I wanna buy a 6 string as I play the bass like a solo player a la Seth Horan n Nathan Hughes, while singing. I use my slap n tap chops and chordal knowledge. I wonder why even when it is set up this EADGCF tuning's low E sounds too dark almost like a B. Is it because of the pre-arranged length of the fingerboard is measured for a low B? The E string I put on the 5er or 6er never sounds like the E string on a 4 string bass. Do u think : i shouldnt have this problem IF the set up is made correctly OR is it impossible to get rid of this problem as they make the length for the LOW B...
It's tough to say why the E string sounds "darker" like a B string to you, but here are a couple of possibilities. 1) The scale lengths of the 5 and 6 string basses you've been playing have been longer than those of the 4 strings you've played (scale length will definitely affect the tone of a bass). It is likely that the 5 and 6 string basses have been 35" scale and the 4 strings have been 34" scale. You can find the scale length of a bass by measuring from fretboard-face of the nut to the center of the 12th fret and then doubling the number you get (you'd get 17" for a 34" scale instrument). 2) Have you been using a low B string (~.130" gauge) on the 5 and 6 string basses and tuned them up to an E or have you been using an E string (~.105" gauge)? You can definitely find 5 and 6 string basses out there that are 34" scale and not 35" scale...assuming that you are using an E string and not a B string to tune EADGCF, you might want to get your hands on a 34" 6 string, string it up with an E string in place of the B string and see how it sounds. The setup of the bass probably won't affect the tone as much as the string gauges or the scale length.
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