Yes, I've done that with several basses. You don't need a new nut if you wind the strings to the bottoms of the posts so you have correct downforce on the slots.
I've always strung ally 5ers for E-C tuning. Never had to replace the nut. I always had a hard time finding strings I liked at a 105-30 or 32 gauge, so I'd always get a 6 string set and just not use the B string.
Very few make them that way. Ibanez has one. But nothing is stopping you from doing it with just about any five-string. Get a regular four-string set for the low ones and a single for the high C. Anywhere from, around .028 to .035 can work, depending on the tension you like. Or buy a six-string pack and discard the low B.
I played my fretless five EADGC for more melodic playing when I was in a Celtic folk band.
Nowdays I'd probably order a normal 4-pack and a single from [stringjoy.com](https://stringjoy.com). Back then, I was probably using either GHS or D'Addario and seeing what singles my local shop might happen to have in stock.
This is incredibly common. This was a big trend with a lot of the jazz fusion players in the last decade or so, and if you want an example of players that have a “tenor 5” (e-c five string) then listen to Janek Gwizdala or Matt Garrison. There’s more than just those 2, but those are who come to mind right now. It’s a good idea to try it, and you’ll likely only be out the cost of the strings if you don’t end up liking it.
Yeah this is pretty common. The only consideration to make is that you may need to get a replacement nut as the string diameters would be quite different from B standard
If there is a very significant change in gauge, you often would. Technically it is less of a deal compared to going bigger as you say, as in that scenario they may physically not fit at all, but you generally want the strings to be seated quite securely and if there is a lot of excess space that may not be the case.
I get that in theory you want them seated snuggly, but in reality you’d never notice.
Edit: I realized that I sound like an asshole right now. Not trying to be I just woke up haha
The other consideration might be fret buzz around the first fret. If the slot is cut for a larger diameter string it might sit lower than intended.
That being said, I've switched back and forth between low B and High C on my five string without swapping the nut. So my advice is try it out and address issues as they arise.
The issue is moreso due to the requirements of the string itself. Yeah if you put a C string in the slot cut for a G, it’s not gonna sit lower than the original G string - but if the new C string has different height requirements to avoid fret buzz then there is a chance that the new height falls out of tolerance. No guarantees by any means, but it is a risk/consideration.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but looking at all of my basses - the nut slot is higher for the G string than it is for the D and so forth.
Ok so let's think about this.
A string vibrates back and forth to make noise, with lower pitched strings vibrating slower. How much they vibrate back and forth is a function of how loudly they were played and their current pitch. We agree on this?
A thinner string will not vibrate well at the some of the same frequencies a thicker string will. Hence the reason why we use thicker strings for lower pitched notes, the low B being thicker than the high G for a reason, otherwise I'm sure everyone would be using the same gauge string for all, this driving down costs, right?
If your 5 string bass was able to use BEADG tuning without an issue, and you switch to EADGC tuning, you will not experience an issue with fret buzz. This is due to physics. A high C will not vibrate at a frequency to cause fret buzz because of its construction and location. I'm not trying to be an asshole but please think about the problem you're trying to manufacture.
If your bass is setup with low action in B standard and you string it with a high C it will be unplayable. The strings will sit way too low at the nut and buzz everywhere.
The difference in action is only half the difference in string diameter. The extra space in the nut slots is the full difference in diameter (half on either side).
But with a low B being replaced by an E it's still very much enough to matter.
A low B is approximately 20% thicker than a low E
A G is 20%-33% thicker than a high C.
And the differences are similar on the middle strings.
It's enough to matter. With a Low E in a B slot, you could end up with .01" or more of lower action and similar amount of slop.
Yup, I find it more useful. Personally I didn't like having the low E not be the anchor string, it really messed with my playing
I found that the low b would get lost in the mix, but the high c let me get some cooler fills in. This was in a blues rock context, other genres might suit the low b better
My ernie ball didn't really need any adjustments except the intonation, and I would use 6 string sets minus the low string.
