Bass Players - Four, Five, or Six string and why??

Question

Alrighty, so I started jammin or a 4 string. Figured it would be easier to add more strings later once I got that hang of it. After a while I bought a five string and have loved that things. The low notes make the groove when I need it to. But I want to see some other opinions out there. Let me know what your weapon of choice is.

Answer 1

I've been playing electric bass for 12 years now, started with a Fender Jazzmaster 4-string but always wanted a 6-string after I discovered Primus. I finally picked one up in March of this year, a cheap one-off model from EBay in case I didn't like it, and I LOVE the thing! Amazing extra range, three-octave scales in the same position, and it just looks cool. I wouldn't give up my 4-string, but I find myself playing the 6 on most gigs.

Answer 2

The benefit is having greater of a variety a Bass guitar is the decrease 4 strings of a guitar so once you have a 5 string bass you have E A D G and likewise B I even have in no way heard of a 6 string bass or a 12 string bass yet i'm beneficial it quite is the comparable crucial in consequence nonetheless a 6 or 12 "bass" as you call it may maximum in all probability be stated as a guitar additionally i'm beneficial a bass of any style could desire to bypass under a piano

Answer 3

Well I play mostly guitar but I started out with bass. I would have to choose 4 string bass because it's already hard enough the neck is so much longer than the guitar neck, and since there are only 4 string the strings are further apart making it harder to make an error. The strings are thicker than guitar too, so you can also get a lot of blisters playing with your fingers.

I think four string bass guitar and six string electric guitar are just about as hard to play, it's just that bass lines are typically not that complicated. You have to be a real bass hero to play 5 or 6 string, trust me.

Answer 4

To be honest, I prefer the four string. The five and six strings are just unweildy for me. But if you like it and feel comfortable with it, the only thing stopping you is your budget. I personally would rather hear a 4 in the hands of a great player than a 5 or 6 in the hands of a hack, so it's really what you bring to the bass that matters, more than the bass itself.

Answer 5

Why not get more strings if you can afford it. You'll have a more versitile instrument that way. Though if you're just starting out I think you should stick with a 4 string and learn the basics first. Besides you might not end up sticking with the bass and you might be stuck with an expensive 5 or 6 string.

Answer 6

A Four String is sufficent anyone wanting to thump on the bass. No need for five strings a four string can be tuned to a five and six is just too much.

Answer 7

My bass player played a 4 string, tried the 5 string, and went back to the 4 string. He plays guitar too so it wasn't a matter of difficulty, but he likes the 4 string better for his style of crazy melodic bass...

Answer 8

My daughter wants a five-string bass because she says that extra string gives you more variety in what you can play. However, a six-string has too wide a neck for most people to be able to play comfortably so that's probably the main reason it hasn't gained a lot of use in popular music. The only people I can recall seeing playing one were the bassist for Alien Ant Farm and the bass player in Ricky Martin's band.

Answer 9

Well I play a four string, mainly because I have such small hands and I can't even play a six string.

My favorite guitars are rickenbacker (it has such a great sound and feel), the Ibanez sound gear, and I have my washburn that is kinda my everyday bass.