Question of the Week: How many strings on your bass?

Damian Erskine’s latest column (Making the Shift: from 4 to 6 String Bass) generated a ton of reaction and debate from readers.

So here’s your chance to weigh in: How many strings on your bass? What’s the limit?

Answer below in the comments, or on our Facebook page.

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  1. Freddie

    4. more comfortable to play.

  2. eze

    only 4 .. classic is better . ;)

  3. Professor

    I have a four and and a five-string bass…I love the flexibility and the added bottom that the five-string brings…the four is easier for me to pop and slap.

  4. ski

    5..need that low D.

  5. Doug

    i have 4- and 6-string electric basses, though prefer the 4- string ones, and only 4 on my uprights. my dream upright would be a 5-string (EADGC) with an extension on the E.

  6. Musicman

    4 Mainly but got that Fender V with a high C for those special situations.

  7. jolek

    4 is enough for me and the audience

  8. Four…if I can get half the notes Jaco got from four strings I’ll be well pleased!

  9. Five strings, for great justice.

  10. Simon

    5 mainly. I’d like to get a 6 for the extra range personally.
    But my 4 stringer has her place.

  11. Paul Stroud

    I could hold the neck of my fender jazz at the nut forever! So slim…4 stringer all the way!

  12. robin

    both of my guitars are 4 strings :D

  13. Kevin

    I get along pretty well with 4 but most of times the 5 string is a better and more comfortable choice. I don’t like 6 string because of the size so for me it would be a 5 string…

  14. Mike Young

    Uhg!! Please, not the 4 vs 6 battle :( People are so close minded about silly stuff like this. Play what is right for you and serves the music best, and try not to limit your point of view.

  15. dean-o

    My mind and fingers cannot handle more than 4.

  16. Tom Lorenzo

    I have 4! No need for more than 4.

  17. Kevin Gaudin

    6 strings. More notes available without moving the left hand. It is just easier! Extra range is a bonus.

  18. Steve

    I have three 4’s, two 5’s, and a 6 string so far. which ever I need, to express the music I feel. :)

  19. Jon

    Two fours and a five. The goal is to learn to play the five (tuned EADGC) and get a better one. I want the extended range on the top end for more versatility.

  20. Bob

    four, five and acoustic 4 depend what mood it is

  21. I had a 5 and sometimes tuned it to a High C, because I was never satisfied with the Low B sound. Now I have a 4, but I have plans to get a 6, something with a 35″ scale, since I would ideally like both the Low B and the High C to play with.

    However, I live in Ireland, and have never seen a 6 in the shops, or even a pack of strings for one. Unless you call someone like Chris Larkin for a custom job, this is a 6-er-less country …

  22. Chris Barrett

    I have and love my five. I started on an Ibanez 5, played a 4 string for a while and went back to the 5 about 10 years ago. I would like to try a 6 soon.

  23. Terry

    I have four but would love a five. I also saw a guy with a 6 string and he ripped. Pretty much the guitarist of the band just on a bass.

  24. I love 6 adore 5 and funk with 4

  25. Two basses ! A fretless 4-strings and a fretted 5-strings (E-C)…

  26. Kyle

    4 is all ya need mate ;)

  27. Joaobass

    I usually prefer my 5 string, but I switch up and play my 4 string about half the time. Keeps it fresh.

  28. Joel Ciulla

    There should be NO limit!(I’ve played since 1971).
    ALL of us express ourselves differently. As musicians, we need to “remain” open-minded :)
    Peace.

    • Joel Ciulla

      Whoops: Acoustic 4, Acoustic 5(EADGC), Fretted 4 & 5(BEADG) and Fretless 4 & 5(BEADG)

  29. yyz1963

    4, four, for, fore. Tuned a half step down of course.

  30. DC Walsh

    4 on three electrics, 5 on one electric, 4 on my acoustic.

  31. Jaime Blomeling

    Peavey tl5 string,Peavey tl6 string

  32. c.a.

    I have only played and performed with a four, but I am interested in trying out a five string with a low b.

  33. Melissa

    5 is pretty cool, but I stick with 4. (:

  34. Hellbound

    I have three 5 stringers…an ESP Horizon II, a Warwick Streamer LX and a Peavey TL-Five :)

  35. sam

    i play my 4 string jazz bass mainly. my last bass that i still have is a 5 string. i would love to get a nice 6 string bass or (dare i say it) a conklin 7 string.

  36. I love em all. Presently 4 string Jazz, 5 string FLN Custom fretless and Ibanez ATK700 4 string Piccolo.

  37. Johan

    I got eight strings :P, no seriously got two 4s might get a 5 at somepoint 6 are too much for my needs…

    “There’s nothing like a battleship that’s got so much armament that it sinks under the weight of its guns”

  38. Rick

    I have a 4 and a 5.

  39. Last time I checked a bass had 4 strings. so 4

  40. I have several 4-string basses, a 6-string and my main one is a 5-string tuned E-A-D-G-C