6-strings for metal

[Dave W]

John Marshall (Lamb of God) has played a 4 for a long time now. No, you don't.need a 6, or even a 5.

John Campbell?

 

[HaMMerHeD]

John Marshall (Lamb of God) has played a 4 for a long time now. No, you don't.need a 6, or even a 5.

Need? Of course not. It's not about need, and he didn't ask if he needs a 6 string bass for metal.

 

[songwriter21]

John Campbell?

Correct...oops

 

[skycruiser]

6 -> 12?

... I'll get my coat.

But in all honesty, 6 should be enough even for the most challenging of metal songs

Maybe it should be 4 -> 6 -> 8 ?

 

[KeithPas]

I use an ESP LTD six and I love it. I don't play metal but I think that it would work fine for that. Also reasonably priced

 

[lucas303]

John Marshall (Lamb of God) has played a 4 for a long time now. No, you don't.need a 6, or even a 5.

Heck, sometimes even four strings might not be necessary...

 

[micahwc]

I play metal with a 30" bass VI

 

[bigjames]

Thanks man! Do you recommend a 5-string instead then, as the high-C really ain't no use off (for me)

My 2 cents...try before you buy. The Corvette has a narrower string spacing at the bridge (16 mm I think)...personally I prefer a 19mm spacing. Far from a deal breaker, but I recommend trying it before oyu commit. If I were getting another 'Wick, I would likely go with the broadneck to get that bigger spacing. Obviously a personal pref thing and you can get used to both.

 

[Jason Bonilla]

I'm considering getting a 6-string bass, but I play mostly metal/rock (huge Dream Theater fan). Is a 6-string recommended for metal? I'm considering Warick RB Corvette Basic 6 SBHP, is the model good for metal?

what's your budget?

have you ever played a 5?
*Ibanez has 6 string basses in EVERY Price range.
Ibanez basses tend to have deep smooth tones that work for almost every situation, sound great in a mix always, but maybe a little uninspiring for solo play/practice

*the Schecter Stiletto 6 has been a main stay in the schecter line up for years, great for metal and pretty much everything else.

*Rockbass Warwicks and Korean Built Spectors are the next price bracket where we break the $1000 range for brand new ones. both names are legends in Metal, very hifi and growly tones from both

*then we get into Very pricey and beyond: Music Man Bongo 6 (John Myung of DT plays these), German Made Warwick 6s and Spector Euro 6s (Euro 6s are very hard to come by for whatever reason), Dingwall combustion 6s.
Nothing sounds quite like a Bongo 6, they have a deep, throaty yet Hifi and gritty sound.

As I said before, Warwick and Spector have very hifi and growly tones very fit for metal

Dingwall has a very punchy fat sound, but very pingy mids when over driven, you love it or hate it. no denying that Dingwall has become one of the biggest names in metal in recent years.





this guys has two great vids that will show you tones for Ibanez, Musicman, Spector, Dingwall, and warwick

 

[Killing Floor]

You can play Beethoven on an upright bass. You can also play Rockabilly on the same instrument.

It's much more about how you play the instrument than the instrument itself. If I were to get a job playing in a metal band (I play church gigs), my first thought would not be that I need a new bass - my first thoughts would be that I need to work on different licks, and yeah, I might need some new clothes. But the basses would be fine.

But it's TB so everyone needs a new bass.

 

[JC Nelson]

I don't think anyone mentioned the ringing strings issue due to sympathetic resonance with a sixer.

The floating thumb or movable anchor technique is your friend here.
Video lesson from Adam Nitti

 

[ruju]

Jackson spectra bass 5 string basses are great too.
35 inch scale
Active/passive electronics
Coil tap..

 

[chaak]

I used to play in a Dream Theater / Liquid Tension Experiment cover band and all i had back then was a 4 strings bass and i transcribed all the bass lines for 4 strings. had to move all over the neck and alternate between drop D and E standard but i made it without compromising any of the songs or cutting any corners. I can tell you it's much easier wit ha 5 strings are there are more available positions at your hand. If i were to get a 6 strings it would be to have one bass that can cover both my chordal playing and allows me better positions with the least shifts across the board.
so you don't need a 6 strings if you are fine with a 4 or a 5

 

[Jack Butler]

You like Dream Theater, and Myung plays a 6, so seems like it works ok for him.

 

[Manticore]

Yes, of course. A six-string bass is recommended for all genres. Of course, I've been playing sixers exclusively for 30 years now, so I may be biased.

 

[stigbeve]

No

 

[kumimajava]

Maybe it should be 4 -> 6 -> 8 ?

Giant steps vs baby steps

 

[GBBSbassist]

I didn't want to be the one to tell you this... but metal has evolved by now. They're up to 7 string requirement by now. If you don't have 7 strings, it's not metal.

 

[grimjim]

Have you played a six? Check one out before you rush into it. I have kinda short fingers and I had to play pretty flat fingered on the lower strings. Also I never used the high C, so I sold it off. Much more comfortable with a five.
But that's just me. Honestly, the only reason I started playing fives is because I was playing with seven string guitars tuned to A and I wanted that low A.
Make sure you're comfortable on it and play whatever you want.

 

[Hamlet7768]

Huge Dream Theater fan here too… but their super noodley playing ain't what I play lol. There's lots of "metal" out there. Michael Lepond of Symphony X rocks a 4 string as does Jean-Michel Labadie of Gojira. 2 stellar "metal bands" but not a 6 stringer in sight.

Just depends on what you wanna play.

On the other hand, Symphony X's old bassist, Thomas Miller, used a 5-string tuned with a high C (well, Bb, considering they tune a full step down), and he did get use out of it (listen to the bass breaks on The Divine Wings of Tragedy, for instance).

I went from 4 strings straight to 6, and don't regret it. I found use for it in having some more chordal potential, which fit with the three-piece band I was playing with at the time. Of course, I'm not really looking to play metal anymore, though I still enjoy it tremendously, so YMMV. It can depend on the situation, of course, but it's definitely got its benefits. Get something on the mid-range price field, though.