What happened to 6 strings?

[peoriashows]

Is it just me, or are 6 strings basses 'out?' I've been around here for years as a registered user and lurker, and haven't seen much talk in the forum about them for the last year or so. I don't see them in the classifieds either. Did everyone decide in secret to stop playing and talking about them? Or is this just confirmation bias?

I used to have one, then moved on to passive Precisions. Don't see many of those with six strings. Nothing against you guys who play and love them, just wondering if others have noticed.

I just bought my 4th six string bass, a KSD J bass knockoff. It's awesome. I started on a 4 string bass like pretty much all bassists. Then I bought a Fender 5-string Jazz bass. I still have my 4 & 5 string basses. They've been great for experimenting and prototyping mods for my preferred basses. They also are (and always will be) the only 4 & 5 string basses I will ever own.

I know it's a total cliche, but since I got out of that world & opened myself to a wider range of creativity, it's hard to go back. It's kinda like moving out of your parent's house.

Hope that helps.

...by the way, Jaco is my favorite bass player of all time and he owned a 4 string bass because, at that time, six string basses were in their infancy. Anyone who has no better reason not to play an instrument other than his hero didn't play it, is limiting his abilities severely.

 

[Skywalker83]

I recently got my first 6 string, a custom made one. I've been playing a 5 string for years and thought that if i was getting my first custom bass i would go 6 string.

The 6 string suits me perfectly because i play in alot of different band set ups and styles i have everything i could need in one bass that looks and sounds killer and i'm enjoying having to only transport one bass around rather that 2 fives, one strung E-C and the other B-G.

I'm still not 100% comfortable with the, but its getting there. My main problem is having to come up with an altered slap technique due to the pickup layout and the bass having a ramp which i keep on 99% of the time.

I think for me getting the 6 was the logical step to take, Im not a full time gigging musician but i am a very active one and recently i've had to do alot of travelling around, so i wanted a "tool" (as bassists its essentially what our basses are) that could do all i needed in one package.So i'm very glad i chose to go for a 6, because i have a very flexible tool that can meet any playing situation i encounter. Sure i still keep a backup 4 banger around but everyday i go for the 6 string first.

I think if you're going to go for a 6 or even a 5 string if you're coming from a 4 string playing point of view, you will know when i why its time for you too look into going for a 6, if its just GAS driven its probably not needed.....

 

[jtb]

...but YOU aren't Jaco.

... but two extra strings won't turn you into him either.

 

[t0t0m]

IMO 6 string is too much...
5 strings fits me best, I sure most of other players also.

 

[emjazz]

The 6 string bass will never be the standard. The nature of the bass's function, especially in popular music, dictates that it's roll first and most important role is to create the root of the chord, rhythm, and to outline the chords when given more freedom of expression. The first two are the most important. You don't even need 4 strings to do that. You could play one note for each chord and change the rhythm to create a very interesting bass line that properly gives the song forward movement throughout. I've been playing with this myself lately with very positive results.

The 6 string bass guitar allows a greater range of note options that, in the right hands, can add a great deal of new textures and excitement (excitement, for example, as in starting a bass line higher up on the bass and ending low on the B string ala Anthony Jackson. Can you do this with a 4 string? Yes, but the effect will be greater with more range.). With more range from the instrument comes more responsibility. We are still bass players first and foremost and are required to play that role. However, someone with a creative, curious mind, and with some patience, will be rewarded with a larger canvas to paint on. One must hear that range to use it though. Mark Sandman heard a bass with two strings and a slide and so that was his instrument, and noone will ever play a bass like he did.

So, what I'm really saying is, what do you hear? When you imagine yourself playing bass on your best day, what does it sound like? I think that most people hear the traditional role, sound and range of the traditional Fender bass. That's a great thing. That will most likely always be the norm as that is where popular music continues to go back to as it's what we're used to hearing and it's seen as the more accessible instrument to play. However, the electric bass is really a very new instrument still. There's no telling what will happen in the next thirty, forty or fifty years. For those of us that hear a greater range from the bass, for those of us who are looking to use that range in new ways with this still very new instrument, it's nice to know that with the original vision of Anthony Jackson we now have the vehicle to experiment with.

To hear a couple of my favorite 6 string players be sure to check out Skuli Sverrisson and Daniele Camarda.

 

[Roy Vogt]

I think they've just become an accepted choice (along with 5 strings) and not the big deal they once were. I still play six strings for about 80% of my Electric Bass gigs. I do notice more 4s in my students' hands-so I think there's a definite resurgence of those.

 

[emjazz]

I think they've just become an accepted choice (along with 5 strings) and not the big deal they once were. I still play six strings for about 80% of my Electric Bass gigs. I do notice more 4s in my students' hands-so I think there's a definite resurgence of those.

Roy, has the 6 become more accepted within a recording context by now or are you still pretty much required to show up with a known entity like a Fender 4 or the equivalent? Is the 6 more accepted in a live environment than it used to be?

 

[Steelers Fan]

I'm in a 4-piece family gospel band. Since we play only original songs where I compose the bass lines, I have a tendency to be creative on my 6 string. I try to use but not overuse the B and the C strings. Does make it sort of difficult to play them on a 4 or 5 though. But when I do, it helps me with my range on the neck.

 

[chump stain]

I sold my Peavey Grind 6 string, and bought a Geddy Lee Jazz.

The 6 was great, I put in active EMGs, and it sounded and played great. I really liked the ergonomics. I often told people I didn't buy a 6 because I think I'm so good, I got it because I'm lazy. I like being able to play across the neck. And the 6 was great in situations where you're reading off of sheet music or a chart. I used it a lot at church. I found myself running out of real estate (unless I made a posistion change) on the 5 string. That's when I got GAS for a 6. Chords are fun too on a 6.

