Why play a 6 string?

[SGD Lutherie]

I think that this may be a case of penis envy, my friends.

The man gotta keep the bassist down!

EGADS!!!!! They Clearly don't want you playing a six-er because then you'll have a bigger, more powerful tool than they will, with just the right amount of strings

Maybe he should get a 12-string! They are clearly threatened and juvenile. They have a tiny view of musical roles, and probably a even smaller view of music.

You know when I started playing bass, it was all flats on P basses, so when I would show up with a Ric with Rotosounds, and a fuzz box, geetar players would get their feather's ruffled! One guitar player told someone he would never play with me again because I could play like a guitar player! I made his look bad I guess.

I remember I played with a choir once, and the director, a Juilliard grad, got bent out of shape when I showed up with a Ric.. she wanted a "Fender bass" which was the generic term at the time. But she loved the tone through by B-15.

So it's always been this struggle for bassist to be taken seriously and not pigeonholed. It's way better now than I was 40 years ago.

You need to take the role as the bass instrument when playing music that calls for that, but as many bassist have done over the years... you also need to push that envelope tastefully. And that's why you can hear the bass on records these days.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

+1

I'll move up from four strings when I've mastered the four I already have.

You say that as if it's possible to master them. The best four-string players in the world say they still haven't.

 

[WalterBush]

You shouldn't buy a six string. You should buy a seven, and replace one of your guitarists.

I'm only halfway joking. My seven string is in the mail, delivered any time today. I won't be replacing anyone, but part of the reason I got it was to support guitarists who occasionally don't have enough fingers to replicate two guitar parts The other reason is because I want to feel more comfortable playing solo gigs.
The last reason? I wanted it, and it says Conklin somewhere on the headstock

Don't let anyone, anytime, anywhere tell you what gear to use, unless they're the ones cutting your paycheck for being their sideman. And don't let the one band you're in now limit what you may become as a bassist later.

 

[beebassdude]

lol at requesting permission from your band. that might make sense if the tone of the 6 string you wanted made the band sound worse, but as far as just the concept of a 6 string bass, theres nothing wrong with having one, or using one.

 

[dalkowski]

If you've got the money, stop jacking your stack and buy the damn bass.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

You say that as if it's possible to master them. The best four-string players in the world say they still haven't.

+1 You don't master it, you continue to learn new things. If you never play a six, you can't learn what you can do on a six.

When I got my first 5 string, I decided to play that exclusively, and I also switched from playing mainly with a pick, which I had done for the past 20 years, to my fingers. It was like learning to play all over again! I was missing strings with my right hand! I couldn't play half the stuff I normally could, but I discovered new things.

Now I can play faster with my fingers than the pick, so I only use a pick for the tone when that's needed. When I pick up a 4 string bass now it feels like a banjo! I got to play a Smith six for a short time, and didn't find it as interesting as I expected. But I'm sure after I became accustomed to it, I'd start playing new things I never played before on the 4 or 5 string basses.

 

[COOL AND DEADLY]

I'm gassin for a 6r too. Jimmy Haslip, Anthony Jackson, Steve Bailey, Gerald Veasley (on an Ibanez), Mike Pope, many, many more.

 

[bassteban]

Back on topic/to answer the OP, I play a 6 for the same reason I sometimes play a 4, 5 or DB- and perhaps keys one of these days: Because IMO, music needs bass. I don't think the majority of listeners notice or care how many strings(if any)the bass has.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

There are a couple thoughts on the matter.

First off, it's your instrument and money, buy it if you want. Your band has absolutely no say in the matter. If you want to buy a guitar, theremin, and flute, you go right ahead and buy them.

The things you'll have to consider when playing with the band are your technique, the bass' tone, and the image. If your technique suffers and you get sloppy, you probably shouldn't play it in the band setting until it's cleaned up. If your bass is a tone-suck that just muds up the entire band's sound, you shouldn't play it in the band setting. If your band has a very specific image to adhere to (half of a performance is the image, afterall), you probably should respect it or find a new band that doesn't have an image.

Although I don't use the c-string as much as I'd like to, I prefer the feel of a 6-string bass. I like narrower spacing and wide, thin necks. Those are arguments you can make that they have no rebuttal for as it's all personal preference.

Balance issues....bogus. You just have to try different basses out to find one that balances well. True, some are poopty, but any bass worth its weight won't have these problems.

Famous band member 6-string bassists that come to mind:
Les Claypool
Tye Zamora
Anthony Jackson
John Myung
Jojo Garza

 

[john turner]

4 strings were enough for jaco.

 

[PRUNEFACE]

4 strings were enough for jaco.

And that's coming from the King of Extended Range

 

[john turner]

shh, i'm trying to pot-stir. i know, i should be ashamed of myself .

 

[MNAirHead]

I own one .. play it about 5% of the time.. some material has good tasteful chords.. tough to pull off without the high string.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

4 strings were enough for jaco.

Except when he played piano.

Also, it was enough for him at the time. He was starting to change his gear up, so who knows where he would have been these days.

It's all about what you need to express yourself... even if it's just one string.

It's all good!

 

[RSJ4STRING]

How about you buy and play the instrument that you want to play. I value the opinion of bandmates in general... but none will ever dictate what I play or don't play.

AMEN!!

I know slash played six string bass on appetite for destruction... Really? Did not know that. Which songs?

 

[fleabee]

Buy the bass and get a new band-dont limit yourself

 

[Ed Goode]

shh, i'm trying to pot-stir. i know, i should be ashamed of myself .

I believe that in legal circles that's what is known as "entrapment" .....

 

[Bassman316]

I can't believe that they think they have the authority or ground to say "no, you're NOT going to buy/play a six string". I'm sure you haven't said "no, you're NOT going to play a Fender Stratocaster". They're not going to be playing it; you are. Grrrrr.... what nerve! I have a sixer and I love it. Get that six string, and rock it. I think some people hold this image in their minds that six string players just can't be pocket bass players, that just because they have two extra strings, all he/she will be doing is trying to rip solos all the time. The best example I can think of is a thread I read a while back about how Lenny Kravitz was holding auditions for a bass player, and that pretty much anyone with more than a four-string bass was sent home without even auditioning. Six stringers can groove just as hard in the pocket as anyone else. Sorry about the rant....... Arghh......

Oh.... and +1 to showing up with a 7 stringer!

 

[cnltb]

4 strings were enough for jaco.

So What...
You are not accountable to your band mates as to how many strings your instrument has.
Play the instrument that YOU want .
Why should you care about what tom dick and harry play, played or think you should play.

It's YOUR call. No?

 

[Korladis]

My friends' band's bassist uses a six string. When I subbed in for him, one of their songs I found very difficult to play on my 4-banger. Specifically because of this harmonized run at the end that on his six string could be played all in one position, but required a huge leap on my bass.

While still not my thing, six strings are versatile instruments that give some options that can be very cool.

But unless they're paying you a lot of money, you shouldn't let your band tell you what instrument to play. Just get it.