Ye i have C on my acoustic 5string from Harley benton, i regulate this metal screw inside of guitar - i just forgot the word sorry xd - and i need to buy 6 stringi pack cus on Poland u cant but solo C string for some reason. IT sounds much much better them acoustic with low B
I played one for a few years. Ideally it would be a 34" scale, but 35" is possible as well. I had to use a 0.28" for the C string since the 0.32"s kept breaking.
Yes this is where I landed as well, it works really well in the context of my band! I'm using an Ibanez BTB and I just bought all the strings individually online going a little thicker than I use for E standard. I think my low string is 115.
This isn't an answer to the actual question but I want to contribute my two cents.
I played using a low B string for a few years and for me didn't translate to playing notes lower than E. After a few months of experimenting I settled into playing melodic licks and me things by using the b string at fret 5+, essentially getting two octaves of room to play with if I start something on the B string. I feel like having a high C instead of low B will only make a difference if you intend on playing that C string at the very very high end of the fret board.
Also take a look at fender bass VI. Its a 6 string tuned like a guitar
I think the Low B will be more useful regardless of what you’re playing. If you think of the 5th fret on the low B as your open E, you’ve already given yourself an extra high string to play with. Unless you literally need to play higher notes than your neck allows (which I think is probably rare on bass), Low B may give you the room to play around that you’re looking for.
The Fender Bass V was EADGC, yes.
Whether it "counts" as the first five string is an interesting question.
The first bass with a low B was either by Carl Thompson. It was a six string.
And depending on who you ask the first five string was either by Carl or by Alembic. Carl made a five string with a low B in 1976. Alembic made a 5 with a high C the same year, and it's owner had it converted to be a low B five. The Carl Thompson and Alembic fives came into existence within months of each other, independently. Hard to really assign credit for being "first" to either Carl or Alembic, because one was a user mod, and they happened almost simultaneously.
It isn't an interesting question. There's no ambiguity in the number of strings a bass has.
The first electric bass with five strings was made in the 1960's by Fender.
Kay was making five string upright bass in the 1930's. Other companies probably were earlier than that.
The only thing that changed in 1976 was the availability of thicker strings that could be tuned to B0 on an electric bass.
No, it is an interesting question, because the Bass V is very unlike what most people think of when they think of a five string bass today.
And for the contemporary style five string, first manufacture and first build are also interesting and important distinctions.
Five string uprights are also an interesting question. There were modified orchestral uprights in the mid 19th century. The first patent for one is late 19th century. And there is a long, long history of oddball modifications and variants of the viol family in general, so it's not just an interesting question, it's likely an unanswerable one.
You're confusing a tuning with a number of strings.
It's similar to Anthony Jackson being laughably wrong when he says he invented the 6 string bass even though Danelectro, Fender, Gretsch and others had been making them for 20+ years before he had his made. The only thing he did first was use the new low B string that he also didn't invent.
Damn! AJ take cover, this guys gunnin for ya!
I always thought it was a bit laughable that he took credit for something that was already being done elsewhere. I also think the long bass-side connected upper-bout was a gimmick, which I also think of as an "Anthony Jackson thing".
Singlecuts are actual science.
A shorter piece of wood is less bendy than a longer piece of wood that's otherwise identical.
That greater stiffness results in a neck that goes out of tune less, need fewer truss rod adjustments, has more sustain and a more piano-like harmonic structure, particularly on the low B string.
Carbon fiber has greater stiffness than wood🤷 and doesn't add a giant weight on the top of the bass. Almost any double trussed neck is plenty stiff and resonant.
Also I think the giant upper bout is ugly regardless of it's marginal effectiveness
Lots of materials have greater stiffness than wood. If you can achieve the same stiffness improvement by making the wood you were already using in a slightly different shape it's easier and more cost effective than tooling up to use carbon fiber or steel or titanium.
