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4, 5 -Or- 6 String?

#21
95% of the time, I play 4's; I rarely find that I "need" to play a 5 to get the job done. I am more comfortable with a 4-string -- they just feel right.

I've got two 5-string basses, one tuned BEADG, and one tuned EADGB. They're both a blast to play, and I pull them out from time to time when I want something different.
 
#22
I'll go with 6 because I'm a lazy bugger. Having 2 octaves and a 4th in one position allows me to do more without shifting. Granted I still practice 3 and 4 octave scales and arpeggios so I can move around the neck I generally figure out what the lowest note in the key a song is in and anchor that on my B string and don't move very far out of position.

I've gone back to 4 strings on occasion and find that I overplay more because the neck makes it feel like a toy. Also since I've been playing 6 for so long it kind of feels like I'm missing a finger when I play less strings.

C/S,
Rev J
 
#23
4 is good if you are old or play punk rock.
5 string Music Man HH will give you everything you need, and you will look good playing it.
6 string if you wish you played guitar instead of bass and want to play solos.
 
#24
4, 5, or 6, fretless - I don't care. It took me some time to play all tunes on any number of strings (on a 4 I need to transpose some lower notes). I am now choosing the bass of the day just because of it's sound. I also play 4str DB and 5str EUB and I am trying to break the border between EUB/DB and electric bass as well. But that seems to be achieveable for Stanley Clarke only.
 
#25
All are good. I own each one. I am a musician who chooses bass; well, it chose me. Each, as stated before, has its advantages. My four is "bass no nonsense". My five is "bass for the Jedi". My six is "bass the indulgence".
 
#26
For me, the answer is "as few strings as I can get away with!"

I really like the lighter weight, smaller necks and greater simplicity of fours and narrow fives. I love it when I get an impromptu gig and can just bring whatever I want. But with my band, I play a six and honestly use every note on it. So I'm stuck with the boat anchor for the most part...

But to be honest, I'd probably still complain if I had to deal with old-school Nazis who ban anything but fours! Either way, getting paid to play bass beats fast food any day.
 
#28
Mostly 5-strings for me, but I do have one 4-string that I enjoy playing when the low B is not required. I tried a 6 a couple of time but it is not for me. Since I also play guitar, I want that string to be a B, not a C. Then tuning it to B is weird, I want a high E as well.

If I did a 6 it would probably be tuned E-A-D-G-B-E, a 1-octave lower guitar (maybe a shorter scale as well).

Later
Rob
 
#29
I'll play along in the weekly 4,5,6 discussion.

I currently play a fretted and fretless 5 string. I like 5's as I do use the lower notes in quite a bit of my playing at church - which is my only gig right now. Makes on the fly transpositions a little easier.

I can see having a 4 if I were teaching a lot, but even then I don't know if it's THAT big of a deal.

I'm debating getting a 6 for some different things at home, some basic chording, and extended range for jazz/improve type gigs.
 
#32
Up the dose said:
4 is good if you are old or play punk rock.
5 string Music Man HH will give you everything you need, and you will look good playing it.
6 string if you wish you played guitar instead of bass and want to play solos.
Click to expand...

By far the worst reply to this thread so far.

Anyway, I'm currently learning on a 4, but want to get a 5 this year. I can see myself playing on both.
 
#33
5. For the music I play a 5 is required and I have grown to be comfortable on a 5. A six is a little bit much for me. I've had one before and let it go. Atfer playing on 5's so long a 4 feels like a toy. I'm sure an experienced 6 string player would say that about a 5.
 
#34
4s and 5s for me - I prefer 4s, and am a bit stronger player on them, but need 5ers to get the job done sometimes - and am pretty proficient on them, too... I have no use for 6 strings, although I can see how some could...


- georgestrings
 
#38
RedLeg said:
until I master 4 I do not want to add more work to the list!
Click to expand...

No, this is the worse reply so far. Clearly you've never played anyting but a 4! If you had, you'd know that 5s and 6s are much less work than a 4. (Go see post #22 by Rev J the lazy bugger)

Personally I own 4, 5, 6, and 7 string basses. I play them ALL.

4. It's for old school classic bass lines that you want to keep authentic. It's especially important to keep me from "improving" classic basslines with extended range notes. But after playing 4 string for God knows how many years, I really don't enjoy the limitation anymore. 4 is great for slap too.

5. To me a 5 and a 6 are pretty much the same bass and I don't really care which one I play, but if I don't need the extended high range I'll drop back to 5 from a 6 just to reduce weight a bit. But usually the choice of 5 is because I don't need the high range and some of my favorite basses don't come in 6 string (Carvin AC50, G&L L2500 etc.) I did have the Carvin with high C for a while but then got lazy and went back to low B.

6. A six is essential for solos and any case (usually smaller groups) where that extended high end can work (chords etc.). I especially like 6 strings and 24 frets though it isn't a slap machine. One problem with 6 is that it looks bad in some bands. Blues Nazis have a fit over 6 string basses while 5 strings just fly right under the radar. But 6 is killer for blues solos so go figure.

7. I'm kind of a 7 string noob so I'm still getting used to what that last string is for. But it makes a lot of sense in cases as was mentioned where you want to carry melody and harmony (like when I sing). The other side of that coin is I have a 7 string guitar with extra heavy low strings tuned down so it can sort of cover bass as well as guitar. dig?

More than 7 strings (non-doubled - I do own an 8 string bass but it's doubled so it's really just a 4 on steroids) I find that with my size hands 7 strings is about my limit to comfortably play. If I went to more strings I'd have to totally change my approach going to tapping and the like.

I just choose the bass to fit the music. Simple as that. I have no problems going between them.
 
#39
I don't currently own a fiver, but I used to. I like them for rock and roll. I want another one.

I currently own a few fours, a couple sixes, and an eight (octave pairs).

I consider my Carvin sixer to be my main bass. I use it for original music, in a band that builds its material from the bass part up. While I do solo sometimes, what I really like about the sixer is chording. The high C is definitely too thin for laying down meat-and-potatoes grooves, though. I can't see ever needing the high C for covers, which is why I wouldn't mind putting a fiver back in the stable.

The eight is my alternate axe for originals. It inspires writing in a whole different way than the six, and fills out the sound of our guitar/bass/drums trio nicely.

My fave four-banger is my Fender P. When I play that, it just inspires me to lay down in the pocket and keep it simple. I use it for hired-gun sessions and covers.

Another four I have, which illustrates another reason to have one, is a Carvin J-style bass, with a walnut body and ss strings. That's my slapper. While I can slap my sixer, and do quite often, it's challenging to get the muting right. I find slapping a four much easier.
 
#40
Love my 6 string. As a church player with only drums and acoustic guitar in the praise band (we rarely get a second guitar in the band), I find the extra range helps fill in the gaps. We also play a large range of styles and transpose a lot so the low B helps with positioning. I also really like to play chords when the opportunity presents itself.
 

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