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5 or 6 strings? Which do you prefer?
- Thread starter de la mocha
- Start date
I was a 4 string player for so long. I switched to a 5 and realized how much easier on my wrist it was to play in keys like F, and being able to have the low Eb. I'm a church player, and play a lot of southern gospel type stuff, so the 5 is perfect for me. It's always nice to be THUNDEROUS!
Five strings. Like some others have said, I don't feel the need to go higher. Of my three basses, all have five strings, but I'm about to re-string my Cirrus F#BEAD, so I can go lower. Gotta take advantage of that new AccuGroove Whappo Grande. 
I've never spent much time on a 4-string, so all my learning was done on a 5. And I found that, like the home keys on a typewriter, I "keyed" on the middle string. Always know where I am, relative to that string.
Recently I got a 6, and there's no middle string. It has definitely been an adjustment for me, and I notice I'm not yet using all the strings. All the lines I come up with on the 6-string treat the instrument as either a B-E-A-D-G 5-string, or as a E-A-D-G-C 5-string. Still gotta have a middle string!
Maybe someday I'll get the hang of having 6 strings all available at the same time, but so far it's just a wide-neck 5-string. I'm nowhere near ready to take the 6 out in public; I just get lost too often still.
Recently I got a 6, and there's no middle string. It has definitely been an adjustment for me, and I notice I'm not yet using all the strings. All the lines I come up with on the 6-string treat the instrument as either a B-E-A-D-G 5-string, or as a E-A-D-G-C 5-string. Still gotta have a middle string!
Maybe someday I'll get the hang of having 6 strings all available at the same time, but so far it's just a wide-neck 5-string. I'm nowhere near ready to take the 6 out in public; I just get lost too often still.
+2 I started on a fiver, but I've switched to mostly detuned fours, I figure all my bass heroes only needed 4 strings to rock... Of course I'm tuned C#-F#-B-E
Anything. I'm comfortable on 4-7 strings. Never tried a 3, and 8 is just a little too big for me. But, 4-7...it's just a bass, same as the last one.
I only have 4 strings at the moment and thats what I like playing most, but I really don't dig 5 strings. I like them with 4, 6 or 7 strings!
This comment reveals the poster to be ignorant
people all the time confuse "function" with "instrument"
bass is a function, a bass guitar or electric bass or bass is an instrument, our primary role of course is to provide foundation
which you absolutley must do if thats your role at that given time, but why not be able to explore other funtions such as melodies, harmony, chords, whole solo peices and be able to understand all of music on an instrument we're comfortable on. Having said that it doesn't really matter what the instrument is as long as the role is being fulfilled
a tuba player is playing bass is anybody gonna get on him if he can extend the range of his instrument up a 4th? no I dont think so
so Johnny Dark you should re-examine your thoughts and maybe your view of music
I figure, if you're going to get 5, you might as well get the 6th string. I like the freedom of having all those strings. Haven't tried a bass extended over 6 yet.
I had to be talked out of a 3 string in March. I still fancy getting one.
Of course, I'm the kind of jerk who'd get a 4 necked bass with one string per neck. EADG. Just to tweak people.
Of course, I'm the kind of jerk who'd get a 4 necked bass with one string per neck. EADG. Just to tweak people.
I already stated what is important to me, but isn't this a public forum? I posed the question because I like reading other people's opinions on the question I asked.
I said 6 because imho:
1. if your playing high on the neck... why not just add another string?
2. if your playing high on the neck, you're not getting the sustain
3. if your playing high on the neck, you're not getting the tone
true, a wider neck can be a problem with smaller hands, but i don't have that problem! I borrowed a fretless 6 and loved it, but what a bear. i'll take fretted 6.
1. if your playing high on the neck... why not just add another string?
2. if your playing high on the neck, you're not getting the sustain
3. if your playing high on the neck, you're not getting the tone
true, a wider neck can be a problem with smaller hands, but i don't have that problem! I borrowed a fretless 6 and loved it, but what a bear. i'll take fretted 6.