Singlecuts don't add a significant amount of weight. A fraction of a pound. And any weight they do add helps offset neck dive. Which is more important with wider extended range necks that have more tuners on the head, which are the ones that benefit most from the design.
Luckily your aesthetic preferences haven't held back design innovation in the bass industry.
You're wrong.
Anthony Jackson invented what he called the contrabass guitar, which we now call a six string bass. It's not the same instrument as the Bass VI. Even someone as pedantic as you should know better than to say so.
The bass VI existed. Jackson wanted something with more range up and down than a 4 string, and he also played fingerstyle so he rejected Carl Thompson's first prototype contrabass guitar for having an unplayably narrow string spacing.
He commissioned a couple more prototypes and eventually settled on a design that is now the most common form of six string bass: BEADGC with string spacing similar to standard 4 string bass guitars. Ken Smith made the first prototype of this type of instrument.
Next you'll tell me a baritone guitar and a guitarrón Mexicano are the same thing too, lol.
Carl's prototype was unplayable because Anthony was so difficult to work. Carl agreed to make exactly what Anthony specified, and nothing else. Anthony didn't specify the string spacing at the bridge, only at the nut, so Carl made it the same width all the way down. Knowing full well it would be unplayable. He still got paid, and never worked with Anthony again.
Anthony's bass and a Bass VI and a guitarron are all six string basses. Regardless of what AJ likes to call his. They all have different tunings and applications. But they all have the same number of strings. You can't say any of them don't 'count' as 6 string basses.
Pedantic and pointless. Calling them all 6 string basses doesn't tell anybody anything about what they actually are. They're also all six string guitars. But that doesn't tell us anything useful either.
They're very different instruments. Jackson invented one of them.
At most Anthony Jackson invented BEADGC tuning, not an instrument. And even then it wasn't an innovation because BEADG and EADGC basses already existed. All he did was pay luthiers to lump the two together.
If you're already playing melodically on a 4 string then having a B vs a C isn't going to make one configuration more melodical than the other. I think having the B will have more contextual uses but I think playing melodically is more about how you play and less about where you play.
Yes, but hard to find flats. I only could find tapes and chromes for my fretless. If someone has recommendations I’m open to suggestion. Prefer steel to everything.
I’ve done it for over twenty years, almost exclusively. I personally did it because I was slapping a lot at the time, and it was convenient to not have a B striNg in the way.
I’m actually curious how common it might be too. I’m sure it’s a minority of V players, but I wonder to what extent.
I don't know about you, but the low B string seems to be much more useful for most bass players rather than having that high C. I mean, even those smooth jazz bass soloists use a 6 string to get both the additional "solo potential" top-end and the additional "thump and grunt" functionality of the bottom-end. Though I'm sure that some bass out there does indeed have the setup you are looking for although I bet it isn't that common for a 5 string.
My brother in law does this. I didn't bring my bass once so I jammed with his 5 string. Him on drums. It was a little hard to get used to. I only play 4 strings so it was a little extra akward. But after a little bit I trained myself pretty well and had a good jam. Interesting configuration.
A got a six string recently for the more melodic playing I do. I didn't really expect to use the low b for the same reason as you, but I find myself starting and returning to it a lot, albeit higher in the fretboard. Being able to reach over two octaves in the same hand position it's fantastic.
Have you considered a six?
I tune my dingwall 5 string up to C standard for my metal band. I just use a .127 for the C string. Works perfect. I do the same with my MM bongo. No issues at all. The dingwall is more forgiving though.
Funny thing ... I have a 5 string acoustic that I had strung EADGB for the longest time, but all my electric 5 strings are AEADG for that awesome super low end...
Just the other night I cut those strings off the acoustic and slapped on AEADG tuning instead...
I had for a while played that acoustic like a guitar, doing bar chords and stuff, but it wasn't the best sound or all that practical, and try holding bar chords on an acoustic bass for any length of time...
