Out of curiosity...

[Silvia Bluejay]

I was talking to a pianist friend the other day, and I've ended up with a couple of questions I wasn't quite sure how to reply to. I know I could google myself stupid - and in fact I've had a quick look for an answer to No 1 without much success - but I'd rather hear your voices

1. Any idea when the 5-string electric bass came into common use in pop/rock music?
He thought it must have been in the late 1970s or early 1980s, but I swear I've charted the bassline to several songs from the 60s that used the notes on that B string in a big way....

2. Although each string of the 5-string bass guitar covers 'only' two octaves, the range the instrument can actually play goes from its lowest B (B0) to its highest G (G4). How does that compare to the 'full' range offered by the piano?

Thank you in advance! Feel free to go off topic and/or off on a tangent if you feel like dissing the piano or the 5-string bass guitar, ranting or raving etc.

Edited January 3, 2012 by bluejay

[bartelby]

The Fender V was first produced in 1965.

So I guess there's stuff from then with it. Not sure I'd call it "common use" though.

EDIT: having checked it was more usual to have a high C on one though.

Edited January 3, 2012 by bartelby

[thisnameistaken]

A full-size piano has 88 keys, so 7 octaves and a bit.

[seashell]

I bought a lovely little book in an Oxfam shop, called 'The Self Instructor for Bass Guitar' by Dick Sadleir. It was dated 1962.
It has a page devoted to 5 string bass guitars. I showed it to my bass teacher, and he was really surprised and intrigued to see 5 strings mentioned that far back! So they were obviously in existance then - but not in common use exactly.

Edit: Just had another look, and realised that page is about 6 strings, not 5 strings!

Edited January 4, 2012 by seashell

[louisthebass]

I would say the 5 string bass (strung B-G) started to become a regular sight with bands in the late 1980's. The first 5 string bass I remember reading about was the Wal 5 in 1986 in "Guitarist" magazine reviewed by Wal user Robbie Burns.

First time I saw one "up close & personal" were the Peavey TL5's being used by Tim Landers & Joe Hubbard at the 2nd Bass Centre Weekend in 1987 (or was it 1988?), Chucho Merchan was using a Warwick Thumb 5 in his spot at the same event.

[Mykesbass]

Anthony Jackson seems to be credited with playing the first B to G in 1975 - a customised Alembic. Production models started creeping out in mid 80's. As others have said, the Fender VI and Danelectro 6 were E to E an octave lower than guitar.

[BigRedX]

My two Overwater 5-string basses date from late '83/early '84 and 1986.

Anyone got anything earlier with a low B?

[ikay]

A couple of links with a bit more info (but not much!):

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended-range_bass

- http://bassguitarrocks.com/5-string-bass-guitar-basics

[jezzaboy]

According to the old faithfull Fender bass book their 5 string came into being in 65 but it was a high C instead of a low B and had only 15 frets. It never caught on. Don`t know if it was the first 5er though.

Jez

[Bilbo]

Jimmy 'Flim' Johnson of Flim and the BBs/Wayne Johnson Trio/AllanHoldsworth/James Taylor fame was playing a 5-string Alembic in 1975. He got the idea from his father, also a bass player, who played a 5-string double bass with a low B (long established as the 'industry standard in Germany, I believe).

I know that Anthony Jackson is credited as 'the' pioneer of low B six strings but I suspect that this idea was a pretty natural development and several people may have explored the option simultaneously. But Flim was definately recording with a low B 5 in 1975.

As for range, the 5-string bass goes two octaves below middle C and one and a bit above (depensint on range) so we are talking around 3 octaves in toal. So the piano goes a lot further in both directions

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1325603186' post='1484958']

2. Although each string of the 5-string bass guitar covers 'only' two octaves, the range the instrument can actually play goes from its lowest B (B0) to its highest G (G4). How does that compare to the 'full' range offered by the piano?[/quote]

The bass guitar is actually a transposing instrument (sounds one octave lower than written) so in concert pitch (A440hz) middle C is equal in pitch to the C played at the 17th fret on the G string of a standard 4 string bass.

[Silvia Bluejay]

Wow, I log out for a couple of hours and come back to find so many helpful replies! Thank you all very very much. Will google the names and read the links, and then facebook my pianist friend about the topic. Love this forum

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1325612681' post='1485212']
Love this forum
[/quote]

Conversely, I am finding Pianowaffle.com amazingly edifying right now.

[Silvia Bluejay]

HAHA! Incidentally, many bassists are piano players too (although that friend of mine we're talking about isn't). For instance, I attended a couple of masterclasses that Stuart Hamm gave Tech Music Schools a few years ago - he is a bassist/pianist, and often draws comparisons between the piano and the bass guitar when he's illustrating a point. Fascinating.

[mart]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1325606479' post='1485038']...As for range, the 5-string bass goes two octaves below middle C and one and a bit above (depensint on range) so we are talking around 3 octaves in toal. So the piano goes a lot further in both directions
[/quote]
Er, actually, the low B on a 5-string bass is (just over) three octaves below middle C. So a standard piano actually only has 2 lower notes (the Bb and the A). But you're right that it goes much higher - the 24th fret on the G string on a 5-string will be the G above middle C, whereas the piano has another 3 and a half octaves above that note.