Tagged As: 5 String Acoustic Electric Bass
Question:
I am a newbie~been thinking about a acoustic/electric bass...anyone ever see one that has 5 or six strings ? my friend says the 5th and sixth string are used for lead, is that what they are used for ?
Answer:
5 string ABGs are semi common. 6'ers are rare. The most common configuration is to add a lower sounding string below a normal 4 banger, (for a 5), and in that config., it won't add much lead voicing. If you find a 6, it normally has one lower, and one higher (strings). Having the higher string helps for lead work, but is by no means necessary. Some people will string a 5 with a higher string, instead of the typical lower string. *Sometimes* you need to make additional adjustments when you make that conversion, but not always. My epiphone El Capitan is a 5, with the lower B. Not super useful having the lower B on an ABG, as most bodies aren't large enough to reproduce the true low note, but... I like it. Look at the Olympia (by Tacoma) for a good starter model. Be aware though... while they are fun, sitting around the house/porch... they almost always need a small amp to compete with acoustic guitars/fiddles/banjos. Even one guitar will drown out my Epi, if the guitarist is rocking
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