Is the 6-string Extended Range bass the best to learn on?

[KevinM]

Let’s crack a bud and have a debate! This is about learning on a 4, 5(V), or 6(VI)-string bass. I say new players should begin on a 6. Here’s why!

1. Anything played on a 4 can be played on a 6. Anything!
2. Anything played on a 5 can be played on a 6. Anything!
3. The 4 is now a legacy bass; the 6 is the modern extended range bass.
4. Because the 4 is a legacy bass, experienced players are biased toward it and will always recommend it as a first bass, because that’s what they started with. I think you know!
5. A new player should have no more problem playing a 6 than a 4. New guitar players don’t use 4-string guitars. Both 4s and 6s are challenging. Start with a 6.
6. A floating thumb sliding back and forth over the strings solves most muting issues on a 6.
7. A low B string adds B0 to E1. The high C string extends the range upward by twenty additional half steps, adding C3 to A4 on a 20-fret bass.
8. The 6 adds a total of 48 unique pitches compared to a 4 with the same number of frets.
9. A good 6 can be purchased now for ~$300.
10. If a new player starts with a 6, they can skip the brain re-wiring that must occur when/if they move from a 4 or 5 to a 6.
11. The harmony possibilities with a guitar are huge. The melody and chord possibilities are amazing, too.
12. The 6 will allow the bassist to perform as a solo act. Add some effects and you can really change things up.

I bought one! I am a 2nd year enthusiast. I completed BassBuzz using a 4 and a pick. Now I am going to retake the course using a 6 and my fingers. The 6 is amazing. I gave it an unboxing inspection to make sure the knobs worked. Takes a minute, right. I played it for almost an hour. A very nice 6. It’s a Squier Affinity Series Jazz Bass 6 (VI) and I think it’s the future. Anyone agree?

OK! Rip me a new one…

[Vader]

@KevinM

A low B string adds B0 to E1. The high C string extends the range upward by twenty additional half steps, adding C3 to A4 on a 20-fret bass.

I’m not sure about this one. It extends the upper range, but I don’t think it is by 20 additional half steps, since everything at 5th fret and above on the G string would overlap with the C string. Wouldn’t it only extend the range by 5 frets?

[Al1885]

@KevinM

OK! Rip me a new one…

I disagree with some of what’s on your list,

That said everyone should own a 6 string. It’s great to learn many things. And that jazz VI is amazing.

The reason many pros play with 6er mainly because they can just have one bass instead of 2 maybe 3, especially if the have to do any kind of solos.

Depending on the genres, you don’t need that extended range and you are sacrificing speed and comfort over range that you may not need. Plus it takes quite some times for players to stop noodling on a 6er, it’s just way too much fun not to do that.

One of the main reason to play a 6er is that when you go back to 4 string, it’s like driving a sport car.

Congrats.

[Barney]

@KevinM

A good 6 can be purchased now for ~$300.

Define ‘good’

Cheapest Ibanez is $350 but I think that’s probably entry level spec?

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GSR206BWNF--ibanez-gsr206bwnf-walnut-flat

[KevinM]

I think you’re right.

[Gloucestre]

I will agree with anyone who thinks a Bass VI is a good thing.
I love mine, it doesn’t do everything I want but neither do my other basses (that’s why I have more than one, honest).
I also like playing blues guitar riffs on mine so there is that too.

[KevinM]

Here’s my definition. The research took a while.

→ Bass Safari - Squier Affinity Series Jazz Bass 4, 5 (V), and 6 (VI). In production 6 months, the company in business 30 years.

I bagged all three over a five-month period. The specs are online. Look them up if you like. Here is my story.

This is an experiment to discover if Squier has the manufacturing equipment and skilled labor required to produce something exceptional, of value, on a budget. These jazz basses came on the market July 2024. The Affinity Series is made by Yako Musical Instruments (CYK serial numbers), based in Taiwan with a major factory in Zhangzhou, China. Yako has been making guitars for Fender since the mid-90s: Strats, Telezzz, P-basses, J-basses, and more. These are not project basses. Fender says Yako uses the metric system and they don’t make parts yet.

Yako is killing it! They’re trying to make the best budget basses on the planet. They use advanced CNC manufacturing equipment (the cutting edge) and skilled builders to produce quality budget instruments in volume. It is estimated, by someone who may or may not know anything, that Yako produces 250-300 instruments daily. They save money by using locally available, less expensive wood, like poplar and Indian laurel. Another saver is ceramic magnet pickups, which are less expensive than alnico. Then, to make things interesting, they’ve added active electronics, noiseless pickups, and block inlays, punching above their price point. The fit and finish look good. The tuners work as they are supposed to; a good ratio. The necks are smooth. The bridges are solid. The fret work rivals that of a pro ii or a Music Man Stingray. They set up easily!

Any one of these can be used as an inexpensive backup or just a shiny new jazz bass. All they need is a basic setup. The 6 had a broken saddle screw, but there was enough left to balance the saddle anyway. They tend to be neckdivers so a wide-ass strap with neoprene padding would be good. A GuitarSlipNoMore device works fine for me while seated.

