The bass guitar is an indispensable instrument, perfect for all genres of music from jazz to metal, as well as providing an opportunity to learn about all of its component parts.
An 6 string bass guitar can provide musicians with access to more notes. Usually tuned B-E-A-D-G-C, one octave lower than its four string counterpart.
Body and Neck
A 6-string bass guitar can produce an array of tones. This type of instrument is perfect for musicians who require powerful instruments for performing funk music; having one will definitely impress other music lovers and turn their heads despite your skill level.
The body of a bass guitar determines both the volume and sustain of any note played; additionally, its wooden construction affects both tone and resonance.
Most acoustic and electric guitars utilize solid pieces of wood as the construction material, such as maple, mahogany, rosewood or nato.
These types of wood can vary in terms of color, appearance, thickness and density. For instance, mahogany is a dense wood that produces guitars with mellow tones while nato is light yet delicate, delivering bright yet punchy tones in guitars made from it.
Electric guitar bodies also serve as attachment points for pickups (electrical devices that produce sound by picking up vibrations from strings). Most guitars offer a tone knob so you can fine-tune your pickups’ tone to suit your playing preferences.
A 6-string bass guitar’s neck connects the top to its back. Often constructed of one solid piece of wood, but variations may include multiple materials.
Guitars come equipped with various features, such as truss rods and strap pins to provide additional support to their weight, helping prevent it from breaking during long practice sessions or concerts.
A guitar nut is the part that secures its strings when you are playing them, located beneath its head stock with vertical grooves on its surface to secure them securely in their places.
Fretboard
A 6-string bass guitar offers more notes without shifting finger positions over long distances, making it the ideal choice for playing in bands or other situations requiring quick changes between strings.
Rosewood or Maple is usually used to construct the fretboard on a 6-string bass, as these woods produce warm, powerful tones. These types of wood also increase resonance which amplifies sound amplifaction from instrument.
As you learn the bass, it is crucial that you identify all of its notes on the fretboard through practice and simple exercises.
Fret markers can help you quickly and efficiently learn the fretboard. In addition, they enable you to keep an eye on where your fingers are during song playback.
Fret markers are small dots positioned along the fretboard that serve to indicate which frets are adjacent and help beginners gain clarity regarding where their fingers should be on the fretboard. Fret markers are particularly helpful to novice bass players who may become disoriented as to where their fingers belong on the fretboard.
Assimilation can be challenging when first beginning to learn the bass guitar, but there are ways to make the process simpler and more effective. These strategies include:
Start off by familiarizing yourself with all of the notes on your bass fretboard to gain a better sense of them and build up an understanding. This will lay down a solid basis from which you can learn to play bass.
Once you have mastered the notes on your bass, take time to study scales. Scales offer an effective way to practice moving your fingers quickly and precisely while playing bass.
Acquaint yourself with octave shapes and how they repeat on the fretboard to help ensure you play in tune and avoid miscounting or hitting an unexpected note.
One useful tip is to experiment with sliding across a string, instead of playing an ascending or descending line on one string. This can open up your bass playing and help break you out of any ingrained habits, giving you fresh insights into the fretboard and its inner workings.
Bridge
A bass guitar with six strings features a bridge that transfers vibrations from each string to its body, made up of various materials such as steel, aluminum, brass or zinc alloy. Furthermore, some models may come equipped with adjustable saddles allowing players to individually customize height and intonation settings of individual strings.
A bass bridge upgrade is one of the most frequently sought upgrades for bass guitars as it can significantly improve tone, tuning stability, and overall playability. Typically used as part of an upgrade that may also include new tremolo system, additional strings, pickup, or any number of modifications.
There are various kinds of bridges designed to complement specific guitar models. Most bridges are constructed using metal, although hybrid designs with wood and plastic materials may also exist. Furthermore, materials used can have an effect on tone.
Some bridges feature top-loaded stringing, where strings pass through a hole on the body to feed into their positions. Others, like Yamaha’s BB Series bridges, employ body-through stringing for greater resonance and sustain.
Another key consideration in selecting a bridge is the material used for its saddles. Too soft a material may cause string to dig into saddle slot, leading to intonation issues and sound quality problems.
Brass saddles are an excellent choice for most bridges as they provide sufficient cushion without digging into the string while remaining hard enough to resist breakage and prevent slipperiness from playing off of it. Plus, their shape keeps strings from coming loose when playing!
The Babicz FCH Z Series Bass Bridge is an excellent option for musicians seeking increased stability and action precision, plus easy setup. Comes complete with all necessary tools.
Electronics
An electric bass guitar with six strings is a fantastic way for guitarists who wish to expand their tonal palette and play more complex songs. While bass guitars were traditionally 4-string instruments, 5- and 6-string models now exist as well.
People also often choose to add an extra low string B, E, A, D or G in order to play lower-pitched notes that wouldn’t otherwise be available on a four-string guitar. This technique can especially come in handy for playing rock, blues or metal styles of music.
No matter which number of strings you opt for, it’s essential that all are tuned correctly. Otherwise, they risk becoming worn and oxidized and no longer sound right.
Tuning a bass can be done quickly and easily using an electronic or clip-on tuner. These tuners attach directly to your headstock, sensing vibrations from its strings to determine whether they’re flat (too low), sharp (too high) or in tune.
Another efficient and enjoyable method for tuning a bass is through listening. Simply tune to a reference pitch, play that note on your bass, and compare it to it. Do this consistently and you’ll find your instrument stays more in tune, making playing it more pleasurable!
Ibanez BTB846 bass guitars are an excellent way for beginning or experienced musicians alike to explore and expand their tonal range and playing skills. Boasting an Ash wing body with Poplar Burl top and Mahogany back for superior response, articulateness, depth, Bartolini (r) BH2 pickups provide tight bottom end punchy mid range response smooth response accompanied by Ibanez Custom Electronics 3-band EQ with 3-way mid frequency switch providing tonal variations to enhance simple chord work as well as complex soloing.