Never use my G string

[Rayman]

I use it a lot. We play original heavy rock, and because we’re a 3pce, I play a lot of chords and triads to cover the guitar during solos. Funnily enough though, when I was playing Stingrays I avoided the G like the plague, because it was weak on all 3 of the ‘rays I had. 

[Kev]

Me too, I figured out that I preferred playing 5 frets down than using the G string about 8 years ago now, gave up 5 strings for good and switched to BEAD/Drop B, haven't looked back.

[SteveXFR]

15 hours ago, super al said:

I play 5 string basses mainly and used all the strings when playing in a function band (I resisted 5 string basses until the keyboard player said "you wouldn't need to change bass mid set if you had a 5" lightbulb moment 😄).

 

Now I'm in a rock band I think in 2 songs I use the B string and never use the G string at all. I could go back to a 4 string and occasionally do in rehearsals but I'm scared I'd have to sell my lovely 5s. 

 

Could you use the G string for your other passion @SteveXFR ? Are G strings any good as brake/gear cables? 😄

 

 

 

Not for hydraulic brakes!

[Terry M.]

17 hours ago, super al said:

 (I resisted 5 string basses until the keyboard player said "you wouldn't need to change bass mid set if you had a 5" lightbulb moment 😄).

 

I've been to gigs and seen bassists switch between 4 and 5 string mid-set and based on the end result never know why they bother. But maybe that's for another discussion ☺️ I play across the fretboard as I exclusively play 5s so therefore I play the G all the time.

[Reggaebass]

Thinking about it I could probably take the A ,D and G string off and still be ok 😁

[tauzero]

I don't use it to properly play play on except for "I predict a riot", but I do use it a fair bit for passing notes on fills.

[SteveXFR]

1 hour ago, Reggaebass said:

Thinking about it I could probably take the A ,D and G string off and still be ok 😁

 

You may as well take the mid and treble knobs off your amp while you're at it.

[Marc S]

Wait a minute......

You mean I was supposed to actually use those 3 strings that aren't "E"? Well I never! 😉

[knirirr]

On 11/01/2026 at 17:50, SteveXFR said:

I realised that I don't touch my G string (the one on my bass) while playing with either of my metal bands or while playing any of my favourite covers at home. Is this unusual?

 

 

I don't know about metal but on jazz BG I end up using the G heavily and using E is relatively rare. This riff, for example, is on the top two strings. 
Some time ago someone posted a meme along the lines of "fretboard wear for different genres". I can't find it now but the jazz one was equal wear everywhere on the top two strings, nothing on the bottom two. I wonder how accurate the metal image was...

[BassTractor]

1 hour ago, Marc S said:

Wait a minute......

You mean I was supposed to actually use those 3 strings that aren't "E"? Well I never! 😉

That's the problem with unclear language. Yes, they are in "use", but remain untouched. They're so-called "sympathetic" strings.
I'm sure Wikipedia has an article about these.

[SteveXFR]

2 hours ago, knirirr said:

 

I don't know about metal but on jazz BG I end up using the G heavily and using E is relatively rare. This riff, for example, is on the top two strings. 
Some time ago someone posted a meme along the lines of "fretboard wear for different genres". I can't find it now but the jazz one was equal wear everywhere on the top two strings, nothing on the bottom two. I wonder how accurate the metal image was...

 

There are some metal riffs that only use the D and G strings, 46 & 2 by Tool is one that comes to mind and (I think) Bridge Burner by Mutoid Man but generally, its mostly on the E and A. Maybe its the clanky, trebley tone commonly used in metal makes the higher strings mostly unusable 

[Skybone]

If it's there, may as well use it.

[Woodinblack]

16 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

There are some metal riffs that only use the D and G strings, 46 & 2 by Tool is one that comes to mind

 

Only the intro. Tool songs use the other strings too!

[BassTractor]

Number of strings, or frets for that matter, doesn't influence me.
I always stink:

 

[Lozz196]

Extra long scale perhaps?

[terryj]

Is it ok to use BEAD on a normal 4 string or does it put too much stress on the neck as it's made for a 4 string?

[SteveXFR]

1 hour ago, terryj said:

Is it ok to use BEAD on a normal 4 string or does it put too much stress on the neck as it's made for a 4 string?

 

No, its fine. Ive tuned a few to BEAD

[tauzero]

4 hours ago, BassTractor said:

That's the problem with unclear language. Yes, they are in "use", but remain untouched. They're so-called "sympathetic" strings.
I'm sure Wikipedia has an article about these.

 

Mine are very unsympathetic, they never correct my note choice.

[Bagman]

7 hours ago, knirirr said:

 

I don't know about metal but on jazz BG I end up using the G heavily and using E is relatively rare. This riff, for example, is on the top two strings. 
Some time ago someone posted a meme along the lines of "fretboard wear for different genres". I can't find it now but the jazz one was equal wear everywhere on the top two strings, nothing on the bottom two. I wonder how accurate the metal image was...

wildly inaccurate (relative to Jazz) would be my analysis and experience 

[Martin E]

 Blimey, had a rehearsal this morning, lots of swing jazz, probably used every note on every string up to 10th fret or so.

Plenty of notes available even on a four string, a shame not to use them.

[Stub Mandrel]

I play a lot of arpeggios and walking lines so not using all four strings would make life pretty difficult . 

 

Made a few changes to my amp settings of late, just thickening up the middle which adds a bit of girth to the g-string.

[SteveXFR]

I had a rehearsal with my old style metal band last night and the only times I used the G was the intro to one song which is E, D, G power chords with the octave above the root added in. Other than that,its all on the E and A strings other than fills getting in to the D string. 

 

[ASW]

I find it easier to use the notes on the G string if I'm reading music. I score out bass parts for the bands I'm in. None of them play particularly frequently, so it's so much easier and more time efficient for me to turn up to a rehearsal or gig and read the bass part rather than try to memorise a whole set again.

 

If there are notes G or above (i.e. the same octave as the G string) it's easier for me to play those notes on the G String rather than jump up to a different position in a split second. It was the same when I had a 6 string bass with the C string, although that string was needed far less frequently.