String Number

[Stag]

I went for 4 cos I started on a 4, my dream bass as a kid was the classic Cliff Burton Ric 4001 - so I got one when I could afford it. havent really ever thought too much about going for a 5-string... would like to try one out in a while. Might have to go crazy one time and have a plunk on the Doodle DJV!

:-)

[Dood]

[quote name='Stag' post='97195' date='Dec 1 2007, 12:50 PM']Might have to go crazy one time and have a plunk on the Doodle DJV!

:-)[/quote]

You are more than welcome too!

[OutToPlayJazz]

For fast funk stuff, I like a 4-stringer best. There are jazz passages & even some of the rock tracks I play that need the bottom "B" but I couldn't cope with the Status KingBass' graphite 5-string neck, as the neck picked up the resonance of the B string even when you didn't even touch it. Hence my new Status this coming week is going to be a 4-string S-2 classic.

I bought a beautiful Yamaha TRB-6 a few weeks ago from Mike (aka. Beneath it all?) It was on a bit of a whim at the time, but I consiquently played a show (with lots of wind/brass players) where it was invaluable. Playing in more complex "flat" keys, the extra range allowed me to work across-ways as opposed to jumping up and down the fingerboard like a loony Makes perfect sense!

So I suppose the answer to the original thread question is that each has it's place. I like 4's & 6's, at any rate. Just not 5-ers with a graphite neck. *BOOM-BOOM*

[Alun]

I chose 6 string through chance really. I had been playing 4 string for about 6-7 years and found myself increasingly needing notes below E on the gigs I was doing. I was considering a 5 when I came across a second hand Washburn MB6 which happened to cost exactly the amount of money I had to spend
Working on the (naive) theory that if I was going to learn one extra string I might as well learn two, I took the plunge.

These days I use the 6 for maybe 90% of gigs. It makes sight reading a lot easier as there are less position shifts and I'm unlikely to come across parts that are outside my range. I do still use 4 strings, usually a Squier VM Jazz, for some gigs purely based on tone, but I'm most at home on 6 string.

Cheers,
Alun

[john_the_bass]

i play 4 stringers, but i've borrowed a fiver to see how i get on.
having spent a couple of hours playing along to some of our recorded songs, there are two songs that are made easier on a five and another 1 that I can use the lower end of the scale (ie below the E). I don't know whether it's this particular bass I've borrowed, but I'm a bit underwhelmed by the B and don't think I'll be going for one really.

[mcgraham]

You do have a killer bass Dood, tis nice to see someone else choose a custom with a maple fretboard.

I've actually been in contact with Brian @ Low End and (provided my Smith shifts sharpish) I will be purchasing that jazz I mentioned above. Fitted with a more narrowly spaced bridge of course We were talking about perhaps a custom build, and the prices are sooo good it seems almost a waste not to shell out just a couple of quid more and go for the full works with a 7 string. However, that's not on the cards just yet... Will keep you informed as to the progress.

Mark

[Dood]

[quote name='mcgraham' post='97343' date='Dec 1 2007, 06:53 PM']You do have a killer bass Dood, tis nice to see someone else choose a custom with a maple fretboard.

I've actually been in contact with Brian @ Low End and (provided my Smith shifts sharpish) I will be purchasing that jazz I mentioned above. Fitted with a more narrowly spaced bridge of course We were talking about perhaps a custom build, and the prices are sooo good it seems almost a waste not to shell out just a couple of quid more and go for the full works with a 7 string. However, that's not on the cards just yet... Will keep you informed as to the progress.

Mark[/quote]

Thank you, very kind sir,

Wooo! Please do keep is informed!! I really enjoy reading all of the build threads on the forum.. it's great. Custom builds needn't cost a fortune in order to get exactly what you need.

My se7en string will be getting a little sister to play with soon ;o)

[martthebass]

Been playing for longer than I care to remember - always on 4's. Always said I wouldn't go to 5. Recently ended up at a Jam night and the only bass available was a 5 - I made a pigs ear of many many songs. So......after umming and ahhing today I've finally picked up a 5er to see if the old brain can get around the change. We shall see. If this little flirtation doesn't work out there will be a brand new DJ5 in black sparkle in the for sale section.

[mcgraham]

I'm afraid the custom isn't really on the list, not when that jazz is EXACTLY what I'd order as a custom job bar the string spacing, which will be rectified with a replacement bridge before it gets sent out. Only gotta shift that last blooming instrument!

