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6 String Bass configuration

V

VTheHTyphoon

May 4, 2010
281
83
#1
So, I am a person who is generally not content with the common thoughts about any and all bass guitars. I play a couple of weirder basses such as a Traben Phoenix, and a Fender 24 active flat black with a Kahler trem system. I have been looking into 6-string basses mainly for soloing in Jazz and my prog band, and have found 2 I really like. The Fender Steve Bailey VI, and the MTD Kingston KZ 6. Whichever one I go with I am going to get a Kahler bridge for it, but because in my band I play in drop-D I would rather not have a low B string. Has anybody here experimented with putting a High C and a High F on a 6 string bass? I know as a bassist I should want that low end, but I could use the high register more. Any opinions would be great.

Edit: Any info on if any companies make an F string would be much appreciated as well.
 
#2
VTheHTyphoon said:
So, I am a person who is generally not content with the common thoughts about any and all bass guitars. I play a couple of weirder basses such as a Traben Phoenix, and a Fender 24 active flat black with a Kahler trem system. I have been looking into 6-string basses mainly for soloing in Jazz and my prog band, and have found 2 I really like. The Fender Steve Bailey VI, and the MTD Kingston KZ 6. Whichever one I go with I am going to get a Kahler bridge for it, but because in my band I play in drop-D I would rather not have a low B string. Has anybody here experimented with putting a High C and a High F on a 6 string bass? I know as a bassist I should want that low end, but I could use the high register more. Any opinions would be great.

Edit: Any info on if any companies make an F string would be much appreciated as well.
Click to expand...

I've never done it but I see no problem with making a stratospheric solo bass that that way. I had my 5 string Carvin AC50 5 string with a High C for a while for that very same reason and it worked out quite nicely. Eventually I converted it back because I missed the B string. Which it the point. These things even with a hipshot detuner are all compromises. The answer is a 7 string. I've got a Conklin 7 string that is just the cat's meow even though I'm still very much a 7 string newbie.

Compromises are... well... compromises!

And while strings are sparce, Conklin and a few others do offer 7 string sets. Just use what you need from them.
 

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