6-String Basses vs. 5-String Basses 🔥🔥 

Having owned and played 4s 5s and 6s and even a 7 string. I've found the 5 is really the sweet spot for me.

5:52 for 6 string B string 9:36 for 5 string B string

I have a couple of 4-Strings, a 5-String and a 6-String. And I love all of them.

I have an Ibanez BTB 6 ( Not the same league as a custom boutique bass like a Smith of course ) and I absolutely love it ❤

That single-cut is beautiful.

Love my 6 string Smith. All of them are absolutely the best basses on the market in my opinion.

Thanks for so much detail. I will hence go for a 6 string

I own a 6 string bass. Love it!

I love six string bass

I have basses all the way from 4 to 8 strings, and I've found that 6 works best for me. I get extra high and low notes while not being as clunky as 7. Additionally I found that I never actually use the 7 string for the extra high notes of the f string, just to make certain runs easier, so for most things I stick to 6. And the 8 string is a different beast entirely.

Awesome, they both sound great

I originally wanted to jump from 4 straight to 6, but when I tried out a 6 it felt like the instrument was sacrificing access to the lowest notes for the sake of higher notes. So it makes sense that different players and different styles would prefer one over the other. For me I ended up preferring easy access to the lowest notes, but for jazz especially a 6 is an amazing tool!

Love the sound of a Smith

Thank you for clear review! A have Ken Smith 5 string. Sometimes I'm thinking about 6 string, but 5 string is really comfortable for my purposes.

the single cut is bad ass. i have ,4 ,5 ,and two 6 strings.

i only play 6 string but as a backup i have 5 string with me same brand ibanez custom shop btb bass

That help me out a lot with my understanding of the Six string, really good info on the B string, that's what i'm looking for, that solid B string sound. hate that sloppy B String sound on my lower end basses. I'm stepping up to a "Ken Smith"...........Thank you!

New to your channel. Really enjoying your content. I've been a Smith player since 1989. I've always tuned my 89 BT5 Low E to High C. best of both worlds in one 5 string. Give it a try. Look forward to more content. Cheers.

The wide neck on a 6 string might be an advantage over a 5 string for some people. I’m thinking about getting a 6 because of my long gangly slenderman fingers 😂

Both these Smiths sound sublime.

Good video on this subject. Newby bassist tend to have low B string ringing away while playing on other strings. Especially during isolated bass play back on recordings. They kind of still do on 5 string basses. So muting those unused strings during recording or live play with a clear sounding P.A. system. Not a good sound. Will take awhile to figure out how to mute unused strings. Oh this happens with C string on 6 string basses as well. Just sloppy technique. Can be fixed. 5 is the new 4. And 6 is still not widely accepted. But it's growing in popularity. I've been on 6 string since 1990's to now. I still slap the crap out of the good old 4 string, and 5. My go to is still 6. Great video.

I started playing bass 2 years ago, coming from being an electric guitar player, for a very long time, started on a 4 string ibanez that I bought cheap, wasn’t long til I took the plug and bought my 1st proper bass, Spector NS pulse 5 string with EMG pickups, and love it, can’t imagine going back to a 4 string, and considering what I play, 6 string would be pointless, and my 5 string is tuned to drop A Now wondering if it’s worth buying a multi scale bass…..

I saw once a nice talk between Michael Tobias, Pedulla and somebody else about differences in basses in terms of number of strings. So conclusion was like: the 4 string will never be sounding like 5, 5string will be always different sounding bass than 4 and six. I can't find it now but it was the same what I feel :)

GOOD VIDEO!!!! Nothing like the challenge of 6 string bass. Do you have a fretless 6?

5:46 6-string low B clarity ❤

Those are some Killer Smiths !

The narrow neck 5 string is what makes the B string less beefy. it allows for faster playability. However, the trade off is for a less intense sounding and feeling B string. Wider neck 5 strings sound beefier than thinner necks.

Thank you for great video shares! Could you please 🙏 🙏 🙏 share the chord progressions or types you are playing in a video?

I love my 6 string. I went from 4 right to 6 after a month of playing. My only complaint is finding upgrade parts on Amazon 😂 most stuff like the nut and such are for 4-5 strings.

These basses look and sound amazing! I just got an Ibanez BTB1835 (what do you think about that bass?), but this smith bass, WOW!

Thanks! I am considering a 6 string which brought me to your clip. Do you have any idea why high notes and arpeggios played by most 6-string players* sound very plinky-ploinky** to me, while the examples that you give seems to blend in well with the rest? The only other 6 string-player that seems to sound right in the higher register to my ears is Michael Pipoquinha. Thanks in advance for any pointers. *) Including players like Patitucci and Anthony Jackson **) I am not a native English speaker but I 'll be happy to introduce a new word to your language.

Jason I’m looking for a bass teacher I came up on your site do you or would you give me any ideas on where to start with the six string I just purchased it’s a really cheap one I thought maybe that would be a good start for me

what tuning do you recommend for 6 string bass?

Whats wrong with going up and down the neck?

Jason, just admit it that 6 string Ken Smith is special and your favorite. It always sounds amazing and I keep wondering why you just added another Fodera to the arsenal when you know pre 2015 Ken smith is where your heart and ears lie. I would gladly take that Ken Smith 5 off of you as I am not a 6 string guy. The 6 string makes you approach the bass differently, because you can but most times it isn't called for. BTW. You are a great player. Thanks for this video but you didn't do the 5 justice. My 5 has a great sounding B string. Advantages are cost, resale, comfort, weight, ability to still play a 4 string without a lot of practice, and ability to play within the pocket more. Add an MTD 535 to your mix. Mike Tobias and Ken Smith are the master boutique bass builders of our Era.

Of course low B will sound different... they are both differently designed basses.

I only play 7 strings. LOW B,E,A,D,G,C,F.

Guitar volume is low

5 is champ ... the 6 - the high C on a bass is a joke