Going from 4 to 5 strings.
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:03 pm
I am kind of old-fasioned in a lot of ways. Not like Green Acres but not AD 2005 either. I still mow my own lawn because (as attractive as the idea sounds) I just can't bring myself to pay someone to do it for me. My computer's mouse is ball driven and not one of those fancy red light deals that look so cool with that glow coming from underneath. Instead, I prefer mechanical mice because I rather enjoy removing the rings of lint that build up on the rollers after a few months of hard use. Well, ok, not really. Mouse crud is kind of gross but I use a ball mouse just the same. Perhaps my biggest sin against modern convenience is that I do not carry and seldom use my cell phone. I prefer instead, land lines and NOT being reachable every minute of the day. It is really quite liberating. So all of that having been said, it might be surprising to hear that I recently took the plunge and bought a 5 string bass. In fact, this one right here....
Given my penchant for doing things the comfortable (old) way adding a low B string was a bit of a stretch for me. This was further complicated by the fact that the 4003S/5 has very narrow string spacing. For the first week I found myself fingering one string but striking the next highest one. It is a little embarrasing if anyone is listening to you play. In my case that someone was my wife who asked why I would pay $1700 for a bass I can't play. Thanks honey. (think Jack Nicholson in the Shining). She would rather I honed my ironing, shopping, and gardening skills than my bass skills. After a week or so I could play it without too much embarassment. It could hit the right string about 90% of the time (close enough for rock-n-roll) even with the tight spacing. It is almost comfortable now. In fact, it has made me more precise on my 4 stringers.
It took a few days more to become comfortable with the new low notes and how to use them. Notes lower than the standard low E just don't sound right in certain older songs. I shocked my guitar playing friend by dropping down an octave while playing Zepplin's The Ocean. He thought something had gone wrong. The drummer knew it was coming and was very amused by the guitar player's response. The low notes work in that song but not so well in others. You have to develop a sense for when to go low and when to stay up an octave. I am not all there yet.
I like to play with my thumb on the edge of the treble pickup. It is the most comfortable postion for me. Unfortunately the bobbin in the 4003S/5 is made of that papery material used in the V63 pickups and I found that the pressure from my thumb was bending the top of the bobbin. Over time I am sure I would have ruined the bobbin with my thumb. Also, the edge of the bobbin was also doing a number on my thumb. To fix both problems I cut a black rubber cylinder in half (top to bottom) and stuck half between the plates of the bobbin like this......
You can see it poking out just past the edge of the bobbin. It protects the bobbin from me and me from the bobbin and is more or less invisible.
The bridge has springs that push the saddles into place when the adjusting screw is turned. This is a nice idea as long as the correct adjustment is near the center of the range. Unfortunately it is not the case with my bass. I had to turn some of the saddles around and remove the springs so I could properly set the intonation....
The way the bridge was setup was totally wrong. All the strings were way sharp. Playing past the 7th fret did not work very well.
Despite my tendancy to be a luddite, I am digging the power of the B string. When used correctly it can add a lot to a song and it can give older songs a more modern sound. Too much or inappropriate use can really muddy things up. You have to find where that line is. In another week or so I should be able to play it well enough to gig with it. If you have been considering a 5'er, I say, do it. It is an adjustment but you will like it.
Given my penchant for doing things the comfortable (old) way adding a low B string was a bit of a stretch for me. This was further complicated by the fact that the 4003S/5 has very narrow string spacing. For the first week I found myself fingering one string but striking the next highest one. It is a little embarrasing if anyone is listening to you play. In my case that someone was my wife who asked why I would pay $1700 for a bass I can't play. Thanks honey. (think Jack Nicholson in the Shining). She would rather I honed my ironing, shopping, and gardening skills than my bass skills. After a week or so I could play it without too much embarassment. It could hit the right string about 90% of the time (close enough for rock-n-roll) even with the tight spacing. It is almost comfortable now. In fact, it has made me more precise on my 4 stringers.
It took a few days more to become comfortable with the new low notes and how to use them. Notes lower than the standard low E just don't sound right in certain older songs. I shocked my guitar playing friend by dropping down an octave while playing Zepplin's The Ocean. He thought something had gone wrong. The drummer knew it was coming and was very amused by the guitar player's response. The low notes work in that song but not so well in others. You have to develop a sense for when to go low and when to stay up an octave. I am not all there yet.
I like to play with my thumb on the edge of the treble pickup. It is the most comfortable postion for me. Unfortunately the bobbin in the 4003S/5 is made of that papery material used in the V63 pickups and I found that the pressure from my thumb was bending the top of the bobbin. Over time I am sure I would have ruined the bobbin with my thumb. Also, the edge of the bobbin was also doing a number on my thumb. To fix both problems I cut a black rubber cylinder in half (top to bottom) and stuck half between the plates of the bobbin like this......
You can see it poking out just past the edge of the bobbin. It protects the bobbin from me and me from the bobbin and is more or less invisible.
The bridge has springs that push the saddles into place when the adjusting screw is turned. This is a nice idea as long as the correct adjustment is near the center of the range. Unfortunately it is not the case with my bass. I had to turn some of the saddles around and remove the springs so I could properly set the intonation....
The way the bridge was setup was totally wrong. All the strings were way sharp. Playing past the 7th fret did not work very well.
Despite my tendancy to be a luddite, I am digging the power of the B string. When used correctly it can add a lot to a song and it can give older songs a more modern sound. Too much or inappropriate use can really muddy things up. You have to find where that line is. In another week or so I should be able to play it well enough to gig with it. If you have been considering a 5'er, I say, do it. It is an adjustment but you will like it.
