Gecko5 VS. G5

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Hmm... having reviewed that link & considered a bit, I may have been a bit suckered by the longer is tighter myth. I kept reading that & thinking "It can't be true!" I remember reading that Dick Dale played right-handed Fenders even after he could afford custom lefties, just because (according to him) the longer reach of the E string made it sound & feel better for quick picking.  My own Firebird (with a tilted back reverse inline headstock) has a very solid feeling low E, as did the reverse Tele I built for my brother.

I realized that every 5-er I played or owned that I liked had string through body and/or tilt back headstock.  While the ones that I played and thought the B strings were floppy were all Fender style straight headstocks, with the B tuner closest to the nut.  My instinct says that's got to make some difference, but I can't argue with math. Now I want to go to a music store & play a bunch of different 5 strings....

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Again, that's just tension relating to pitch.  More string can equal more elasticity, so a different headstock orientation can make bends feel different. 

 

[stubhead]

I believe "elasticity" has a lot to do with intonation, even if tension doesn't? I've never personally met a low B string that I felt I could really trust to stay in tune as much as any other string on a bass (including high C, including fretless!). If you're playing with any sort of enthusiasm boing!, out they go. I know there are a huge number of bass players who pose with them, but if you watch a five-string bassist as carefully as possible (I have) what proportion of the time are they playing notes on that string? 7%, 5%... never? It's a lot closer to never than 20% for sure. It's a nice thumbrest, and I think for some hand positioning choices it makes the top four strings easier to reach. And they look really cool. Ken Smith sixes!

I've only been playing bass about 40 years, so i do try and get other input - like, when you see a singing bass player, are they EVER playing the fifth string while singing? Think of the most famous singing bass players, guys who HAVE to do it as their job. How many five-strings....

I think the slanted fret guys may be on to something. And I surely know there are places for electric music to go beyond the current state, but it has little to do with a few extra low notes. I always* predicate decisions on trying to make noises that sound good. 

(*would like to... :toothy11: More spikes! Flames! Teeth! Yaya....)

 

[AndyG]

but if you watch a five-string bassist as carefully as possible (I have) what proportion of the time are they playing notes on that string? 7%, 5%... never? It's a lot closer to never than 20% for sure. It's a nice thumbrest, and I think for some hand positioning choices it makes the top four strings easier to reach. the current state, but it has little to do with a few extra low notes.

I've been playing bass for about 20 years now, and I only play 5-strings.  And I do use the low B string quite a bit .... in fact, I'd say that I play the low B more often than the high G.

In the cover band I play with, we do material from the 60's right up to the 2000's, and having the 5 string helps me in a few ways:
- Anything we play in drop D, I don't need to tune down.
- One of the songs we do is Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" ... I transposed the bass line so that I wouldn't have to buy an octave pedal (which I don't see myself using anyway).
- For songs where I sing lead or backup, I can keep my hand in one position by playing the E to G# on the B string, and not have to worry about looking at what I'm doing.

You're right the the low B is a nice thumbrest when playing certain songs, but don't discount its usefulness as a string as well!

And FWIW ... the B string on my Warmoth basses stays in tune just as well as every other string.

 

[croquet hoop]

- One of the songs we do is Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" ... I transposed the bass line so that I wouldn't have to buy an octave pedal (which I don't see myself using anyway).

This is indeed an awesome song to play on a 5-strings  ccasion14:

 

[swarfrat]

I've been playing bass for about 20 years now, and I only play 5-strings.  And I do use the low B string quite a bit .... in fact, I'd say that I play the low B more often than the high G.

I no longer own a 5 string, but I definitely use the low B more often than the G now that don't have a G any longer. BEAD baby.  Althought I sometimes tune to C. My baritone acoustic is tuned to C#, if my 25.5" 6 strings weren't part of the equation I'd be tempted to maybe go for a light 5 string set and tune to C#.