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Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 10:26 am
by highway_star
I've pretty much dedicated myself to fivers so I get used to hitting the right string. If I ever mistake the B for the E string, I just tell the band I'm harmonizing in fifths.

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 10:30 am
by loendmaestro
"How about a Lakland Skyline Bob Glaub? I'm parting with mine.
I have a 50th Anniversary P-Bass that doesn't get used, but I don't think I'm letting go of it anytime soon."
I'll get a Lakland someday, but for now I'm just lookin' for a plain ol' P under $700.
Lemme know if anybody has any leads! (Oh yeah: NO black or Sunburst!)
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 10:37 am
by bob_the_bass
Every time I played a 5 string I ended up using the B string as a thumb rest. Four strings does it for me !!
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:03 am
by s4001
My Kubicki has been getting all the attention lately. Sometimes I go thru phases where I don't play much Ric. But I eventually come back to 'ol faithful.
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:21 am
by throw_this_away
I have just never liked the sound of a 5. Anything past Drop D just gets too muddy for my tastes.
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:50 am
by charlyg
I very seldom play below a d on my 5 but there are some neat things happening up the neck with that extra string.
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:04 pm
by rickfan60
5ers are great fun once you get used to them but they are clearly not for everyone.
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:04 pm
by jwr2
actually I use every single note on my 5 string fret board ... and sometimes I need a low b flat ... some 5 string players tune ADGCF ...
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:19 pm
by charlyg
Waste not, want not!
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:59 pm
by rickenbrother
"I always confuse the top sting for the "E", no matter how much I try to concentrate."
I had the same trouble when I got my first 5er. I almost gave it up, actually stopped playing it for at least three months. Then one day I just picked it up, worked at it quite a bit. I went at it like it was a completely different instrument. It was at least 6 months before I could honestly say I was comfortable with it.
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 2:24 pm
by revolver323
Muddiness below D disappears with a 35-inch scale bass like the Laklands. I use my 55-94 exclusively. Never muddy on the B, and it's also crystal clear all the way up the neck. I find myself playing the octave B at the 12th fret sometimes. Having the B really opens up the neck for me. I have played 34 inch scale 5ers -- Fender, Music Man, Alvarez, Washburn -- and didn't care for any of them. That extra inch makes all the difference.
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 2:31 pm
by jwr2
with a 5 string bass the trick is to turn down the bass and treble and turn up the mids ... that gets the low B to growl ... a 4 string player plays an octave higher and turns up the bass to get that full low sound ... it is a subtle difference ... but in a full band situation with a big pa and subs there is a difference ...
A 5 string bass is great if you play in the keys of F, E, D# or D ... you can fret your low note and you have a good position on the bass for playing scales and bass patterns ...
Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 7:32 pm
by atomic_punk
Joey said...I went at it like it was a completely different instrument.
I did the same thing. Some songs I can only play on the 5. It's just a matter of changing your mindset and your mechanics.
Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 12:40 am
by cheyenne
Face it, we all love Ricks or we wouldnt be here.
Basses are like tools. And we all have alot of tools in our toolbox.
Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 3:40 am
by rikk
I've got a hipshot D tuner on 2 of my Rics. I'm using it more and more. I've got a Ric 5er, but the low B didn't sound too great so I re-strung it EADGC. I may give it another chance with a B with a different brand strings. What do you think of a hipshot D tuner on a Ric 5 strung EADGC? Well maybe not. I wish Ric had the low D on the headstock like Kubecki.