Do those two songs also use the low notes of the B string?
Nope!
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Okay then, my point exactly! Why would he bring up the 21st fret of the G string when weâre having a conversation about playing on a BEAD bass?
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Because heâs pointing out a drawback of BEAD basses. They canât go that high. So if you have only one bass, itâs an important consideration. I agree with him.
Itâs a trade-off. Youâre gaining five low semitones and losing five high ones.
The answers are either two basses, or one five-string.
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Yes, and I have made it abundantly clear that I have an EADG bass for the purpose of playing songs that have notes in the higher range, and the BEAD for playing songs that have notes in the lower range. I just donât understand the point of arguing that you canât play the 21st fret of the G string on a BEAD bass. I was hoping he would explain what his point was, but he abruptly terminated the conversation.
- He wasnât talking about you. He was presenting it as a consideration for someone else asking about BEAD vs 5-string.
- He wasnât arguing
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Yes, and if you read the entire conversation, you will see that I had already pointed that out.
Buy a 5 string bass if you play music where they play with 5 string basses. I enjoy Ryan Martinie and he uses a 5 string. If anything you have a great thumb rest. I will say it made me confused when I started guitar, so I guess I need a 7 string guitar to play Korn.
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I would like to solve this issue once and for allâŚ
Buy every bass you can.
Youâre welcome.
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I wasnât arguing anything. I was just attempting to clarify something you said in case it confused any new player that read it. You said (something along the lines of) âBy tuning BEAD, I lose 5 notes on the G string but I can play them higher up on the D stringâ. My (simple, I thought) point was that you do lose 5 high notes on the G, but you cannot play them higher up on the D, because the notes youâre losing are the highest notes on the bass - there is no equivalent for them on the D string.
I was simply trying to clarify a point in case it confused someone less familiar with it. Once we were obviously on different wavelengths with the conversation, it wasnât worth the effort to try to get everything back on track - it was a minor clarification and not worth an even-more-confusing back-and-forth.
It was very minor, and very simple - and then suddenly, it wasnât⌠In retrospect, I should have just left it alone. All I did was muddy the waters and side-track the thread.
I wasnât trying to come up with songs that use every note under the sun, or name a song that you canât play if tuned BEAD, or anything of the sortâŚ
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Just a misunderstanding.
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I did the B2B course with a B string thumb rest. Right up to the lesson where you play a note on the A string and go to a 5th using the same fret on the E string. Heyyyyyy, I can use the same trick when starting on the E string!
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@skydvr now that (I think) I understand the point of your question, Iâll try to answer it.
The answer is, there is no E4 on the D string. I think (hope) you know that. If I was faced with a score that had a note that high up above the stave, I would be playing on my EADG bass.
Although itâs highly unlikely, if this same score also had a note below the low E, I would have to play it on a 5 string.
As I mentioned earlier, in over 2 years of playing 5 string exclusively, I cannot think of an occasion on which I needed both the B string and the G string in a song. There may be some out there, but none that I ever encountered. Therefore, having one bass tuned to BEAD and another tuned to EADG (as I do) can serve the same purpose as one 5 string.
Although, in a perfect world, it would be nice if I also had a 5 string, but I donât live in that world. 
I hope this helps.
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I think you should get a 5 string because it will teach you more if youâve never played one. Another 4 string isnât going to add any value.
The B string isnât for everyone and to me it starts to sound increasingly wuffy and indistinct above the 5th fret, but some people find it useful if they want to stay in one position. It also forces you to adapt a floating thumb position to effectively mute the strings. Some genres need it but even though you probably wonât find many situations where you will need to use it, it will still improve your playing and make you a better 4 string player by making you come out of the comfort zone.
It can also be stringed E-C if you want to solo at home.
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Thatâs a good answer. Thanks. And I am going with a 5 strings bass. I need to get at one stage anyway. I mostly play heavy metal and I think that lower B help the band a lot.
I was thinking at the ESP LTD B 205SM. Any other recommendation? Thanks
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Thought Iâd revive this thread instead of creating a new one as itâs a pretty good fit and has a lot of useful input already!
I know that my next bass will be a Yamaha TRBX50x - in two minds about the 4 or 5 and trying to work out which might be the best fit for me⌠I have a Squier Jag now with flats, this 4 string covers a pretty great range but my aim is to use the Yammy to better suit rock/metal, with its active EQ and will stick to roundwounds.
Iâve realised a LOT of the music I want to learn is in Drop D and Drop C.
Could anyone provide their thoughts on using a 5 in standard tuning vs 4 string for music like this? (a 4 would likely be kept in DADG tuning)
If it seems worth the costs Iâd consider also investing in getting a 4 setup for higher gauge strings for tuning down to C.
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In general if a song is in Drop D, Drop D on a 4 will work better for it than a five string.
Since the song was written for Drop D, it will have fingerings that work for Drop D. Making those work out on a B string might be trickier. It will be possible but almost assuredly easier in Drop D.
Also, the detuned D string feels significantly better and is easier to play than the B string.
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Thanks for the quick reply there! This is exactly what I nearly forgot to consider when I first started wondering about a 5⌠
I havenât had a chance to test out a 5 yet so Iâm actually surprised by this! I guess Drop C will be the spanner in the works here then, a floppy string isnât pretty to play or hear 
If I was to change to higher gauge strings (aware of nut work and setup etc) for this it would it be better practise to change all strings or could just changing the lowest one suffice? Or would it just be a matter of preference?
Either should work fine. I find standard 45-105âs fine for Drop D myself though.
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5 string is def better for modern metal imo. I hate detuning my bass which the B string helps a ton. You can also use inversions to utilize your B string more. If you plan on prog metal you gonna need a 5 string cuz thatâs what they use now a days.
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