What do you 5/6 string owners use the 5th and 6th string for?

[davis1]

This has been on my mind for years. I've seen only a few players actually playing down there:blah:

What situations do they come helpful?

[82Daion]

If I had one, I imagine my main use for the extra stings would be more position playing-that is, not having to move up and down the neck to access lower or higher pitches like you would do on a 4.

 

Also, the lower and higher pitches offered by a 5 or 6 offer some extra options when creating basslines that you might not think of utilizing when playing on a 4.

[Crescent Seven]

If you have a nice 5 string, the low D and C, and even B, can be very useful. If your rig can't hang below E, or if the bass doesn't have a nice, tight B string with electronics that reproduce those frequencies well, then it's not that useful. IMO you need to have a more powerful amp if you're going to use those lower notes, because with a low-powered amp, they just don't have enough oomph to make the notes sound as loud as the other strings. My Spector has a fantastic B; I use the D and C alot to beef up basslines that just don't sound as full with the next higher octave.
I've played a few 6 strings but not extensively enough to know the value of the high C string. It certainly would make chords sound better if you're into playing them.

[King Kashue]

I've got a tendency to use octave intervals to make slower parts sound fuller, so I like having a 5er for some of that sort of stuff.

[AntiStuff]

It's nice to have the low notes, especially when you're reading tuba music, which is notated lower than bass.

Having more postion options is nice, especially when playing in four flats.

[Goofball Jones]

It's a finger rest...no more.

And 6-stringers are closet guitarists who are in denial.

[Mytola]

I am going to buy a 5'er in the very near future. I don't see the point of a low B myself, so I'm going to string it EADGC instead, which makes a lot more sense to me. I'm also going to get a Hipshot detuner for the E. Low D is low enough.

[been_effected]

I use my B string a lot, C7 basically nailed it, if you don't have a good 5 stringer or a good amp, they're not much use.

[One Bad Monkey]

I use my B string fairly regularly. The new show I'm working on right now has a lot of low Cs in it, and a couple of Bs.

 

Let's not forget the added value that an extra 1 (or 2) string(s) give you in terms of shifting and running passages. I'll play higher up on the fingerboard on the B string, just to have access to those higher notes not readily available farther back.

[hawkhuff]

I had always played a 4 string bass. When I first bought my 5 I wondered the same thing, until I had one in my hands. It opens a lot of doors and likewise the 6 string.

I play a 4, 5, and a 6 string. I like the lower and higher octaves they provide. As a result, it creates more possibilities for even the simplest bass riff. It also enables more chord variation on the six string but not in the guitar sense of the word.

I have long fingers and the wider neck of the 5 and 6 I like. More the 5 than the 6.

[bholder]

I use them to play notes, just like any other string. What else where you expecting?

 

The extra strings are nice for both the extended range and the additional fingering / position options. The downside, for me, is the additional neck width. I'm comfortable on most 5 except the ones with really wide spacing, but 6 is quite an adjustment (I get used to it after about a half hour's practice, but it does lead to hand fatigue sooner). I've never tried more than 6 (other than 8s and 12s, which don't really count).

[lyricpoet]

I am going to buy a 5'er in the very near future. I don't see the point of a low B myself, so I'm going to string it EADGC instead, which makes a lot more sense to me. I'm also going to get a Hipshot detuner for the E. Low D is low enough.

 

 

I did that exact same set up with my old Zon, and I believe it was the best of both worlds. Good chord and octave possibilities while being able to hit low D:thu:

[L-1329]

This has been on my mind for years. I've seen only a few players actually playing down there:blah:

 

 

You must not be paying much attention. There is SO much music out there with notes lower than E, in every genre. Listen to any new country? You about can't find anything that doesn't go low these days. Heck, even Geddy detunes his four bangers on some songs. Use your ears and you will hear no end to the low notes these days. Low B's add more notes, and also make a lot of things more critical, such as quality bass construction and suitable rigs.

[REMUS]

To ensnare small helpless furry creatures...

[brake]

I don't understand the people that think 5 and 6 string basses are different instruments. It's still a bass.. you play music with it.

[fannedfretbass]

i bought a 5 string when i was 15 and thought you needed a 5 string to tune to B (my guitard has tuned to B since we were 15). i use the b string (on my 6 string) to play the notes B-Eb. i use the c string in certain chords and for economy of motion.

[Low Tone]

This has been on my mind for years. I've seen only a few players actually playing down there

 

 

4 strings 4 ever!

[Crescent Seven]

Not having to use open strings to play in D or E is a blessing from God, and being able to play in Eb on the fly, while holding down the bottom end is a miracle. I'll never buy another 4 string as long as I live.
C7

[__tony__renaud]

4 strings 4 ever!

Man, you fellas are gonna get a buncha guys from TB over here scolding us:mad:

[SpaceGhost]

I use them to play notes, just like any other string. What else where you expecting?

 

Exactly.

[catphish]

I use them to play notes, just like any other string. What else where you expecting?

 

 

+1

 

More specifically, I use the low B for giving a different timbre on certain passages and for the proverbial "dropping the bomb" in whole band improvisation sections.

[ThudMaker]

I prefer 4's, but the fifth string comes in very handy for a bassist who sings and needs to stay in a certain position on the fretboard. It provides more range to that individual. Camping out on the low B is just as dumb as detuned mud, but a lot of bassists do that. The low B string should be properly used as a quick accent mostly. It can also be useful when covering a song where a keyboardist has taken over the bassline. The low B - D# comes in really handy. If you don't play the G string at all, I'd tune a 4 string BEAD and be done with it.

[ec437]

Making music?

[Kindness]

Making music?

That was the only reasonable answer I could think of when I saw the thread title.

[Roguetitan]

More like what do you use the first and sixth string for?

for me it is to have more bottom end and more top end.