Dude every single aspect of the 5 string Bass has improved since 5 strings started to gain popularity in the late eighties to early nineties. The selection and quality of instruments is being made today are far better, and getting better every day. Amps today are far more capable of handling the low frequencies. A 500 watt Bass amp was a rarity 20 years ago. Now it is quite commonplace and in smaller lighter packages. More watts= more headroom less distortion. Greater clarity. I'm not an expert on speakers but I did own an SVT and while it did sound great, moving the thing sucked. It weighed a ton. I recently played through a Markbass rig with 2 12 inch cabinets. The sound killed. The rig in total weighed less than the head I used to use. I would love to A/B both rigs, but I don't have the SVT anymore. The Markbass rig seemed every bit as capable to me. Car stereos have evolved big time. 20 years ago I would have never kept the stock system in a car I bought. Car stereos from the factory now sound just as good as the aftermarket systems do. Laptop speakers will never be the best listening source for sure, I'll give you that, but the small i pod headphones sound better than the ones I remember. They seem to have Improved to me. I guess my point is if the basses are better, the amps are more capable of reproducing the B string with greater Clarity, and the places where people are listening to music are now offering better sound quality, Play a Bass with a B string it will be heard clearly and appreciated. If 4 string Bass is your thing that's cool and all, but for me I hear those low D's , C's, and B's and I feel a responsibility as a Bass player to play those notes.
Really surprised me... and the Low D and Ebs I was able to throw around absolutely rocked.
