5 string bass

[killdeer43]

Calling all bass men!
Educate me about this bass from the band I saw yesterday.

Thanks,
Curious Joe

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Looks like an Ibanez SR305

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/u_...2&color=CL01&year=2013&cat_id=2&series_id=112

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/ibanez-sdgr-5s-why-do-ya-hate-em-6264/

That should do it! Anything else you'd like to know?

 

[killdeer43]

Looks like an Ibanez SR305
That should do it! Anything else you'd like to know?

Sure, the obvious question: why the 5th string?

Thanks,
Joe

 

[mgod]

That's what I've always wondered.

 

[twocorgis]

That's what I've always wondered.

Agreed. I have a hard enough time with four!

 

[fronobulax]

I play four strings. The one 5 string I have borrowed had a low B string. It was definitely more interesting playing in the keys of C and D because you had some lower notes for those times when you wanted to really be the bottom. I've heard some folks have a high C as the fifth string but then you are pretty much competing in the part of the frequency spectrum already occupied by a guitar.

 

[mellowgerman]

I've had two five string Ibanezes and one G&L. LOVED the G&L and the Ibanezes were decent. I've had low B strings, high C strings, and high B strings. the high B was fun for guitar-ish chording. The low B came in handy for the occasional low note. Overall I don't see any necessity for a fifth string, but as in the case of my G&L, it was a used bass and everything about it was so enjoyable that the fifth string was just a little extra feature so to speak. If I was custom ordering a bass it would probably be a four string. Also most basses that appeal to me happen to be four strings... i.e. I cant imagine being more satisfied with a bass than i am with my lovely Fjoergyn bass. Still i would never write off a bass simply because it has a fifth string

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

The 5th string on a bass gives you the option of either a Low B or a High C. If you play original music it's just like having another color on your palette. That's why there are also 6 and 7 string basses.

In a lot of the new music genres of today's youth such as Sludge and Doom Metal, they are tuning their basses lower and lower. (These are the things you learn hanging out at http://www.talkbass.com/ )

They are now tuning basses down to low C below the E! While I don't partake in or enjoy this type of music, I do like to be informed as to what's going on in the world of music as the envelope is continually pushed. In case anybody is interested, here are some examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poUWux2TjxE

You know how it is, my parents didn't like the music I listened to as a kid and on it goes for each subsequent generation.

Now since I play in a cover band and most of the music we cover is form the 50' to the 90's most, if not all of it was recorded with a 4 string bass so I have no need for a five string. But a lot of popular music is in 'drop-d" tuning for the ease of playing power chords and a 5 string with a low B makes a lot of sense there.

 

[fronobulax]

To close the loop, Guild did make 5 string Pilots, as the sample from Grot's Collection illustrates: