# How many strings should my first bass have?



## endmysuffering (Oct 5, 2016)

Ive a guitarist for a fair while and used the rest stroke and free stroke techniques for quite a while also. I happen to be a huge fan of technical death metal like job for a cowboy, beyond creation and archspire so I plan to buy a fretless bass because it sounds great on their albums. But I'm not quite sure If I should get a 4,5 or 6 string to play pieces from these bands and other techncial death metal bands. I play an 8 string so getting used to a wider fretboard mightn't be that big of an issue. So what you guys reccommend?


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## ncfiala (Oct 5, 2016)

I bought a bass just to mess around with. I prefer 7 string guitars to 6's and 8+'s so I went with a bass that had a fretboard that was about as wide as a typical 7 string guitar. I ended up with a 5 string bass.


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## endmysuffering (Oct 5, 2016)

The six string I plan to buy has the same neck width as my 8 so I think I'll just get that.


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## takotakumi (Oct 5, 2016)

6 String. Easier neck/fretboard transition plus those guys are always sliding the "leads" on the upper 3 strings. You can definitively do it on a 5 string but way up on the frets.


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## endmysuffering (Oct 5, 2016)

takotakumi said:


> 6 String. Easier neck/fretboard transition plus those guys are always sliding the "leads" on the upper 3 strings. You can definitively do it on a 5 string but way up on the frets.



Okay thanks, I think I'll commit to the 6 string.


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## AlexThorpe (Oct 5, 2016)

Get as many strings as you want. I started on 6 and moved up to a 7 about 2 or 3 years after. The hardest part of basses with more strings is keeping all those strings quiet.


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## A-Branger (Oct 5, 2016)

be honest on what you are going to play. More strings is not equal better. If you only planing to add the fundamental to your riffs then 4 strings is more than enough.

bass is a different instrument than guitar and it gets played differently. You dont need that many strings

the high string of a 6 string is there more for comfort than for extended range. It only gives you 5 extra high notes (barely or never played o a bass), but it gives you the option to move acrosss the fretboard instead to having to move up to a higher register. As an example I play lots of Dream Theater, but I have a 5 string bass. I have only encounter maybe two songs I couldnt play one passage as the fingering on the fretboard got too awkward jumping around and moving too high up in the fretboard. The rest of the songs are easily played in a normal 5 string settup, you just need to play them 5 frets higher up.

^That in the traditional sense. A 6 string for you could be a good option if you are planing to match your 8 string, by adding an extra low F# string to a standard 5 bass, so in that way you can keep a normal 5 string bass there for other kinds of music

But if you dont play other kinds of "standard" music, and you wont be needing the G string, then get a 5 string bass instead.

the real big problem with 6 strings are:

-wider fretboard: You seem to be used to as for your 8 string. But still give it a try. Maybe you would like it,maybe you dont. But stay away from 4 string as it would become too paper thin if you are used to 8 string guitar necks

-Lack of string choices: But since you are matching your 8 string guitar, then you already would be going into custom strings, so not much of a problem here

-Availability: The amount of off-the rack 6 string basses is pretty much nothing. Unless you go custom or high end prices. But normal affordable mid-high priced basses are pretty low to choose from compared to 5 strings or 4. There still options, just not as many


also since you are planing to get a bass to play some covers from the bands you like, then have a look at their tabs/score/sheets/music, and see what they play and how they play it. Do they use 6 strings?, and if they do, can you get away with playing the song with a 5 string? (by playing it on a higher register) or do you NEED the 6 string to be able to play those songs.


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## PBC (Oct 5, 2016)

Not knowing your budget, it would be difficult making a recommendation. 

The Ibanez GVB36 is a 6 string bass with 14mm spacing, about 2.5mm less than their standard models, and 1.5mm less than their BTB. 

I agree with the post above that 5 is a really good place to start off. If you really want to follow the guitars, I'd probably get a BTB7 and tune it the same as 7 string standard, toying with this idea myself. Muting can be a challenge. At some point, it better to break off the instrument into tow, a subcontra (C#, F#, B, E) and a regular bass, but that discussion is for another time.


