Six string stigma?

[spade2you]

While musicians like to present themselves as highly creative people, they can be alarmingly close minded. Just like all generalized statements, that's not 100% the case: some musicians will actually care more about what you bring to the group creatively than the tools you use to get there. Those musicians are much more fun to work with.

My 6 quickly became my main, while I bring a 5 for backup. I can play longer if I'm not pumping the neck like a shotgun. Also, playing in t 3 piece, I have more room in the mix. Sometimes I get really froggy and put a capo on a 6 string! It's not a common practice, but it lets me ride a root and play chords without having an 11 inch long sixth finger surgically attached to my fretting hand.

Any musicians giving you grief over your gear aren't the kind you want to play with unless they're willing to buy you the gear they want you to play.

Basically this. I caught flack from some bands and let it bother me. Most of them never got a band together or got past the basement. Seems that "band" leaders like to create this fantasy of creating their own club since they're probably never going to hire or fire people in their day job position.

 

[Les Fret]

The stigma that a lot 6 strings carry is that not only do they have 6 strings, they're almost always coffee table basses, hippie sandwiches, or whatever you want to call them. Those basses are definitely out of style right now.

Curious what people consider a coffee table bass here?

 

[Gothic]

Curious what people consider a coffee table bass here?

I assume an exotic wood top or something. That said, I'd love a walnut burl coffee table but I'd be too tempted to turn it into a bass.

 

[Kro]

Curious what people consider a coffee table bass here?

In all honesty, I don't hear that phrase tossed around all that much - and when it is, I don't think it really has any negative connotation. At least not anymore. First thing that comes to my mind when I hear that phrase are Alembic style basses and the like, but I think that any bass with natural wood finishing - especially with dark wood or dark stained, qualifies.

Let's face it, it's a silly label.

 

[matante]

In all honesty, I don't hear that phrase tossed around all that much - and when it is, I don't think it really has any negative connotation. At least not anymore. First thing that comes to my mind when I hear that phrase are Alembic style basses and the like, but I think that any bass with natural wood finishing - especially with dark wood or dark stained, qualifies.
View attachment 3595595
Let's face it, it's a silly label.

The way I meant it is that the majority of basses out there, especially in popular music, are overwhelmingly Fenders and Fender clones, and withothers with solid colors, like Ricks. The so-called "hippie sandwiches" have been out of style for some time. That's not a negative thing.

 

[caasi91]

I'm always surprised people would actually give you crap for not carrying a Fender or something that cookie cutter or "iSnt tHaT jUsT a guItAR?" is one Ive heard.

I usually just say "Ok, boomer" and move on. Jk

I'm guessing it's mostly those who tend to stick to just one genre.

 

[Kro]

I'm always surprised people would actually give you crap for not carrying a Fender or something that cookie cutter or "iSnt tHaT jUsT a guItAR?"

I've never experienced nor seen this happen to anybody else.

 

[caasi91]

I've never experienced nor seen this happen to anybody else.

I've personally never been told "where's your fender?"

But I've had comments where they think you may as well play guitar if it's a 6 stringer.

 

[kazamamaster]

I'm not sure there's a stigma against it as it is a preference for it depending on what I personally am doing. I played in a band where they loathed when I would show up with my fender marcus miller 4 in hand. My main is a TRBJP2 which I refused to play in dive bars. Go figure.

 

[rollie 55]

Curious what people consider a coffee table bass here?

a coffee table bass

 

[Topkat13]

I think a lot of those weird looks you refer to are by people who can't play one.

 

[Les Fret]

In all honesty, I don't hear that phrase tossed around all that much - and when it is, I don't think it really has any negative connotation. At least not anymore. First thing that comes to my mind when I hear that phrase are Alembic style basses and the like, but I think that any bass with natural wood finishing - especially with dark wood or dark stained, qualifies.
View attachment 3595595
Let's face it, it's a silly label.

That's a coffee table that I want own.

 

[Bob_Ross]

- People who hire me because they specifically want me mostly don't care what instrument I bring, and in fact are probably expecting me to bring the 6-string.
- People who hire me because they want a bass player sometimes do care what instrument I bring, and I usually oblige them -- and/or avoid any potential stigma -- by bringing a more pedestrian, anonymous instrument. Or at least whipping that one out first, until it becomes clear that the situation warrants whipping out a 6-string.

It's been decades since I directly encountered any of this "anti 6" stigma but I know exactly what OP is talking about.

 

[Les Fret]

- People who hire me because they specifically want me mostly don't care what instrument I bring, and in fact are probably expecting me to bring the 6-string.
- People who hire me because they want a bass player sometimes do care what instrument I bring, and I usually oblige them -- and/or avoid any potential stigma -- by bringing a more pedestrian, anonymous instrument. Or at least whipping that one out first, until it becomes clear that the situation warrants whipping out a 6-string.

I agree completely. When I do my own music I bring my 6 string and my fretless or whatever. But when doing a cover job or singer-songwriter or blues or Indie rock stuff I will bring my 4. It has to be appropriate for the job. You don't wear a tuxedo when doing construction work.

 

[dkelley]

I love a coffee table bass as much as anyone, believe me, but it's an objective fact that they're out of style. (Actually, I'm not sure they've ever really been in style.)

I haven't found that, personally, over the past couple years. They have been becoming much more popular with musicians I spend time with.

painted, glossy, solid color basses are looking a little outdates by comparison, I find, and burst finishes never go out of style.

Different circles, maybe?

 

[rtav]

I only play 6 string basses, but I also only play prog rock and prog metal, so between the 6 strings and bass pedals I don't get a second look.

 

[Afc70]

I haven't gotten any negative comments on my 6- a Yamaha TrbJP2, that I bought back in the summer. (I mainly play 5's, but couldn't resist the Patitucci Yamaha)
Most of the remarks have been compliments on how great it sounds & how nice it looks. Op, I say get that 6'er, the Yamaha Trb's are killer & sit so well in a mix, they really cut through.
Edit:
Johnny lee long speaks highly of the Yamaha Trb 6 !

 

[bearfoot]

beautifully funky, and short scale!

Brice HXB-406 3/4 AN Purple Flame Short Scale Bass

 

[A9X]

I've been fortunate with my experiences so far. If my wife was still alive, she'd not care if I played a 6, so long as I played well and appropriately (she was the real muso and bandleader), but I never got one before she went home.
My only gigs for the foreseeable future are with a couple of girls I know who play predominantly acoustic guitar and are strummers. This leaves a big space to play more melodic/chordal lines instead of more traditional bass parts to underpin, support and fill out the sound, so my sixes, Ibanez SR706 and SRC6 should cover that nicely. Neither are gear snobs. The SRC is also great for noodling along at home solo. Neither is flashy either; the 706 has a flame maple top but the black stain means it's hard too see. First row of an audience wouldn't know.

I think if I turned up to an audition and was told no because of the 706, I think I'd simply tell them to foxtrot oscar.

Gratuitous shots;

 

[SiliconElle]

I think it varies by style. When I was in a youth jazz band in high school, the director was old and very much a purist. I didn't play a 6-string at the time, but he did negatively comment on my 5-string a couple of times. I think the fact that I played upright most of the time kind of kept him from really going off on me though.

He really went off on a guitar player that once brought a 7-string guitar though. He spent at least like 5 minutes ranting about it mid-rehearsal, and iirc he wouldn't let him that day.