Ditching four strings altogether.......

[TommyK]

<p>[quote name=&amp;amp;#39;thodrik&amp;amp;#39; timestamp=&amp;amp;#39;1334686175&amp;amp;#39; post=&amp;amp;#39;1619807&amp;amp;#39;] I&amp;amp;#39;ve found a five string to be a bit problematic when working with guitar tunings around C, C# and D standard unless I dedicate the bass to that tuning. For those kind of tunings I generally use my old P bass. I know that with the correct fingering I could play the &amp;amp;#39;correct&amp;amp;#39; notes with a five string, but usually I&amp;amp;#39;ve found that the music I play in these tunings tends to rely on a lot of open notes. Playing on a five string just doesn&amp;amp;#39;t really feel right, or even sound right to my ears. Also sometimes I just like playing a passive Fender without the extra bells and whistles of an active five string. Anything around standard tuning or needing low B or lower tends to be done on the five string, hence the reason I don&amp;amp;#39;t want to permanently have the 5 tuned to C etc. [/quote]

Why do you need to tune the 5 string to C? Am I being thick or something....+ I assume you mean tuning it up 1/2 a step??

Edited April 17, 2012 by TommyK

[BigRedX]

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1334686175' post='1619807']
Also sometimes I just like playing a passive Fender without the extra bells and whistles of an active five string.
[/quote]

Not all 5-strings are active. Two of the 5-string basses I use regularly are passive.

[thodrik]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1334687830' post='1619851']
Not all 5-strings are active. Two of the 5-string basses I use regularly are passive.
[/quote]

I am aware of this. My five string is active with bass, middle and treble eq for each pickup. That was the 'bells and whistles' to which I was referring.

Tommy K, in terms of tuning to C or on a five string, it would involve tuning the B string up C yes. In terms of why? Of course I could play everything in standard B-G five string tuning, its just that a lot of the music I play in that kind of tuning tends to rely on a lot of open strings. Having to constantly get down to the first fret/sixth fret etc is inconvenient, making fingering twice as difficult compared to just changing the tuning in the first place. Plus to my ear it doesn't sound as good anyway.

In any event I just decided that the easiest way to get around the issue was just play a Precision with bigger strings, so my 5 string is still strung B-G anyway. Though I don't really see the any problems with tuning an instrument a certain way that is not standard tuning if you want to. Its hardly uncommon and has been going for years stemming from when groups used to tune to E flat rather than standard.

[TommyK]

No tis your choice anyroad...I just wondered why...open strings seems like a logical argument to me....carry on

[thodrik]

[quote name='TommyK' timestamp='1334692405' post='1619943']
No tis your choice anyroad...I just wondered why...open strings seems like a logical argument to me....carry on
[/quote]

Thanks!

[NeilMorrell]

For years I've gigged I've gigged with 5 Strings. I now own equal numbers of 5's and 4's with 3 each.

However, the 4 strings are the cheap Acoustic, the "Stealth" Soundgear Fretless, and a Dwarf (Fender Musicmaster).

So I don't own a "Normal" bass. I am actually thinking of getting one - either a "bitsa" 51 P, or an Overwater Classic J.

Fancy a 5 String Fretless before bothering with that though.
.

[chrismuzz]

The ultimate justificationfor succumbing to GAS:

I need a bass for every tuning I/my band use!

(and at a stretch, a backup for each )

[tauzero]

I don't play in anything other than standard tuning and mostly use 5s, but I wouldn't get rid of the Warwick 4s and the fretless 4 is the one I use for the ceilidh band. I just like to have a reason to keep it.

[mistermark]

Would be kinda interesting to go completely the other direction and make a 3 string... Maybe get some super heavy gauges and tune E A G down to D G F#. Or do you think it would be better to just do a regular B E A?

-Mark

[uncle psychosis]

I only play my 5 these days but I very, very, very rarely use the B-string. My problem is that I love the rest of the bass. If someone could transform it into a 4 string I'd definitely do it!

[BigRedX]

Is the presence of a fifth string causing you a problem? If not don't worry about it. Have you ripped out the frets you don't use?

[LiamPodmore]

Went from a 4, to a 4, to a 5 (out of necessity) and now back to a 4. I still have 3 of those basses, and regularly use both 4 and 5 strings in different bands.

Liam

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1334907730' post='1623167']
Is the presence of a fifth string causing you a problem? If not don't worry about it. Have you ripped out the frets you don't use?
[/quote]

No, its not. It would be nice if the bass was slightly lighter but its only an issue inside my head, not in reality...

[Mog]

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1334676370' post='1619567']
I get a similar reaction whenever I gig the 6 string I always feel guilty and have to explain to people that it actually makes playing easier!
[/quote]

Yep, get that at nearly every gig.

Back OT I'd suggest keeping one 4 string. Sometimes the extended range basses can make things too easy. Nothing wrong with having to move along the neck every now and again.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1334924233' post='1623516']
No, its not. It would be nice if the bass was slightly lighter but its only an issue inside my head, not in reality...
[/quote]
[quote name='Mog' timestamp='1334924718' post='1623532']
Back OT I'd suggest keeping one 4 string. Sometimes the extended range basses can make things too easy. Nothing wrong with having to move along the neck every now and again.
[/quote]

If the extra string doesn't actually get in the way when you're not using it I can't see what the problem is. Also it doesn't stop you from playing up the neck. Some things sound better done this way, some sound better playing across the neck; having a bass that allows you to do both has got to be an advantage.

