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Psycho Ward

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This would normally break my heart, but after tonight I realize I'm not a 5 string guy. I've owned a couple of 5 strings and my SR5 is the best of the lot, but I just can't, at this point, get the hang of it. It's me, not the bass, I just don't think below E... on bass guitar, on synth, no problem.

My hands and my ear just don't go there, so since I most likely will order another Bongo the day I get my first Bongo, and if I hate it, I'll order another Sterling:D , so either way I'm gong to get another EBMM, just not a 5 string.

The bass will go on eBay this week, it's a SR5 natural with maple fretboard and tort pickguard, lefty in mint condition, OHSC and eveything else that came with it.

I'm a four banger, what can I say....
 

BigBallz

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Psycho Ward said:
This would normally break my heart, but after tonight I realize I'm not a 5 string guy. I've owned a couple of 5 strings and my SR5 is the best of the lot, but I just can't, at this point, get the hang of it. It's me, not the bass, I just don't think below E... on bass guitar, on synth, no problem.

My hands and my ear just don't go there, so since I most likely will order another Bongo the day I get my first Bongo, and if I hate it, I'll order another Sterling:D , so either way I'm gong to get another EBMM, just not a 5 string.

The bass will go on eBay this week, it's a SR5 natural with maple fretboard and tort pickguard, lefty in mint condition, OHSC and eveything else that came with it.

I'm a four banger, what can I say....


Same here. Never could get the hang of a fiver.
 

maddog

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Psycho Ward said:
That's good point! :eek:

But don't let that stop you from selling it. Life is too short to be worrying about things. If you wanna stick with the 4-bangers, stick with the 4-bangers. Either that or keep the 5-er and have a handy-dandy thumbrest.
 

radiotrib

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maddog said:
keep the 5-er and have a handy-dandy thumbrest.

Hmm .. a full length thumb rest .. never thought of that ...

Hey Chuck, Try getting an invitation to jam along with a trad jazz band ... once you start playing in a situation where horns and reeds are lead instruments, and F, Bb, Eb are the keys of choice, you'll soon forget about which string you're using ... Playing typical pop, rock, country etc. is no inducement to drop below the E (until you really NEED an Eb) !! ... I just restrung my fretless to B-E-A-D

(edit)I'm only trying to get you to keep it for a year or two until I can afford it :) ... it is an HS isn't it ??
 

Psycho Ward

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Well it's hung on the wall in the studio for months on end, and then I put it in its case for another couple of months. I got it out last night at the jam and played it and didn't use the B string but a couple of times and then got lost. I'd rather have the money in either another Bongo or Sterling.

It's too great a bass just to look at and it might stop a castration after my wife finds out I’ve been talking to Jack about a little red hotrod I’ve been dreaming of.:D
 

Bill

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adz said:
Why not stick it in the closet for a month and see if you miss it. That way you won't go through sellers remorse if you miss it.
That's a good idea! I did something similar before I let my SR5 go. I got fairly comfortable on the 5-string, but I just preferred the feel of the 4. I realized that I'm really a 4-string player one night when I was playing my SR5 at a gig, and I began wishing I was playing my SR4. Next gig, I brought my SR4 & didn't miss the SR5 at all. I brought the SR4 to the next few gigs & reaized that I still didn't miss the SR5. What a shame, though....the SR5 is a wonderful bass!
 

radiotrib

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Funny isn't it .. nowadays when I play my SR4 i keep falling off the deep end looking for the next string ... and I hate playing in the piano/guitar registers ... that ain't bass to me ...

PM sent - only questions don't get excited .. until then ...

look deep into my eyes ... now ..

@v@ ... You will give me your bass ...
@v@ ... You will give me your bass ...
@v@ ... You will give me your bass ...
@v@ ... You will give me your bass ...
@v@ ... You will give me your bass ...
@v@ ... You will give me your bass ...
 
Last edited:

Mobay45

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I played 4 strings for years. Then in the early 90's, I started playing jazz in a trio and that required playing in Eb a lot. That's when I first went to 5 strings.

I had to quit playing for about a year in '93 because of an elbow injury. When I started back, I played 4 again until about 2 years ago. I've played 5ers almost exclusively since and I have a hard time playing 4s now. Every time I pick up a bass, it's a 5 string. I'm lost without the B string.

The only way to get used to playing one though is to make it so that you only play 5 string basses for a while. You have to build muscle memory for it to stick. There really isn't much that I play on 5 that I couldn't play on 4, but I do like how much more comfortable it is to play a lot of the lines on 5 and I like to end some of the tunes by shaking the house with the low B.
 

Mobay45

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bottle12am said:
No shame in admitting you're not a 5-stringer.

JUST REMEMBER...

Jaco did it with four.

(This has been a PSA from a fellow 4-stringer lefty).

Yeah, but just think what he could have done with 5!!! :eek: :cool:

Nothing wrong with 4 in my book. It just comes down to what you're most comfortable with. I can't slap worth crap on any bass, but it's a whole lot easier on 4 than on 5. But you'll never get comfortable playing on a 5 until you put down the 4 altogether for a while.
 

Psycho Ward

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Well I’ve put a lot thought into this, and this makes my head hurt, but I like the feel of a slimmer neck. A thin neck seems to feel better to me and may be why I’m playing my Sterling more and more. I don’t know what to expect with the Bongo neck, from what I’ve read here it’s somewhere in between the SR4 and Sterling.

I have a few other basses that I plan to sell first so the SR5 ain’t going to auction just yet (plus it was my first EBMM). But I have too many basses and now being an EBMM convert I see no need in keeping basses that I’ll never play AND I want more EBMM’s.

My wife asked me yesterday if I wanted that red Bongo for Valentines’, that’s a green light in my book! I figure if I could sell a couple I might order two EBMM’s from Jack at once. :D




… well that’s my plan anyway.
 
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