Help PLease

ok so i decided i wanted to play bass, iv gone into town a got a 5 string( not sure if its a good idear for fist bass lol) then i find out that there are different basses for different kinds of music? so i want to play rock and the guitar i have is a DeArmond Pilot Pro V 5 string active bass is this ok ? or should i have got some thing else?? please help. Thanks. Daniel

I hadnt heard of this bass before I searched it into Google just now, Google shopping had no idea though.. Anyway I read a few reviews and apparently its very versatile and can easily play rock music. As for it being a 5 string with active pickups, that is unusual for someone just beginning to play. Shouldnt be too much of a problem, just different from the norm

Don't forget that for an active bass you need to replace the batteries in the back every now and then

PS-It looks awesome

Hey Daniel! Welcome to the forums!

TonicViper wrote: then i find out that there are different basses for different kinds of music?

This is a lie. Any bass can be used for any kind of music. Sure, there may be basses that have a particular sound that might be favoured in a certain genre, but basses aren't made to fit into a genre. The exception might be basses that are particularly spiky and black which are intended for metal, but even then the actual sound of the bass will probably suit most styles of music

Also, I agree with everything Willba said. Your first bass doesn't have to be perfect, just something that will get you on track, and this seems like a pretty good bass. All that matters is that you like the bass

Thanks for the quick response :-) feel much better now don't feel like I wasted £400 lol so any tips I have been doing the YouTube vids and picking it up quite quick. Thanks. Daniel.

If you payed £400 on that bass then you shouldnt have any problems.

Yeah your bass is worth double mine

But when I get that schechter...

I did want Ibanez SR605 5-String Bass but i would have had to wait 3 weeks and I'm impatient lol that would have cost me £520 so i saved a bit

I've been playing a Samick fiver recently. It plays really well aside from the action being a little high.

ok this might sound stupid but as im playing the 5 string what one is the extra over the 4 string? ie top(thickest) or bottom (Thinnest) thanks

The thickest. 4 string basses are strung EADG, you have BEADG, with the B being the lowest.

Thanks again :-) this is a good forum very helpful

An alternate tuning would be high c instead of low b, but I don't recommend with stock strings.

Dropthelines585 wrote:An alternate tuning would be high c instead of low b, but I don't recommend with stock strings.

Sorry to hijack your thread and go off-topic here TonicViper. But DTL, that brings up a question I've had,if you have a 5string bass,and you're playing in drop D,is it better to tune the B string higher or tune the e string lower?

Well there'd be no point in tuning down because you have the low B. But if you really wanted to then tuning down the E would probably be safer, tuning up the B might put a lot of extra pressure on the neck

As a matter of fact, my band plays in drop C, as do I when I use my four string. When I go to the five or six string I just tune a whole step up. Meaning C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db. (I think)

That's a half step up, I think a whole step up would be C#-F#-B-E-A-D. And I imagine that would put a tremendous amount of strain on the neck. Yowch.

SuperMaximo93 wrote:Well there'd be no point in tuning down because you have the low B. But if you really wanted to then tuning down the E would probably be safer, tuning up the B might put a lot of extra pressure on the neck

Yea I figured tightening the B all the way up to D wouldn't be the smartest thing ever.

I reckon with songs like Slither by Velvet Revolver it'd be better to tune down the E, but if it's Killing In The Name or Spoonman there's little point really.

Pippynip wrote:That's a half step up, I think a whole step up would be C#-F#-B-E-A-D. And I imagine that would put a tremendous amount of strain on the neck. Yowch.

I think you are correct on this. You could always get really light strings.