A good ol’ “how many strings” thread

Alun

Hey folks, thinking of picking up a bass for home recording. I actually started out as a bassist but eventually turned to guitar and eventually sold all my bass gear, but now I’m actually trying to make more of my own stuff and plugins aren’t cutting it for my low end needs. 

I always used to be a 4-string guy when I played as I used to just play pretty standard punk/rock/metal and never had the need for anything more, but I think this time I’m going to go a little further as my tastes have changed a lot from those days. 

Originally I was thinking a 5-string so as not to be too big a leap from familiarity, but I can imagine wanting to do some more chordal stuff at some point and have seen a well priced 6 string floating about, so wondered if I could get some opinions about whether this would be worth it or if I’m making things a bit too difficult? Versatility is key - at some point I’d probably want to use a bit of slap, a bit of chordal stuff, and probably mostly fairly regular finger style playing. And I only have room for one bass in my life unfortunately! 

So yeah, opinions welcome. Is slap on a 6 string a pain in the arse? How beneficial is the extra high string for chordal stuff? That kinda thing. 

Winny_Pooh

Go to a shop and try one, the feel of it under the hand will tell you alot. If you never owned and daily played a 5 then 6 is a big jump.
Chordal stuff is cool. I've been playing a 5 strung with a low D and high Bb which is lots of fun as a 6 is too wide a fingerboard for me.

stickyfiddle

Shalt thou count to four no more no less
Four shalt be the number thou shalt count
And the number of the counting shall be four
Five shalt thou not count
Nor either count thou three
Excepting that thou then proceed to four 
Six is right out

JCA2550

IMHE, 5 (low b) is plenty and not a huge change from a 4 string. 6 is great fun, but gave me too much to think about playing live and I rarely got the chance to get up high. I have got so used to the "extra" low string while singing that moving back to a 4 string takes a bit of getting used to.

CaseOfAce

Please excuse the rant but of the last 3 bass players in bands I've worked with there's been 2 common threads:

all have played 5 strings (and have barely touched the low B string during the set)
all are beyond mediocre who wouldn't know a rest stroke from a punch in the face.

It's got to the point where I actually bought a 4 string bass over the summer thinking it can't be that s*odding difficult can it... and... it isn't. I could wipe the floor with all them playing wise right now.

I don't know if there's some weird correlation between number of strings and ability on bass? is it that age old hobbyist / gear obsession thing where they'd rather spend cash and the playing doesn't interest them?

We had a bass dep earlier this year who used a 4 string.. and voila... there it is. Ability.
If I see a decent bass player in local bands - invariably using 4 strings.

And I'm sorry - but 6 string basses are up there with keytars and double necks. 

digitalkettle

CaseOfAce said:

...
And I'm sorry - but 6 string basses are up there with keytars and double necks. 

Sounds like an awesome band...what would the drummer be playing?

stickyfiddle

digitalkettle said:

CaseOfAce said:

...
And I'm sorry - but 6 string basses are up there with keytars and double necks. 

Sounds like an awesome band...what would the drummer be playing?

The drummer is the singer, no?  

Alun

CaseOfAce said:

Please excuse the rant but of the last 3 bass players in bands I've worked with there's been 2 common threads:

all have played 5 strings (and have barely touched the low B string during the set)
all are beyond mediocre who wouldn't know a rest stroke from a punch in the face.

It's got to the point where I actually bought a 4 string bass over the summer thinking it can't be that s*odding difficult can it... and... it isn't. I could wipe the floor with all them playing wise right now.

I don't know if there's some weird correlation between number of strings and ability on bass? is it that age old hobbyist / gear obsession thing where they'd rather spend cash and the playing doesn't interest them?

We had a bass dep earlier this year who used a 4 string.. and voila... there it is. Ability.
If I see a decent bass player in local bands - invariably using 4 strings.

And I'm sorry - but 6 string basses are up there with keytars and double necks. 

Rants quite welcome, all useful feedback and I would have previously agreed - never needed more than 4 with what I needed to do previously and I had pretty decent feedback from bands I played with at the time so must have done OK! So I feel I still have the basics down, if that makes sense. I think the core stuff is still in my locker, but I was never really much of a slap player or anything so outside of trying out the occasional 5-string I lack knowledge in that area. 

One factor to mention is that I have absolutely no plans to play live or with other people as a bassist - this is strictly for home/studio use. The majority of the time, I would be playing fairly understated fingerstyle stuff, but there are some ideas in my head where I can imagine wanting the kind of sounds that I've heard on tracks like this: https://youtu.be/U-o1WgmIMCA?si=RuQwfJc462GIkeWb

So yeah, I was thinking 5 originally but the link above does show the high string from the bassist's 6-string actually being used a fair bit. Still niche, but hey. 

digitalkettle

stickyfiddle said:

digitalkettle said:

CaseOfAce said:

...
And I'm sorry - but 6 string basses are up there with keytars and double necks. 

Sounds like an awesome band...what would the drummer be playing?

The drummer is the singer, no?  

...and there's two of them

Sporky

digitalkettle said:

CaseOfAce said:

...
And I'm sorry - but 6 string basses are up there with keytars and double necks. 

Sounds like an awesome band...what would the drummer be playing?

Chapman Stick, using MIDI to trigger an Alesis SR16.

Or one of these. Standing up. 

 

UnclePsychosis

Honestly, if it's 100% only for home use and studio use, then life is short - get what you want (although I strongly recommend going and playing some five and six string basses first - the necks can be a challenge...)

