How many strings does your go-to bass have?

[Paul S]

I am curious as to what kind of percentage of us use various stringed basses.  These days I use 5 string only - how about you?

[FinnDave]

I have a total of 32 strings evenly divided between 8 basses. Never played 5 stringers never felt the need to do so. In the circles I move in, I rarely see them, to be honest. Nothing against them, just not something I need.

 

[Osiris]

Exclusively 4's for me these days. I did flirt with 5's a few years ago but found that I didn't really venture below the low D so I moved back to 4's. Not having the biggest hands in the world, I find the smaller necks of most 4's to be more comfortable too. 

[Woodinblack]

The polls different from the question - my go to bass has 5 strings, so do all the ones I routinely play 95% of the time. However I do have some 4 string basses that I play so I can’t say exclusively

[Cat Burrito]

Four but I'd love to bring this out for an encore 

 

[geoffbyrne]

All my basses are 5ers.  I get confused on a 4 these days.

 

G.

[Al Krow]

47 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

The polls different from the question - my go to bass has 5 strings, so do all the ones I routinely play 95% of the time. However I do have some 4 string basses that I play so I can’t say exclusively

+1 So I'm the same but other way around i.e. 4 strings most of the time, 5 occasionally and am about to embark on a crazy six string endeavour...(but on a slim neck Ibby of course, which I know @Woodinblack will approve of :))

[Woodinblack]

1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

+1 So I'm the same but other way around i.e. 4 strings most of the time, 5 occasionally and am about to embark on a crazy six string endeavour...(but on a slim neck Ibby of course, which I know @Woodinblack will approve of :))

 

I have so wanted to love 6 strings, but I really can't get my trump-esque hands around 6 strings, it is just a string too far!

[Paul S]

To be fair, chaps, it would have been a rather lengthy poll had I split it down to 

4 string 10% 5 string 90%

4 string 20% 5 string 80%

4 string 30% 5 string 70%

etc.

And then someone would have complained that it didn't have an option for using a 4 string 25% of the time so couldn't possibly vote  

[Al Krow]

24 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

I have so wanted to love 6 strings, but I really can't get my trump-esque hands around 6 strings, it is just a string too far!

I know the bassist in my drummer's (death metal!) band is an accomplished six string player, but I can't see myself using it for band stuff somehow.  But for solo noodling I suspect it's going to be a lot of fun. This will be on my 'to learn in 2018' list for sure: 

 

Edited November 26, 2017 by Al Krow

[Wilco]

I can happily flip between 4 & 5, but to keep that 'happy' status I have to play both regularly. If I have a period of mainly playing the 5, when back on the 4 my left hand can get confused between B & E!! ?

[T-Bay]

All 4’s, I had a brief fling with a 5 string but it didn’t grab me.

[josie]

My first, and still "go-to" is a GMR 5. I do sometimes play a 4, just because my Jazz Aerodyne is too beautiful not to play, and the only GMR fretless I've found is a 4.

[chris_b]

About 25 years ago I gave up gigging for awhile and felt I needed a bass challenge to tide me over.

A 5 string was a novel idea back then and I didn't know anyone professionally or locally who played one. It was an interesting project so I bought an MM SR5 from Exchange and Mart and discovered I loved the feel and sound from the first note. I knew I didn't need anything else. After 10 mins I realised it wasn't a challenge at all but a natural extension of the way I'd always been playing.

Buying my first bass was the best bass thing I've done. That Sting Ray was a close second.

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

This will be on my 'to learn in 2018' list for sure: 

 

Yes, that would be great to learn, but I would say that if you want to learn it, no point waiting to get a 6 string, it was written for the Cello, which has 4!

[tony_m]

Exclusively 4 to date, though I will confess to being 5-curious occasionally. 

[Ndldean]

Have a 5 String BTB but since I bought my AmStd Pbass ... its been four flatwound strings ever since... 

[EssentialTension]

Always four, and a Squier Bass VI.

[Dazed]

I have 4 and 5 strings, fretted and fretless. Previously owned a 6 and have a hankering for another. 

I have for the past year equally and consistently played none  

[RandomBass]

I have a total of 4 strings. Says it all really ?

[stingrayPete1977]

I've got fives only for electric bass but fours only for upright bass. 

[el borracho]

If I had to put percentages on it it would probably be 80:20 in favour of the 4 strings. I only really use the 5 as I have a very nice 5 string and am reluctant to sell it. I did use it exclusively at one time but drifted back to 4 strings a few years ago when I rediscovered Precisions.

[leschirons]

5 string 75% of the time, 6 the rest. Have a nice 4 string but only rarely play it, mainly out of guilt when it looks sadly down at me from the wall as I leave for a gig.

[CameronJ]

Always 5ers. Any time I touch a 4 I miss the extra string! 

[Danuman]

I only just got as far as sorting out my live rig, so for a long time I just had one four-string bass (a J). I’m currently trying to fix up a MIM P.

Recently though, I started with a pretty nice new band and I keep wanting to go lower when playing with them... Seems a low B is next on the list.