4 to 5...5 to 6...Does It Ever End?

[Five or Six]

Just get this and be done with it:
Warwick Custom Shop CORVETTE 9-String［GSB019］ | Reverb

I play 5s n 6s. I looked at the 9 and just said, why!? Nice to look at though.

 

[kumimajava]

No, it never ends. As is well documented, we all end up a harpists

Well done, you're well on your way towards graduating to TalkHarp

Meanwhile... I agree that 6 is a good number. Would love to see how your fretless ggi6 turned out

 

[gidbass]

When I began playing bass, it was an el-cheapo Jay Turser 4 string P-clone that I picked up for $100. The pickguard was so warped that it touched the underside of the orange, fuzzy strings, not so gently, but the neck was dead straight. I gave it love. I cut the pickguard down so it just covered the essentials, cleaned up the electronic, gave it the first setup that it never received and gigged it for a decade without issue. I started pining for a 5 and decided to go with something special. I moved to the desert and the Turser was highly responsive to the radical changes in humidity and temperature which can occur daily. I felt bad for the truss rod, because it was being adjustment more and more frequently to compensate. I decided that a graphite neck bass would take a lot of variables out the equation and after finding out that Modulus has tanked, did my research and found out that Geoff Gould was still making basses. I tracked down a GGi-5 and bought it from the Bass Place online. I was not disappointed.

The Turser ended up going from presumed backup that never got played, to parts that never got used to yard art. The 5 became my main bass and it felt like home. 4's were no longer appealing to me. I played that 5 for close to a decade and loved every minute of it. Then the bug hit: I wanted to try fretless and I wanted to try that fretless as a 6. I had Geoff build a GGi-6 fretless for me and again was not disappointed. I love it. When I play, it feels like home, but part of me also enjoys playing fretted instruments. So...the idea of a fretted GGi-6 to compliment my fretless 6 emerged.

All of a sudden, I am starting to look at the 5 in the same way I looked at the 4, excepting that the GGi-5 is a desirable commodity and the Turser 4 was musical firewood. I am beginning to feel that the Rainbow Trout GGi-5 may have to go to make room for a new bass with another string. The Trout and I have had good times together. It has seen a truss rod upgrade. I have had a hand surgery. We are both improved, but I think I am hearing the call of something new. I am not usually one to have a stable of redundant things. To have a bass sit un-played seems criminal, especially when it is something so very sweet, but I am hearing the call of a fretted 6 companion to the fretless and I don't think there is any going back.

Invalid Link Removed

Is it time to say goodbye?

It may end at 17...maybe...

 

[Flatwound]

Does it ever end? For me, arthritis ended it. I’ve had 34, 35, and 36 inch 5 strings, and loved them. Had a Thumb NT6 and a Thumb BO6. Even had some nice 7-stringers, though I never did them justice. Now I play 30” 4-stringers, and I’m happy with that. And my hands don’t hurt (usually).

 

[Discount Bassy]

Yes, your 5 is now a useless piece of trash. Send it to me, I’ll dispose it for you.

Keep an eye to the classified and you might be able to help the situation of collateral reallocation.

 

[Discount Bassy]

No, it never ends. As is well documented, we all end up a harpists

Well done, you're well on your way towards graduating to TalkHarp

Meanwhile... I agree that 6 is a good number. Would love to see how your fretless ggi6 turned out

Lordy, it turned out well. I've posted some photos, but I'll try for a fresh one tomorrow when I'm gathering photos of the 5.

 

[MrAB4003]

To answer the question, it's really up to you OP. I would keep your 5 and tune it to another tuning. D Standard (DGCFBb) is a good one because it splits the difference between standard tunings for a 5 and a 6.

But for me, I'm very happy with my 4s. I learned how to play bass on a 4 and that's been good for me ever since. I have 2 in standard tuning, 1 in D Standard (DGCF), and the fourth one is my piccolo bass.

I played a 6 string Schecter in GC yesterday and it felt so foreign to me. The neck was so wide and my muting was awful! I tried playing the top strings (i.e. chords and soloing) and I kept hearing the low B and E strings rumbling out. So 6s are not my thing.

I've owned a few 5s in the past, but I never got on with them. I never really needed any note lower than a D1, but I like the idea of being able to hit lower notes on the B string in the middle of the neck. If I were to get a 5 string, I would probably tune it up a minor third to D Standard (DGCFBb) and that would be fine. Muting is the only problem that I would have to work on. But it probably won't be too bad with narrower string spacing (i.e. Ibanez as opposed to Fender / FSOs). That being said, owning another 5 string is a possibility for my future as long as I find the right one.

