.

First, if you play a lot of covers, especially older songs, most don’t require the lower notes. Second , the low B string is probably one of those things that is naturally overused (like when you first get a 5er) or underused. Third, I think that a lot of people have floppy B strings that require them to play a little differently, which throws them off, so they avoid the B string. This is why I use a .150 B string.

If you play with older singers, you will definitely use the lower notes. Strangely, the biggest difference between the B and E string is that there are lots of cases where a open E is used, but not so much with an open B. In fact, the B is probably the note I use the least on that string.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

No,..but if it's a tune I don't want to use the high C, then I use a 4 string on that tune.

Sounds like you’re not really giggling. The average player rarely has the room nor the time to store and switch between a 4, 5, and 6-string bass repeatedly throughout a gig. Having one bass that covers all your needs is far more realistic.

 

[foothilla]

You must have unlimited resources to by basses that suit every song you want to play.

I wish I had unlimited resources,...but no such luck. However, many of these players I am referencing do have unlimited resources (including the 3 examples I posted). Yet they are still recording with 5/6 strings in tunes where they aren't even using the low B.

By your reasoning, all of those rock biggots who get angry when someone shows up with a 6 string bass are actually justified in their assumption that a 6 string bassist will not be able to play rock songs the same way as a 4 string bassist. That is kind of a disturbing thought... that someone out there (you, OP, I presume...) in our bass world actually can't NOT play on the B string.

If you read my posts with less defensiveness, you would have clearly noticed that I am not even remotely angry. I am simply trying to understand something that is foreign to me.

Most people have reacted very nicely to my question, and have done a great job at explaining why they prefer what they prefer. But a small percentage of you are actually pissed that I want to understand. It's this odd defensive reaction of "how dare you question my bass preferences!!!".

If you don't want people to understand your preferences, then feel free to not share them. But to get all defensive just because someone is questioning player preference? That just seems weird, man.

 

[foothilla]

If you have the op


Sounds like you’re not really giggling. The average player rarely has the room nor the time to store and switch between a 4, 5, and 6-string bass repeatedly throughout a gig. Having one bass that covers all your needs is far more realistic.

You're assuming that I am only referencing small gig, live performance. In reality I notice it the most on youtube, with great players that know in advance that they are making a recording. They have countless options, and time to select what they want for that particular recording. See the 3 examples I posted. They are all great players, they all know in advance that they are making a recording, they all have other options, they have the time to switch basses,...but they picked a 5 string, and then failed to touch the low B a single time. It's that kind of stuff that I am curious about. I see it a lot.

As far as I am concerned, I almost never gig with the high C string. I rarely play anything that calls for it in a band setting. My high C strings are mainly for my living room enjoyment only.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

If you have the op


Sounds like you’re not really giggling. The average player rarely has the room nor the time to store and switch between a 4, 5, and 6-string bass repeatedly throughout a gig. Having one bass that covers all your needs is far more realistic.

If I'm switching basses on a gig, it's either between fretted and fretless, or fretted and upright, or upright and fretless. Or maybe flats/rounds, but hardly ever between 4, 5, and/or 6 string basses for the sake of the specific strings on the bass.

 

[fhm555]

Why do you care what other bass players do?
It’s obvious you don’t care for a low B but what has your personal preference got to do with how others approach the instrument? A lot of fiver players don’t realize or appreciate the world it opens up but if you will look around there are plenty of lessons on how to fully integrate the low B into your technique if you are coming from a four string.
As has been mentioned, there was a time when you had to hold your mouth just right when stringing or setting up a fiver, is it possible your aversion is due to never having played a fiver with an appropriate low B string or a proper set up? Have you ever tried different strings or setups to get better results from a low B?

 

[SiliconElle]

I notice a lot of people complaining about their B strings, not just here but on other threads as well. I’ve never really had much of a problem with mine. The funny thing is that my current strings are fairly light gauge, but the b string is actually more even and responsive than it was with the heavier sets. I play an inexpensive 34” scale Ibanez and rather old Fodera Victor Wooten signature strings that I put on when I was obsessed with him years ago.