Is the little sister a guitar? or a short(er) scale? Or is little not representative of what you've got coming? do tell!

Mark

[7string]

[quote name='mcgraham' post='97343' date='Dec 1 2007, 06:53 PM']You do have a killer bass Dood, tis nice to see someone else choose a custom with a maple fretboard.

I've actually been in contact with Brian @ Low End and (provided my Smith shifts sharpish) I will be purchasing that jazz I mentioned above. Fitted with a more narrowly spaced bridge of course We were talking about perhaps a custom build, and the prices are sooo good it seems almost a waste not to shell out just a couple of quid more and go for the full works with a 7 string. However, that's not on the cards just yet... Will keep you informed as to the progress.

Mark[/quote]

Those Low-End basses to look extremely cool. I think they're involved with Chris Benavente somehow. Best of luck on shifting your Smith quickly and grabbing a new bass !!

[size=1]I also have a custom with a maple fretboard, how could you forget !! [/size]

[mcgraham]

I'm sorry Mark! Perhaps you should post a few pics up in the thread, just to check we know how to count. 7 is God's number y'kno I checked out Sei's prices today just to remind myself why I didn't and wouldn't consider using them. I could never justify spending more than 2k on a bass, in fact this 6 is already pushing the limits of what I consider reasonable (for me, simply my conviction).

Yea, I seem to recall that Chris and Brian seem to have been in it together for a while, at least since I became aware of them primarily through another bass related chat forum... I love the slightly chunky look that their jazzes have, the value is astounding but I had never considered or at least considered and pursued purchasing/ordering from the states. Thanks to BC and various conversations I've managed to suck up the courage and read about the extra costs that potentially come with it. So thanks guys, owe you a big thanks!

Anyway, back on topic... I agree with those who've said they can't quite get on with 5, I always felt they were asymmetric before (in a non-OCD way), got over that now but i feel more comfortable with 4 or 6, as with OTPJ.

Mark

[7string]

No problem !! I don't have an avatar as cool as Dood's which has the terminator Dan holding Doodle !!

Here's the lovely 'Jezebel' as featured on p.14 of this months Guitarist magazine !!









I do like this complete fluke of photo with one of our dogs, Luna, in the background !!




Anyway, before I detract further from your thread, I've finally made the decision that I am definately going for a 9 string, one string higher and one string lower than my Sei 7. A very good Zeller double bass is now in the 'For Sale' section of this very forum !!

Keeping to the question posed in this thread though, I really feel at home on a 7 now, and feel that the extra low end opened up by the low F# is going to be beneficial (especially as I missed having a low Bb the other night !) after asking the question (to Dood among others) as to how and why it's used. The higher string gives a little more scope for chords.

A good mate of mine, thinks it's a little loopy and it probably is. But I feel ready for the challenge of playing and feel that with the experience of a custom build behind me I'm ready to answer the questions which a luthier might put my way.

It's important though to point out that it takes some serious thought before getting an ERB. It took roughly 14 years or so to progress from a 4 to a 7 and then a further 5 years or so from 7 to 9. As Dood has explained as well, it takes a special set of circumstances to even consider dipping a toe into the ERB waters. Even when you have such an instrument you're then foreever fielding the questions of "why" from musicians and non-musicians alike !!

Edited December 2, 2007 by 7string

[ARGH]

[quote name='7string' post='97477' date='Dec 2 2007, 01:03 AM']A good mate of mine, thinks it's a little loopy and it probably is. But I feel ready for the challenge of playing and feel that with the experience of a custom build behind me I'm ready to answer the questions which a luthier might put my way.

It's important though to point out that it takes some serious thought before getting an ERB. It took roughly 14 years or so to progress from a 4 to a 7 and then a further 5 years or so from 7 to 9. As Dood has explained as well, it takes a special set of circumstances to even consider dipping a toe into the ERB waters. Even when you have such an instrument you're then foreever fielding the questions of "why" from musicians and non-musicians alike !![/quote]

That reminds me to answer your PM,i promise to do that tonight fella.

[mcgraham]

+1 with regards time needed to get accustomed to more strings. I'm glad I got onto more strings early on, not that I'm now a 6er exclusively (not yet ) but I feel happy on any number, though I have yet to try a 7. I mostly play gospel and do quite a bit of arranging so the extra range is going to come in handy. Dangit, I'm speaking as if the decision has been made...

