6 strings

[jude_b]

Hello,

I'm thinking about going for a 6-string bass some time later in the year. I was hoping that some of you who already play 6-string basses could give me the benefit of your experience:

- Do you find that you use your 6-string as a working instrument, or does it tend to be a bit of an ornament? I realise 6-string playing is more associated with some types of music rather than others, and, of course, it depends on the player. However, I'm interested in the practical experience of others.

- Does anyone use a guitar-type tuning with a low-B [i.e. B-E-A-D-F#-B] or even an E-A-D-G-B-E tuning with two 'high' strings?

- Any key considerations about what to look out for when buying? I'm going to try to find somewhere that has a range of 6'ers before buying, but would be interested to see if there is any kind of consensus about the best string spacing, neck width etc etc.

This likely to be a while off, however, any insights would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[velvetkevorkian]

Almost- I play a 7 (it's one louder!) which I tune like a 7 string guitar (BEADGBE) an octave down, but I think I can comment on your questions. The guitar style tuning makes chording easier, it means if you have any guitar knowledge it transfers over fairly easily and it lets you take advantage of a lot of instructional material. If you don't play guitar switching to a non-uniform system is a bit of a wierd trip though. Also a bit of a head f*** if you read music, as a lot of your interval shapes don't work anymore. It does mean you can play a lot more in one position though.

I've not been gigging much since I got it but I take it out as much as I can. It's a substantially higher quality instrument than my other basses so even if I'm not going to exploit the full range, the sound and playability justify it most of the time.

As far as adjusting to it goes, I had little trouble, but I have absolutely no problems going from 4 to 5 either (never played 6). A lot of people seem to have issues with this- YMMV.

The last thing I'd say is try and play it with a strap- my 7 is brutally heavy, and gets quite tiring to play for extended periods.
Hope that helps,
Cheers.
K

Edited February 27, 2010 by velvetkevorkian

[bubinga5]

In my limited experience..

Do you need a ERB in the music you are playing..i see you play a Jazz in your avatar

Do you mind the extra weight that some bring...my TRB was heavy for more than an hour of playing...

as i said, I had a Yamahs TRB6, and it was awsome...but for me at the time, was too many strings...i just didnt need the high C...how much range do you need for the music your playing...do you solo alot...not that a 6, 7, 8 should be seen as just that..wonderfull groovin goes on with an ERB...

i like to think of a ERB as a bass for everything..groove, chord's, solo,..for those who feel comfortable usin em,... mostly because of the nature of making such a beast..and arent that cheap..are amazing sounding instruments, with way more sonic range than my Jazz.....wish i still had my TRB...incredible instrument for how much i paid for it..

would really like to try one again though..and i would prob look at Yamaha or Conklin


Would love a Low End 6 Jazz...or a F Bass BN6..or the rest of these wonders of the 6 string world...that KS has got to sound incredible!!!

Edited February 27, 2010 by bubinga5

[velvetkevorkian]

See, for me, I just like the [i]potential[/i] that the extra range gives me. In my main band I don't get a lot of opportunity to use it because with a busy drummer, two guitarists and a heavy handed keys player there's just no room, but I'd rather have the extra notes and not use them than want them and not have them. The only downside to playing the 7 IME is the weight, and that's not a huge problem for me. You don't lose anything by adding more strings.

Edited February 27, 2010 by velvetkevorkian

[Doddy]

I've been playing a 6 string for a few years and have never found a problem with
the weight-My Tobias isn't too bad and the Ibanez is a bit heavier,but not a problem.
I don't really get the point of stringing it like a guitar-I've never found it a problem
to play chordally in standard tuning,but then again I try not to approach chords as
shapes like most guitar players do.
I've used the 6 in all sorts of situations,from Jazz to Rock to theatre shows.It's
perfectly usably in any situation,and it has the advantage of being able to play in position
longer as you have a greater range under your fingers. Once you get used to the middle
strings being the 'regular' bass, things become pretty simple. Just because there are two
extra string doesn't mean you have to use them.I've done gigs where I never even played
a note on the B and C strings.

[ThomBassmonkey]

I play a BTB406 and it did take a bit of getting used to.

I find that it depends on what kind of music I play whether the extra strings are worth it. When I'm playing more spaced proggy stuff, there's room for me to intrude on the guitarist's territory and play some high parts or harmonies.

To be honest now, I'm getting a bit fed up of having the extra string there though. Even after you're used to it, it does limit movement (especially if you have it slung low) and I think next time I upgrade, I'll get a 5er, just because I don't tend to use my C string much.

BTW, IMO tuning a bass like a guitar is daft. The massive majority of bass styles revolve around single strings, if you want to do chords, there's more than enough variations without making everything else harder for yourself.