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## endmysuffering (Oct 6, 2016)

PBC said:


> Not knowing your budget, it would be difficult making a recommendation.
> 
> The Ibanez GVB36 is a 6 string bass with 14mm spacing, about 2.5mm less than their standard models, and 1.5mm less than their BTB.
> 
> I agree with the post above that 5 is a really good place to start off. If you really want to follow the guitars, I'd probably get a BTB7 and tune it the same as 7 string standard, toying with this idea myself. Muting can be a challenge. At some point, it better to break off the instrument into tow, a subcontra (C#, F#, B, E) and a regular bass, but that discussion is for another time.



I'm not really planning to go past b. As for my budget, Its moving around right now. I think I'll save up for a bit longer before I get one. But I'm also seeing one on rondo music for 180$, which I find ridiculous. I'm not sure if something like that would work.


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## TedEH (Oct 6, 2016)

There's lots of conversations to be had about alternate tunings and things like that, but I find that when I went from 6 string bass back to 5, I didn't miss the extra range at all. I used it when I had it, but without it I just either transposed to another location or played something a bit different. Instead, I continue to use my 5 instead, not because of the number of strings, but because it's just a better instrument for me- it's more comfortable, has a sound I prefer, etc (Ltd 416sm vs Jazz V). I actually restrung my 6 and brought it to jam yesterday for "old time's sake" and just cause it hasn't got much use lately- I forgot just how much bigger the neck gets just for the one extra string.

My  is to play all the basses you can get your hands on, then pick something based on feel and sound, not so much on number of strings.


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## endmysuffering (Oct 6, 2016)

TedEH said:


> There's lots of conversations to be had about alternate tunings and things like that, but I find that when I went from 6 string bass back to 5, I didn't miss the extra range at all. I used it when I had it, but without it I just either transposed to another location or played something a bit different. Instead, I continue to use my 5 instead, not because of the number of strings, but because it's just a better instrument for me- it's more comfortable, has a sound I prefer, etc (Ltd 416sm vs Jazz V). I actually restrung my 6 and brought it to jam yesterday for "old time's sake" and just cause it hasn't got much use lately- I forgot just how much bigger the neck gets just for the one extra string.
> 
> My  is to play all the basses you can get your hands on, then pick something based on feel and sound, not so much on number of strings.



My issue with playing them is that where I live you cant even find anything good. Only cheap 4 strings in the shops. Which is kinda sad, so maybe I'll buy with my gut feeling.


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## TedEH (Oct 6, 2016)

^ Realistically, I think that you can probably get used to whatever you end up getting, as long as the quality is reasonable. I was used to a massive 6 string bass neck for a long time, but now I'm used to the Jazz bass. Neither is "better", but you get comfortable with what you've got over time. Gut feeling and research will probably get you most of the way to what you want. The rest is luck if you aren't able to try them in person.

I'll stick to my opinion though that I would prioritize comfort and quality over the number of strings.


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## SlamLiguez (Oct 6, 2016)

I vote 5&#55357;&#56397;


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## endmysuffering (Oct 6, 2016)

TedEH said:


> ^ Realistically, I think that you can probably get used to whatever you end up getting, as long as the quality is reasonable. I was used to a massive 6 string bass neck for a long time, but now I'm used to the Jazz bass. Neither is "better", but you get comfortable with what you've got over time. Gut feeling and research will probably get you most of the way to what you want. The rest is luck if you aren't able to try them in person.
> 
> I'll stick to my opinion though that I would prioritize comfort and quality over the number of strings.



Thanks, I found a fetless 6 string bass on rondomusic for about 200$, which is ridiculous. My agile is great, but this bass sounds too good be true what do you think?


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## A-Branger (Oct 6, 2016)

endmysuffering said:


> I'm not really planning to go past b.



if thats the case, and you are going to tune your bass more-less "standard". Then get a 5 string, you not really are going to be using the high C string in this style of music, unless you tend to do lots of solos

have a look at the Ibanez SRF705 BBF

I recon that could be a good compromise of quality/price and fretless. Not sure hows the market out there for fretless basses, if any cheaper apart from Rondos one


EDIT: quick search in sweetwater I found the Ibanez GWB35 too, which is bit cheaper than the SR705. Other than that you dont have any options in 5 strings, only 4 string Fenders


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## Action (Oct 6, 2016)

Some of the other posters seem to have missed the fact that you want a *fretless* bass. Have you played any? I have a 6 string fretless and it is not my main player because it's much more difficult. Of course, there is also no substitute to cover bands that use fretless. Just something to consider.

