• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Do You Prefer 4 String, 5 String, 6 String?

#63
4 to 5 to 6

6 to 5 to 4

Whatever you are comfortable with. Those strings and frets are your universe. Learn to travel freely within it.

4 strings is enough. 5-strings doubles the hassle. 6-strings triples it!

More strings does not make you a better player. The opposite is often true.

Practice scales, etc. across strings and on single strings to open up your universe.

Someone I heard of just ordered a 7-string bass. 6-strings are tuned like a guitar but an octave lower and the 7th string is a low B. sounds like a challenge!!! Good thing he is young!!!
 
#66
I've had my four string for twenty years. It lived for a short time with a five string that was sacraficed for a combo amp.

Recently started playing again and I found a five string that I must own.

I will have another five string hopefully by fall

Not sure if have use for a six though.
 
#68
jbossolo said:
Whenever one of these threads comes up, I'm reminded of that quote by Jaco:

Q-"Would you ever consider playing a 5-string bass?"
Jaco-"What for?"

I'm with Jaco.
Click to expand...

Maybe Jaco should have asked HIMSELF the question first!

http://www.jacop.net/gear.html

Check out 1974. Who knows what he'd have done had the headstock stayed in one piece. And obviously Jaco was trying extend the range of bass notes upward with harmonics. A 6er would have been most natural where he was going.

I'm with Jaco.

Using Jaco to justify playing a 4 string is pretty lame.

I really don't get the people who basically try to turn playing a 4 string into a religion. They all seem to be saying "Hey, if I get by with 4 strings then nobody else needs anything other than what I play."

Well, I only play 5 and 6 string basses now, so nobody needs to play a 4 string anymore! :)
 
#70
bassbenj said:
I really don't get the people who basically try to turn playing a 4 string into a religion. They all seem to be saying "Hey, if I get by with 4 strings then nobody else needs anything other than what I play."
Click to expand...
Those people should do a little bit of historical research. 6 string bass violas date back into Renaissance times (15th century). They even had fretted fingerboards. Later, during Baroque and Classic, there were upright basses with 3, 4 and 5 strings.
 
#71
4 strings, tuned A#D#G#C#. I'm much more of a rocker than a jazz cat (ie., not particularly good at playing or theory to be honest : D) so I prefer the sleek and simple feel of a 4-string. Playing in a not-so-wanky metal band demands playing in a rather tight pocket so I'm fine with less distraction from stuff I shouldn't be wasting my time on (I even use the lowest string mostly as just support for diggin' through the D# string, so I actually have 3 actively operational strings.
 
#72
4-Strings tuned in Standard C. My favourite basses are all 4 strings, and it just feels natural to play with 4 strings, even though I played guitar first before moving over to bass. I couldn't care less for extended range and other jazzy stuff, since I play rock (Stoner, Doom, Psychedelic etc)
 
#73
My favourite basses are all 4 strings, and it just feels natural to play with 4 strings, even though I played guitar first before moving over to bass.
Click to expand...

I think for many ex-guitar converts the 4-string is more appealing than 5'er or 6'ers because of the profound difference. I myself picked a bass up because I felt plucking bass strings was too cool to pass, just fell in love with that organic feel and raw sound after some years of pointless noodling on a guitar.
 
#75
LemmyLicious said:
I think for many ex-guitar converts the 4-string is more appealing than 5'er or 6'ers because of the profound difference. I myself picked a bass up because I felt plucking bass strings was too cool to pass, just fell in love with that organic feel and raw sound after some years of pointless noodling on a guitar.
Click to expand...

Maybe, but I still love playing guitar just as much as bass. I play bass in my band, but I wouldn't consider myself a pure bassist. I also love playing the keys and drums. I really like each instrument for what they are and what they can do, instead of disliking them for what they aren't and what they can't do (if that makes any sense).

Except Saxophones and Trumpets, I hate those... :ninja:
 
#76
I enjoy 4's, 5's, and 6's, and all for different (but sometimes overlapping) reasons. Some can do things the others can't; some fit a certain aesthetic; some are just fun to play for what they are. I use whatever tool is necessary for the job, and fits my own discretions. In my proggy alt/metal/whatever band, I usually use a 6. In my piano-centric rock band, I usually use my 4 followed closely by my fretless 5. They all serve certain purposes, they all have their own uses. If I were to just pick up one bass to screw around on, it would probably be a sixer. And no, it's not tuned like a guitar. They make those, but they're not as prevalent as the kind I play (BEADGC). So get your facts straight before you judge. I've never looked down on someone for playing a P bass (I'll probably own one some sunny day), so it doesn't make sense to me why people are so judgmental about how many strings are on my bass. Live and let live, folks.
 
#77
Maybe, but I still love playing guitar just as much as bass. I play bass in my band, but I wouldn't consider myself a pure bassist. I also love playing the keys and drums. I really like each instrument for what they are and what they can do, instead of disliking them for what they aren't and what they can't do (if that makes any sense).
Click to expand...

No need to get defensive, I didn't mean that everybody who picked up a bass after a guitar should hate the former. :D Neither do I, I just very much prefer playing bass to guitar now. :P
 
#78
LemmyLicious said:
No need to get defensive, I didn't mean that everybody who picked up a bass after a guitar should hate the former. :D Neither do I, I just very much prefer playing bass to guitar now. :P
Click to expand...

Uhm... I wasn't being defensive, because I didn't feel offended. Sorry if it came across that way. :hmm:

I just felt like saying that I love most instruments for what they are, and that I don't belong in the same category of ex-guitarist, like you described. I agree with you that it's probably most of them that feel that way, but I ain't one! The way I see it, I consider myself a guitbasskeydrummer!! :ninja:
 
#80
bassbenj said:
Maybe Jaco should have asked HIMSELF the question first!

http://www.jacop.net/gear.html

Check out 1974. Who knows what he'd have done had the headstock stayed in one piece. And obviously Jaco was trying extend the range of bass notes upward with harmonics. A 6er would have been most natural where he was going.

I'm with Jaco.

Using Jaco to justify playing a 4 string is pretty lame.

I really don't get the people who basically try to turn playing a 4 string into a religion. They all seem to be saying "Hey, if I get by with 4 strings then nobody else needs anything other than what I play."

Well, I only play 5 and 6 string basses now, so nobody needs to play a 4 string anymore! :)
Click to expand...

So let's say that Jaco said ''that everybody who doesn't play a Fender, should jump off a bridge'', people really should have done that? :eyebrow:

I have a 4 stringer now but I wanna become a 6 string bass player :) 4 strings aren't enough for me. And no, I'm not a guitar wannabe :p
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back