Ok, ok, I know this topic has been beaten to death, but I'm hoping to put a slightly different spin on it. Yes, the poll is asking how many strings you'd prefer. I'm curious as to what you would choose if you were forced to choose only one, not because you need it for a certain project/band/etc., but what would be your personal preference, solely for your own enjoyment? Why? What is it about the other options that isn't doing it for you? Not listed in the poll, but fretted or fretless is also in play. Thanks!
I started on 4-string, moved the 5-string, and later moved to 6-string. During my professional career I switched between fretted bass guitar, upright bass, and electric upright bass. The 6-string has been my #1 BG since around 1995.
My collection includes about 9 bass guitars, but only one is a 6-string. I rarely take the 4s and 5s out of their cases. Here is something you may not be considering. To cover a lot of range on a 4-string, you have to play up and down the neck. To cover the same range on a 6-string, you typically play across the strings. So if you play 6-string exclusively it tends to change the way you navigate the fretboard. Part of the reason I don't like to play my 4s and 5s more is because it degrades my proficiency on the 6. Rather than playing fast technical lines automatically, I have a split second of indecision where I don't really know what I am going to do.
Also, I when I first started playing 5-string it degraded my playing, and the same thing happened when I transitoned from 5-string to 6-string. I would say it takes a couple of months to get reasonably comfortable, and a year or two to bring the level of your playing back to where it was before the transition. If you switch back and forth between the 4-string and an extended range instrument, it will make the transition even longer. IMHO it's generally better to start on whichever instrument you want to master, rather than going through this sort of transition transitions. Also, if you decide to make a transition, I recommend that you play the extended range instrument exclusively until you have sufficiently mastered it.
FYI, It took me at least a decade before I really started to feel like a naturalized 6-string player. Before that I felt more like 4-string player with a few extra strings. At this point, I could easily switch to a 4-string or 5-string, but I only do it when there was a really good reason...and so far there has not really been a good enough reason.
My personal feeling is there are various advantages and disadvantages to 4-string VS 5-string VS 6-string. I value the advantages provided by a 6-string, and the disadvantages have rarely been a factor. Whether I need to the C or B string for a given song is generally not a factor. A valid reason might be if I want to a different tone that my 6 cannot produce, or if the music uses patterns that I can't play cleanly on my 6.
What I use is really of no relevance to you. Make up your own mind regarding which instrument is best suited to your needs. Because of this recommendation, I voted carrots.
