Do the best pro-bass players mainly play 4 strings?

[tthiggins]

3 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

If you think a balanced view and statistically valid result can be obtained of such things on this type of forum then I think you're expecting too much - for starters there are hardly any Ric players here, seemingly, and yet in real life I see loads of them!!

Is that because they're all over 80 and can't remember their passwords ?

[Bridgehouse]

5 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

If you think a balanced view and statistically valid result can be obtained of such things on this type of forum then I think you're expecting too much - for starters there are hardly any Ric players here, seemingly, and yet in real life I see loads of them!!

Looks like my sarcasm filter is jiggered again. I should have took it out and washed it under the tap.

[drTStingray]

Ha ha!! The forum has history with Ric. Seriously I see a range of age groups playing them from teenagers through to OAPs - some are women!! The point was I suspect there are very few such players on the forum - the fact they're generally 4 string players from what I've seen is neither here nor there 😂😂👍

[Al Krow]

45 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

Al Krow, if you'd asked the same question in say 1999 you would have got a completely different answer - as many pro players played 5 string then and certainly on a lot of pop music of the time.

That's kinda interesting...you see I have this thing that pretty much 95% of ALL the best rock and pop music was from bands who formed and started recording before 2000. Is it just coincidence that there was a much higher proportion of 5 string bass players back then?

[Al Krow]

33 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

When we say pro-bass do we mean for bass as opposed to against-bass?

Anyone who is not 'pro-bass' in your sense dear Cuzzie and has joined this forum maybe needs a little help with their time management skills?

Please get back to us when you've understood the difference between 'bedroom warrior / hobbyist', 'semi-pro' and 'pro'....or to save you time, maybe check Sibob's helpful definition in the 4th entry on this thread:

 

[Bridgehouse]

I’ve checked the definitions and I’m a Semi-Pro-Weekend-hobbyist-bedroom-musician.

I play 4 strings only, so..

 

/thread.

[Al Krow]

33 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

Ha ha!! The forum has history with Ric. Seriously I see a range of age groups playing them from teenagers through to OAPs - some are women!! The point was I suspect there are very few such players on the forum - the fact they're generally 4 string players from what I've seen is neither here nor there 😂😂👍

Rics have just very recently cottoned on to the fact that folk buy 5 strings, I do believe! They're totally iconic, but they're soooo bloo*dy expensive for what you get, right? Or am I just being a cheap-skate?

There are more Ric lovers on this forum than you maybe realise (this is fast turning into a wander down memory lane of threads for me...😁)

1 minute ago, Bridgehouse said:

I’ve checked the definitions and I’m a Semi-Pro-Weekend-hobbyist-bedroom-musician. I play 4 strings only, so../thread.

You're just full of FRFR if you ask me 😂

[Cuzzie]

Oh my dear @Al Krow there are so many definitions to take into account and so many of your threads to meander through it becomes difficult to keep up to speed.

So to coin a phrase from you, let’s get back on to the topic you started, so from your own research on your own question....

Which in your view best pro’s Mainly use a 4 string?

Which in your view best pro’s mainly use a 5 string?

Which great albums and tracks in your view  use a 5er?

 

[jazzmanb]

In real terms the great bass lines down the years are great because of their composition not difficulty .You could probably play them on 2 strings 

More than 4 have their place in certain situations but it's just indulgence in most cases and that common bassist condition of wanting to prove you're more than that bloke at the back . Quite enjoying my squier 5 but like my pedals and gizmos it's just fun rather than be necessary 

[lemmywinks]

It's a necessity for me, I didn't really want to move from 4 strings. Nothing particularly complex or flashy about 5 strings either I don't think - you see tons of people playing them and there's nothing difficult about it, in fact I can now play a fair few songs in our set without moving my left hand position so it looks much less impressive!

[BigRedX]

On 10/07/2018 at 19:10, HazBeen said:

In what dimension?

 

On 10/07/2018 at 21:31, Rich said:

'Best' is of course entirely subjective, but most albums? Really? I doubt that somehow.

 

On 11/07/2018 at 06:12, bubinga5 said:

 Sorry this is bollocks  There are 100,s if not 1000,s of great bass lines since the 80s that were played on an electric bass. Or is it just the greatest basslines you like.? If it's of absolutely no importance to you what other bass players do, why bother commenting. In fact why even take part in the forum

Anyone who has ever done any serious recording (i.e. anything that hasn't been wholly financed by the band themselves) will know that what was recorded in the studio during tracking and what is actually audible on the final release of those recordings are two entirely different things.

