You opinion on Anthony Jackson's philosophy of the six-string bass.

[bzmnt]

So, as many of you probably know, Anthony Jackson, who basically invented the modern six-string bass, thinks that the only natural way for the electric bass to be is the six-string form. The reason is that the bass guitar is the low register member of the guitar family, obviously, and guitars tend to have six strings.

But since Leo Fender made the first commercially succesful bass guitars to have four strings like the double bass, it became instantly standard.

In my opinion AJ has the point. I know 90 % of the most important things we bassists do can be done with only 4 strings, but I can't help seeing a future with more diverse ways of playing the bass guitar if it has six strings. To me bass is and can be everything, most importantly part of the rhyhtm section but also a very equal and expressive instrument for anything else too.

I really don't want to induce a six vs. four fight here but maybe instead create some discussion.

And I might add that although I haven't had the time to practice double bass myself, I love that instrument too.

[bzmnt]

My apologies for the stupid mistake in the headline, of course it should be "your opinion".

[Basshoofd]

Anthony thinks of bass as a low pitched guitar, others may see it as an electric upright bass. Both approaches make sense to me, in the end it comes down to personal preference.

[pringlw]

IMO there's no right or wrong on how many strings a bass has. However to say that a bass should have 6 strings because a guitar has 6 strings doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Among other things they are not tuned the same - so even a 6 string bass is not simply a low register guitar.

To me extra strings on a bass aren't even about the extra notes. I mean - c'mon each new string in total gives you 5 extra notes. An extra low string (like a B string) kind of makes sense because it takes the lower register even lower. Extra high strings however are more about being able to play up register without having to move up neck. And that's more a style of play thing than anything else.

For me personally I go for 4 strings - just like m'grandpappy's double bass.

[ysand]

The answer is 4 string guitars.

[KillerPenguin]

Nevermind the fact that guitars DONT only have 6 strings anymore. Does his philosophy include that too?

Anyway, being a noob and all, although i do listen to some bass players with extra strings, i think it depends on what you want as a player. Its like, the same reason i dont play with a pick. I dont have a problem with those who do, I do realise its a different tone, which people use in various genres and situations, but honestly, two of the things i like about the bass, is that it has 4 strings and the feeling of their strings on mah fingers.

[bzmnt]

I think the point in the philosophy is not whether the bass or guitar have 5, 8 or 11 strings but the fact that, like pringlw said, a sixer allows more playing styles and approaches, hence making it even more versatile an instrument.


The one thing I really love about the bass is that it's such a young instrument that there is no proper way to play it or a proper way for the bass itself to be like. And luckily we have innovators like Jaco, Jimmy Johnson and AJ, who have developed the instrument with their ideas.

[mongo2]

I think of it as an electric upright, as it was originally intended by the likes of Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.

There used to be such a thing as a 4 string "tenor" guitar.

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by bzmnt

I think the point in the philosophy is not whether the bass or guitar have 5, 8 or 11 strings but the fact that, like pringlw said, a sixer allows more playing styles and approaches, hence making it even more versatile an instrument.

The one thing I really love about the bass is that it's such a young instrument that there is no proper way to play it or a proper way for the bass itself to be like. And luckily we have innovators like Jaco, Jimmy Johnson and AJ, who have developed the instrument with their ideas.

Replace "bass" above with bass guitar and I will agree. Leo was trying to create an alternative to the upright bass. Who invented the 6 string bass, anyway? What were they trying to do?

[basswalker2004]

some additional info... on a recent trip to Germany and a visit to the history museum I saw many upright bass and bass type instruments built a very long time ago (1700's etc) which had 5 and 6 string configurations. I also went to see the opera while there. The Pit orchestra had 6 bass players, all were using 5 string uprights. I also recently found out, via bass player magazine, that Fender actually had a 6 string bass and that Jack Bruce used one extensively on early Cream recordings. I'm really not sure what the debate is. Just play music and enjoy. :-) IMHO of course

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by bzmnt

So, as many of you probably know, Anthony Jackson, who basically invented the modern six-string bass, thinks that the only natural way for the electric bass to be is the six-string form. The reason is that the bass guitar is the low register member of the guitar family, obviously, and guitars tend to have six strings.

But since Leo Fender made the first commercially succesful bass guitars to have four strings like the double bass, it became instantly standard.

In my opinion AJ has the point. I know 90 % of the most important things we bassists do can be done with only 4 strings, but I can't help seeing a future with more diverse ways of playing the bass guitar if it has six strings. To me bass is and can be everything, most importantly part of the rhyhtm section but also a very equal and expressive instrument for anything else too.

I really don't want to induce a six vs. four fight here but maybe instead create some discussion.

And I might add that although I haven't had the time to practice double bass myself, I love that instrument too.

My guts say...it really doesn't matter .
From what I read however I think that Carl Thompson did the "inventing" part of it all with AJ having had the idea for such an instrument.

[spade2you]

I think Anthony Jackson was wrong. Most recordings could get by with 3 strings and 5 frets. Fieldy just needs 2 strings and 3 frets.

[HeadyVan Halen]

Bass= 4
Bass Guitar = 6


Who knows?
Who cares?
Bring atleast 8 to the show.

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by dabbler

Who invented the 6 string bass, anyway?

The first 6 string bass was the Danelectro. Fender later produced the Bass VI. Some referred to them as a "baritone" guitar. Later, Jackson was the first to commission a 6 string "contrabass" with a low B and high C.

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by mongo2

The first 6 string bass was the Danelectro. Fender later produced the Bass VI. Some referred to them as a "baritone" guitar. Later, Jackson was the first to commission a 6 string "contrabass" with a low B and high C.

+1
"commissoin", not "invent" is what I'd say too.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I'm mostly in agreement with AJ's thoughts on the matter. The instrument we play is most definitely a guitar- the thing is that not all guitars have 6 strings, so the bass member of the family does not have to have 6 strings either.

Leo Fender made a bass guitar- a direct member of the electric guitar family. While he may have wished to create a hybrid of the double bass and the electric guitar, what he made (and to a similar degree what Tutmarc made before him) is FAR more similar to a standard guitar than to an upright bass. There's little similarity between an upright bass and an electric bass guitar; no more than what can be found between an upright bass and several other instruments. Whether you opt to play a bass guitar like an upright as much as possible or play more like a guitarist is up to you, and thankfully so is the option of how many strings you can do it with.

[mongo2]

What I find odd is that Jackson says it's a guitar but called it a contrabass.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I've read interviews where he says contrabass guitar

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

I've read interviews where he says contrabass guitar

+1 He veiws the instrument as a contrabass guitar. Interesting approach.

I feel Anthony did his best work on his old Fender When you have a guy as amazing as Anthony, the instrument design and type is IMO an afterthought. That guy could play anything and it would sound amazing.

I do appreciate his view that the electric bass can be viewed as more of an extension of the guitar, versus an offshoot of the DB, but that discussion is kind of one of those 'how many angels can dance on the head of a pin' discussions. Interesting, but rather useless when you get right down to it.

[theNoseBleedKid]

I think AJ is amazing, and he really utilises the extra range in a supportive, complex, unique and sublime way.

I find his thinking interesting, if inapplicable for me.