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How many bass should i have

#21
JDaSilva said:
I am coming from guitar playing and I have more than one guitar , I know bass is the same , we all like variety , but generally speaking , once I buy a 6 string bass that i like , will I have use for a four strings bass?
How many of you completly left the 4 strings permanently after playing with a 6 strings

My question is because I own a Geddy lee signature bass , made in Japan , I was not so happy with the very thin neck , i am considering selling it , will i miss it ? sense now I own a 6 strings bass ?
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As many as you both want and can afford to keep and play.

I have three electric basses, one upright, and one fretless acoustic bass guitar. Each has only four strings. I've played five and six string basses, but I just don't really like them like 4s.

I would keep the Lee if you can afford to. Good, solid bass, and if you ever get the opportunity for session work, it may come in handy.
 
#22
You don't get along with the Geddy? Sell it. I sold a '66 Precision for the same reason and I have never missed it.

I think every bassist "should" have a P, a fretless J, and a Stingray/Sterling.

Since I discovered dual P 6 strings, that has become my #1 bass. 6 strings make it completely flexible for playing any kind of music. Being a dual P means I can just use the neck pickup and the middle 4 strings and play anything I wouild play on a "regular" 4 string P. And the bridge P pickup does a great job of filling in for a playing a J on the bridge pickup.

With a dual P 6, a fretless Jazz (4 or 5 strings) and a 5 string EBMM Sterling (or Stingray), I feel like I can cover pretty much any gig a bass player might ever have. With a 2nd dual P 6 as backup and a very nice, but inexpensive MIA 4 string P bass (a Peavey Fury) for "beater duty", I am set!
 
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#23
StuartV said:
You don't get along with the Geddy? Sell it. I sold a '66 Precision for the same reason and I have never missed it.

I think every bassist "should" have a P, a fretless J, and a Stingray/Sterling.

Since I discovered dual P 6 strings, that has become my #1 bass. 6 strings make it completely flexible for playing any kind of music. Being a dual P means I can just use the neck pickup and the middle 4 strings and play anything I wouild play on a "regular" 4 string P. And the bridge P pickup does a great job of filling in for a playing a J on the bridge pickup.

With a dual P 6, a fretless Jazz (4 or 5 strings) and a 5 string EBMM Sterling (or Stingray), I feel like I can cover pretty much any gig a bass player might ever have. With a 2nd dual P 6 as backup and a very nice, but inexpensive MIA 4 string P bass (a Peavey Fury) for "beater duty", I am set!
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Eh, none of my basses are those things. Even modded my lone P-bass copy into something else.

Of course, I'm not a session guy.
 
#24
I went from 4 to 5 strings around 20 years back. I have never had the need to play a four string ever since.
I can do all the stuff i do on a 4 on my 5s. For me, the 6 is a different animal. The sting muting is somehow more complex and i
tend to grab a 5 when i go to a gig or rehearsal when i'm not feeling 100% fit. I guess some of that will settle when i have had more time
with 6 strings and muscle memory gets the 6 strings better, but i guess that i will always feel more at home on a 5.
I know people that prefer to do slap-heavy stuff on a four because of the big string spacing and the simplicity of fewer strings.
 
#27
Korladis said:
Eh, none of my basses are those things. Even modded my lone P-bass copy into something else.

Of course, I'm not a session guy.
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Yeah, I'm not a session guy either. And I put "should" in quotes 'cause, you know, I'm not like "WHERE'S YOUR P BASS, MAGGOT?!" :D

I just think with that minimum set, you can do anything and be assured of fitting into any kind of music. But, that doesn't mean there are not MANY completely different choices that will work perfectly well for many different things.
 
#29
StuartV said:
Yeah, I'm not a session guy either. And I put "should" in quotes 'cause, you know, I'm not like "WHERE'S YOUR P BASS, MAGGOT?!" :D

I just think with that minimum set, you can do anything and be assured of fitting into any kind of music. But, that doesn't mean there are not MANY completely different choices that will work perfectly well for many different things.
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Ah, right.

Admittedly, the former P-bass copy is still some what P-bassish, but doesn't have the split coil anymore. The single coil pickup is basically where the D-G side of the split coil would be though (just a smidge closer to the bridge).

The other basses are a T-bird that's getting rewired in series and a 4001 that's actually what I've done the most recording on. So still three fairly different animals.
 
#30
I know a blues bass player, current Bass Player of the Year Blues Music Award winner Lisa Mann, who uses this 6-string bass for everything.
lisa-mann.jpg
 
#34
As many as you can get. Even when you think you have too many, you really don't and could use a couple more. Out of my 4 basses, 3 of them are fender jazz basses. One is a Ric, one MIM standard, one CIJ Geddy, and one USA Geddy. Yes, 4 jazzes yet each has their own tone, feel, sound. Guess what, I still want another Jazz.
 
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#37
JDaSilva said:
How many of you completly left the 4 strings permanently after playing with a 6 strings
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I started on a 4 string, quickly moved to 6 strings, got into fancy 6 string basses with fancy woods and pickups, hated fenders. I have now been playing for 15 years, mostly play passive 4 string P basses, haven't touched a 6 string in maybe 6 years.
Things change, no one can tell how your taste will evolve.

And the correct answer is one more.
 
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