I went from 4 to 6 nearly 20 years ago, and I've stayed at 6 since then. I've never played a 5 string.
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4 to 5...5 to 6...Does It Ever End?
- Thread starter Discount Bassy
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- bass five string gas gould six string
I’ve owned two Conklin 7’s in the past. If I were to pick a final destination extended range bass, it’d be a 7. I sometimes tuned the C and F strings down a half step for guitar tuning. Worked pretty slick when the opportunity arose for comping.
That said, G. Gould is a great choice for a 6.
That said, G. Gould is a great choice for a 6.
Mam it was and still is has been hard as heck to find a 5 string that I like thus far only the Stingray Special has worked for me. 6 string neck is out of the question for me at least.
That gould trout finish is one of my all time favorites! Particularly because I'm an avid trout fisherman.
That's my only contribution. Carry on.
That's my only contribution. Carry on.
Does it end?
No.
Not really.
I started on four in 1980
20 years later went to a five.
7 years after that I went to six and then temporarily a seven.
Then sold the seven and stayed with six.
Fretted and fretless.
Then I added a BTB six tuned in fifths.
Then added an eight.
No.
Not really.
I started on four in 1980
20 years later went to a five.
7 years after that I went to six and then temporarily a seven.
Then sold the seven and stayed with six.
Fretted and fretless.
Then I added a BTB six tuned in fifths.
Then added an eight.
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6 string fretted and 6 string fretless, nothing better IMHO.
It is gr8 to have all of the different options imo
Sounds like you've had a good run with your 5-string.
I would probably go for the 6-string. Selling the 5 shouldn't be too difficult with that amazing trout finish.
If your experience is anything like mine the one time I tried a 7-string, I wouldn't worry too much about ever expanding string quantity.
I would probably go for the 6-string. Selling the 5 shouldn't be too difficult with that amazing trout finish.
If your experience is anything like mine the one time I tried a 7-string, I wouldn't worry too much about ever expanding string quantity.
I figure that it won't be easy to let it go, especially because I have a feeling it will go with expediency once I make up a listing for it. The hard part will be waiting for the new build to come to fruition. In the meantime, it looks like it will be a fretless 6 party, which doesn't sound all that bad to me. If/when I decide to jump, I'll probably list it here and on Reverb, but my hopes are that it is re-homed in this community so I can see some photos once in a while. I'll even throw in a half dozen spare sets of G. Gould hybrid tapered strings featuring that very bass on the front packaging!
The only difference is that the rosewood fretboard was a casualty of the original truss rod failure. It has been since fitted with a beefier Gould truss rod upgrade and a black phenolic fingerboard which I think ties in with the hardware nicely.
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In my case? "It" never even started. There have always been 2 guiding principles in my life:
1. K.I.S.S., and
2. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it...
The bass I learned to play on was a 4 string passive one. Everything I learned to play when I started in 1968, only needed 4 strings. Actually, a lot of it didn't really need that many... Today? The music I like to play, still only needs 4 strings - at most - and wouldn't sound any better, or play any easier, with 5.. or 6.. or 7... I can still play Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit with only 3 strings now, just as easily as I did 50-some years ago. The only difference, is that the bass I play now is different - and, arguably, at least a little better - than the one I learned on...
But, that's just me. By all means; you do You. If your musical Journey to Happiness requires more strings on your bass than it has now? Well, then a new bass - with another string - is definitely in order. I certainly hope that you find the one that makes that journey a happy one...
1. K.I.S.S., and
2. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it...
The bass I learned to play on was a 4 string passive one. Everything I learned to play when I started in 1968, only needed 4 strings. Actually, a lot of it didn't really need that many... Today? The music I like to play, still only needs 4 strings - at most - and wouldn't sound any better, or play any easier, with 5.. or 6.. or 7... I can still play Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit with only 3 strings now, just as easily as I did 50-some years ago. The only difference, is that the bass I play now is different - and, arguably, at least a little better - than the one I learned on...
But, that's just me. By all means; you do You. If your musical Journey to Happiness requires more strings on your bass than it has now? Well, then a new bass - with another string - is definitely in order. I certainly hope that you find the one that makes that journey a happy one...
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That becomes heavy though, and the string spacing gets really tight.
Enjoy life, get whatever 6, 8 a bass is a bass in the hands of a bass player imo
I started on 4 in 1983.
Then came fretless, 5-string, 6-string, uke bass, doublebass and so on.
Then the pendulum swung and now i'm back to 4.
But I kept them all. You never know if the pendulum swings back
Then came fretless, 5-string, 6-string, uke bass, doublebass and so on.
Then the pendulum swung and now i'm back to 4.
But I kept them all. You never know if the pendulum swings back
Having spent years on a 4, years on a 5, and years on a 6, I've come to find that 5-string is home for me.
I love the versatility of a 6, but their weight and wide fretboards don't suit me too well. Okay, I had a Guitar Factory 6-string that was super comfortable for me to play (the neck was narrower than usual for a 6), but weighed over 12.5 pounds. Otherwise, it would have been a forever bass.
4's are fantastic and it feels great to fly around on them, but for a lot of the music I play, I need not only the low notes of a 5 but the fretted E so I can easily transpose without having to jump up and down to and from first position. That "Country Girl Shake it For Me" song by Luke Bryan is far more pleasurable for me to play on a 5-string because I don't have to do a whole bunch of crazy jumps.
4's not enough for me, 6's too much for me, 5's just right!
I love the versatility of a 6, but their weight and wide fretboards don't suit me too well. Okay, I had a Guitar Factory 6-string that was super comfortable for me to play (the neck was narrower than usual for a 6), but weighed over 12.5 pounds. Otherwise, it would have been a forever bass.
4's are fantastic and it feels great to fly around on them, but for a lot of the music I play, I need not only the low notes of a 5 but the fretted E so I can easily transpose without having to jump up and down to and from first position. That "Country Girl Shake it For Me" song by Luke Bryan is far more pleasurable for me to play on a 5-string because I don't have to do a whole bunch of crazy jumps.
4's not enough for me, 6's too much for me, 5's just right!
If I need anymore than 5 strings, I’ll just sit at a piano. YMMV.
It ends at fretless 6 for me. But I still have some 4s (fretted and fretless) and a 5 (fretted). Sometimes all I need is a fretted 4, and it's nice to have the simplest tool that can do the job on hand.
But I still have some 4s (fretted and fretless) and a 5 (fretted). Sometimes all I need is a fretted 4, and it's nice to have the simplest tool that can do the job on hand.
That’s wild. Only $6209?!?!?!? Easily over $10k if ordered new.
Yes, your 5 is now a useless piece of trash. Send it to me, I’ll dispose it for you.
I went from a 4, to a 5, to a 6, and later to a 7. A 6 just feels natural. 7 is just one too many for me to get used to. Lowest note I would ever go is low A. A 6 tuned to A standard would cover anything I’d ever play.
