Is a 6 the one to rule them all?

[Deleted member 165050]

So I have 4 5-stringers, 3 are fretless of which 2 are strung BEADG and since a few days ago 1 is now EADGC. So now I'm a high C virtuoso (that's sarcasm btw) I am wondering if a 6 string fretless will be the one to rule them all? I'd still keep the 5s and most of the 4s but I'm sorely tempted...

But wouldn't it look like I just want to be a guitarist?

 

[Warpeg]

Play one and find out.

 

[Gothic]

Yes.

 

[GIBrat51]

Uh.. no. Not in my little corner of Middle Earth, anyway. 4's are the way to go, in these parts... the only 5er I have is a banjo; all the 6's actually are guitars...

 

[jd56hawk]

I am wondering if a 6 string fretless will be the one to rule them all?

Maybe for 1 in 100 bassists.
Are you one?
Only you can answer this.
I'm betting no, however.

 

[DWBass]

Nope. Most folks don't need more than 4 strings.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Now I have to get one to prove I'm one in a hundred and need more than four...

 

[Liko]

So I have 4 5-stringers, 3 are fretless of which 2 are strung BEADG and since a few days ago 1 is now EADGC. So now I'm a high C virtuoso (that's sarcasm btw) I am wondering if a 6 string fretless will be the one to rule them all? I'd still keep the 5s and most of the 4s but I'm sorely tempted...

But wouldn't it look like I just want to be a guitarist?

Worked for Claypool.

For me personally, 5 is enough. I groove on the low end like a good little bass player, and the 5 gives me options for getting around the patterns, as well as direct access to Ds, without messing with the muscle memory of my fretting hand. If I want to play at being a guitarist, I'll, y'know, pick up one of the half-dozen skinny-stringers I've got laying around.

 

[Pbassmanca]

I say get yourself a nice six and have at it. I've been listening to a lot of modern jazz, and fusion for the past year and stuff like "Yellowjackets" has me really thinking about a sixer....

 

[ArtechnikA]

It is for me.
Mine gets 99% of my playtime.

 

[Dincrest]

I've spent years with 5 and 6 string basses. 6ers are awesome. However, they're not for me. I've only played a couple that had necks I felt I could get around on, that didn't feel like a runway. And when buying strings, you don't have the myriad choices of gauges and such that 4 and 5-string players do. And they're expensive.

A 4-string with a Hipshot Extender is what allows me to "sound like myself" but if a 6-string fretless is what allows you to sound like yourself, go for it. I wouldn't go into it blind, though. Wrap your hands around any 6ers you can get your hands on to see if they feel good in your hands.

It's like they say in cycling. The only way to know if a bike is the one for you is to "swing a leg over it."

Damian Coccio plays some amazing stuff with 6-string fretless basses: Damian Coccio | Bassist Composer

 

[luciens]

I was one of those nutcases that played an unlined 6 string FL for a few years. I had a Carvin BB76 with a blank Ebony board on it and something else before that that I don't remember what it was.

It's doable and quite fine, though I did find the C string rather whiney without the frets.

But other than that, and if you can handle the weight and the slightly wider neck, why not? I enjoyed it and played a lot of good stuff on mine, but ultimately just couldn't handle the wide neck anymore as I got older.

L

 

[RickBlair]

I have all of my 5-string basses tuned E-C. I play big band charts and the need for notes below low E are few but the higher register is used frequently so the reach is easier with the C string. There are some charts that would benefit from sub-E notes so a 6-string would cover everything. I have found the key to getting a good C-string sound is to buy the heaviest gauge C-string that you can find to avoid the disappearing C-string sound. It's not perfect but the heavier gauges blend in better with the other strings.

Rick B.

 

[A9X]

As others have said, try one, that's how you'll know. I play 6s (fretted) for the most part these days, and 5s when I don't. Can't see the use for a 4 at all any more.

 

[Marty Forrer]

I have a friend who is one of the most sort after bassists around, across many genres. He has played 6 fretted exclusively for 30+ years. Works for him.

 

[A9X]

But wouldn't it look like I just want to be a guitarist?

Forgot to add; as Bill Dickens plays a 7 string, does that mean he really wants to be a metal guitarist?

 

[Pings Bass]

Yes. Just do it. I got a cheapo fretless six last year and am now awaiting delivery of a new, better one.

 

[MIMike]

Not in the BASS world. Four strings are the rule…everything else is just a derivative of the rule(er).

 

[BassFalcon]

I got my 6er in the late 90's. An Ibanez Soundgear. I'd recommend you get a 6 if you're interested in it. It's an invaluable tool for study, even if you never play it out. You can learn a large variety of chord voicings and really dig much deeper into songs, playing the chords and a bassline. Or chords and melody. With the extra range available in all positions you can examine what a bassline looks/sounds like up the fingerboard and compare that with how it sounds across the fingerboard. There are tons of possibilities besides the normal show-off stuff that most people associate with 6ers. I'm definitely not a flashy player, but I love 6ers.

 

[Whale guy]

Better you than me. It would take me a decade to be able to control it like I would want. I have always respected people who can play a 6 and truly know and be comfortable with it. Add the freless element. Go to it.