Lets face it, when a large number of people on here couldn't even tell that a prominent, high in the mix, bass line like "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles was produced by synthesisers, what chance have you got with average low in the mix rumble of the typical modern (by which I mean anything recorded this century) bass part?

The job of a producer on a recording is to make the artist sound as good as possible (that's what they are being paid for after all), and in oder to do that, they will use everything they can within the budget. In the 50, 60s and 70s that generally meant replacing the band with the best season players they could afford. Since the mid-80s the technology has allowed them to do the same but much more cost-effectively by substituting or augmenting the bass guitar part with synthesised or sampled sounds. Why hire in lots a session musicians to play all the different instruments, when a single good programmer can cover drums, bass, keyboards, and synthesisers as well as comp'ing together the definitive performances for the vocals and guitars? When the song is played live there may well be a musician on stage with a bass guitar, but on the definitive version - the one made in the studio - synthesis, sampling and digital editing will have played just as much as part (and frequently much more) as any bass guitar (with any number of strings).

IMO the only way anybody can categorically state that a recorded bass line on a commercial recording was 100% created by a bass guitar, would be if they were present for every minute of the tracking, mixing an mastering of the recording and knew exactly what had and what had not been used from the first guide tracks to to the final production master.

[BigRedX]

18 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

Yep, I bet that red precision never even went to the studio. 

Because the bass part was made with synths and samples in ProTools.

[BigRedX]

14 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Regarding “It’s not very often a line doesn’t work on a four string”. Well, you can make any song work, but does it really sound the same? IMHO, definitely not. One of the bands I’m in is an 80’s band and I need a 5 string to play 80% of the set as recorded. I could play it up an octave, but it would not sound the same. First note of I Think We’re Alone Now is that low D and there’s no getting round the fact that anything else sounds wrong. Second note of Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now is the low Eb - completely wrong up an octave. Real Gone Kid - the low C in the intro; it’s got to be there. There are many more examples. 

There's a very good reason why you need a 5-string bass to re-create all these bass lines live. In the studio they were originally payed by keyboards and sequencers where the limitations of the bass guitar were not an issue.

[Lozz196]

Yeah I`ve heard bands do Slither by Velvet Revolver/By The Way by Chillies and try and do the low notes an octave higher and it destroys the songs - although I`m a committed 4-string player I do accept that if I ever get to the point where I need those low notes then a fiver will be on its way to Chez Lozz, no playing an octave higher for me.

[BigRedX]

On 11/07/2018 at 09:22, Lozz196 said:

Tools for the job, most of the theatre acts and music shows I`ve seen the bassists have used fivers, whereas on the punk scene a five string bass is rare - if ever - to be seen.

 

On 11/07/2018 at 09:40, Al Krow said:

I did want make some cheeky comment here about our punk brethren not wanting to be considered "intellectual" by being able to count to more than 4 (are there any punk tracks not in 4/4?) but I must resist! 😂

Is this Punk Rock enough for you?

All recorded and played live using a variety of 5-string basses. 

EDIT: I made more use of the extended range and position possibilities of the 5-string bass in The Terrortones than I did in any of my previous bands, despite the relatively more "conventional" nature of the music.

Edited July 17, 2018 by BigRedX

[stingrayPete1977]

38 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Because the bass part was made with synths and samples in ProTools.

Is that fact? 

[krispn]

On my choir gig we play Don’t Go Breaking My Heart which has been changed to the key of D. Being able to recreate that bass line and keep it sounding authentic,   having the low d available for the verse and the riff etc. is a real advantage. We play more tunes in non original keys than original if that makes sense. We recently did a mash up of No More Tears/Raining Men which again was played in the non-original key. Being able to play the bass line on that one with the chorus off the low C# added the bottom end and supported the two guitars and fiddle (which is a five string too). Having the low B ring out for certain parts on that tune or doing ascending runs from the lower position all adds a wonderful depth over which the other the instruments add to - we’ll it does to my ear as the performer and it’s why I use the 5’er. Sometimes, for me, the less dramatic stuff like your punk or rock covers down the local doesn’t ‘warrant’ a 5’er. I make use of the range or a 5’er a lot on those choir gigs and it is 

You’ll see heaps of the Nashville guys are on 5 strings and have been for years and you can hear how they use the range of the bass to drive modulations in songs, add weight and power to ballads. As said previously it’s not just a 4 string with some extra notes (but you can choose to play it that way). I’m not claiming to be the best bassist or exponent of the lower depths of the instrument but a 5’er can add much to a song and it’s great if you’re playing at volume through a good cab! Pant shaking!  

