Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
How many strings/frets do you play? [poll]
- Thread starter tb-player
- Start date
6 strings, 24 frets. I even have a bass with 26 frets, as well as occasionally find myself bending the top note of my 24 fret 6 strings to reach a high Db or C#..
and this is the reason.
I love playing bass in a rock band and all that, but taking music like this and finding a way to make it work really gets me excited. There are certainly ways to do it with 4 strings and less frets, but let's not make the already difficult even more challenging.
and this is the reason.
I love playing bass in a rock band and all that, but taking music like this and finding a way to make it work really gets me excited. There are certainly ways to do it with 4 strings and less frets, but let's not make the already difficult even more challenging.
Why stop at fret positions? I've played fretless, I'm sure I've played at thousands of positions on the neck by now.
4 strings and 9 frets, above that i couldn't even tell you whats thats like or why they're even made...
Not sure i've ever been in a room with a 5 or 6 in my whole life, not kidding, and am happy as a clam to have not ever been
Not sure i've ever been in a room with a 5 or 6 in my whole life, not kidding, and am happy as a clam to have not ever been
I prefer 4 strings, and no more than 21 frets (20 is fine). But I have a 5 string bass and a few basses with 24 frets if I ever need them. I still like slapping, and prefer to pluck at around where the 24th fret would be, so a FSO is the best style for me.
I don't even know how many frets are on my basses. I know that it is less than 24. haha
Never really needed to count.
Never really needed to count.
I play a 4 because it more readily caters to my need to tinker. My necks have 20 and 21 frets, but I could do just as well with far fewer.
4 strings, 21 frets. I would prefer 24 frets (and have a couple of basses with them that aren't my main players) but it's not a big enough deal to me to outweigh other factors.
Not 5 strings - because my arthritic L hand can't handle it.
Not 24 frets - because it leaves less space for pop/slap playing.
Not 24 frets - because it leaves less space for pop/slap playing.
4 and 5 string, and whatever fret counts that they come with.
No real reason why, I just like those particular basses.
No real reason why, I just like those particular basses.
On a related note, how come on most 24 fret basses, the cutaway still only goes up to the 20th fret?
I'm definitely a 5-string guy. But despite most of my basses having 24 frets, I rarely get that far up the neck (certainly not enough to want a 6-string).
Funny you say this, as I've picked guitar back up precisely due to this dynamic. The last album I had some tracks where I wanted a grinding electric guitar sound for solos and accent. I have a 24-fret 6-string bass but that didn't get me up into the registers I wanted. Add in a Pitchfork octave up and I'm there. But then sonically it really is a one-trick pony. After I finished everything I sat there and why I'm trying to make a bass do what a guitar does beyond "I'm a bassist" mentality.
track in question - no guitars on this track, solo is a bass
https://nostatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/el_rey_revised.mp3
I agree that it is fun to push the boundaries, and I certainly have with bass (my boundaries, not the bass's). But sometimes there are easier (better?) ways to do things. No single path to making music.
4 string… recently 5 string… and soon to be 6 strings. And i am starting to prefer 24 frets. And my 24 fret dingwalls have great access.
i chose the bases i have for tone/looks/quality… but 5 and 6 came down to the need for lower tunings to complement some styles of music i enjoy.
i chose the bases i have for tone/looks/quality… but 5 and 6 came down to the need for lower tunings to complement some styles of music i enjoy.
Last edited:
