mr dave

i mostly play a fretless 5. it got to the point where i was playing my 4 string and reaching for notes that simply didn't exist. for me it's not about extra low end so much as extra range and deeper tone. i somewhat disagree with Satchmo about sparing the low B for max effect - maybe the open B, but not the string itself.

as for 12s, i'd really like to try the variant Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam had during the recording of Ten. it was a conventional 4 string but each string was in turn tripled.

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SATCHMO

I see a lot of 4 string players switch to 5's and just use the low B as their "root string" out of habit. I admit, i do kinda' see the low B as the "ace in the hole" so to speak.

mr dave

yeah it's a cheap way to get 'really' heavy. like how dropped-D tuning changed the way power chords were played for a while in the 90s.

i like my B string because it allows me to drop melodies or patterns by simply moving down a string instead of having to move down the neck. i'm lazy. haha

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joykristel

if you want more notes, go for the 4 strings. They are really the same except for the added notes as the number of strings go up. Also, if your fingers are adjusted already (if you're a pro), you can have the 5 strings