---

Rondo sells a bunch of sub-$200 new basses under names like Douglas and SX. They're comparable to the lowest end basses that other companies make. Rondo are not known for quality control. So sometimes you get a really bad one. Sometimes you get a good one. Most of the time, you get one that needs a little bit of work. And they don't all have great electronics inside. But that's what they create for that low price.

Whenever people live outside the USA, we will say to them, "don't gamble on rondo". Because they do returns, but only inside the USA. Internationally, you risk getting an unreturnable lemon.

However, I also realize that you probably can't get a fretless bass anywhere near this price. So I'm not sure.

I got my fretless used at a great price from a private individual on (a bass forum with a classifieds section). That's probably the next best kind of price you'll find on what you want, given your location. The nice thing about used + previously owned by a musician with a good reputation is that it can't be a lemon.


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## endmysuffering (Oct 7, 2016)

Action said:


> Some of the other posters seem to have missed the fact that you want a *fretless* bass. Have you played any? I have a 6 string fretless and it is not my main player because it's much more difficult. Of course, there is also no substitute to cover bands that use fretless. Just something to consider.
> 
> ---
> 
> ...



Okay thanks, I'll keep an eye out on reverb.com for one.


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## bostjan (Oct 7, 2016)

I play fretless bass.

My main fretless is a cheap Dean Edge 6F. I play pretty damn hard, so I've snapped the high C a number of times, and the last time, I decided to no longer replace it. Fortunately, I discovered that a six string bass can also be used as a five string bass.

My first bass was a Fender Jazz Bass V, and I found the string spacing highly frustrating. I play so hard (my right hand finger tips get all bloody when I play bass) that I can't keep the strings under control if they are too close together. What is funny is that I don't play guitar at all the same.

So, in short, it's all personal taste, but:

1. If the fretboard width doesn't bother you, you can always use an X string bass as an X-1 string bass.
2. The number of strings means nothing until you start playing them. An obvious statement, but it means that if you are learning bass, you will adapt your style to what is available.
3. You need to have fun with the instrument. Even if something about the instrument frustrates you or causes you stress for purely illogical reasons, it's still ultimately a real problem. You need an instrument you love to play.

Plus, most of what was already said was great.


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## odibrom (Oct 13, 2016)

The major bonus on the extended range / more strings is to not have to run the fretboard to achieve the same Low-to-High span. Also some more notes to play with. The down is that it gets harder and harder to get a good tone and feel on the lower strings, for ergonomic reasons and scale length.

When I played Bass a few years ago (almost 20) I started with a 6 stringer Ibanez SR, and I didn't even have a 7 string guitar by that time.

It all depends on what you want the bass to do. Fretless aren't played with slap techniques (but look at Primus), which generally also means smaller string spacing. Smaller string spacing is good for 6+ stringers, 'cause it allows for an easier access to lower strings.

Can you try before you buy? Do it.

I'll vote for the 6 stringers.


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## endmysuffering (Oct 13, 2016)

odibrom said:


> The major bonus on the extended range / more strings is to not have to run the fretboard to achieve the same Low-to-High span. Also some more notes to play with. The down is that it gets harder and harder to get a good tone and feel on the lower strings, for ergonomic reasons and scale length.
> 
> When I played Bass a few years ago (almost 20) I started with a 6 stringer Ibanez SR, and I didn't even have a 7 string guitar by that time.
> 
> ...



I sadly cannot try before I buy, but recently after listening to alot more music especially job for cowboy, I may get a fretted six string. Probably an ibanez sr 306.


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## bostjan (Oct 14, 2016)

odibrom said:


> The major bonus on the extended range / more strings is to not have to run the fretboard to achieve the same Low-to-High span. Also some more notes to play with. The down is that it gets harder and harder to get a good tone and feel on the lower strings, for ergonomic reasons and scale length.
> 
> When I played Bass a few years ago (almost 20) I started with a 6 stringer Ibanez SR, and I didn't even have a 7 string guitar by that time.
> 
> ...



Good points, but I quoted you because of the "you can't play slap on a fretless" meme.


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## laxu (Oct 14, 2016)

String spacing and scale length are very important in how the bass will feel. As primarily a guitarist, I love the 5-string Ibanez BTB33 because of its narrow string spacing and 33" scale. It just feels so comfortable to play. It does have a high C instead of a low B, though with a small nut modification could be made to use a low B.