Mark, what prompted you to go with a single control knob on your Sei? Is it somewhat inspired by Anthony Jackson? or do you not really use the extra controls?

Mark

[7string]

I found that when I had basses with 3 band EQ's, I just had them flat all the time and never used them !! Also I saw another Sei with no controls at all and I liked the simplicity of it.

The bass has a standard size electronic compartment as a safety net just in case I change my mind. There's a sneaky little coil tap button on the edge of the bass as well as an XLR out and the standard 1/4" hole..

Even better, pulling up the volume knob turns on the purple LED's on the side of the neck...

[mcgraham]

The simplicity and coolness factor is great with minimal controls, I completely agree with the x-band eq thing, it's much better to adjust at the amp IMHO. I reckon I've got as simple as I can get with controls as I would want 2 pickups on my main bass. Almost guitar like in that I have volume, rotary pickup selector (with a 4th position turning the bass off) and a passive tone. Don't think i could get by without those options. I love a master volume but hate blends, so it's about the only way to do it.

Mark

[Paul Cooke]

well, I was perfectly happy with 4 strings and standard tuning, but I now have an urgent need for a 5 string bass as I've just started playing in Church (their previous bassist left in a huff and with no notice so I jumped in to help cover the Christmas performance and do the Sunday slots)

In order to keep out of the way of the pianist and also play the proper lines, I need those extra few notes on the B string...

[tauzero]

I periodically went to 5-strings from 4 but always finished up going back - not because of the number of strings [i]per se[/i] but because the fretted 4-string was (and is) the JD Thumb and no other bass could touch it for playability. Surprisingly, when I bought the Antoniotsai on a whim, I found that it was comparably playable and the most playable 5-string I'd encountered and so I started using it as my gigging bass with the covers band. It's not so much for the notes below E as for being able to move across rather than up and down [1], and being able to use left-hand damping when playing bottom E.

Having become stable with 5-strings (still using 4 as well), I thought I'd try enlarging my horizons and got the Antoniotsai 7-string which has had a bit of a rocky start - now that the pickups are sorted, I can play it properly (for some values of properly), and I've found that the neck is so good that I can play it for extended periods. I had an Axl Tiger 6-string for a while (which I compared with other 6-strings and found to have a comparatively good neck) and I found I was getting pain in the back of my left hand after playing it for a while. I've only got ickle hands which doesn't help (glove size 9). So I must conclude that despite 17mm string spacing and my small hands, the fact I can play it like a regular bass means it's not actually an ERB.

[1] which reminds me of the motto "Down, not across" - anyone else geek enough to have encountered it?

[queenofthedepths]

[quote name='tauzero' post='98090' date='Dec 3 2007, 01:14 PM']the fact I can play it like a regular bass means it's not actually an ERB. [/quote]

Better still, it's a regular bass AND an ERB

[mcgraham]

Pianists, specifically classically trained pianists, can sometimes be quite infuriating in worship. Not least because of their heavy right hand (that's OUR territory ) but the apparent need to hammer out lots of notes on both hands and the strange loss of hearing that they suffer in that they don't listen to the sound of the team/group/band holistically. I appreciate that the latter problem may stem from the fact in classical that each instrumentalist has their own piece of music and as such you don't need to think about what others are playing, but when arranging and leading worship (guitar and vocals) I've needed to, inter alia, tell them to actually listen to what they're playing and suggest things to do instead.

Alright, back to topic... Sorry My apologies to the classically trained pianists among you, small gripe I have with pianists who pretend to be keys players

Mark

[mcgraham]

Urgh, I simply cannot make a decision on this LE Jazz... I (will) have the resources spare, and I would love it. But I don't feel 100% comfortable doing it, for numerous reasons. I think I'm going to have to say no to it because of that so sad!

Mark

[7string]

No point in going through with a deal unless your 100% positive about it !!

[mcgraham]

Exactly, I'll drop them an email today to say I can't take it. If it's still there some time down the road I'll reconsider, but right now I can't do it.

Mark

[Faithless]

Huh, I've started traditionally, from 4string, and few months ago I took 5 string with low B. I don't think, for now, at least, I'll take any "more" strings, due to no need - more work with muting and I've got BIIIG question on myself about slap - do I really need even that 5th string...
What about chords and 6ers,7ers and so on's - I don't see direct point on those.