[Rich]

43 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

 

Anyone who has ever done any serious recording (i.e. anything that hasn't been wholly financed by the band themselves) will know that what was recorded in the studio during tracking and what is actually audible on the final release of those recordings are two entirely different things.

Lets face it, when a large number of people on here couldn't even tell that a prominent, high in the mix, bass line like "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles was produced by synthesisers, what chance have you got with average low in the mix rumble of the typical modern (by which I mean anything recorded this century) bass part?

The job of a producer on a recording is to make the artist sound as good as possible (that's what they are being paid for after all), and in oder to do that, they will use everything they can within the budget. In the 50, 60s and 70s that generally meant replacing the band with the best season players they could afford. Since the mid-80s the technology has allowed them to do the same but much more cost-effectively by substituting or augmenting the bass guitar part with synthesised or sampled sounds. Why hire in lots a session musicians to play all the different instruments, when a single good programmer can cover drums, bass, keyboards, and synthesisers as well as comp'ing together the definitive performances for the vocals and guitars? When the song is played live there may well be a musician on stage with a bass guitar, but on the definitive version - the one made in the studio - synthesis, sampling and digital editing will have played just as much as part (and frequently much more) as any bass guitar (with any number of strings).

IMO the only way anybody can categorically state that a recorded bass line on a commercial recording was 100% created by a bass guitar, would be if they were present for every minute of the tracking, mixing an mastering of the recording and knew exactly what had and what had not been used from the first guide tracks to to the final production master.

And the only way anybody can categorically state that "the best bass lines on most albums released since the early 80s were synthesised or sampled and played by a sequencer", would be if they were present for every minute of the tracking, mixing and mastering of the recordings and knew exactly what had and what had not been used from the first guide tracks to the final production master.

 

[BigRedX]

4 minutes ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

Is that fact? 

No. It's speculation.

But.. given the nature of Bruno Mars' music I doubt I'm wrong.

[martthebass]

48 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

There's a very good reason why you need a 5-string bass to re-create all these bass lines live. In the studio they were originally payed by keyboards and sequencers where the limitations of the bass guitar were not an issue.

It's a good job that I play in a 70s Glam band where men were men (apart from Suzi Q), taste was optional and synths were consigned to twiddly sound effects.  Not a 5 string in sight and the recording was almost certainly done on a 4 string.

Edited July 17, 2018 by martthebass

[BigRedX]

2 minutes ago, martthebass said:

It's a good job that I play in a 70s Glam band where men were men (apart from Suzi Q), taste was optional and synths were consigned to twiddly sound effects.  Not a 5 string in sight and the recording was almost certainly done on a 4 string.

And most likely played by some session player rather than the person seen wearing the bass guitar on TotP.

[MikanHannille]

All just tools. At this point, I don't really care if some of the songs we play are played in 5 or 4. All I care is that I have a solid 5 string and a solid 4 string for when the need comes, it won't let you down.

Edited July 17, 2018 by MikanHannille

[BigRedX]

10 minutes ago, Rich said:

And the only way anybody can categorically state that "the best bass lines on most albums released since the early 80s were synthesised or sampled and played by a sequencer", would be if they were present for every minute of the tracking, mixing and mastering of the recordings and knew exactly what had and what had not been used from the first guide tracks to the final production master.

True. But when the goal of making a commercial record (i.e. one paid for by a record label) is to make it sound as good as possible for the least financial outlay, why bother with a bass guitarist (or drummer) when they can be easily and cheaply replaced by electronics, and the vast majority of people listening to the recording will never know?

[Cuzzie]

I often wish someone else did my basslines when I play 

[Bridgehouse]

1 minute ago, Cuzzie said:

I often wish someone else did my basslines when I play 

There’s a keys player in our band so I do