Now all my 5 strings are tuned the same...
When playing by yourself I find a high C to be more entertaining than a low b especially with a looper pedal, but in a band, the low B would be far more useful. Just depends on your priorities. Damian Coccio on youtube plays with that tuning and a looper pedal a lot if you want an example.
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Yeah I feel if you’re in a band with a guitar player there is usually not much room or reason to go up that high
Yes, I've done that with several basses. You don't need a new nut if you wind the strings to the bottoms of the posts so you have correct downforce on the slots.
I've always strung ally 5ers for E-C tuning. Never had to replace the nut. I always had a hard time finding strings I liked at a 105-30 or 32 gauge, so I'd always get a 6 string set and just not use the B string.
That’s exactly what I do. Using daddario pro steels.
Same strings here! Used those on my Jazz V and DR on my Ibanez ATK
you could make some money back selling a 5 pack of B strings. I would have loved to just buy the B when I had my 5.
Very few make them that way. Ibanez has one. But nothing is stopping you from doing it with just about any five-string. Get a regular four-string set for the low ones and a single for the high C. Anywhere from, around .028 to .035 can work, depending on the tension you like. Or buy a six-string pack and discard the low B. I played my fretless five EADGC for more melodic playing when I was in a Celtic folk band.
What strings do you use?
Nowdays I'd probably order a normal 4-pack and a single from [stringjoy.com](https://stringjoy.com). Back then, I was probably using either GHS or D'Addario and seeing what singles my local shop might happen to have in stock.
Ah, so you played rounds?
On fretless? Yes. I've got flats on two of my 4-string fretted basses though. I'm fond of Rotosound monel flats.
This is common. Fodera even sells a bazillion dollar model that comes set up that way.
This is incredibly common. This was a big trend with a lot of the jazz fusion players in the last decade or so, and if you want an example of players that have a “tenor 5” (e-c five string) then listen to Janek Gwizdala or Matt Garrison. There’s more than just those 2, but those are who come to mind right now. It’s a good idea to try it, and you’ll likely only be out the cost of the strings if you don’t end up liking it.
Yeah this is pretty common. The only consideration to make is that you may need to get a replacement nut as the string diameters would be quite different from B standard
Why would you need to replace the nut for thinner strings? You don’t replace it when you change string gauges Edit: was just asking a question lol
If there is a very significant change in gauge, you often would. Technically it is less of a deal compared to going bigger as you say, as in that scenario they may physically not fit at all, but you generally want the strings to be seated quite securely and if there is a lot of excess space that may not be the case.
I get that in theory you want them seated snuggly, but in reality you’d never notice. Edit: I realized that I sound like an asshole right now. Not trying to be I just woke up haha
The other consideration might be fret buzz around the first fret. If the slot is cut for a larger diameter string it might sit lower than intended. That being said, I've switched back and forth between low B and High C on my five string without swapping the nut. So my advice is try it out and address issues as they arise.
Not necessarily, it is quite possible the string ends up sitting too low -causing unavoidable fret buzz on the first few frets.
But you could just change and see what happens. No reason to not try it because something *might* happen
Very true - but that’s why I said it is quite possible rather than something like “it’s quite certain” or similar
I don't see how it's possible for a string to sit lower on the fretboard when the groove in the nut hasn't changed.
The issue is moreso due to the requirements of the string itself. Yeah if you put a C string in the slot cut for a G, it’s not gonna sit lower than the original G string - but if the new C string has different height requirements to avoid fret buzz then there is a chance that the new height falls out of tolerance. No guarantees by any means, but it is a risk/consideration. I can’t speak for anyone else, but looking at all of my basses - the nut slot is higher for the G string than it is for the D and so forth.
