How much range do you need out of a bass?

#142
Mark76 said:
Question.

Do I have a trebuchet or a ballista?
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What about the less known French couillard, which roughly translate as "the ballsy one" ?
Quite short range but very precise and very apt at throwing over high walls.
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#143
Dexterzol said:
So, as everybody knows the bass guitar has seen a fair share of evolution since it's inception only upwards of seventy years ago. In recent years, with the seven-strings arriving, some basses now possess a range almost equal to that of a piano, an impressive feat.

Now I'm asking - how much range do you TB'ers need? I get by with 4, occasionally 5 strings, a 22-24 fret minimum and that's about it. There's a huge amount of versatillity to choose from, so do you guys stick with the classic 4-string 20-fretters, (maybe some of you don't even use the full range), or do some of you play symphonic range 7-string 36-fretters? I'm quite interested to hear.
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Depends on the genre
 
#145
Jehos said:
Ha, I like that. Fretless from 6-24. Always in tune for the money-making lines, but you can get all mwanky when you want to as well.
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Well, if you want. I was thinking we just apply some caution tape. "DANGER, BASS POLICE LINE, DO NOT CROSS".

(Confession: Myself, I cross the line whenever I have an excuse. I love the mellow sounds of the high notes on a bass guitar.)
 
#147
warrplayer said:
If I am playing four string it has to be twenty one frets. Gotta have that high e.
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You know, it's funny - I like having that high E as well, even though I rarely, if ever, use it. There's something about the lack of symmetry in the 20 fret neck that always was a minor annoyance to me. 2 octaves + a major seventh seems weird vs 3 complete octaves.

Yeah, it's an entirely psychological thing & makes no real difference in my playing... I do love my 20 fret basses, but it does bother my OCD at times.:laugh:

GT
 
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#148
GoesThump said:
You know, it's funny - I like having that high E as well, even though I rarely, if ever, use it. There's something about the lack of symmetry in the 20 fret neck that always was a minor annoyance to me. 2 octaves + a major seventh seems weird vs 3 complete octaves.
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There's different types of "symmetry"!

21 fret necks annoy me because you have 3 complete octaves, but only in the key of E. That is not "symmetry" to me, that some keys are better than others. My personal definition of "symmetry" is, an instrument that allows me to play equally well in any key. ;)
 
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#149
Mushroo said:
There's different types of "symmetry"!

21 fret necks annoy me because you have 3 complete octaves, but only in the key of E. That is not "symmetry" to me, that some keys are better than others. My personal definition of "symmetry" is, an instrument that allows me to play equally well in any key. ;)
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You can’t have everything, but I will settle for being able to triple octave the lowest note my bass can produce.
 
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#150
Bryan R. Tyler said:
Higher range doesn’t translate in equally playable ways up the neck, so even though I rarely play higher than what would be on a 24 fret 4-string, I find 6-strings an easier way to access those higher notes. I also use all the added notes of a low B, so they’re pretty necessary.
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I probably don't exceed the 15th fret of a 4 string. I'm more about having the most range at my fingertips without shifting too much.
 
#152
For my needs and for playing what I play and compose with my band two basses with different ranges :

1) 24 frets 5 strings Low B

2) 24 Frets 5 strings High C

On a side not I love my Fender AVRI 63 Precision but i am always hindered by the 20 frets range (19 usable) for using it with my band that is.
 
#155
Mushroo said:
There's different types of "symmetry"!

21 fret necks annoy me because you have 3 complete octaves, but only in the key of E. That is not "symmetry" to me, that some keys are better than others. My personal definition of "symmetry" is, an instrument that allows me to play equally well in any key. ;)
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I solved the problem via technique: I can play equally poorly in any key! :)

GT
 
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#157
trevcda said:
How about you not worry what other people need? If your happy with your two strings and seven frets, good for you. If you feel like you need to have 12 non-redundant strings and an uncountable amount of frets, set up micro-tonally, be glad you can have that built these days. But stop trying justify your limitations and/or needs by superimposing them on others.
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Damn man. This is a forum for bass geeks to talk about ALL things bass. I’ve literally read threads where people argue about screws affecting tone.

No one is imposing anything on anyone.

If a simple discussion question prompted this, you might want to step away from the internet for a bit.
 
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#159
I’m a guitar player who dabbles in bass. I’ve found 4 strings limiting, so I just bought a 7-string Ibanez that’s tuned like a guitar with an added low B.

It’s like a bass-guitar hybrid, which is kinda cool. But it’s also a massive, unwieldy beast compared to a guitar.

I’m enjoying exploring its possibilities. But there’s a good chance I’m going to soon tire of it and it’ll end up in the closet along with a bunch of other axes that seemed like good ideas at the time.
 
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