What Bassists Use 6 Strings? | The Players Who Went Low

Bassists known for six-string playing include Anthony Jackson, John Myung, and John Patitucci, who use the extended B-E-A-D-G-C range for chords and solos.

When a bassist picks up a six-string instrument, they’re usually chasing something specific: access to chords, wider voicings, and solo passages that a four-string simply can’t reach. The setup typically runs B-E-A-D-G-C, adding a low B below the standard E and a high C above the G. That expanded range is why so many players in fusion, jazz, progressive rock, metal, gospel, R&B, and studio work have made the switch. It’s not a beginner’s instrument, but for the right player, it opens territory no four-string can touch.

Who Plays Six-String Bass?

The list of notable six-string bassists reads like a who’s who of technically demanding music. Anthony Jackson is widely credited with inventing the six-string contrabass concept in the early 1970s, and his influence runs through nearly everyone who followed. John Myung of Dream Theater uses six-string basses extensively for his complex progressive-metal lines, while John Patitucci has built a career on them across jazz and classical settings.

Other prominent players include:

• Steve Bailey — session player and educator known for six-string work
• Oteil Burbridge — heard in the Allman Brothers Band and Dead & Company
• Alain Caron — Canadian jazz fusion specialist
• Jimmy Haslip — founding member of the Yellowjackets
• Steve DiGiorgio — death metal pioneer known for fretless six-strings

What unites these players is musical ambition rather than genre loyalty. Whether it’s DiGiorgio’s metal runs or Patitucci’s jazz voicings, each uses the extra strings to play things a four-string simply cannot voice.

Why Do These Bassists Choose Six Strings?

The practical appeal comes down to range and access. A standard six-string bass tuned B-E-A-D-G-C extends the instrument roughly a fourth below standard tuning and a fourth above it. That means a player can cover low foundations and high melodic work on one instrument without switching basses mid-song.

The extra range also reduces position shifts. Higher notes become reachable without climbing far up the neck, which matters when you’re playing fast solo passages or complex chord work. Six-string players typically use the added strings for:

• Chord voicings and harmonic accompaniment
• Solo passages and upper-register melodies
• Complex runs that span wide intervals
• Modern arrangements demanding both low and high parts

For players weighing a 4-string versus 6-string purchase, the deciding factor is almost always the added range for harmony and solo work. If your parts stay rooted in bass lines, a four-string will serve you fine; if you hear chords and melodies, the six-string earns its extra width.

Before you commit, though, it’s worth checking what good strings cost — the best 6 bass strings reviewed here will give you a sense of the investment and what to look for.

Six-String Bass vs. Fender Bass VI: Know the Difference

A common confusion pits the six-string bass against the Fender Bass VI, but they are different instruments. A true six-string bass tunes B-E-A-D-G-C, extending range in both directions from the standard four-string tuning. The Fender Bass VI tunes E-A-D-G-B-E, one octave below a guitar, and functions more like a baritone instrument than an extended-range bass.

The Bass VI is a legitimate instrument with its own following, but it is not what players mean when they discuss six-string bassists like Myung or Patitucci. Scale length, string spacing, and pickup layout also vary across six-string models, so no single spec applies universally.

Should You Start on a Six-String Bass?

For most beginners, the answer is no. A six-string bass can feel like overkill as a first instrument because it demands more hand strength, wider finger stretches, and more mental bandwidth for muting extra strings. The standard advice is to learn four-string fundamentals first, then graduate to a six-string once the basics are solid.

That said, players who already handle a four-string comfortably and find themselves hitting its ceiling will find the six-string a natural next step. The learning curve is real — muting the low B and high C takes dedicated practice — but the payoff is access to the same vocabulary the players above use daily. Guitar World’s rundown of essential six-string bassists offers a solid listening starting point if you want to hear what the instrument can do before you commit.