The drawback of narrower string spacing is that it gets harder to slap with it but the plus is better comfort.

The drawback of shorter scale is that the low B usually feels floppy and doesn't sound great, but on 35"+ scales you on the other hand sacrifice the tone of the highest strings a bit and they require a lot more stretching of fingers to play in my experience. Multiscale is of course best, but generally expensive and not that well available yet. Hopefully next year we see more options in that area.


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## LordCashew (Oct 14, 2016)

I know I'm late to the party, and a lot of good points have already been made. But as a long-time six string player and, less frequently, fretless six-string player, I'll still chime in on a couple things...

First off, I agree that you can start with any number of strings and might as well begin with the number of strings you'd ultimately like to have. But, even as someone who's quite comfortable on a six, I tend to find that it's beneficial to play on a bass with as few strings as you can get away with. This is mainly because (generally and with all other things remaining equal), a bass with fewer strings will be lighter and have a smaller neck than one with more strings. If you're playing out a lot, that can make a big difference in your comfort level and stamina on stage. It's not a matter of six being unmanageable, but of five seeming effortless by comparison, if that makes sense. So I take advantage of that whenever possible (especially now that my back isn't what it used to be)...

Also worth considering is that in addition to the instruments costing more, you will pay more for strings every time you change them on a six. More annoying is the fact that it can be really hard to find any six-string bass sets locally, let alone your favorite. Yes, it's easy to get great strings online, but it's nice to be able to just walk in to a store and grab a decent five-string set if I'm in a jam. So again, it makes life a little easier not to have that extra string.

Now, to the fretted vs. fretless debate. I think that having adding a high C string makes more difference on a fretless bass than a fretted one, for two reasons. For one, in some cases having higher notes available in lower positions will make playing with good intonation easier by spreading the notes apart a bit. Especially for a beginner, it can be really hard to play in tune in the highest positions of the instrument because the notes are much closer together up there. This is more of an issue without fingerboard lines, but still true even with them.

The second thing to consider is that the tone of the high C string is thinner than the others. Sometimes six string players avoid using the C string in lower positions for this reason. But on a fretless bass, having that extra clarity, bite and growl can be a real asset in some contexts.


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## sniperfreak223 (Oct 14, 2016)

I feel a 5-string is a good balance


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## Winspear (Oct 14, 2016)

A 6 string has the width of an 8 string guitar. If you are comfortable with it I'd go for that. 5 will do though.
My fullest answer however is "the same amount as you intend your last bass to have" , I don't see a reason to treat strings like a skill level upgrade


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## A-Branger (Oct 14, 2016)

sniperfreak223 said:


> I feel a 5-string is a good balance



agreee here


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## endmysuffering (Oct 14, 2016)

Looking to play some archspire, dream theatre, obscura and primus stuff. Still leaning towards the six string.


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## iron blast (Oct 14, 2016)

I owned a rondo brice 6 string fretless bass and I highly reccomend it. I would just plan on upgrading the strings, tuners, preamp, and eventually the pickups in it. They will work to get you going but are definetly lower grade.


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## odibrom (Oct 14, 2016)

bostjan said:


> Good points, but I quoted you because of the "you can't play slap on a fretless" meme.



Lol, that is the reason I recalled Primus... did you miss that? Les slapped on his fretless... (everyone, go hear "sailing the seas of cheese" album )



EtherealEntity said:


> (...) "the same amount as you intend your last bass to have" , I don't see a reason to treat strings like a skill level upgrade



THIS is to the point.

I play the guitar, mainly 7 strings, once in a wile an 8 stringer a little more often a 6 stringer and I already played the guitar before I ever played bass. I have a friend that is a music teacher and with whom I change guitar experiences. He is Old School, a 6 stringer friendly dude that plays way more than me in many, many ways. Every time I land him one of my 7s he gets a little confused about his visual references.

You see, there is a visual reference on the lower string that may lead you to a mistake. If you visualize yourself with a 6 stringer, GO FOR IT. Sure, it may take you a little longer to get a hold onto it (more strings to manage = more home work to do, specially on fingering and fingerboard mapping), but it won't be much longer, about 5 to 10% longer, which is almost nothing (this is subjective, may be way less or much more, depends on the individual, obviously), but it will allow you to get what you want directly.

