YOUR QUESTION

10/21/2020 Tommy Westerkamp

Hi trevor, a bass player only question :-). Thoughts on 6 string basses? Or five string? Do you still play 5 string bass? I am struggling what to play. i own a 4 and a 5 string but the 5 string is now with a high c. It's not very functional in my opinion but i like the sound of it on its own. The low b is better in context with a band. Hopefully you like the question otherwise no problem. i understand :-().
Greetings from Amsterdam.
Best regards, Tommy

MY ANSWER

I’m not a fan of higher strings for bass. I feel like guys who like to play up there should be playing guitar, although it is a sounds in itself. I use my Alembic Europa 5-string quite often, but I also l love playing four string, which is what I was raised on. I choose which bass I’m going to play depending on the music, and not just based on the number of strings. My Pbass and Europa have completely different sounds, for example. But you can’t really beat those extra five notes on the B string, not to mention the facility you gain with being able to play lower notes higher up on the fingerboard.

No need to struggle, I think. Use the appropriate bass for the situation. That’s part of your versatility.