To BEAD or not to BEAD? Five is the question...

[cjj]

OK, I've been wanting to Go LOW for a long time. I've always had it in my mind that I'd need a 5 string to do it and be happy. Of course, I'd also need it to be a Rick to be happy as well.

Anyway, it struck me that I could get the new lows I want by stringing BEAD (no, it didn't just hit me, I figured it out a long time ago, really! ). But, I've never actually played a 5 stringer (Rick 5's are kinda hard to come by ya know...), and I've really never tuned to BEAD in a usable way (just tuned down for a bit, not restringing with a .130, etc.). Now, being the lazy sort that I am, and not wanting to get too wild with my left hand and such, I RARELY go beyond the awesome stretch of the 9th fret, heck I don't even believe a bass should have more than 12 frets!

So, I'm wondering just how much I'm gonna miss those high notes I play up on the G string if I string it BEAD. I mean really, to get the same range I'm used to, I'll have to I'm gonna have to go way up into that uncharted territory around 14th fret or so! Are there even usable frets up there? Jeez, they're so darned close together and all!

Anyway, for you folks who have played both 5ers and BEAD strung 4's, is the 5 really worth it? Is it really better to have that G string there so you don't have to move way up the neck just to play a few relatively common higher notes? Any other comments relating the differences would be greatly appreciated as well...

[rickfan60]

It depends on how much of the neck you normally use. You will only loose 5 of the standard high notes so if you spend most of your time below the 15th fret you will hardly miss them.

One of the earliest BEAD tunings I am aware of is "Hungry" by Paul Revere and The Raiders. The chorus features mostly sub - E notes. I guess Fang was a bit of a pioneer.

[cjj]

It depends on how much of the neck you normally use. You will only loose 5 of the standard high notes so if you spend most of your time below the 15th fret you will hardly miss them.

Yes, technically, you only lose 5 notes, but in reality, everything you used to play on the G string, you now have to play on the D string, 5 frets up. Yeah, they are still there, but they are not as convenient to get to.

I guess that's my real question, is the inconvenience of having the G string notes not where they are "supposed" to be in a BEAD tuning really perceived as a problem? Sure, you can get used to it and learn to work around it, but apparently, there's a reason people went to a 5 string instead of just going to BEAD tuning.

I'm trying to decide if I'll just string my 4004 BEAD, or go all out and turn it into a 5 string. I've got strings on order to try it out BEAD, so I guess I'll find out if I like it or not, but I figured getting other people's impressions would be worthwhile.

[rickfan60]

I have not tried it but I wonder if the G string dead spots move to the D string.

[dog]

I'm with you on the fret thing. I seldom find myself above the 14th fret, but I'm glad the others are there. As for the B string, I finally went back to 4 strings after 7 years as a 5 string player. Even though the B was nice to have, I found that when I went back to 4 strings, I hardly missed the B. I suppose that you will find an answer after you change the nut and tune BEAD. But for me, I would never trade my G for a B.

It will be interesting to hear the results of your "experiment". Be cool

[rickfan60]

Yes, technically, you only lose 5 notes, but in reality, everything you used to play on the G string, you now have to play on the D string, 5 frets up. Yeah, they are still there, but they are not as convenient to get to.

It moves everything up the neck including the low notes so it's really just a matter of getting used to new positions for the notes. No biggie.

[ivan]

I'm with Lemmy K... the B string sound sucks.

[aceonbass]

I've tried the BEAD thing a couple of times and found that it relegated a perfectly good $1500.00+ Rick bass to the almost never use it file. I've also tried 5-string conversions on the 3000 bass(same spacing as a 4003) and found it was a bit too tight, particularly at the bridge. I've bought a few non RIC 5-strings and found that they just weren't "Me", whatever that means. A couple of months ago I did a 5-string conversion on my 4004L MID and found it to work really well. I have 3/8" spacing at the nut and 5/8" spacing at the bridge and the stock HB1's sound awesome. I now use it most of the time and find transposing parts of old songs for use on the B string really livens things up and teaches me to think a bit more on my feet.

[markbass99]

I like B strings too!

[rickfan60]

I like having the extra low notes. They can really change the feel and texture when used properly.

[walker]

I don't like the feel of playing 5 strings, so I did the BEAD option on one of my basses. It suits me fine for the more linear style stuff that having a low B is suited for. Mine you, it's a specialized bass, and I switch to my standard tuned 4 string for most of my playing in which I use more chords and high register runs & so on, but I can still get around fine minus those "5 notes" on the BEAD bass. For certain gigs, it definitely does the job. I just had to adjust the intonation accordingly, and all is well. I also modded the electronics extensively, so sometime I like to restring it back to EADG. I have a 2nd bridge I use which is intoned to that set of strings, so all I have to do is swap out the bridges instead of resetting the intonation every time I switch.

It's a cool thing. Try it! You'll like it!

[walker]

This is the bass of which I speak:

[cjj]

Yes, technically, you only lose 5 notes, but in reality, everything you used to play on the G string, you now have to play on the D string, 5 frets up. Yeah, they are still there, but they are not as convenient to get to.

It moves everything up the neck including the low notes so it's really just a matter of getting used to new positions for the notes. No biggie.

Well, duh!! Hmm, why didn't I think of it that way? I guess I got caught up in where the G string notes went and never thought further! Probably woulda figgerd it out once I had the thing tuned to BEAD...

[rickfan60]

That was the biggest part of the learning curve with my first 5 string.

[atomic_punk]

I'm all 5-string now. Going back and forth was too confusing on stage and I have a couple of SWEET 5vers. Can't wait for a Rick, though.