However, if you're playing out, I strongly recommend not having a 6 as your only bass. Rightly or wrongly people will judge you for it. They shouldn't, but they will. Especially if you're anything short of a monster player. A 5 you can just about get away with. 

One option you might want to consider is getting a five string but going "up" in range rather than down so string it E-A-D-G-C. This might be a good compromise. 

Personally I don't get on with 5 strings and I see even less need for 6. I'm just not into music that needs the extra range. 

stratman3142

For me, the issue is muting of open strings, to stop them ringing.

I'm a guitarist that occasionally plays bass and generally prefer to pluck with my fingers unless a pick sounds best for the situation. For some reason, using a pick makes my wrist ache on bass, whereas I'm fine on guitar.

I feel most comfortable on a 4 string for live playing, but I also use a 5 string bass at home, as notes lower than E are sometimes useful.

Home recording quickly exposes any issues of muting open strings, to prevent them from ringing and causing an unpleasant low rumble.

The muting of open strings (to prevent them ringing) becomes more tricky above 4 strings. I don't really get on with the floating thumb approach, and use a muting technique similar to Jaco I think (not that I'm in the same universe in terms of ability ). 

So, when I'm on the high G string, my third finger is resting on the D string and my pinky is resting on the A string to keep them quiet. Or alternatively, I do a rest stoke from the high G, so my plucking finger rapidly mutes the D.

When I got a 5 string, I had a few problems with open strings ringing, until I realised I could rest my thumb on the E string and mute the low B with the back of my thumb.

Obviously it's not a problem on the lower strings, because the higher strings are muted with the underside of the fingers on my left hand.

I don't know how people can keep 6 string basses under control (for finger plucking) regarding the muting, without resorting to a floating thumb approach.
 

ICBM

'And the Lord spake, saying, "Four shall be the Number of the Bass, and the Number of the Bass shall be Four. Four strings, four beats, and four notes. Five shalt thou not count, neither count thou Three excepting that thou then proceed to Four. Six is right out."'

- Book Of Instruments, chapter one, verse four.

fretmeister

It all depends on what you are playing.

I mostly play a 4 but I've recently finished many years in a jazz big band and having the low B was pretty much unavoidable. There's a lot of music in that genre in flat keys, including E Flat and playing stuff an octave up often ruins the low end feel of the tune, and also means the bass gets in the way of the instruments that are supposed to be in that space.

Yes, I could have changed tuning, but it was a reading gig and changing tuning is a nightmare as the muscle memory is all in the wrong place.

My main problem is that I am really picky about neck shapes / sizes. My favourite 5 string neck is the Stingray. The nut is only 44.5mm making it pretty much the narrowest 5 string nut available. It's just a shame they tend to be rather heavy. There are a few other basses with nuts just as slim but not many. I sold my Stingray 5 because of the weight.

For chugging on a note it's not an issue, but playing fast paced walking lines needs a lot of comfort, for me anyway.

My main 5 string now is actually a cheap Ibby Mezzo 5 string. It's 32 inch scale and it sounds ace and is really comfy to play. The low B sounds very good.

I've owned a few 6 strings, from a cheap Washburn MB6 through to a really stupid money Musicman Bongo 6. I found I never used the high C string, and it got in the way - but again that is entirely dependent on the tunes being played.

I wold very much like to get another Stingray 5 - if I can find one that is light enough.

Generally - I reckon most bassists could find something to do with a 5 string, but not many make any use of a 6.

OilCityPickups

https://youtu.be/Rr7XSxq_Vxg?si=Hu8bhJwLiNhb8JC2 

This is rather good as an explanation as a pros and cons thing ...

stickyfiddle

To be fair, and despite my standard Python position on 4 strings, I can see 5 being useful and acceptable for session type gigs, particularly if you're in flat keys for horns and/or downtuning for singers. 

But I don't think anything of merit has ever been achieved with 6...

blobb

All of my favourite bass players used 4 strings. If it's good enough for them .....

OilCityPickups

I have made pickups for a bunch of session bass players ... and to be fair most have had four and five strings. 

Alun

UnclePsychosis said:

Honestly, if it's 100% only for home use and studio use, then life is short - get what you want (although I strongly recommend going and playing some five and six string basses first - the necks can be a challenge...)

However, if you're playing out, I strongly recommend not having a 6 as your only bass. Rightly or wrongly people will judge you for it. They shouldn't, but they will. Especially if you're anything short of a monster player. A 5 you can just about get away with. 

One option you might want to consider is getting a five string but going "up" in range rather than down so string it E-A-D-G-C. This might be a good compromise. 

Personally I don't get on with 5 strings and I see even less need for 6. I'm just not into music that needs the extra range. 

Great suggestion there, will definitely consider that as an option! 

And thanks to everyone else for the input too, much appreciated. Leaning towards a 5-string for now but might see if there’s anything more niche near me that I can go try, out of curiosity. 

fretmeister

blobb said:

All of my favourite bass players used 4 strings. If it's good enough for them .....

I always thought that was a bit of a weird argument if those players are mostly in a single genre.

99.9% of punk players are rocking (punking?) a 4 string P bass. Definitely good enough for their needs, but is it right for someone else's needs?

In Bottesini's time all his favourite players played 3 string basses. Because that's all there was. It was Bottesini who introduced the 4 string bass and changed the game for everyone.

If he hadn't come along then the Precision bass would probably have been a 3 string too.... and still good enough for 99.9% of punk players!  

Jeremiah

If I could only have one bass, it would be a 5-string. Though I could probably do almost everything I need to these days on a 4-string tuned BEAD.