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6 Strings: Why did I wait so long?

T

T.O.Bass

Jul 22, 2008
850
7
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
#1
I have seen the light, or in this case, the strings.

I got my first 6 string bass, a custom Vadim, last saturday. While I expected playing a 6 to be different than a four, I still can't get over how different it really is. And when I say "different", I mean it in the best way possible. A whole new world of bass playing has been opened up to me, and in the few days since I got my new bass, I realize that I have a LOT of exploring to do. I honestly feel like I have discovered the bass guitar all over again. Not only that, but every time I pick it up, I get this feeling of "Ahhhh so THIS is what a bass was meant to do!" and it feels GOOD.

Remember, back when you started playing, and you played, but still hadn't had THE moment? And then one day, BAM! suddenly you find the groove, your body and the bass are not just interacting but are uniting to form a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts? Remember that feeling? You thought "Yes! Now I get it! This is what it's all about!" And it's that ecstatic, euphoric, overwhelmingly delicious feeling that envelops your body and and the very core of your being and you know you have arrived.

Well, it happened again. Moving to a 6 string has blown my mind. Hours fly by and my fingers caress the fretboard, coaxing new sounds and feeling forward. It's a second honeymoon with the bass guitar and I'm discovering a whole new way to make love to sound.

Just had to get it out.

:bassist:
 
#3
:cool:
Congrats!

That's really what it's all about when you move up into ERB range .... a whole new world of possibilities that absolutely change the way you approach bass playing. It's not just a simple matter of higher and lower strings, it should create a complete change in your technical approach and your mental approach. Lot's of guys who get into 6+ string playing never have that enlightened moment ..... ;) ..... and ultimately sell the bass and go back to a 4 or 5 ....

As many times as I (and others) have tried to explain this "change", until you experience it you'll never know what the h*ll people are talking about. Now it's time to get yourself a 7 or 8 ..... :D Welcome to the club and get ready to be roundly mocked and disparaged by most of the TB community ..... :cool:
 
#4
pointbass said:
:cool:
Congrats!
Click to expand...

Thanks!

pointbass said:
That's really what it's all about when you move up into ERB range .... a whole new world of possibilities that absolutely change the way you approach bass playing. It's not just a simple matter of higher and lower strings, it should create a complete change in your technical approach and your mental approach. Lot's of guys who get into 6+ string playing never have that enlightened moment ..... ;) ..... and ultimately sell the bass and go back to a 4 or 5 ....
Click to expand...

Agreed, it's not just a few extra notes, rather, it's a whole new realm of possibilities. And fear not, there's NO WAY I would go back permanently to 4 :D This is just too fun.

pointbass said:
Welcome to the club and get ready to be roundly mocked and disparaged by most of the TB community ..... :cool:
Click to expand...

LOL I thank you and hope to do this new instrument justice! As for the 7 or 8.... It's most definitely on my mind now.

:bassist:
 
#5
Personally, I don't see myself having more than 6 strings. Having owned a 6 string, I really loved it. But I've always thought of 7+ strings as kind of excessive, mostly because closed position chords are virtually impossible across 7+ strings unless you tap or have monstrously large hands. I could see alternate tunings that could get you into extended ranges with 6 strings (EADGCF, BEADGC, etc.).
 
#6
buckminster said:
Personally, I don't see myself having more than 6 strings. Having owned a 6 string, I really loved it. But I've always thought of 7+ strings as kind of excessive, mostly because closed position chords are virtually impossible across 7+ strings unless you tap or have monstrously large hands. I could see alternate tunings that could get you into extended ranges with 6 strings (EADGCF, BEADGC, etc.).
Click to expand...

Interesting. I can see what you're saying, for sure, though I now see each different string setup as a fundamentally different instrument requiring different techniques and as such will result in a different stylistic approach as well. Heck, if it were up to me, I'd have one of everything, just to have the variety - 4 to 12 strings, fretted and fretless, single course and octaved...

Then I look at my bank balance.
 
#8
pointbass said:
How about some pics??
Click to expand...

I believe I can handle that. :D

Vadim025.jpg
 
#11
Got my first sixer at this winter....I feel the same way...Its like I should have picked up six string bass first..it feels like MY instrument....Took me a while to get used to the string spacing, but the adjustment is happening quicker all the time...Have fun with that sixer, she makes mine jealous....(Ibanez SR506)
 
#13
CatfishStudios said:
Got my first sixer at this winter....I feel the same way...Its like I should have picked up six string bass first..it feels like MY instrument....Took me a while to get used to the string spacing, but the adjustment is happening quicker all the time...Have fun with that sixer, she makes mine jealous....(Ibanez SR506)
Click to expand...

Exactly! It's like suddenly I have found what I've been looking for. All the string changes, the pedal tryouts, the amp tests, but THIS is the missing piece of the puzzle.
 
#14
T.O.Bass said:
I have seen the light, or in this case, the strings.

I got my first 6 string bass, a custom Vadim, last saturday. While I expected playing a 6 to be different than a four, I still can't get over how different it really is. And when I say "different", I mean it in the best way possible. A whole new world of bass playing has been opened up to me, and in the few days since I got my new bass, I realize that I have a LOT of exploring to do. I honestly feel like I have discovered the bass guitar all over again. Not only that, but every time I pick it up, I get this feeling of "Ahhhh so THIS is what a bass was meant to do!" and it feels GOOD.

Remember, back when you started playing, and you played, but still hadn't had THE moment? And then one day, BAM! suddenly you find the groove, your body and the bass are not just interacting but are uniting to form a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts? Remember that feeling? You thought "Yes! Now I get it! This is what it's all about!" And it's that ecstatic, euphoric, overwhelmingly delicious feeling that envelops your body and and the very core of your being and you know you have arrived.

Well, it happened again. Moving to a 6 string has blown my mind. Hours fly by and my fingers caress the fretboard, coaxing new sounds and feeling forward. It's a second honeymoon with the bass guitar and I'm discovering a whole new way to make love to sound.

Just had to get it out.

:bassist:
Click to expand...

I believe more people would have similar experiences as you did if they were to try it, and truly be open to it. Obviously, a six is not for everyone, but I believe there is a certain segment of players who would benefit from a six, and have the "epiphany" of sorts that you had.

And while it's topical, if anyone is worried about hand size- don't. I have very small hands, and I did not find the width of a six-string bass intimidating at all. There are many sixes available today, and surely one has a fretboard which will be manageable for even the smallest hands.
 

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