I think all us bass players need a 5 stringer, and a 4 stringer (and I wouldn't mind a 3 string for sunday drives)!! To me the 5 string sounded fantastic in the lower register. The 4 stringre was good and possibly projected a little more on the top end - but the lower register of the 4 stringer was a little uneven. The issue with 5 strings of course is bridge curve and how close - how much volume you can get out of the bass in the middle register. In short we need more bass! :-)
I've played 5 string bass guitar for over a decade before i got my own upright 5 last year which felt natural quick. I almost tried a 4 string w/ an extension from the same place I got my main bass so I don't have a final judgement on that but still curious to experiment w/ one. Seeing both versions in an orchestra setting puts me in awe every time
Each bass has its use. The only thing, I noticed that the player had to rotate the 5 string bass to be able to play the lower notes. A little bit, but apparently you have to.
I like the extension as I a man who likes bottom, however the treble end of the five string is lovely. I cannot choose to be honest. For some perverted reason I like as much bass as I can get from a treble instrument and vice versa. I don't know why this is the case, just a personal quirk I gather. Listening to this lovely comparison as I watch the flood waters rise around my house in the Hunter valley, thank for the upload.
I have to agree with you on a few things. As much bottom end as possible. It is a bass of course. However I really like that G string on the five stringer. Good luck with those floods Brian. May the sun shine soon 🙏
The four string looks more natural on that particular body style. I have a very nice Jay Haide 5 stringer with a slightly wider German body, which is a joy to play. Both sound very similar, I tend to prefer the extra C string from a player’s perspective, rather than an extension, it makes a lot of passages easier to play without having to nestle your hand uncomfortably between a bunch of cogs!
This was the only the 2nd time I had this model Jay Haide in 5 string form. Not as loud as the model you have, however a joy to play for a smaller person that's for sure.
The five string sounded better on the higher notes. I want one! All my friends have three or four installments guitars violins accordions, but my wife won't let me buy a second Bass , just no fair!
On the C extension bass he plays over the fingerboard on the low string giving the sound a softer, more diffuse quality. On the 5 stringer he plays below the fingerboard.
Was the fifth string tuned to B or C. If tuned to B the relationship between strings will be the same as a standard four string. With good metal strings you can use higher positions on the fifth string where the fingers are closer together. This allows easy fingering with all four fingers.
The last few years I've been experimenting with fifths tuning CGDA like a Cello one octave down. Works well for improve with my moving hand style, however for reading sheet music just to much shifting.
It is hard to compare. the 5 stringer puts more tension on the same bass so the bass needs to be designed with that in mind. Thus the same instrument with 4 and 5 strings cannot be compared properly, IMO. In the video the resonance is bigger on the 4-string as it should be, but 5string sounds a bit sweeter albeit quieter (more pressure on the soundboard, no doubt).
Thank you. You make good points. The five string instrument has a slightly higher bass bar to accommodate the tension. Also the neck is slightly wider. I reinforced both these necks with carbon fibre for rigidity. I realise that this is far from a scientific controlled test, however it does give some idea of the tonal differences. Personally I find setting up the G string on the five string a challenging job from a Setup point of view. Many five strings can lack brightness/clarity in this register and achieving the balance is a little more involving.
@@atelierpuglisi Thankfully Thomas and George Martin cleverly solved that problem by moving the strings and neck further away from the body. It relieves tension from the top so it livens up the sound.
I thought the 4 stringer just sounds happier. You'd have to be in a great space for the 5er to not sound a bit choked/a bit too mid focused. Have you tried sticking a mute on the g side of the bridge? It cuts out some of the mids if they are too harsh for the space, works great for me. Great comparison
Ok, here's a funny one: I think this is a regional thing, but here in Europe (or at least Germany, Austria etc.) the 5th string is tuned not to C, but to B,, (or C' and H'' in German). So the 5 string is also tuned in accordance to the other strings (natural 4th). I personally like to play on a 5 string instrument, because it comes more natural to me and I have never seen an extension tuned deeper than C, (maybe you guys can correct me, if I'm wrong). It's less of a thinking effort, because you just adapt your usual fingering system. Also there is this unspoken mentality to play the "normal" B, as a B,, if it is the last note of apiece or a suitable moment. It just sounds so much nicer sometimes, just because its EVEN MORE BASS. On a different note: When you switch between 4 and 5 string instruments there is always the moment of you wanting to play like an F, and ending up playing a C, because your brain just thinks "oh, lowest string, got it" XD. So yeah, IMO 5 strings are better for orchestra just because of their fuller bass sound.
Thanks for your comments. Yes the five string in Australia is normally tuned to a low B. And I have also made extensions to go down to a low B However we decided for consistency just to compare these two Basses tuned to the same low note.
I like a 5 stringer to start on a normal low E (or perhaps a D with a hipshot style extender on the saddle) - but then end on a high C - like R.Garcia-fons - but why not a C extension and a high C? Wheeeee!
We have done a couple of Basses, in the few years with the high C And the extension on a five stringer. I wish there were more of these going around. Sound great! .