 

[mflaherty]

NOTE: I am primarily a 4 string player that sometimes plays 5 string, but my 5 strings are always tuned E-A-D-G-C (no low B).

I never bonded with a low B string (I've tried). Regardless of bass, it has always sounded flabby and undefined to me. Lately I have been watching some excellent 5/6 string players, and I've been paying very close attention to how they use of their low B string.

To my surprise, a huge percentage of these players barely use the low B. It's not uncommon to see some monster players that will go the entire tune without hitting the low B string a single time. I'm confused why anyone would use a 5 or 6 string for even one tune, if they weren't going to use the B string anyway.

This is an odd, but serious question. Does anyone know why people are doing this? What am I missing? Why are guys doing this?

I heard a five string player at a jam recently. He was a fine musician but he loved his B string too much. He sounded like the engine of the Death Star, which would have been cool if they were playing the Star Wars theme instead of the blues.

 

[dkelley]

I wish I had unlimited resources,...but no such luck. However, many of these players I am referencing do have unlimited resources (including the 3 examples I posted). Yet they still recording with 5/6 strings in tunes where they aren't even using the low B.



If you read my posts with less defensiveness, you would have clearly noticed that I am not even remotely angry. I am simply trying to understand something that is foreign to me.

Most people have reacted very nicely to my question, and have done a great job at explaining why they prefer what they prefer. But a small percentage of you are actually pissed that I want to understand. It's this odd defensive reaction of "how dare you question my bass preferences!!!".

If you don't want people to understand your preferences, then feel free to not share them. But to get all defensive just because someone is questioning player preference? That just seems weird, man.

I don't mind the original question at all in the OP - it's the fact that after reading the thread, I got the feeling that you're still questioning why we don't always play on all the strings of the bass we're holding, and why we must switch to a 4 string for songs that only use 4 string.

After all of the great responses earlier from many members here, as you noted, it seems that you're still defending your concept that we should play on all the string of the bass we're holding no matter the song, which is why I'm now at the next level of frustration.

If I misunderstood your recent responses then I am truly sorry

 

[The Nameless]

I know exactly what you are talking about. I watched a great youtube video on this years ago (it was with a respected luthier, but cant remember which one). I spent years doing set ups for other players, as well as for myself - and I never started paying attention to that until I saw that video.



I am pretty good at getting pickups properly set up. The problem is that I can't get a low B to feel good unless I set the action up REALLY high. Then the action feels totally out of balance unless I set the other 4 strings up equally high. The only low B strings that ever felt good to me were on my friend's Carl Thompsons. But, I think that is because Carl's basses have a severe break angle at the bridge (and these particular basses are 36" scale).

I don't want to play 36" basses, and I don't own any basses with crazy break angles at the bridge (ala Carl Thompson). If I could get that feel out of a 34"/35" scale bass, without setting the action way up, I'd probably be more into the low B.

When I set up a 5 string for someone else,...or I noodle on other people's 5 strings,....it seems that most of them have the low B sitting so low that it doesn't have enough room to vibrate (at least with my right hand attack, which is medium/heavy).

I'm the same way. Most of my basses are set up to be what most players would consider high action. I like a really percussive right hand attack, which requires a heavier touch, and thereby a higher action. I fret out constantly on low action basses.

But, to get a low B feeling like I like it, my action got ridiculous. Then, even once I was there, and the pickups were properly adjusted,...the fundamentals of that string just remained "less defined" sounding (relative to the other 4).

The 36" scale Carl Thompsons (with hard bridge break angles), not the case. Those low B's sounded super defined to me. But, I never played them in a live environment, with other musicians.

I run semi heavy strings. 130 B is as small as I use. I used heavier awhile. Got more of what I liked, but hand fatigue set in. So, i went back to 130s and raised my action slightly, to mimic the tension of the heavier strings. Not technically correct, but feel vs tone is what I'm after. Terms matter less.

