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

[Brad Johnson]

I bought a 5 str but I hardly ever use it , it's more of a just i case I might need that low B, but . My 5str ha 35" scale and my 4s has 34.then you have to strech yor fingers more but anyway it is might be easier for some to learn hard stuff on a 5 str since there is less space between strings. If you have an 34" scale 5str maybe with an thin neck . So if you have small hands/fingers, I think it might be easier to play a 5str if you leave the low B be. Did that make sence to anyone else?

Many people believe this.

 

[Brad Johnson]

String spacing?

The string spacing on 5 & 6 stringers are closer. Maybe that closer spacing feels more comfortable to them. And of course there is the supposed "coolness" factor - more strings - harder to play - perception. I guess that why violins are so difficult, with 4 strings and a neck length a fraction of bass.

Anyway, I digress. Just a thought because I've seen a of couple petite girl bass players using 6 strings. And for the kind of music they're playing (blues), there's really nothing to be gained from a 5 or 6er'. They just like the closer spacing and play it like a 4.

The string spacing "can be" closer but that is far from a given. I have sixes with 19, 20 and 21mm spacing.

 

[jdc866]

Thicker B strings may take less practice to learn to control but I've yet to hear B's any nicer than my basses with .125 or .120 strings. I even use a .125 on my 36" scale Fodera Anthony Jackson Contrabass. Amazing definition, depth and thump, zero mud.

Thinnest B string. More even sound jumping from the E. All depends on your bass probably as well. Mine isn’t too bad. 35” scale also, with a zero fret. It’s not super muddy, but could probably stand to drop to a 120 at least instead of the 125.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Because it is perceived to be 1 string cooler than 4 strings, typically only by the player. The listener literally doesn't care or even notice. It really is that simple.

Far from a given. Many listeners do notice. Other musicians too.

In my case it has nothing to do with trying to be cooler, it's a means to an end... and as such, many never seem to understand that a six can be far less physically demanding as a four. Likely because they don't spend the time trying to figure out the benefits, which may not present themselves immediately. They're great basses for lazy bassists.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Thinnest B string. More even sound jumping from the E. All depends on your bass probably as well. Mine isn’t too bad. 35” scale also, with a zero fret. It’s not super muddy, but could probably stand to drop to a 120 at least instead of the 125.

It all factors in. I had a great training bass back in the 80's... a Kramer Duke four string with a .110 to .045 set tuned BEAD. After learning not to make that tuning floppy everything else was downhill from there. It can be done.

 

[Brad Johnson]

My 34” scale B string sounds duller than the E no matter who plays it. Not necessarily floppy physically but less bright / fewer harmonics.
I can control my B string just fine.
The dullness is less pronounced on a 35” B string, and almost gone on a 37” B string.

Not sure I follow what your definition of dull is if it changes with scale length. A new set of strings on any of my basses exhibits the same brightness across the board.

Setup can have an effect, along with EQ errors and technique.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Here's a control exercise that I've found to be pretty handy... play a song as you would on a four string and shift it over to include the B string, higher up the neck. Go back and forth. Now try to match the timber so you can't audibly tell the difference.

I've done this on gigs and it's fun when someone notices that the visual of me apparently playing all over my neck doesn't match what they're hearing. It's a great touch exercise.

 

[Per Ludvigsen]

Thicker B strings may take less practice to learn to control but I've yet to hear B's any nicer than my basses with .125 or .120 strings. I even use a .125 on my 36" scale Fodera Anthony Jackson Contrabass. Amazing definition, depth and thump, zero mud.

When I need new strings for my 5er(35") I usually buy 45-125 and then I buy A set of 4 strings,40-100. I put 45-105 on one of my 4str (34") and 40-100+125 on the 5str. I think it's pretty much the same tension on both the 4 & 5 string bass that way .And the B get more bite. My way and it works for me but maybe not for everyone .

 

[Ian Lewis]

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 think the answer is that most bass players start on a four string, so when they add the B they find they don't need to use it very much. After all it only gives you an extra five notes. However, if you like the fat tone you get between the 4th and 9th frets, you can find yourself using the B string quite a bit. I play mostly from charts and find the extra string gives me more notes without having to move my thumb, so I can focus more on the music.

