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how many strings?


Nick Barnes

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...ps: do you play metal with pick or fingers?
Fingers. Picks are kinda cool, but, the 3 piece I play in really benifits from a slightly "fatter" sound... I've got 18 strings total, but lately, I only use 4... I think after playing other multi string basses, I'm trying to emulate what I could do on 6, on 4... seems to make it just that more interesting for me... my 2 c's... :D

 

..........HAPPY TURKEY DAY! :thu:

"Suppose you were an idiot ... And suppose you were a member of Congress

... But I repeat myself."

-Mark Twain

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/63/condition_1.html (my old band)

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greenboy, I love the tool referrence. Justin does have a fat tone. I would love to hear your take on a live show of theirs. But if you haven't seen them yet, the tour just ended after a year and a half, and it will be a while before they record a new album. Hopefully a live dvd will come out shortly. :thu:
"Don't Ask Me I'm Just The Bassplayer" UBP
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This topic comes up so frequently, and certain things have always amazed me about it.

 

Namely, how do people possibly lose gigs over having too many strings? Any band that won't let a bass player play because they have too many teams is either full of idiots or overly concerned with image. But I repeat myself. Even when it comes to image, though, how can number of strings be even close to important? Would not shape and color of a bass be much more important if you were actually thinking about that?

 

The only justifications I can think of are indirect...for instance, not wanting the low notes in the already-written songs, and you're worried the guy won't be able to keep his hands off the low notes. But that is about the guy, not ye olde axe.

 

Personal preference is one thing, but I will never understand the anti-more-than-4 bias, or the view that 5- and 6-string basses are merely frivolous.

 

P.S. If my earlier statment results in the fact that I just called you an idiot, well...I think your mom is stupid, too. :thu:

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Word to your mother, Adamixoye. I once took my dad to Mars Music (R.I.P.) and took off the wall a nice, purdy, Hohner 6string bass (my infatuation at the time...now I have a girlfriend) and proceeded to play it. Note that a six string bass has much larger strings (for the most part) than a 6 string g***ar. He proceeds, after hearing me attempt at fighting this mighty beast on a few licks, to call it a g***ar. I was highly offended that he thought it was such, citing that I don't play such an instrument, to much degree (or any, really). So I casually put it back on the wall, and took down a Fender 4 string Jazz. He proceeded to call it a bass, as it is.

 

Now, does a 6string not have the same four strings as a 4string, with a couple more added on? And when I got my phat 5string, he again called it a guitar for having more than 4 strings.

I proceeded to correct him on his mistake. Was I right in doing so? I think so.

 

Just a little tangent with no point, hope you enjoyed.

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Patrick,

 

Nice story. My family also has problems telling g****rs and basses apart...I mean, they can tell them apart, they just never use the correct lingo.

 

And yes...5- and 6-strings usually have the same 4 strings are 4-strings plus some others.

 

By the way, that Hohner 6-string? I picked her up on the rebound, she's mine now. Now I need one of those other things...what did you call them? Oh yeah, a girlfriend.

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Girlfriends are bad. They result in no money for more basses and, in some cases, loss of all strings. OK, so they do have their better qualities.

 

I've always thought that bands that deny a player a chance to play because he has too many or not enough are really stupid. It should always be about how well he/she can play. I had someone tell me I didn't have enough strings. I handed him my demo and left. When I got home, he had called me 3 times asking me back. I told him he didn't have enough talent for me. I can do wonders on a 4 and have yet to find something I can't play with alternate tunings. But, I play mainly riff-oriented rock and blues, and the guitarists aren't using 7 strings, so I really have no use for any more than 4. If I had the capital, I would have a 5 or 2 hanging around along with a few 4's.

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Note to bachelors: if you find the right woman (like me), she will acually buy you bass gear and allow you to still buy your own stuff... When you find one like that, make an honest woman of her!!! :thu:

 

...on the subject of string numerics, many people (especially in the modern rock genre) are turned off by "more than 4" because of the general stereotype of the 6 string "overplaying" player. They have the perception that if you have more strings you probably play ...um...uh, more :D Sometimes this is justified, but alot of times it is not. I totally agree with the "tool" metaphore (speaking of "Tool" -he uses a 4 string ;) ), but sometimes it is difficult to cut through the stereotypes. I mean, look how many people still insist on the bassist owning/playing a Fender jazz/precision...

"Suppose you were an idiot ... And suppose you were a member of Congress

... But I repeat myself."

-Mark Twain

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/63/condition_1.html (my old band)

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Word up Jason. I like a lot of bands that use 5+ strings, and don't really overplay it. I think the more strings you do have, the more creative you can get.

 

I've got a 5string, but I don't play the 5th string too much, as to not be to redundant. I think if I had a 6 string, I'd only get more creative. But who knows...I'm not one to overdo some things, so I think I could handle it.

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Never mind the anti 5+ bias that runs about here. What about the ill thought out snobbery toward our 6 stringers called guitarists !! Some peops here can't even bring themselves to type out the whole word "funking g**tarist....why's he always so high up the mix?"

 

I love the 2 guitarists in my band...without them the band would sound a little bit empty.

 

Would I be barred for starting a GUITARIST APPRECIATION THREAD ??

 

....hate mail? no problem, thankfully anthrax ain't w.w.w sendable yet!! :P

 

CupMcMali...this monkey's gone to heaven :freak:

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