5 String Advice?

[Tim2291]

The SR's have really thin necks! I mainly use the 5 for moving notes up the neck, for example, playing Donna Summer - Hot stuff, is pretty much exclusively octaves around G and F (1st and 3rd fret on a 4 string) for around 4 minutes is uncomfortable. Play it on a 5 string means it can be played on the B string above around the 6th and 8th frets which is far more comfortable. The extra low register is amazing as well, adds so much depth being able to go as low as B!

[TeresaFR]

On 24/09/2022 at 16:28, TheGreek said:

My first few ventures into 5ers resulted in playing lots of bum notes with my right hand. Affected my confidence so they all got moved on.  It wasn't till I started playing with a floating thumb technique that I overcame the problem. Lots of videos on YT but Scott Devine and Mark Smith both have videos on their sites.

It wasn't until I'd been playing for a few years I learned thumb anchoring was the way bass was supposed to be played. I was reading an interview with Geddy Lee at the time who said he used a floating thumb technique and was like "oh, I do that, okay".

[horrorshowbass]

SR series

I have a SR305 and it's fantastic.

Can be bought for great prices on gumtree also.

[SpondonBassed]

2 hours ago, horrorshowbass said:

SR series

I have a SR305 and it's fantastic.

Can be bought for great prices on gumtree also.

 

Plus one.  I love the neck on my SR605.

[Musicman666]

On 17/10/2019 at 17:31, bassus_play said:

Or you can use a 4 string...tuned BEAD. I use a LTD F4N (35") with a pick in this manner, for metal only. 

drop d standard on 4 is the sweet spot ..

[kwmlondon]

1 hour ago, Musicman666 said:

drop d standard on 4 is the sweet spot ..

My brain isn't quite nimble enough to cope with a drop tuner but that's a really good way to deal with songs in Eb! Kubiki's E/D string is definitely the most elegant and brilliant way of getting an extended range out of a 4 string bass though.

[Musicman666]

7 hours ago, kwmlondon said:

My brain isn't quite nimble enough to cope with a drop tuner but that's a really good way to deal with songs in Eb! Kubiki's E/D string is definitely the most elegant and brilliant way of getting an extended range out of a 4 string bass though.

me too ..i can't deal with just one string tuned down and bead was not giving me the highs and anything below d was not discernible which by trial and error brought me naturally to drop d standard ... this half way house sort of prevented me from wandering over to the dark side of 5 stringers.

[kwmlondon]

14 minutes ago, Musicman666 said:

me too ..i can't deal with just one string tuned down and bead was not giving me the highs and anything below d was not discernible which by trial and error brought me naturally to drop d standard ... this half way house sort of prevented me from wandering over to the dark side of 5 stringers.

I skipped over to 5 stringers never to return. I tried a Dingwall in a store and that low B made me tingle. I’ve spent the last 4 years trying to get to grips with the  extra string, extended range and fanned frets and I just can’t go back. It just feels right to me.