 

[Outbush]

I like the narrow string spacing on a five. I often play like I’m playing a 4 because I like the steps it dictates when moving around the fretboard and how they sound. I love having the low D and don’t like the sound of a drop D. Also I use the C and B as part of regular bass lines when it sounds good but more often I use them as a rumbling reinforcement for a higher not in a line. I do use the B string at times to make lines easier to play and avoid moving around the neck too much but if I’m playing a signature line that would use a low F or E on the E string I would use that position and get the right sound. My 2 cents, anyway...

 

[bottomzone]

I'm not a member of that club! I use mine a lot!

 

[Les Fret]

Oh man, I play reggae & dub on a Music Man Stingray 5H (I prefer the single H && the ‘Ray has THE best low B I’ve ever heard) - playing above the 9th (and even 12th) fret on the low B & E has a mind blowing amount of boom and harmonics ... I’ll get people coming up to me after shows (not bass players) asking where the boom comes from. .

I also play my B string in all region. But the same notes on the E string have more attack and clarity/presence then on the B string. That's normal. The thicker the string the muddier it gets. That might works just fine for reggea where you need the more boomy lows. But for more fusion/funk type playing where you need the clarity or punch you might be better off playing the same notes lower on the E string instead of higher on the B string. So you all have to see and hear in the context.

 

[bbh]

I only play 5’s. The b string is used when necessary, to get fatter notes, to make traversing the neck easier. Not all songs need anything below an e. To me, this is an obvious answer.

This says it all succinctly. Best explanation I’ve seen on this post. I totally agree.

 

[Brad Johnson]

When I need new strings for my 5er(35") I usually buy 45-125 and then I buy A set of 4 strings,40-100. I put 45-105 on one of my 4str (34") and 40-100+125 on the 5str. I think it's pretty much the same tension on both the 4 & 5 string bass that way .And the B get more bite. My way and it works for me but maybe not for everyone .

Over the years I've let lots of people play several of my basses and many are genuinely surprised when I tell them what gauges I use. They're typically just as surprised with the low action too. I get most of my setup work from that. Just hand them a bass and step back.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I also play my B string in all region. But the same notes on the E string have more attack and clarity/presence then on the B string. That's normal. The thicker the string the muddier it gets. That might works just fine for reggea where you need the more boomy lows. But for more fusion/funk type playing where you need the clarity or punch you might be better off playing the same notes lower on the E string instead of higher on the B string. So you all have to see and hear in the context.

Mud is not unavoidable. ijs.

 

[BuffaloBass]

The B string is my "canary in a coal mine" as its the first to go "dead". Other then that, when I added a 5 string, I became a "middle neck position" player, so its not unused at all. In fact, I prefer it to the 4, even though it requires much more precise technique.

Also agree with everything Brad J said.

 

[Mark Ambler]

/because the

---------------
Because the upright, dog-house bass originally had four (4) strings as was designed as an extension of the violin, viola and cello. Anymore than (4) strings is heresey re: Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner and other classical composers. If a bass player cannot get to the notes he/she needs by downtuning, drop tuning or going to another octave the creativeness of that player is hindered.

5 string Double basses aren’t that new.

Bill Bentgen - 5 String Basses

 

[Dreamsinger]

I use it a lot and it's rarely in the low end. Most bass players don't "get" that the B string is less about going below the E than making it easier to move *across* the fingerboard. It's a huge help playing in oddball keys. Most players never get past the idea of the E string being home base.

 

[Humbled]

I use it a lot and it's rarely in the low end. Most bass players don't "get" that the B string is less about going below the E than making it easier to move *across* the fingerboard. It's a huge help playing in oddball keys. Most players never get past the idea of the E string being home base.

Very succinctly stated. I nominate this one post for a sticky.

 

[jdc866]

I use it a lot and it's rarely in the low end. Most bass players don't "get" that the B string is less about going below the E than making it easier to move *across* the fingerboard. It's a huge help playing in oddball keys. Most players never get past the idea of the E string being home base.

Less shifting!

I was a middle neck player anyway. This added strings enable me to be much lazier