How many strings/frets do you play? [poll]

[skyline_01]

I own a 4-string fretless and four 5-string fretted. They vary in number of frets (or positions) but none more than 22. I'm perfectly fine with that, as I don't spend a lot of time that far up the neck.

I prefer 5-string and have been mainly playing those for nearly 30 years. I would definitely consider buying 4-strings again in the future, but they'd be the rare(ish) basses I'd keep at home most of the time and have been on my GAS list for years. A few examples:

- Older Peavey US (Patriot, Foundation, Fury, B90, etc)
- Aria SB-1000 (or other MIJ models from that timeline)
- Older Yamaha BB
- Pretty much any vintage Jazz or Precision I could luck into

 

[micguy]

I was VERY offended that 23 frets is not an option in the poll!!!1!!

23 fret players are out there. There is at least a dozen of us.

There are a bunch of 4 string 16 fretters out there as well - the Ubass folks.

 

[pcake]

while i prefer 4 strings, i have no preference when it comes to numbers of frets. i often play up to the 14th fret, and sometimes above that, but i literally don't know how many frets are on each of my basses

 

[el murdoque]

There are a bunch of 4 string 16 fretters out there as well - the Ubass folks.

Uh, right. I got one of those, too. But mainly I play 6/23.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

4 strings, 20 frets....
Cause thats what Leo gave me.

 

[VictorW126]

I'm that double bass joker who always says that 28 fret positions is the bare minimum. Better, of course, 32 or 36.

 

[Reno2]

There are a bunch of 4 string 16 fretters out there as well - the Ubass folks.

Even some of us with regular sized basses rarely go beyond the 16th fret...

 

[lbbc]

I have 2--32" scale 4 stringers with 24 frets. Both perfect for me. I have never played "live" above the 22nd fret....but it's like headroom on an amp IMHO.

 

[micguy]

Even some of us with regular sized basses rarely go beyond the 16th fret...

The 15th is about my playing limit - the reason those the last 7 frets are there is just so the stings have something to bounce off of when I want some clank.

 

[KenD]

I'm a two string kind of guy on 5 frets.

 

[mike o]

I’m the the other M. Musicman not mathematician. The former doesn’t require counting.

 

[SumOne]

5 strings, 21 frets for me.

I rarely go below the low D on the B string so a 4 string with drop D tuning would do me fine as far as having low playable notes but I like the more economic fretting movement you can have with a B string (and not having to use the open E...or D if dropped) and I like the almost upright Bass tones from playing the B string further up.

I used to think 24 frets was best because it seemed to make sense to have 2x Octaves available per string and why wouldn't anyone want access to higher notes?...I think I've now found out that I pretty much never use those very highest frets - it's too much of a stretch on the lower strings and is heading out of the Bass range for the higher strings so isn't needed for anything I play and it squeezes away a bit of room between the neck pickup and the frets that'd otherwise be there to pluck and slap/pop.

 

[wazzel]

1 - 5er with 24 frets
2 - 5ers with 22 frets
1 - 4er with 24 frets

When I play the 5 string basses I use all 5 strings. My normal playing range keeps me generally in the upper 12 frets.

 

[BassBrass]

4 or 5, and frets? Just all of them. I do stuff on the high frets all the time because I'm an all register musician. There are things I can do on 4 from experience that I can't do on 5 but I play 5 because low D is my favorite pedal note, as much as E is just awesome, D is at least as good and it's Lower. Not to mention C#, which books have been written about

 

[JRA]

i've never owned anything but four-bangers. i like two-octave axes but will play anything if it doesn't have frets.

 

[doran.dragic]

I prefer 24 if it's expected from to take solos but I prefer 20 or 21 for slapping (which I don't do much nowadays). Also 4 strings over 5 but I play both.

 

[Dave Siff]

5-string with 20 frets is my main bass for the band.
For fun at home, I have 4- and 5-string basses with 22 frets, and a 5-string, 24 "fret" fretless with a high C string.

 

[kumimajava]

... wait, are we just ignoring all the fretless folk?

 

[Williethump]

Elderly student bedroom bassist here with no musical experience and little obvious talent.
Arthritis makes it painful to play anything above fret #12 so I don't try. Got basically the same notes lower down anyway. It's a bass, not a guitar.
Tried a 5-string but only managed to confuse myself so I traded it on.
Doesn't matter, my bassing is more therapy than music anyway and I need it daily. I practice and I do get better but nobody is going to ask me to fill in for the Sex Pistols so I only need to please myself. And not injur myself.

 

[Phaidrus]

One of my two Pbasses is set up for dub only (La Bella flats, PV63 pup + appropriate cap).
G string never gets played; above the 10th fret - any string - is terra incognita.