I've only once ever had any negative reaction from playing a 5-string and that was from the bassist in a band we were sharing the bill with. He made a big deal about the fact that one of the basses I was using was a 5-string (he didn't seem to notice that the 4-string had no frets which I felt was more note worthy!) and then after we'd played asked me why I hadn't used the extra string - so I told him that this bass was the best sounding playing and looking fretted bass I owned which is why I was using it and the fact that I hadn't needed to play the B string was irrelevant.

[EskimoBassist]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1334926717' post='1623572']
the fact that I hadn't needed to play the B string was irrelevant.
[/quote]

+1 I've done a little recording with my five since I got it, always get comments about whether or not that extra string is needed. It's there if you DO need it, surely?

[chrismuzz]

[quote name='EskimoBassist' timestamp='1334928672' post='1623614']


+1 I've done a little recording with my five since I got it, always get comments about whether or not that extra string is needed. It's there if you DO need it, surely?
[/quote]

Plenty of songs played on a 4 string don't use all of the strings but you dont see 2 string basses all that often

[BigRedX]

[quote name='EskimoBassist' timestamp='1334928672' post='1623614']
+1 I've done a little recording with my five since I got it, always get comments about whether or not that extra string is needed. It's there if you DO need it, surely?
[/quote]


Exactly. Most bassists don't play above the 12th fret but nearly basses come with at least 20 frets and no-one ever says anything about that. Extra strings just like those frets above the octave are there to be used when you need them.

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1334930235' post='1623643']
Plenty of songs played on a 4 string don't use all of the strings but you dont see 2 string basses all that often
[/quote]

Most of what I do these days could be played on a 3 string bass - E, A, D

[TRBboy]

I think definitely one of the key things (as others have said) is finding the right 5 string for your needs. When I had my Thumb (apart from not knowing how to use a 5 properly in those days!) the geometry of it just didn't work for me, and the string spacing was just too narrow. Subsequently, I felt like the B string was just getting in the way all the time, which i resented.

When I got my TRB, it was just great, and for the first time I started getting the most out of a 5. That said, I still never felt comfortable playing a 5 in a rock band (which is the bulk of what I do), until I sold the TRB and bought my Sandberg, which just feels like it was made for my hands and I've been playing it in anger in my rock covers band.

I still think I'm leaning toward having two 5's and no 4's (except my RBX!), and I guess at the end of the day if I do a complete u-turn in a year or two, I'll just have to track down another Sandberg 4!

Now, anyone want to buy a lovely Sandberg or two?

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1334926717' post='1623572']
I told him that this bass was the best sounding playing[b] and looking[/b] fretted bass I owned which is why I was using it and the fact that I hadn't needed to play the B string was irrelevant.
[/quote]

This is probably the main reason why I'm continuing to drool over other basses despite having a lovely 5 string. My 5 (a Yamaha TRB with fancy transparent top) isn't really the right image for lots of the music I'm into (gang of four, punk, etc). Now in an ideal world image doesn't matter but in reality it does, so at some point I'm probably going to add a suitably rock n roll 4-string to my armoury.

[BigRedX]

I guess I must be lucky then. I'd like to think that Dick Venom & The Terrortones are fairly punk and I have no problem using 5-string basses that both sound and look right for the band:

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC02144.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC03062.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC01559.jpg[/IMG]

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1334940493' post='1623869']
I guess I must be lucky then. I'd like to think that Dick Venom & The Terrortones are fairly punk and I have no problem using 5-string basses that both sound and look right for the band:

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC02144.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC03062.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC01559.jpg[/IMG]
[/quote]

phwoar!

I'd happily rock any of those on any occasion!

Good taste that man :-)

[Mog]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1334926717' post='1623572']

Also it doesn't stop you from playing up the neck. Some things sound better done this way, some sound better playing across the neck; having a bass that allows you to do both has got to be an advantage.

[/quote]
Agreed, however I never said it would stop one playing along the neck but generally IME bassists who use extended range instruments do so because it offers economy of movement.
I was coming from the angle of having to put in the extra bit of brain power required to play along the neck rather than go through the motions across a 6string neck.
For example I learned aeroplane on the 6 playing across the neck with virtually no deviation in left hand position but when I play it on the 4 I have to run through the correct progression in my head before I zip up to the second octave.

[BigRedX]

The easiest/most comfortable way to play something is not always the way that sounds best. Normally I'll try lines both across and along the neck and go with the one that fits in with the sounds of the other instruments. I don't really find that one or the other requires more "brain power". IMO you can't beat the sound of the E and A strings played between the 12th and 24th frets, but sometimes the thinner sound of those notes on the D and G strings works better.

The 5th string IMO opens up more options. It's up to the player how they use them.

[TRBboy]

Well, I've done it. I've sold both of my 4 string Sandbergs, just got my KT5 left which is covering all of my needs, and I've got my new custom spec KT5 on order now which is scheduled for delivery at the start of October.


Now I've been using a 5 exclusively for a while, I don't know how I coped without a B for so long!

Thank you all for your advice and opinions.