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Whats your favourite six string bass ? (and why?)

#21
6 stringers are great. But, I tend to be picky about things like weight, electronics, balance, etc. Fortunately I lucked onto one of the truly great Gibson Tobias 6’ers at a time when the Nashville instruments were extremely devalued. Being not a collector instrument, I swapped out the electronics package for first the Pope preamp, and a little more recently a set of Nordstrand Zen Blades. Being a great instrument, it had been played hard; so, Pat Wilkins kindly did a refin for me. The bass weighs a reasonable 9.4 pounds; which is pretty decent, considering it has a walnut body. The asymmetric neck profile melts in the hands. Great bass.

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#22
I have played 6ers exclusively for almost 10 years.
Started with Ibanez SRs and BTBs and moved to a Bongo and now use a warwick thumb.
Here are my thoughts on each:
Ibanez SR: best bass for the money. Not a fan of the electronics unless it has the nordstrands but preamp and pickups are an easy change. Super fast necks, not as great for slapping but still great instruments

Ibanez BTB: similar to the SR but wider spacing and thus a little easier to slap on. Otherwise another great bass for the price.

Bongo: the most controversial bass on TB. Plays great, the electronics are amazing and very versatile. You can get close to P bass tone and close to Stingray tone on one bass. But if you either love the look or hate it. Downside: the basswood body dents if you look at it wrong. If you can find the special edition version with mahogany body and roasted maple neck jump on it. The bongo is one of the best 6ers out there for under $2500.

Warwick thumb: I picked up a 94 thumb 6 to try it out because you dont see many of them in Oklahoma. Fell in love. Played amazingly well, and has the signature thumb tone. Nothing will sound like a Thumb, so if you want the signature growl, go with it. Downside: the short horn makes it awkward to reach the first 3 frets. It also will never sound like anything other than a thumb. Im a prog metal guy, so not really an issue for me.

Summary: the ibanez line are amazing basses for the price. You can also find a 6 string SR or BTB at almost any guitar center. Pick one up and play it.
The bongo is a better bass IMO but if you dont like the appearance that is a dealbreaker. Bongos are also very hard to move if you decide to sell relative to an ibanez.

Just my 50 cents based on my experience. Good luck and welcome to the DARKSIDE!
 
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#23
My advice would be to try a couple if possible.
The first 6 I played was an Ibanez 6 string SR of some kind (I don't remember the model No.) and I just could not get on with the shape of the neck at all.
I Currently only own one 6 string which is an Atelier Z Beta 6/32 which is actually a medium scale. It was my first medium scale anything and to be honest, no other 6 (that I have played) has felt as nice as this one.

(Not my picture but it is the same model and similar colour)
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#24
TheMaynorD said:
Warwick thumb: I picked up a 94 thumb 6 to try it out because you dont see many of them in Oklahoma. Fell in love. Played amazingly well, and has the signature thumb tone. Nothing will sound like a Thumb, so if you want the signature growl, go with it. Downside: the short horn makes it awkward to reach the first 3 frets. It also will never sound like anything other than a thumb. Im a prog metal guy, so not really an issue for me.
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+1 these are great

Note: I love Warwick to begin with so I'm a bit biased
 
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#25
I'm looking to purchase my first six string. I'll be following this thread closely. So far I'm leaning towards the bongo. It seems like it has everything I like: excellent sound, well balanced, under 10 pounds.
 
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#26
I've only tried a couple of sixes, and my favorite was a Gibson Tobias fretless, similar to the one posted by @bucephylus. I gravitate to more traditional passive, fretted basses, and never considered a six. So this was the polar opposite of my usual tastes. But the neck felt fantastic, and the store owner offered it to me for an insanely low price. He'd taken it to meet his quota with Gibson, and didn't think he'd ever be able to sell it. It was so good, and so far out of my comfort zone, that I actually considered buying it.
 
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#28
SleazyB said:
I'm really considering getting a six string bass and I'm pretty biased towards a Dingwall ABZ 6, but I do not know many other six string basses.
I'm eager to read about your experiences and recommendations :)
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I played 6ers exclusively for about 20 years--from about '85 to '05---loved the concept; was never satisfied with the sound, nor the typical spacing available on an affordable instrument--I finally went back to 4s, and own a couple 5s, just in case.
I don't think finding a quality instrument should be hard nowadays.
However, if you plan on going back and forth between a six and another of your basses, you may want to keep the spacing consistent; depending on which basses you're checking out, it can require altering your technique:
I finally got rid of the last of my 6ers, because it no longer felt comfortable.
 
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#29
In terms of budget 6-strings, the LTD B-206 is a very solid choice.

My absolute favorite 6er was a Guitar Factory bass I used to have. It suited me well because it had tight string spacing. Not as tight as an Ibanez Gerald Veasley, but tighter than a stock Soundgear 6. I have small hands, and was able to navigate that 6er no problem. All other 6er necks felt like runways to me, but that Guitar Factory bass's neck was fantastic.

To tell you the truth, if that Guitar Factory 6-string I had wasn't 12.5 pounds, I would have kept it. Sadly, that bass made me ache after shouldering it for less than an hour, and I'm a fit guy. I called that bass Incredible Hulk because it was such a beast, both in terms of its bruiser weight and monstrous tone. I used to hate EMG pickups, but that bass made me change my tune.

But I sold it last year (on Talkbass) in favor of a ReBop 5 (I bought on Talkbass) that's far more back/shoulder friendly at 8.7 pounds. That ReBop may not be as "good" as my old Guitar Factory, but it's the bass I want to play all the freaking time.

Anyone else here play a Guitar Factory brand bass?
 
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#39
Upthread I was kind of goofing, as I know a Fender Bass VI, or the Squier, or Schecter or Eastwood versions aren't the same as a low B sporting contrabass. Still, I've always wondered why Bass VIs never caught on more, and why Fender has only done import runs outside of some custom shop stuff over recent decades. A little bit of imagination and you can do a lot with Bass VI.
 
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#40
burpgun said:
A little bit of imagination and you can do a lot with Bass VI.
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Agreed. Though I've only had my SRC6s for a few months, they're great fun (one is going to be turned into a baritone this weekend).

burpgun said:
Upthread I was kind of goofing, as I know a Fender Bass VI, or the Squier, or Schecter or Eastwood versions aren't the same as a low B sporting contrabass.
Click to expand...
Who says a 6 must have a low B?
 
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