Poll: 4s, 5s or 6s (or more?)

[tb-player]

Over the last few months, I've realized I am a 5-string player. I had a 6-string and sold it. I've had many 4s and sold them all. I feel most at home on 5 string basses, so that's all I have left.

I'm curious. As a fretted or fretless player, do you alternate between 4, 5 & 6 (or more)? Or do all your basses have the same number of strings? Wherever you land on this, why do you think this works best for you?

 

[Flaked Beans]

I definitely alternate. Have 4's, 5's and 6's and I play them all, love them all!

Here are some of them ('11 GP custom Contrabass 6, '00 EBMM Stingray {4}, '99 MIJ Yamaha TRB5IIF):

PS. I have to admit that I eat carrots every single day quite a lot. especially combined with roasted beef, potatoes and very hot red chilli peppers! Cheers!

 

[JRA]

As a fretted or fretless player, do you alternate between 4, 5 & 6 (or more)? Or do all your basses have the same number of strings? Wherever you land on this, why do you think this works best for you?

all of mine are fretless, 4-strings --- it works for me because it's all i've ever played*...i'm habituated to an easy comfort zone.

* i've messed around with 5 and 6-string axes, but i thought they'd take too much time and effort to get used to playing proficiently.

 

[ics1974]

I have three 5's and two 4's. I use them both equally.

 

[Wasnex]

I would say >99% 6-string.

I have played the 6-string almost exclusively since about 1995. It took about 10 years before it started really feeling like home, but now 6 is the number where I am most proficient.

I own 4s and 5s, but feel putting in significant time on them degrades my fluency on the 6. So I play through my bass collection a few times a year, but limit my time off the 6.

The main difference is the fretboard logic I default to with the 6 does not work with less strings. As a result, when using less strings I have to stop and figure out how to play lines rather than just doing it. This relates to more technical lines, but also to improvising what I consider to be easy walking bass lines.

I feel my proficiency in shifting is just fine.

 

[Dr. Keebs]

Almost exclusively 5’s, as they’re most familiar. I can make the right 4, 6, 7 work.

 

[Schizo Sapiens]

I used to be 5-string only. Now I alternate between standard 5-string and BEAD 4-string

 

[DWBass]

Both 4's and 5's.

 

[Geri O]

I see no need, requirement, etc for anything but the 5-strings I play.

I see no advantage to alternating string counts. It doesn’t get me any more work nor does it help anything related to technique.

Just my take.

 

[chris_b]

I've been exclusively 5's since 1996.

 

[Slade N]

Mostly 5, still have 4s but more and more they dont get played

 

[James Hart]

7, 6, 5, 4... mostly 34" scale and 19mm at the bridge. URB and guitar too. fretted 7 and fretless 6 are my main instruments.

 

[2112]

Played straight 4-bangers from when I started until 30 years in. Last year, tried a fiver. I was uncomfortable at first, but I got used to it. Now I play mostly fivers... and when I go back to 4-bangers I feel like a monster.

Applying the same logic, I picked up my first sixer last month. Aside from gigs, I've been playing it exclusively. And, I've noticed the same thing... when I go back to fivers, I feel like a monster.

It definitely helps that my sixer is the best bass I've ever owned in terms of build quality, sound, consistency, and playability.

 

[GIBrat51]

Over the last few months, I've realized I am a 5-string player. I had a 6-string and sold it. I've had many 4s and sold them all. I feel most at home on 5 string basses, so that's all I have left.

I'm curious. As a fretted or fretless player, do you alternate between 4, 5 & 6 (or more)? Or do all your basses have the same number of strings? Wherever you land on this, why do you think this works best for you?

Well... several reasons, actually...
1. I'm left handed - and I'm one of those lefty's that can not play right handed. Believe me, I have tried - for, oh, 60+ years, off and on. Just doesn't work... And, when I learned to play bass - in 1968? The few lefty basses I could choose from that weren't customs - were all 4-stringed... So, that's what I play.
2. Although I have pretty large hands, they're equipped with short, thick fingers. So, 5 and 6 string basses all have one of 2 problems for me; a) the string spacing is way too close for my thick fingers (guitars give me the same problem), or 2) the neck is simply too wide for those short fingers. 4-string basses? There are some with necks that make me pass them by - but not many. None of the 28 4-string basses I currently own give me any problems, neck-wise. And, finally:
3. When I can, I preferto play the music I like, on the same kind of bass it was either originally recorded or played live with. And, absolutely none of it was originally played on a 5- or 6-string bass.
So, put simply? I only play 4-string basses because I don't need one with 5 or 6 strings. But, I'm not stupid enough to think that other people don't like - or need - them. And, to tell the truth? Even after all this time, there still aren't many lefty 5 or 6 string basses...

 

[Core Creek]

I’m playing only 6’s for the last couple of years. Once I got used to the feel nothing else feels quite right.

 

[ctmullins]

4s, 5s, 8s, 10s.

Fretted, fretless.

Single scale, multiscale.

I guess that would be a big poll though.

 

[Jaco Taco]

I've got four 4's, one 5, two 6's, one 8, and one 9! Variety is the spice of life! All fun to play!

 

[mikewalker]

I have a 5 string bass Arpeggione and a six string bass Viol da Gamba, but all my electric bass guitars are 4-string. It's mostly a comfort thing, I prefer very narrow necks...

 

[Jaco Taco]

I see no advantage to alternating string counts. It doesn’t get me any more work nor does it help anything related to technique.

I highly doubt people with multiple basses with different string counts are doing it for the reasons you hypothesized.

 

[BishopHastur]

I mostly stick with 5 strings, but now and then I pull out my 8 string monster.