Maybe, without knowing, I adjust my picking techniques for my B strings. But it doesn't feel or sound that way to me. My basses are both utilitarian instruments. Leo designed, 34" scale. I've used Smiths, Warwicks, Modulus and a TON of others. I hear all the time that 34 won't yield a great B. So, maybe I am under an illusion as to the efficiency and such of my B strings. Cuz mine are a blast. Just a bass. Not a bass with an extra string. My bands, my leaders, my fans, like my sounds and use of the B. So, I can only figure what you an I expect from a B may be different.

I wish we could hang. Such similar approaches yielding such differing results is intriguing. I'd love to discover why. And learn more about B strings, bass and setup in general.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

You're assuming that I am only referencing small gig, live performance. In reality I notice it the most on youtube, with great players that know in advance that they are making a recording. They have countless options, and time to select what they want for that particular recording. See the 3 examples I posted. They are all great players, they all know in advance that they are making a recording, they all have other options, they have the time to switch basses,...but they picked a 5 string, and then failed to touch the low B a single time. It's that kind of stuff that I am curious about. I see it a lot.

As far as I am concerned, I almost never gig with the high C string. I rarely play anything that calls for it in a band setting. My high C strings are mainly for my living room enjoyment only.

Are you perhaps incorrectly assuming that their 4-strings sound exactly like their 5-strings? They very likely don’t.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Another benefit to 5 string necks is that, at least the ones I've tried, tend to not have the usual dead spots. Or maybe they shift around a bit to be less noticeable.

 

[NativeBobcat]

I started on 5. Played that exclusively for 15-ish years. Now I’ve started playing 4’s. It’s a novel experience.

When using 5 strings, I tend to favor a more busy playstyle. Playing 4 strings slows me down and makes me focus more on making every note count and matter.

Nowadays I prefer 4’s but I usually pick a 5 when playing with coverbands with EDM, neo-soul and hip-hop material. That low B is really useful for those kinds of styles.

 

[Shadi]

I use my low B string all the time

 

[foothilla]

Why do you care what other bass players do?

Why do you care what I care about? If you don't want me to know your preferences, don't share them.

It's obvious you don’t care for a low B but what has your personal preference got to do with how others approach the instrument?

I don't care for using a low B,....but I quite like when other players use it effectively.

But, ultimately, this isn't about any of that. It's about the guys that have the low B at their disposal, and don't touch it. I curious about their thought process. For the life of me, I can't figure out why that curiosity resulted in such a defensive reaction out of a few of you.

Have you ever tried different strings or setups to get better results from a low B?

I have had to set up low B's with very heavy strings, and very high action, in order to get the string to respond like I like a string to respond.

I've noticed that a lot of guys that kill it on the low B string have a very light touch. I do not have a light touch, which I suspect is a big part of the reason that I never bonded with the low B.

 

[foothilla]

I wish we could hang. Such similar approaches yielding such differing results is intriguing. I'd love to discover why. And learn more about B strings, bass and setup in general.

If you ever get out to Los Angeles, let's hang!

 

[Slidlow]

I played fours and wrote a lot of tunes for them. Since building a five for myself I have found many songs easier to play with the "B" string available (as well as new songs written specifically with the five in hand). Basically finding I can stay in one area more and not have to make large moves up and down the neck. I guess it depends on how you approach the instrument and incorporate its features into your playing. My next will be a six with low B and high C.

 

[foothilla]

Are you perhaps incorrectly assuming that their 4-strings sound exactly like their 5-strings? They very likely don’t.

Fair point.

 

[foothilla]

I played fours and wrote a lot of tunes for them. Since building a five for myself I have found many songs easier to play with the "B" string available (as well as new songs written specifically with the five in hand). Basically finding I can stay in one area more and not have to make large moves up and down the neck. I guess it depends on how you approach the instrument and incorporate its features into your playing. My next will be a six with low B and high C.

Is that entire neck ebony?