 

[Salem6127]

Similar to other members here, my reign of 6 strings came to an abrupt end from hand related problems.

Though even after recovering from said problems, I still enjoy the simplicity of a good 4 banger. Makes me appreciate using all 24 frets, whereas with 6 strings I tended to stay in certain zones.

 

[Discount Bassy]

To answer the question, it's really up to you OP. I would keep your 5 and tune it to another tuning. D Standard (DGCFBb) is a good one because it splits the difference between standard tunings for a 5 and a 6.

But for me, I'm very happy with my 4s. I learned how to play bass on a 4 and that's been good for me ever since. I have 2 in standard tuning, 1 in D Standard (DGCF), and the fourth one is my piccolo bass.

I played a 6 string Schecter in GC yesterday and it felt so foreign to me. The neck was so wide and my muting was awful! I tried playing the top strings (i.e. chords and soloing) and I kept hearing the low B and E strings rumbling out. So 6s are not my thing.

I've owned a few 5s in the past, but I never got on with them. I never really needed any note lower than a D1, but I like the idea of being able to hit lower notes on the B string in the middle of the neck. If I were to get a 5 string, I would probably tune it up a minor third to D Standard (DGCFBb) and that would be fine. Muting is the only problem that I would have to work on. But it probably won't be too bad with narrower string spacing (i.e. Ibanez as opposed to Fender / FSOs). That being said, owning another 5 string is a possibility for my future as long as I find the right one.

The spacing on my Ggi's is 17.5mm and the neck, being graphite, can be and is not so deep front to back, even at the topmost frets. It made me feel awkward and slow on 19mm basses. It is a precise instrument of musicality.

 

[HelpImaRock]

I've been enjoying playing roots with my left hand and then chords and riffs tapped with my right simultaneous, ala Bell Witch. It is tough on a fretless to have that sort of precision. I figure a 6 fretted would help clean things up, though I do love the sound of a baritone guitar in drop A.

I guess what I'm saying is, you've got to find the right thing for your approach to the instrument. The trick is being able to hone in on what your thing is, and not buying this to get that and then the next.

 

[Corigan]

Talkbass is losing its touch. 3 pages and nobody had made the classic TB statement:

Jaco only needed 4!

LOL.

All jokes aside do whatever you want. I mostly play my 4 stringers, but every once in awhile I pull out a 5. Never felt the need to go any further than a 5 .

 

[RodneyM]

I love how you youngins think "the more strings, the harder it is to play".

 

[Discount Bassy]

No, it never ends. As is well documented, we all end up a harpists

Well done, you're well on your way towards graduating to TalkHarp

Meanwhile... I agree that 6 is a good number. Would love to see how your fretless ggi6 turned out

I found a photo on my phone. It plays very nicely.

 

[kumimajava]

View attachment 5043085

I found a photo on my phone. It plays very nicely.

That is rather magnificient Looking fowrard to seeing its fretted-twin, if that ever happens

 

[mikewalker]

Does It Ever End?

Why Yes! Yes it does. It ends at 25.

And what's more, it's a happy ending

Once you hit 25, there is a subtle tremor in the fabric of the universe, and it rapidly returns to equilibrium:
25 to 6, to 4!!

 

[ashtray]

Does It Ever End?

Why Yes! Yes it does. It ends at 25.

And what's more, it's a happy ending

Once you hit 25, there is a subtle tremor in the fabric of the universe, and it rapidly returns to equilibrium:
25 to 6, to 4!!

Came here to post this - but you did it better.

 

[winston]

Over the years I've had 4, 5, 6 & 7 string basses plus a 10-string Chapman Stick.
Honestly the Conklin Groove Tools 7 string gave me a true appreciation for the simplicity and ergonomics of 4 string basses!

Mostly 4s, occasional 5 and 6-string Bass VI-alike these days.

 

[Jason Sypher]

I’ve always loved the simplicity of four strings. I even dallied with the idea of a three string gut strung upright for a time. But I say keep that beautiful bass you love so much and get a six fretted version. Life is short and you know exactly what you want so get it. But keep the fiver for old time sake.

 

[Discount Bassy]

That is rather magnificient Looking fowrard to seeing its fretted-twin, if that ever happens

I'm already looking at veneers and starting to think the companion may be a deep purple.

 

[Les Fret]

View attachment 5043085

I found a photo on my phone. It plays very nicely.

Nice bass. Athough I like your purple one even more. Reminds me of Modulus.

4 and 6 for me. I don’t like basses with more than 6 strings. After the 6 you loose the bass connection and it becomes too guitarish. And also it is unergonomic. The Chapman Stick is an exception, but that is more than a bass instrument, more piano-like.