Why do some bassists...

[Dbassboarder]

Automatically assume more strings= progression? Today after picking up my j I show my cousin it and he says "nice bass, once you get better you can try a 5", so I whipped out my 6 from my car. The sad thing is he's actually a fantastic bassist.

[capnsandwich]

I think it's a matter of immaturity. We see a really neat and nice 6,7,8,etc. bass and we automatically assume that the guy who plays it must be awesome. It's just a preconceived notion I guess.

I personally don't think that way. I've owned 4,5, and 6 string basses. I owned a 6 string fretless that I just didn't feel the need to own since I rarely used it. I usually play 5'ers but now I'm picking up my 4 banger more and more. It's all about what gets the job done. I don't think Jean Beaudin (sp?) would be able to do some of the stuff he does on a 4 string but that's his style.

[EADG mx]

I've heard some absolutely amazing 4 string players.

I've heard some absolutely terrible 6/7 string players.

[Disraeli Gears]

..Enough said?

[derelicte]

Originally Posted by EADG mx

I've heard some absolutely amazing 4 string players.

I've heard some absolutely terrible 6/7 string players.

so i guess 5 string players are.. average?

[artistanbul]

An overly done topic but I'll chime in.

It's everywhere. I'm also a photographer, and it's really very close to bass world. People can and will check your gear, derive conclusions about your abilities, will think white glass (expensive canon gear) is cool, will insist expensive stuff is better etc. That said, I've seen too much people with amazing gear with nothing to show for it.

[Dbassboarder]

I've gotten better shots out of my d40 with my dad's 20 year old flash than most people with d300s and have multiple slave flashes set up.

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by EADG mx

I've heard some absolutely amazing 4 string players.

I've heard some absolutely terrible 6/7 string players.

I've also heard some worthless 4 string players and awesome 6+ string players. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes less is less.

[Marcury]

Do we have to hash this all out yet again?

People play what they play. I've seen wastub bassists who put 4 stringers to shame, I've seen 6+ stringers who take it to a whole new level.

# of strings doesn't determine the talent of the player.

[RED5]

Didn't you know? here in the USA, there's no replacement for displacement?

[jtallent]

Originally Posted by spade2you

I've also heard some worthless 4 string players and awesome 6+ string players. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes less is less.

I bet if you give that amazing 6 string player a 4, he'll still run circles around the crappy 4 string player.

It's just a different tool to accomplish a different job ... doesn't say anything about the player. I think one reason people get the illusion that 6 string players are generally better is, typically a beginner doesn't rush out and buy a 6 string bass. Most beginners pick up a four or maybe a five.

[namraj]

I've just bought an additional 5 stringer because I was feeling the need 2 experiment away from my 4 string, my 4 will always be my main bass but I'm 19 now and getting pretty good, so I thought I would get a 5 string to add to my ability's its not a case of better players play 5 string + basses its that some better players use more strings as a way to improve/expand.

[von buck]

Play with as many strings as you want, but if you can't say it with 4, why bother with more. Mmmmm, thats my new motto If you can't say it 4, why bother with more?
Repeat, "If you can't say it with 4, why bother with more"
oh BTW, one of my basses is a 5, so I guess I'm talking out of my a**

Andy

[namraj]

Originally Posted by von buck

Play with as many strings as you want, but if you can't say it with 4, why bother with more. Mmmmm, thats my new motto If you can't say it 4, why bother with more?
Repeat, "If you can't say it with 4, why bother with more"
oh BTW, one of my basses is a 5, so I guess I'm talking out of my a**

Andy

Isn't that sumit jack bruce said? i certainly remember my guitar teacher saying that jack had said it to him.

[Phalex]

4 fingers per hand, 4 strings on a bass.............. The math is pretty simple for me.


Where are JT and Ed hiding????

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by jtallent

I bet if you give that amazing 6 string player a 4, he'll still run circles around the crappy 4 string player.

It's just a different tool to accomplish a different job ... doesn't say anything about the player. I think one reason people get the illusion that 6 string players are generally better is, typically a beginner doesn't rush out and buy a 6 string bass. Most beginners pick up a four or maybe a five.

Indeed. A good bassist on a 4 will probably still do alright on a 6. I didn't find the transition from 5 to 6 to be that difficult and I tend to split my time between a fretless 4 and a fretless 6. I just get annoyed how people listen with their eyes and make entirely too many undue assumptions.

I get the impression people think I'm going to shred when I pull out my 6er and it will sound bright like a chainsaw.

[VisualShock]

yeah, i know a guitard who turned up to an audition and brought 12 different guitars to show off, thinking he was amazing. when asked the question "can you actually play any of them?" he...

lets say he needed a paramedic to get his foot out of his mouth....

[need4mospd]

Originally Posted by Phalex

4 fingers per hand, 4 strings on a bass.............. The math is pretty simple for me.

Let me guess, you went to public school?

[nastyn8c]

I've been playing my 6 exclusively for a couple of years. When a tried a Dingwall 4 a couple of weeks ago, I found that I can't play anything with 4 strings worth crap. There's a completely different feel to it, and while I could have played it if my life depended on it, the bass just didn't feel right.

[RedCoatMonster]

I dont wanna hijack the thread or snything, but do they make 5 strings with a high C instead of a low B?