What I do not know is whether to start with a fretted or fretless instrument... the last one will be a little harder to learn.


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## A-Branger (Oct 15, 2016)

endmysuffering said:


> dream theatre.



Ive been a huge fan of Dream Theater, and I grow up pretty much playing almost exclusively their music as I loved the challenge of it. I even had a DT cover band at one point, our last gig was a 3 hour gig.

I can tell you with all confidence that you dont need a 6 string to play their music, just transpose the stuff that gets played there to a higher register and done. Only 1-2 songs it gets too awkward too high, and another two songs where Im missing the harmonic of the string, but for the 99% of their stuff it can be easily played on a 5 string


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## endmysuffering (Oct 15, 2016)

A-Branger said:


> Ive been a huge fan of Dream Theater, and I grow up pretty much playing almost exclusively their music as I loved the challenge of it. I even had a DT cover band at one point, our last gig was a 3 hour gig.
> 
> I can tell you with all confidence that you dont need a 6 string to play their music, just transpose the stuff that gets played there to a higher register and done. Only 1-2 songs it gets too awkward too high, and another two songs where Im missing the harmonic of the string, but for the 99% of their stuff it can be easily played on a 5 string



Thanks dude, I'll check some beyond creation archspire tabs because I swear to god that they do six string sweeps.


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## A-Branger (Oct 15, 2016)

endmysuffering said:


> Thanks dude, I'll check some beyond creation archspire tabs because I swear to god that they do six string sweeps.



yeah have a check.

Dont get me wrong, John Myung uses the 6 strings. But likt I mention before here, the high C string only gives you 5 new high notes, the string is in reality in order to have an easy reach of higher notes without having to go too high up in the fretboard.

It all depends on how comfortable you would be playing. For example the intro riff of Voices, on a 5 string I have to play it on the 19th-22nd fret. on a 6 string I would be using the 14th-17th frets, which is more comfortable, but not impossible on a 5 string, for other riffs/unisons you would have to transpose it to a higuer register or do some same string skipping so you dont ahve to play the whole thing too high up. Assuming you have a 24 fret bass, if you have a Fender bass with 20 frets, or any other bass with 21-22 frets then this becomes impossible to play, not only for the lack of frets, but for the lack of an easy to access neck/cutaway/design

so if you decide to go with 5 string instead of 6, be sure to get a 24 fret bass that you can feel comfortable reaching the high frets


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## bostjan (Oct 17, 2016)

odibrom said:


> Lol, that is the reason I recalled Primus... did you miss that? Les slapped on his fretless... (everyone, go hear "sailing the seas of cheese" album )



Sorry, I don't mean to sound preachy against you, only the idea that you touched in your post. I hear people say stuff like that a lot, especially when it comes to bass playing, and it hits a nerve every time.

Les is a *monster*, and no disrespect to him or his playing, but, what [insert name of famous bass player here] does or does not do has no bearing on which techniques work on which instruments and which do not. Just let your music do all of the talking. If something sounds cool, then mission accomplished!

Nine times out of ten, when I hear stuff about what should and should not be done on bass, it's coming out of the mouth of either a drummer or a guitarist, and it's being said before the bass player has a chance to play a single note. And in the few instances when it's happened in one of my own bands, it has usually boiled down to someone picking on the bass player to distract from his own difficulties.


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## eyeswide (Oct 17, 2016)

A-Branger said:


> be honest on what you are going to play. More strings is not equal better. If you only planing to add the fundamental to your riffs then 4 strings is more than enough.



This is kind of it. I'd start with a 4 or a 5. If you're not going to be putting much spice in the bass, just rip a 4. If you're spending time primarily in the lower register, you're going to have a whole lot of fretboard width you aren't even touching the majority of the time, and it just gets in the way.


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## endmysuffering (Oct 22, 2016)

Thanks guys, I'm now leaning towards the 5 string. Now to find fat bass tone
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jWJXckhdgz0


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## Hollowway (Oct 22, 2016)

I just picked up a used AC50 fretless Carvin on reverb. I've wanted one for a while, and it was a good deal. So you could check those.


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## jephjacques (Oct 22, 2016)

37


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## endmysuffering (Oct 23, 2016)

Hollowway said:


> I just picked up a used AC50 fretless Carvin on reverb. I've wanted one for a while, and it was a good deal. So you could check those.



Thanks for the suggestion dude.


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