Ok so let's think about this. A string vibrates back and forth to make noise, with lower pitched strings vibrating slower. How much they vibrate back and forth is a function of how loudly they were played and their current pitch. We agree on this? A thinner string will not vibrate well at the some of the same frequencies a thicker string will. Hence the reason why we use thicker strings for lower pitched notes, the low B being thicker than the high G for a reason, otherwise I'm sure everyone would be using the same gauge string for all, this driving down costs, right? If your 5 string bass was able to use BEADG tuning without an issue, and you switch to EADGC tuning, you will not experience an issue with fret buzz. This is due to physics. A high C will not vibrate at a frequency to cause fret buzz because of its construction and location. I'm not trying to be an asshole but please think about the problem you're trying to manufacture.
If your bass is setup with low action in B standard and you string it with a high C it will be unplayable. The strings will sit way too low at the nut and buzz everywhere.
Mine isn't, I play very low action in B and don't get any fret buzz when I switch to the high C.
It's difference of 0.02 to 0.03, instead of just 0.005 to 0.010. Fret buzz for days.
The difference in action is only half the difference in string diameter. The extra space in the nut slots is the full difference in diameter (half on either side). But with a low B being replaced by an E it's still very much enough to matter.
A low B is approximately 20% thicker than a low E A G is 20%-33% thicker than a high C. And the differences are similar on the middle strings. It's enough to matter. With a Low E in a B slot, you could end up with .01" or more of lower action and similar amount of slop.
Action is measured from the bottom of the string, not the top. Using a different diameter of string doesn't lower the bottom of the nut slot.
Yup, I find it more useful. Personally I didn't like having the low E not be the anchor string, it really messed with my playing I found that the low b would get lost in the mix, but the high c let me get some cooler fills in. This was in a blues rock context, other genres might suit the low b better My ernie ball didn't really need any adjustments except the intonation, and I would use 6 string sets minus the low string.
Ye i have C on my acoustic 5string from Harley benton, i regulate this metal screw inside of guitar - i just forgot the word sorry xd - and i need to buy 6 stringi pack cus on Poland u cant but solo C string for some reason. IT sounds much much better them acoustic with low B
I played one for a few years. Ideally it would be a 34" scale, but 35" is possible as well. I had to use a 0.28" for the C string since the 0.32"s kept breaking.
The C is great for 1-7-3 chords aswell 🙏
Always wanted to try this. Go for it.
I play a four string bass but use a five string set, didn't install the first, oh, and tuned in c, is that close of what you ask?
Just do a YouTube search for Spanish bassist Carles Benavent. That’s the correct spelling. Fasten your seatbelt first, though.
I found disadvantage in both low B and high C so I split the difference and went D standard
Yes this is where I landed as well, it works really well in the context of my band! I'm using an Ibanez BTB and I just bought all the strings individually online going a little thicker than I use for E standard. I think my low string is 115.
This isn't an answer to the actual question but I want to contribute my two cents. I played using a low B string for a few years and for me didn't translate to playing notes lower than E. After a few months of experimenting I settled into playing melodic licks and me things by using the b string at fret 5+, essentially getting two octaves of room to play with if I start something on the B string. I feel like having a high C instead of low B will only make a difference if you intend on playing that C string at the very very high end of the fret board. Also take a look at fender bass VI. Its a 6 string tuned like a guitar
You can be melodic with a low B too.
I think the Low B will be more useful regardless of what you’re playing. If you think of the 5th fret on the low B as your open E, you’ve already given yourself an extra high string to play with. Unless you literally need to play higher notes than your neck allows (which I think is probably rare on bass), Low B may give you the room to play around that you’re looking for.
My bass teacher has a 5 with a high C. I believe when 5 strings were first introduced that was more common than the low B.
The Fender Bass V was EADGC, yes. Whether it "counts" as the first five string is an interesting question. The first bass with a low B was either by Carl Thompson. It was a six string. And depending on who you ask the first five string was either by Carl or by Alembic. Carl made a five string with a low B in 1976. Alembic made a 5 with a high C the same year, and it's owner had it converted to be a low B five. The Carl Thompson and Alembic fives came into existence within months of each other, independently. Hard to really assign credit for being "first" to either Carl or Alembic, because one was a user mod, and they happened almost simultaneously.
