jassbass Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Hi after years of just playing 5ers ive just went back to playing a 4 string japan marcus miller jazz I hope ive done right thing,i gigged last night and missed the 5er I'll have to give it more time Has anyone else gone this way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haimesy Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I went back to playing 4s after using 5 & 6 string for years , I find personally my playing is more dynamic on 4string as I have to go looking for notes ( if that makes sense )as when I played 6 string I could get lazy and stay in one position for entire songs , great for reading gigs when I used to do them , still miss a fiver from time to time .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I think you should play what suits you at the time. There is no going forwards or backwards and no upgrading or downgrading when it comes to preferences. The only rule is to always sound the best you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I bought a Yamaha TRBX 305 just to try out 5 strings. It's a really nice bass and comfortable to play but i go straight back to my 4 P as soon as i can and have to say the 5 is gathering dust. 😮 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Play the instrument that suits. The only backwards step is having what suits and then going away from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 I bought a decent five string this year after two failed attempts on cheaper instuments. I originally intended it in my covers band for ease of transposing, but our current vocalist has a 7.5 octave range and she can sing anything we throw at her in the original key. I can switch between four and five strings here no problem. In my originals band however, I now use the extended range pretty often. I play octaves quite a lot, and the fifth string really helps. A few basslines go down to low D, and I also like being able to approach the lower fourth string notes from below. I took my four string P bass along to a rehearsal after playing the fiver for a few months, and I was frankly all over the place! In hindsight, I'd probably have got on much better with a BEAD tuned four string. Perhaps this could be an option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 7.5 octave range?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1445770399' post='2893947'] 7.5 octave range?! [/quote] So she says! From my perspective though, she just sings everything in the recorded keys...makes for an easier life all round! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Going back to a 4 would make no sense to me whatsoever... There is nothing I could do on a 4 that I can't do on a 5... but some gigs might 'demand' a 4... because that is what the band leader wants... But, for me, I have no interest in 4's anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 After reading this thread the other day i got the Yam TRBX305 out today for a noodle....Oh no! I'm bloody hooked on it again 😮 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1445793539' post='2894234'] Going back to a 4 would make no sense to me whatsoever... [/quote] Me neither. My cover band plays a lot of numbers which use notes below E. I play the B string on nearly every number in the blues and Americana band. The original bands I've been in have all used the low notes. I know experiences and preferences differ, but I haven't been in a band in the last 20 years where playing a 5 string bass wasn't a huge advantage to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebenezer Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 it depends on the music you play as to what bass is required, be it 4,5 and 6 string, having said that, a 4 string covers most!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1446045467' post='2896472'] Me neither. My cover band plays a lot of numbers which use notes below E. I play the B string on nearly every number in the blues and Americana band. The original bands I've been in have all used the low notes. I know experiences and preferences differ, but I haven't been in a band in the last 20 years where playing a 5 string bass wasn't a huge advantage to me. [/quote] Yes, playing similar stuff, I find I use the low b string a lot - especially the d when playing in either d or g. To me, d on a 4 string is far too close to guitar territory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1445694387' post='2893492'] I think you should play what suits you at the time. [/quote] This is what I do. In my last band I only needed a 4 string with a D tuner. In the current band I need a 5 string for certain songs that require a low C or B or where there are runs from the low D that would sound messy on a dropped 4 string. If those songs were dropped from the set then I'd get another 4 string. I'm not going to use a bass with more strings that I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I play a sixer, pretty much always have done. I need the low b for most of the tunes in our set, but I only use the high C twice in the set as part of a chord. I do a lot of solo loopy stuff when I'm between bands and I use the full range all the time in that. I do use a four string fretless though... I like to keep things simple there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chienmortbb Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I bought a fiver some years ago, a Washburn and it played really well, nice tight Low B, nice acton Unfortunately I did not, Nice to see that most use them to go below E, To hear some fiver evangelists, Low B is the only note worth playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leschirons Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1445770399' post='2893947'] 7.5 octave range?! [/quote] [quote name='geoham' timestamp='1445784813' post='2894144'] So she says! From my perspective though, she just sings everything in the recorded keys...makes for an easier life all round! [/quote] 7.5 octaves puts her about 3rd in the world rankings for vocal range Guess you can cover anything from Johnny Cash to Minnie Ripperton then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 [quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1446411933' post='2899233'] 7.5 octaves puts her about 3rd in the world rankings for vocal range Guess you can cover anything from Johnny Cash to Minnie Ripperton then [/quote] I guess she's probably got it wrong! She's an all singing - all dancing type with very versatile voice, but not the most technical. She does Jessie J, Bruno Mars, Debbie Harry, Michael Jackson and all our pop stuff just fine. I'm Leonard Cohen would be a different story. Anyway.... Tangent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I don't understand all the faff with going from 4 to 5, to 6, to 4 to 5, to 4. A 6 does everything, (and more) a 5 can do, which does everything (and yet some), that a 4 can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I'm back playing a four (albeit with a drop d tuner) after buying a Ric. I still play a five string fretless, but I do make the odd mistake when swapping between the two. I either need to practise more of get a four string fretless; best excuse for GAS ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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