5 String Bass help needed

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RockerRocker Frets: 4944
I play country and rock & roll type music with my friends every other week. I play a 4 string bass. Would I get any benefit from having a 5 string bass? Are the extra low notes of any use in that type of music? A shop in Dublin is selling what looks like a nice Epi Toby 5 string for reasonable money. Should I take the plunge or upgrade my 4 string bass?
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

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  • mixolydmixolyd Frets: 826
    edited April 2017
    If you're already playing with four notes then shouldn't you have a good idea of whether you want those extra notes or not?

    That extra string will let you grab a bunch of low root notes like Eb, D and C so you won't have to go up for them, but then depending on your style maybe you grab notes below the root a lot anyway.  If you're already grabbing say the G and F below a C then you'd maybe have less to gain than a player who mostly just adds chord tones above the root.

    i guess what I'm saying is that it probably has more to do with your playing style than the genres you pay in.
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  • mixolydmixolyd Frets: 826
    edited April 2017
    You know what pisses me off on the guitar and on four string?

    Stand By Me.

    That beautiful descending bass line gorgeously mooches on down to E but then you run out of notes and have to fly up an octave for the D notes which so obviously wants to be the lowest note in the phrase.  Doesn't bother me enough to upgrade from my £45 Westfield bass though! 
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  • Surely you already know if you need those extra low notes?

    Be aware that the necks are a fair bit wider on a 5 string bass and you may not find you like that.  Give it a play and see what you think.  More range is only an upgrade if you use it and/or prefer that bass over your old one.
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    You also need everything else in your signal chain to cope well with the extra low notes....
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    For those genres you do not need the extra low notes, but that doesn't mean you can't make good use of them.

    It is your call, but the large majority of players in those genres don't have a 5 string and most of the songs don't require them.

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    And the Lord spake, saying, "Four shall be the number of the bass, and the number of the bass shall be four, no more, no less. Five shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, nor three excepting that thou then proceed to four. Six makes you look like a right prat."

    Four strings, four beats, four notes. The righteous bassist shall live by this rule.

    And you can always tune your bottom string down to D to play Stand By Me...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4944
    There are a lot of frets that I never go near on my bass - all above the 12th. I do like to gig the low notes, tuning down 2 steps is an option but it had taken me some study effort to learn the notes in standard tuning. Low is where it is at so I might give a 5 string a whirl, despite what @ICBM said.
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    edited April 2017
    Rocker said:
    There are a lot of frets that I never go near on my bass - all above the 12th.
    Interestingly I do it the other way - I do play above the 12th, but never as far as I can remember on the G string and rarely on the D.

    Rocker said:

    I do like to gig the low notes, tuning down 2 steps is an option but it had taken me some study effort to learn the notes in standard tuning. Low is where it is at so I might give a 5 string a whirl, despite what @ICBM said.
    I have sometimes wondered about tuning my bass BEAD exactly for that reason. So still four .

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • mixolydmixolyd Frets: 826
    ICBM said:
    And you can always tune your bottom string down to D to play Stand By Me...
    Mind. Blown.

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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    mixolyd said:
    ICBM said:
    And you can always tune your bottom string down to D to play Stand By Me...
    Mind. Blown.

    Or, buy a Hipshot drop D tuner, flick the lever, play "Stand By Me", flick it up again and carry on... 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    Bridgehouse said:

    Or, buy a Hipshot drop D tuner, flick the lever, play "Stand By Me", flick it up again and carry on... 
    I have one of those, but it won't fit on my Rick without drilling - since it has the 'wavy Grover' tuners - so it remains in the box of spare parts...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    ICBM said:
    Bridgehouse said:

    Or, buy a Hipshot drop D tuner, flick the lever, play "Stand By Me", flick it up again and carry on... 
    I have one of those, but it won't fit on my Rick without drilling - since it has the 'wavy Grover' tuners - so it remains in the box of spare parts...
    Got one for my 74 P - it's a straight swap - the screws line up and everything! (I know, I know, right?)
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    Actually, @Rocker - you should consider a detuner - you can get one that does drop d and drop c now.. damn site cheaper than a 5 string
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    A 5 string is a very different beast, not everyone likes them. I played 5 string for years but eventually swapped to 4 and I've stuck with that. The extra 5 notes could be useful but to be honest I preferred a nice thin neck. The best thing to do is borrow one. I could lend you a 5 string Jack bass if you are anywhere near Luton or NW9. I have no idea where it is, probably buried in the loft somewhere.
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4944
    Thanks @Axisus but I live in Ireland and you might never get it back :)
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7732
    I personally find tuning a second bass to D more useful. The string tension feels better and I rarely use a low C# anyway. 
    Fwiw I have a 4 string tuned standard & a 5 tuned DGCFA#
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Not that I have a 5 string and the extra low notes are probably a bit marginal and won't feature at all in rock and roll or much in country. However, a 5 string gives you the option of playing in different positions. Just as an example if you played the riff to Green Onions in F that's a 1st to 4th fret stretch over and over. You can play the same notes at the 6 and 9th frets on a low B string instead on a 5 string. For walking bass lines you can cover more notes within a single position. For some people it's an advantage, for some it's not and not worth the hassle of adjusting to a 5 string. 

    I cant say I've ever seen a lot of country bands but I did see the late Betsy Smittle once and she played 5 string and I'm pretty sure it was to reduce the stretches rather than for throwing in a few death metal licks. 
    The guy who plays bass in Toots and the Maytalls has a 6 string bass. He's quite fascinating to watch. These are songs from the 60s and 70s so he isn't using the extended rang up or down but to play stuff in one position. He's like a bass playing statue. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    Bridgehouse said:

    Got one for my 74 P - it's a straight swap - the screws line up and everything! (I know, I know, right?)
    I know, I had one on an old Jazz I had. The one I have now is a Gotoh-style one which was on a friend's Aria, but it still won't fit the Rick! Rickenbacker just have to be different don't they :).

    I think I will probably go for putting it in BEAD eventually - I went through the whole set list and I literally never touch the G string. It sounds thin compared to the other ones anyway - I prefer to play high notes by sliding up on one of the big strings, it sounds much better.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23937
    A 5 string isn't just about the low notes it's also about playing across the board for smaller stretches and different fingering options.

    Playing up an octave doesn't always work, particularly in complex pieces with lots of instruments- playing up can get in the way of the other instruments. Everything needs its space.

    And anyone who claims bass should be 4 string because that is traditional needs a slap.

    the first double bass had 3 strings.

    Bottesini was the reason they went to 4 because he, as the first bass virtuoso, needed it.

    So anyone who says 4 only for that reason should only be playing 3 and should remove the G. 

    Never buy a 5 string unseen. On modest price instructions the low B can often be awful. Have to find a good one. Many bang on about needing a 35 scale but that's just not true. It's all about the quality of the construction and rigidity of the neck.

    Cheaper instruments may benefit from 35 scale but the very best B I've ever heard is in a 34 inch scale instrument. So I bought it.




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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    edited April 2017

    the first double bass had 3 strings.

    Bottesini was the reason they went to 4 because he, as the first bass virtuoso, needed it.

    So anyone who says 4 only for that reason should only be playing 3 and should remove the G.

    See! I was right!









    Just for the wrong reason .

    I did know that actually - a friend of mine has a very old double bass that was originally built as a 3-string and later modified, there's a plugged hole in the headstock where the peg spacing was moved.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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