4 or 5 string bass in church?

[broadcaster]

I go with a 4 or 5, depending on the key of the song selection. D, Eb or hymns, I tend to bring a fiver. For the newer rockin' guitar stuff, a 4 string is fun. Both will work just fine though, it is mostly personal preference.

At my church the new worship pastor never does urban gospel material, so the low B isn't as important these days for me.

What do YOU prefer?

[Tele295]

Cello, so 4. Gives me the low C, which really helps when the choir director passes me something in Db, like she did on Christmas Eve, or even Eb (more often).

I've thought about tuning up a fretless bass guitar in cello tuning, but can't find double ball strings that would accomodate. MIght grab a Squier Modified Vintage fretless Jazz for that purpose next year sometime.

[Mike Bruce]

No one has ever adequately explained to me what a 4 string can do that a 5 string can't, so years ago I switched to 5 strings for every purpose. (The lone exception are lessons with 4 string players who get disoriented by seeing me play 5 strings.) The benefits of 5 strings are the extra range with the low B, at least being able to fret a low E where it's only open on a 4 string, some easier low transpositions, and more pedal note options. It's no pipe organ, but it tries.

My instrument options are fretted and fretless 5 string basses, though I'd like to add a 6 string with a low B and high B or C.

Location, room, gig, or band has no bearing whatsoever on this for me. Church, just like everywhere else, is great for a 5 string.

Mike Bruce

[broadcaster]

Originally Posted by Mike Bruce

No one has ever adequately explained to me what a 4 string can do that a 5 string can't,

Mike Bruce

Never heard it put that way before, Mike.

I agree, a five string is good for any situation.

[dr. love]

When I lead on bass, I prefer my 6 string because it has fewer "limitations". It helps me to be more free to be able to focus on the message of the song than the notes.

It does make the flat keys which are seem to dominate hymnals easier, and being able to play more in one position across the board rather than shifting positions all the time helps when you are trying to read the music, sing, lead the praise team, etc... Less moving around is better for me. The 6 is just instictive for me in worship.

[broadcaster]

I'll be using the 5 string this Sunday and the B string will be a thumping.

[TxTeleMan]

For several years I played the church's G&L L-2000 5 string a couple of times a month at church, contemporary stuff. It was a change for me, as I had been used to a 4-sting (G&L L-1000). I liked having the low B string as it allowed me to hit the low D and C, which was nice.

These days I play bass at a small AOG church, and we play CC as well as some orignal stuff. A lot of rock and modern worship style music... which so often means eighth notes on the root for measure upon measure...

Anyway, when I went to buy a bass, I stuck to the traditional and got a Godin SD-4 and put Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Electric-Bass Flat Wound E-Bass Jazz Series strings on it. I love it!

I go for the deep bottom end, thundering bass, and somtimes a sting bass sound, unless the song demands something else.

[broadcaster]

Lately our music director has been doing modern P&W songs modulated down a step or so, so the 5 stringer is getting first bill when I'm on rotation. Hitting that low D in a song sure adds to the emotion of the tune.

My Yammie BB415 has got a fabulous b string and I always look forward to movin' some air with this instrument at church or on a band gig.

[giantslayer]

Originally Posted by Mike Bruce

No one has ever adequately explained to me what a 4 string can do that a 5 string can't

5-strings are usually heavier. If your back doesn't have a problem with that, then go for it. I love that low B string.

[psychetelec]

Since I can't stand a 5-string bass and have never owned one, I play 4-strings, tho' I have played my Jerry Jones Longhorn Bass VI at church.

[Mike Bruce]

Originally Posted by giantslayer

5-strings are usually heavier. If your back doesn't have a problem with that, then go for it. I love that low B string.

Agreed, though that's not a musical difference in my opinion. Why let the piano and organ have all the fun down there?

The difference in weight isn't so much that it would influence my musical choice. Good balance, a good strap, good fitness, and good posture go a long way to offset the weight issue. Buy and play accordingly.

One of my students has been preparing some bass melody solos for church. Another has restrung a 5 string bass with piccolo strings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piccolo_bass) so I guess there's also some interest in the other end of the bass range too.

Mike Bruce

[broadcaster]

To hear some great 5 string bass playin, check out Terrance Palmer, the bassist for Israel & New Breed. Oh my, that is some good stuff. I love how he does that Eb slide down thing in the song "Come in from the Outside". If you heard that song on a good audio system, you know exactly what I mean. Palmer is sooo sick on bass guitar.

[aunchaki]

Originally Posted by broadcaster

Hitting that low D in a song sure adds to the emotion of the tune.

+100

I started playing bass in my church band, with a hand-me-down P-Bass clone (tuned to drop D). I just had to have that low D. I don't go to it every time, but when I do...

Well, time came for me to get my own bass and I ended up with a Squier MB-5. I was shopping for a Tele Custom or Squier 51 with my birthday GC gift cards. I walked out with the MB-5. It chose me, not the other way around.

I played it non-stop in P&W for a few years. I rarely go all the way down to the low B, but I can't live without the low D. I moved a year-and-a-half ago, and haven't played bass since. It makes me sad.

[broadcaster]

I recently sold my last 4 stringer. I gots to have da B. So,,,,it is 5'ers from here on forward in church for me.

[jarrodmichael]

My personal preference is a five string, but I can tell you I use the lowest register sparingly. Certain songs - Sweetly Broken comes to mind as we've just played it recently - can really be enhanced by the deeper sound and feel of the low B and C#, but I find the vast majority of what I play lies in the standard 4-string range.

I agree with the earlier posting from Mike Bruce that the ability to fret low E (etc) gives you some choices in terms of playing position on the neck, and I do take advantage of that at times.

-jm

[scooteraz]

I don't often play bass, but when I do it is a 5-string. Of course that may be because the only bass I own has 5 strings...

At the time I bought it, my son has a couple of basses that were 4 string, so if I wanted one I could always borrow one from my son, so I got the 5. Since then, he has thinned out his collection, and plays now at his church, so I can't borrow so easily.

Never noticed a musical difference, and being able to get to the low B has been a value on occasion.

[tjalla]

Originally Posted by Mike Bruce

No one has ever adequately explained to me what a 4 string can do that a 5 string can't

Here's one - keeps bassists away from that annoying B string

On a semi-serious note, unless setup/EQ'd/played well, that low string ends up can a garbled mess of subsonic rumble with little discernable pitch. Its even worse when players use that B string, "hey, cause I have one!"

[jbmando]

I had a 5 string, and I did use the B string, but not very often. It comes in handy. as stated before, for songs in Eb and Ab, of which there are a few, especially older church music. However, my favorite bass sound is that of the Hofner 500/1 (Beatle Bass) with flat-wounds and that is what I use exclusively for playing bass on our praise team, which is about 3-1 to guitar, which is about 2-1 acoustic.

[broadcaster]

Playing the moving song - "Fly Away" in F, the B string is handy for the shout runs reaching down to low D on the one chord.

Another thing the big string is good for is ending big on the one chord (F, as in the above song) and sliding it down slow, at the end of the tune, which adds a cool dimension to a lively song.