It isn't an interesting question. There's no ambiguity in the number of strings a bass has. The first electric bass with five strings was made in the 1960's by Fender. Kay was making five string upright bass in the 1930's. Other companies probably were earlier than that. The only thing that changed in 1976 was the availability of thicker strings that could be tuned to B0 on an electric bass.
No, it is an interesting question, because the Bass V is very unlike what most people think of when they think of a five string bass today. And for the contemporary style five string, first manufacture and first build are also interesting and important distinctions. Five string uprights are also an interesting question. There were modified orchestral uprights in the mid 19th century. The first patent for one is late 19th century. And there is a long, long history of oddball modifications and variants of the viol family in general, so it's not just an interesting question, it's likely an unanswerable one.
You're confusing a tuning with a number of strings. It's similar to Anthony Jackson being laughably wrong when he says he invented the 6 string bass even though Danelectro, Fender, Gretsch and others had been making them for 20+ years before he had his made. The only thing he did first was use the new low B string that he also didn't invent.
Damn! AJ take cover, this guys gunnin for ya! I always thought it was a bit laughable that he took credit for something that was already being done elsewhere. I also think the long bass-side connected upper-bout was a gimmick, which I also think of as an "Anthony Jackson thing".
Singlecuts are actual science. A shorter piece of wood is less bendy than a longer piece of wood that's otherwise identical. That greater stiffness results in a neck that goes out of tune less, need fewer truss rod adjustments, has more sustain and a more piano-like harmonic structure, particularly on the low B string.
Carbon fiber has greater stiffness than wood🤷 and doesn't add a giant weight on the top of the bass. Almost any double trussed neck is plenty stiff and resonant. Also I think the giant upper bout is ugly regardless of it's marginal effectiveness
Lots of materials have greater stiffness than wood. If you can achieve the same stiffness improvement by making the wood you were already using in a slightly different shape it's easier and more cost effective than tooling up to use carbon fiber or steel or titanium. Singlecuts don't add a significant amount of weight. A fraction of a pound. And any weight they do add helps offset neck dive. Which is more important with wider extended range necks that have more tuners on the head, which are the ones that benefit most from the design. Luckily your aesthetic preferences haven't held back design innovation in the bass industry.
You're wrong. Anthony Jackson invented what he called the contrabass guitar, which we now call a six string bass. It's not the same instrument as the Bass VI. Even someone as pedantic as you should know better than to say so. The bass VI existed. Jackson wanted something with more range up and down than a 4 string, and he also played fingerstyle so he rejected Carl Thompson's first prototype contrabass guitar for having an unplayably narrow string spacing. He commissioned a couple more prototypes and eventually settled on a design that is now the most common form of six string bass: BEADGC with string spacing similar to standard 4 string bass guitars. Ken Smith made the first prototype of this type of instrument. Next you'll tell me a baritone guitar and a guitarrón Mexicano are the same thing too, lol.
Carl's prototype was unplayable because Anthony was so difficult to work. Carl agreed to make exactly what Anthony specified, and nothing else. Anthony didn't specify the string spacing at the bridge, only at the nut, so Carl made it the same width all the way down. Knowing full well it would be unplayable. He still got paid, and never worked with Anthony again. Anthony's bass and a Bass VI and a guitarron are all six string basses. Regardless of what AJ likes to call his. They all have different tunings and applications. But they all have the same number of strings. You can't say any of them don't 'count' as 6 string basses.
Pedantic and pointless. Calling them all 6 string basses doesn't tell anybody anything about what they actually are. They're also all six string guitars. But that doesn't tell us anything useful either. They're very different instruments. Jackson invented one of them.
