For almost everyone picking up the bass for the first time, I would point you at a 4-string. It is the standard, it is the cheapest way in, it has the narrowest neck, and nearly every method book, song tab, and beginner lesson out there was written with a 4-string in mind. That does not mean the 5- and 6-strings are wrong, and I play a 6-string myself, but the choice really comes down to fit, to your goals, and to how much friction you want to deal with in your first year.
I have been teaching since 1985, and students come to me on all three of them. Lessons adapt to whatever instrument is in your hands, and this is how I talk it through when somebody asks me about it.
Tuning and range across the three
A standard 4-string is tuned E-A-D-G, low to high, and that covers the overwhelming majority of bass parts in rock, pop, blues, country, funk, and most of the standard repertoire. For most of the music you are ever going to play, you will not be missing a thing.
A 5-string adds a low B below the E, so you have the same E-A-D-G on top with B-E-A-D-G as the full set. That extra string gives you a lower D, C#, C, and B without having to downtune or jump octaves. It matters in jazz (reading charts that dip below E), in gospel and modern worship (which lean on those low notes), and in metal or prog (where detuning is common and a B string keeps you in standard territory).
A 6-string adds both a low B and a high C above the G, tuned B-E-A-D-G-C. You get the extended low end of a 5-string plus a higher register that opens up chord voicings, melodic soloing, and tapping. For solo bass, for jazz-fusion, and for chord-melody work it is a fantastic tool, but if the job is holding down the groove in a rock band, it is more instrument than you need.
Neck width and ergonomics
This is the part most beginners don't think about until they are already uncomfortable. Each added string means a wider neck, and that changes what your left hand has to do.
A 4-string neck is the narrowest and the most forgiving of them. If your hands are small, if you are coming from guitar, or if you have never held a fretted instrument before, a 4-string is going to feel the most natural in your hands.
A 5-string is noticeably wider. It is not unreasonable, but you will feel it, because reaching across the strings takes more thumb movement behind the neck and muting the strings you are not playing becomes a bigger job. Plenty of players with average-sized hands adapt to it just fine, but it does take some getting used to, and that is worth knowing going in.
A 6-string is wider still. I play one and I love it!! If you have smaller hands or no fretted-instrument experience, though, starting out on a 6-string means you are fighting the instrument before you have even played a note. You can certainly get there, and it is a good deal easier to get there from a 4- or 5-string than it is to start there cold.
Whenever you can, play the instrument before you buy it. Neck width, string spacing, and weight are personal in a way that specs on a page do not capture.
Muting gets harder with more strings
One of the biggest things I teach, regardless of what anyone is playing, is muting, which just means keeping the strings you are not playing quiet. On an amplified bass, sympathetic vibration through the body means that every string you do not mute will sing along with whatever you are playing if you let it.
That challenge goes up with the string count, since a 4-string leaves you three other strings to manage at any moment, a 5-string leaves you four, and a 6-string leaves you five. Every extra string is one more thing you have to do something about or it will ring, and both hands have to cover more ground to keep things clean.
This is why I don't just nod somebody toward an extended-range bass because it looks cool. The technique demand goes up. It is very doable, and it is what I work on with students every week, but I would rather be honest with you and say that it is more work.
What each is best at
Each instrument has a sweet spot, and these are tendencies rather than rules:
- 4-string is at home in rock, pop, blues, country, funk, R&B, classic soul, most singer-songwriter material, punk, and the bulk of what is on the radio or in a fake book. If you are learning songs off recordings, most of them were recorded on a 4-string.
- 5-string fits jazz (especially when you are reading bass charts that go below E), gospel, modern worship, metal and prog (low-B territory without detuning), country session work, and anywhere a producer wants notes that drop below standard bass range.
- 6-string fits solo bass, chord-melody, jazz-fusion, bass as a front-line instrument, tapping and two-handed work, and players who want to write and improvise across a wider palette.
Plenty of players cross these lines all the time. There are rock bassists on 5-strings and jazz players on 4-strings, and the string count does not decide what you get to play, it just makes some things a little easier than others.
Cost and availability
Budget matters, and it is one of the bigger practical differences between the three.
A decent 4-string starter pack (bass, small amp, cable, strap) typically runs in the $150–$300 range new. The used market is huge, and you can find playable entry-level 4-strings for well under $200 if you know what you are looking for.
5-string beginner instruments tend to start around $250–$500. There are fewer models and fewer bundled packs out there, so it takes a bit more investment to get something that really plays well.
6-string beginner instruments are rarer and more of a specialty item. You are usually looking at $500 and up for something playable, and the selection drops off sharply below that. The used market can help, but 6-strings hold their value and they don't turn up as often.
Beyond price, remember that the amount of learning material shifts along the same curve. With YouTube tutorials, method books, song tabs, and lesson series, the overwhelming majority of them assume you are on a 4-string. A 5- or 6-string player translates those patterns up the neck without much trouble once the basics are in, but early on that extra translation step is one more thing standing between you and the music.
At a glance
| 4-string | 5-string | 6-string | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuning | E-A-D-G | B-E-A-D-G | B-E-A-D-G-C |
| Typical neck width | Narrowest | Wider | Widest |
| Typical weight | Lightest | Heavier | Heaviest |
| Learning curve | Friendliest | Moderate | Steepest |
| Cost range (entry) | ~$150–$300 | ~$250–$500 | ~$500+ |
| Common styles | Rock, pop, blues, funk, country, R&B | Jazz, gospel, metal, prog, worship | Solo bass, jazz-fusion, chord work |
| Beginner material available | Abundant | Good | Limited |
My recommendation for first-time buyers
For most people walking in cold, I recommend a 4-string. You will spend less money, you will fight the instrument less, and you will have a lot more material to learn from. If you end up wanting more range later on, a 5- or 6-string will make sense then, and every bit of the fundamentals you built on the 4-string carries straight over!
If you already know that your goal is jazz reading below E, gospel or modern worship, or metal with drop tunings, then starting on a 5-string is a perfectly reasonable choice. You will trade a bit of beginner-friendliness for immediate access to the register you are going to be living in anyway.
I would rarely suggest a 6-string as a first bass. It is a wonderful instrument, and I love mine, but the width, the weight, the cost, and the muting demands all stack up on a beginner at the same time. Most of the players I know got to 6 by way of 4 or 5.
Whichever one you pick, don't let anybody tell you that one string count is universally better than another, because it is not true. You can play any style you want on any of them, so pick the one that is going to get out of your way while you learn, and then go make some music with it.
I teach students on 4-, 5-, and 6-string basses, and lessons adapt to the instrument you already own, so bring whatever is in the case. If you want guidance on right-hand technique for string crossing, right-hand form choices and left-hand string-to-string movement become more important as string count goes up, and slap technique has its own adjustments on 5- and 6-string instruments. Right- and left-hand technique is one of the fundamentals I teach, whether you play a 4-, 5-, or 6-string. If you want personalized help choosing or getting comfortable on your instrument, online bass lessons via Zoom are available.