I just unboxed the 6. The first step is a pre-setup inspection to make sure everything works, Takes a minute, right? After all, the bass traveled 8,700 miles in a box without a case. Surprise! Everything was right. The packing is unique. And they detune their basses before shipment so the strings are fresh. I played it for almost an hour. The intonation was right. The testers don’t pluck as hard as I do. The action was too low for me so a setup was still required. Anyway, a good job! The B-string unraveled at the post, so I no longer don’t trust the strings on the 6. Restrung with tapewound! The string spacing at the bridge is 17mm, which may be a little cramped for slap. The string tree is one solid piece of easy access metal across all six strings.

Conclusion: I’m jazzed. I spent less than $1K for three new basses. They are budget but they are not cheap. I’m thinking I can do everything on an extended range 6 that I can do on a 5, so I may sell the 5. The same can be said about the 4, but no way am I selling the 4. I like it. Also, they are a tad heavy, around 9-10 lbs I think. The 6 feels lighter than the 4 or 5. Tone-wise you need to be the judge. Check out YouTube! I think they sound amazing, especially the 6, but I haven’t been playing long enough to really tell - I’m a 2nd year bass enthusiast finding my way down this rabbit hole!

[Barney]

OK cool, $329 to find out if you like playing a Bass VI seems the right kind of money.

It’s not the tool for me playing in a band but I can see the appeal.

[KevinM]

On Sweetwater the 6 is called Squier Affinity Series Jazz Bass VI 6 string - Black

[faydout]

@Gloucestre

I will agree with anyone who thinks a Bass VI is a good thing.

I heading down to the shop that has the 30" scale Gretsch baritone tomorrow. If I pick it up, I’ll get home and order my 26 - 90 strings for it. Although I’m debating leaving the baritone strings on for a bit to see how I like it (I’ve never played a baritone before).

[Gloucestre]

Nice,
I don’t know what the scale length is on them.
There has been a lot of discussion re strings here, Reddit etc.
The LaBella VI seem to be the duck’s nuts, I tried them on mine (Harley Benton) but they were too long as they are made for the Squier/Fender bridge with the wammy.
I like flats so I had Pyramid make me a set and it was surprisingly cheap, even with shipping to Australia.
I have Stringjoy rounds also and while they are good strings they are not what I am looking for.

[jimmyWishbone]

#5

[Al1885]

@Barney

Define ‘good’

The Squier affinity Jazz vi is really good out of the box. Build quasi on par with the classic vibe. Much better than the bass vi which have some issues with build quality.

Here’s the sample. I got 3 bass on the same week almost the same day so here’s what I demoed them

- YouTube

[Barney]

Thanks @Al1885

It’s the golden age where you can buy a decent playable instrument for $300 out of the box.

[Al1885]

@Barney

Thanks @Al1885

It’s the golden age where you can buy a decent playable instrument for $300 out of the box.

Yeah it sure is. I preordered and actually paid something like $274 shipped from GC.

[faydout]

I’ll probably pick up the Labella’s. I like flats too and I’ll need them on the longer side. The Gretsch has the bigsby trem. The Labella’s look like they’re 35.75" which should be enough to handle that. If not those, I’m looking at the Fender VI strings also.

[Gloucestre]

Yeah, I had a look at it after I posted and thought they might fit the Bigsby

[howard]

@KevinM

A low B string adds B0 to E1. The high C string extends the range upward by twenty additional half steps, adding C3 to A4 on a 20-fret bass.

This is incorrect. The low B adds a total of 5 half-steps, and the high C adds a total of 5 half-steps. All the other notes can be played on a 4-string bass. The 5th fret on the B string is E1, the same note as the open E string. The 6th is F1, the same note as the first fret on the E string. Etc etc. The same relationship holds for the highest 5 notes on the C string; below that, all the notes on the C string can be played on the G string.

So, for considerable added weight and girth, and the associated playability hit from such a large fretboard, you get a total of 10 more notes, and the high 5 are of limited value IMO. Furthermore, on the low B string, all notes above about the 7th fret will generally start to have timbre issues and sound considerably worse than the corresponding notes on the E string (again IMO).

A 6 mostly adds more walkability between strings, more than additional notes, on the high end; on the low end, like a 5, it generally gives you five great sounding low notes, a couple ok sounding ones already covered on the E string, and then the rest of the string usually sounds pretty bad to me TBH.

@KevinM

The 6 adds a total of 48 unique pitches compared to a 4 with the same number of frets.

No, it adds 10.

@Vader

Wouldn’t it only extend the range by 5 frets?

Yes.

[howard]

@KevinM

The 4 is now a legacy bass; the 6 is the modern extended range bass.

Additionally, I would challenge this; there are some niche players on 6’s but they are not generally a strong force in the bass market.

[terb]

Personnally, maybe one day I’ll have a 5-string but I absolutly don’t see any reason to have a 6. Too heavy, too complicated, too wide neck with narrow string spacing. The only real benefit is that it allows to play more “vertically” on the neck but it’s most probably totally useless for almost all musical styles.

The higher range is a false argument as it is already more than enough on a 4-string in my opinion. I even don’t need more than 20 frets. It’s a bass. If I want to play in the treble, I have many guitars that work perfectly fine for this.