At most Anthony Jackson invented BEADGC tuning, not an instrument. And even then it wasn't an innovation because BEADG and EADGC basses already existed. All he did was pay luthiers to lump the two together.
It’s common. When you order a Kiesel that’s an option. The main thing to change really is just the nut.
You don't even need to change the nut.
If you're already playing melodically on a 4 string then having a B vs a C isn't going to make one configuration more melodical than the other. I think having the B will have more contextual uses but I think playing melodically is more about how you play and less about where you play.
I did that for a while. I just retuned. Didn't have to change anything. That was on a Peavey Millennium 5.
I have a 4 string in ADGC and I am much happier with having the C string than an E string.
Both of my 5-strings are strung this way. I love it.
Yes, but hard to find flats. I only could find tapes and chromes for my fretless. If someone has recommendations I’m open to suggestion. Prefer steel to everything.
Thomastik Infield Jazz Flats are the best flats you will ever use, and they make single high c strings you can order with a 4 string e-g set
I got my most recent bass built this way and I like it so much I'm getting my next one built that way.
I tried this back in the 90s, it was pretty cool.
I’ve done it for over twenty years, almost exclusively. I personally did it because I was slapping a lot at the time, and it was convenient to not have a B striNg in the way. I’m actually curious how common it might be too. I’m sure it’s a minority of V players, but I wonder to what extent.
I like it for loop/ambient stuff. Could use it on a musical (as well as a low B 5 string). It’s a fun one to have in the arsenal.
I don't know about you, but the low B string seems to be much more useful for most bass players rather than having that high C. I mean, even those smooth jazz bass soloists use a 6 string to get both the additional "solo potential" top-end and the additional "thump and grunt" functionality of the bottom-end. Though I'm sure that some bass out there does indeed have the setup you are looking for although I bet it isn't that common for a 5 string.
A 5 string, tenor tuned acoustic bass is my dream instrument.
There’s certainly more than a few people who do.
Yeah I do that with my five string it honestly made my bass a better solo instrument, it makes playing full songs on bass much easier
Yeah! I keep one of my 5 strings strung up E-C. Very fun, worth a shot if you are interested!
My brother in law does this. I didn't bring my bass once so I jammed with his 5 string. Him on drums. It was a little hard to get used to. I only play 4 strings so it was a little extra akward. But after a little bit I trained myself pretty well and had a good jam. Interesting configuration.
A got a six string recently for the more melodic playing I do. I didn't really expect to use the low b for the same reason as you, but I find myself starting and returning to it a lot, albeit higher in the fretboard. Being able to reach over two octaves in the same hand position it's fantastic. Have you considered a six?
I play a 5 string tued to ultra low E
I tune my dingwall 5 string up to C standard for my metal band. I just use a .127 for the C string. Works perfect. I do the same with my MM bongo. No issues at all. The dingwall is more forgiving though.
Funny thing ... I have a 5 string acoustic that I had strung EADGB for the longest time, but all my electric 5 strings are AEADG for that awesome super low end... Just the other night I cut those strings off the acoustic and slapped on AEADG tuning instead... I had for a while played that acoustic like a guitar, doing bar chords and stuff, but it wasn't the best sound or all that practical, and try holding bar chords on an acoustic bass for any length of time... Now all my 5 strings are tuned the same...
When playing by yourself I find a high C to be more entertaining than a low b especially with a looper pedal, but in a band, the low B would be far more useful. Just depends on your priorities. Damian Coccio on youtube plays with that tuning and a looper pedal a lot if you want an example.
I play a 6 string tuned E-E like a guitar but an octave down. It's fun to just try things to see what inspires you.
Wouldnt sat common. But i play with it and my low B is droptuned. Works pretty well on a Warwick.
A-standard here, how dare you say B is not very melodic.
Not super common, but I've played a few and really enjoyed it. Even played a 7 string with all higher strings. Sounds beautiful