[velvetkevorkian]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='758799' date='Feb 27 2010, 02:10 AM']BTW, IMO tuning a bass like a guitar is daft. The massive majority of bass styles revolve around single strings, if you want to do chords, there's more than enough variations without making everything else harder for yourself.[/quote]
Makes it nice and easy to double guitar lines. Not everyone's priority, but I like competing with my shreddy guitarists.

Also, having a 7 string guitar and a 7 string bass in the same tuning gives me a curious sense of instrument zen- my mind is symmetrical and harmonious. Unlike my music

[Doddy]

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='758802' date='Feb 27 2010, 02:18 AM']Makes it nice and easy to double guitar lines. Not everyone's priority, but I like competing with my shreddy guitarists.[/quote]

I've never had a problem doubling guitars on a standard tuned 6. I've even learnt full guitar
solos on it.

[endorka]

I used a six string exclusively for a decade, until I started playing double bass, after which the four string thing suddenly seemed to make more sense. I now have four, five and six string basses, and if the music does not require the extra strings, I'll use the four.

The reason? While there are some benefits to basses with extra strings, there are also some costs;

1) They are trickier to play. Sure, it can be overcome with practice, but you'll need to do more practice. Also, there are some techniques such as slapping, that are *always* easier on a four string. Sure you can slap on a six, but when you get back to the four, it just seems so simple in comparison.

2) As others have mentioned, weight. This doesn't bother me, but it bothers some. There is also the issue of neck dive, which ERBs are more prone to. This can be reduced with good instrument design, a decent strap, lightweight tuners, but caveat emptor.

3) The big deal for me is that when you add an extra string, a design decision has to be made, and that is: should the strings be closer together, or should the neck be wider. When you get onto 6 strings, this becomes very significant; there are basses out there with very narrow string spacing, which can have problems - see point 1) re: slapping. I am also not convinced that narrow string spacing is great for playing rock or similar, when you really want to go for it. My preference for string spacing is that of a standard P-bass, but if you were to apply this to a 6-string it would end up with a very wide neck, which affects playability.

I'm certainly not against ERBs, but some other points from my experience spring to mind;

- The low B is useless for jazz. The high C is great for jazz soloing, but a double bass is better.
- The low B can be useful, but I don't really need it that often. A Hipshot D-tuner covers a lot of these cases anyway.
- A lot of people think they want the low notes on the B-string, but only because they don't realise how low they really are due to poor amplification that does not reproduce the fundamental frequencies of bass instruments properly. A truly amplified E string is a thunderous thing.
- There are orchestration rules that apply to the use of very low notes, and the circumstances that indicate their use occur rarely. If you don't adhere to these rules you run the risk of your bassline becoming "detached" from the rest of the song.

While I can and do use extended range basses, I just find the simplicity and elegance of the four string more appealing :-)

Jennifer

[bubinga5]

The bottom line is..do you need it//do you enjoy playing a 6/7...i really enjoyed my old TRB..sonically it was amazing....did i need it...No..

Would i get another 6 yeah...to be honest i loved the Yamaha, was maybe more than i needed, and was heavy, but why not have that range..it sounded awsome with so much punch and grind...you dont have to use the 2 extra...no more flying down the FB

[Stingray5]

I do love playing my Tune 6-string (see my sig pic) though I guess it gets the most use when I'm doing my Prog stuff.
I do take it occasionally on regular covers/function gigs, but it's probably fair to say I'll mainly use a 4 and 5 for those.
At the end of the day, you really need to try out for yourself as many as you can to get the feel for what's right for you.

[JonnyB]

I've had a Tobias Toby Pro 6er since November - the sound is fantastic, exactly what I wanted (such a range of tones!) but I still keep hitting the wrong string all the time...loads of unintentional dead notes... in inappropriate places.. so much so I'm thinking 6 isn't for me, and am considering selling it, then looking for a Tobias 4 string.

[jude_b]

Thanks for the comments so far, which, as usual, are really helpful.

To be completely honest, I personally wouldn't expect to need the additional range too often in a typical group situation - although I can see the possibilities the C string gives for melodic playing. In most circumstances my mindset is to accompany others and flights of fancy are usual left to home practice.

I think the point about weight is important - I haven't got any back problems at the moment (touch wood) and I hadn't really considered this after having played relatively light basses in the past.

My main thoughts about using a guitar-type tuning is simply down to laziness, based on the fact that I play acoustic guitar and could see how chord shapes/melody patterns on the top strings could easily translate over. I'm not averse to 'alternative' tunings as they can obviously be very handy in guitar playing.

The point about slapping being more difficult is also a bit of a concern, although I'd hope playing the acoustic guitar should mean that I might be able to cope with the narrower string spacing.

I also like the idea that, by having the extra strings give you more options for phrasing because you don't necessarily have to move your hand up the neck, say, to make wider intervals.

The problem is, as another post recently pointed out, there aren't a lot of shops with a range of 6-string basses to try out - I guess I'll have to take the opportunity at different shops over the next few months.

Thanks again.