I play mostly rock gigs now, so the Geddy is perfect. I tune it at least 1 whole step flat (DGCF). So I still have the low D.

I was really into exotic woods, and customs for a while. It's nice to just have a Fender Jazz. It just fits right in almost every situation. I still have 3 other basses that see the light of day once and a while. Like my custom 5 string. But the Geddy is my main axe these days.

 

[Roy Vogt]

Roy, has the 6 become more accepted within a recording context by now or are you still pretty much required to show up with a known entity like a Fender 4 or the equivalent? Is the 6 more accepted in a live environment than it used to be?

I really don't feel much of a pressure to do so after 30 years in Nashville. However, I will advise a Newbie player here to have one "Nashville-approved" bass in their instrument rack (Fender, Music Man, Lakland, Sadowsky etc.). Some producers, Artists, bandleaders, recording engineers, etc. still "listen with their eyes". It's actually easier to just change basses than it is to spend 5 minutes explaining how you can get that sound with your bass.
In Nashville it seems that as long as something isn't wrong with your sound people don't spend a whole lot of time worrying about what you're playing anymore. That said, it's smart to bring some options and be aware of what Fashion says is hot at the moment.
Right now, it's incredibly fashionable to bring an old, funky bass or a hollow body with flats that you can play with a pick, particularly on Americana stuff. I have a '72 Mustang with 17 year old flats for just such an occasion. YMMV
In a live environment, I don't feel any pressure as to what bass to use as long as it sounds good. However, when I played a Waylon Jennings tribute show a Fender just seemed to make sense, so I played a Jazz Bass with a pick. You just have to think about it for a minute and you'll find what works.

 

[younggun]

... but two extra strings won't turn you into him either.

Yeah, I'd need two extra fingers in my case. heheh

 

[Addison]

For the life of me, I couldn't think of a good reason to get a 6'er... I was perfectly content playing my 5-string Laklands... I rarely ever touched my 4-string basses anymore.

I was just fine.

I mean... I never considered myself a guy who plays a lot of chords... I don't really solo a lot... I typically like to stay down around the bottom where I belong.

I was comfortable... there was no reason to change.

And then it hit me...

Those are all the reasons why I SHOULD buy a 6-string.

Taking yourself out of your comfot zone is when you really begin to develop as a player... it's those types of challenges that can take you out of a significant rut, and make you shine in areas you didn't even know you had.

So, yeah... I bought a 6'er and haven't looked back since. There's nary a night that goes by when that thing isn't played... and it's almost the ONLY bass I ever even play anymore.

 

[peoriashows]

... but two extra strings won't turn you into him either.

Jaco also didn't need frets, but he still used them sometimes. ha!

 

[Fuzzbass]

Personally I love 5-strings, but just never have the need for higher.

+1

Also, five is "just right" for my hands. I don't want to deal with the narrower string spacing or wider fretboard of a 6.

Finally, I've never heard a high C string I've liked, and I've played top-of-the-line sixers: Pedulla, MTD, Fodera, Elrick, etc etc.

All that said, who cares about the latest fads and trends? If you wanna play 6 then go for it!

 

[peoriashows]

I have a guitar playing friend who doesn't like Stanley Clarke because he "doesn't play bass on his bass." His words, not mine. I love Stanley Clarke's stuff and tip my hat to him for his creativity and not limiting himself to the E, A & D strings on the first 7 frets.

 

[billy ayers]

it's unfathomable that, once the 6 was developed fully as a production instrument, it didn't replace the 4 outright as the next step in the instrument's evolution. having the range for ALL types of music, not just the types described as 4 string-centric, is a blessing. it would be like telling piano makers to lop off that top 2 octaves because funk-comping only needs a greasy low-c octave. also, jaco died in '87, with his most important playing/composing period a few years earlier. that period was before the full development of the 6, so who of us can say whether he would've embraced it or not.. there was an interview in bass player that describes jaco really digging sting's 5-string during a backstage hang once.. so, who knows? we can only imagine what he would've accomplished on a 6 if it was available in his time, given what he did with a 4.

 

[jasonmasters]

my main bass is a 6 and I know i'll never not have one in my arsenal. I just got a 4 string fretless, but i would have preferred a 6, i just couldn't afford it =p

 

[chump stain]

I think there's room in music for all kinds of instruments. There has to be, or what's the point? I don't understand these people who say "so and so never played that". So and so decided to create their art with the instrument that they choose. So should you. Choose the bass that works for YOU.

 

[thehangingmist]

i tried a few of those harps and felt like ........ i was playing a HARP!
i just never feel the need for a 6er really though, 5ers i do feel the need although i dont have one yet but i cans see the point. maybe 6ers will be handy when i can play better or something heh

 

[Bassflute]

With all the major makers making them now, including Ibanez and others sub $800.00, I see more of them around than ever. And even died in the wool 4 string guys are switching to 5/6's because of it.

3 of my young high school students have bought them in the last year - that was unheard of a while back. And lots more are considering making the switch.

Cheers,
Cameron

Is it just me, or are 6 strings basses 'out?' I've been around here for years as a registered user and lurker, and haven't seen much talk in the forum about them for the last year or so. I don't see them in the classifieds either. Did everyone decide in secret to stop playing and talking about them? Or is this just confirmation bias?

I used to have one, then moved on to passive Precisions. Don't see many of those with six strings. Nothing against you guys who play and love them, just wondering if others have noticed.