5-string and 6-string bass players: who plays extended-range bass and what strings they use

A standard bass is tuned E-A-D-G. A five-string adds a low B below that, so you gain B, C, C#, D, and D# without touching a tuner. That low range is why five-string dominates modern metal, gospel, worship, pop, and R&B, anywhere the part needs to sit below E. A six-string keeps the low B and adds a high C above the G, which turns the bass into a chordal and melodic instrument as much as a low-end one.

The costs are real. A low B on a 34 inch scale can feel slack unless the string is heavy enough, and adding strings to a neck of similar width tightens the spacing between them. That is why scale length, gauge, and spacing matter more on extended-range bass than on a four-string. Our reference set for a clean, articulate low B is the D'Addario ProSteels EPS170-5, and the full physics live in the string gauge and scale length guide.

Nathan East is one of the most recorded bassists alive, a first-call session and touring player for Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and the jazz group Fourplay. His signature Yamaha BBNE2 is a five-string on a 34 inch scale, and per Yamaha's own spec sheet it ships strung with D'Addario EXL170-5 (.045 to .130). That is the instrument's factory string spec, which is as close to a documented string as Nathan East's rig gets.

Robert Trujillo anchors Metallica, and his Warwick Masterbuilt Robert Trujillo signature is offered in a five-string configuration. In Metallica he plays primarily four-string in E and Eb standard, and he is a documented D'Addario artist; the details are on our Robert Trujillo strings page. His specific five-string set is not separately documented on the manufacturer page, so we do not guess it here.

Fieldy (Reginald Arvizu) of Korn built the down-tuned, percussive five-string sound that defined nu-metal. His signature Ibanez K5 is a five-string with a mahogany body, developed with Ibanez around his attack-forward style. His exact string brand and gauge are not publicly documented, so we leave that blank rather than invent it.

Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse is one of the most technical bassists in death metal. His signature Spector Euro5 LX is a five-string on a 35 inch scale, and Spector's own spec sheet lists it factory-strung with D'Addario XL-170 nickel at .75 inch string spacing. The longer scale is exactly the kind of build that keeps a fast, articulate low B tight under a heavy right hand.

Richard Bona is the Cameroonian virtuoso often called "the African Jaco." Per Guitar World, he plays a Fodera five-string (alongside a four-string Pensa-Suhr and a fretless Fender Jazz he tends to leave at home). His string specs are not documented in that interview, so the entry stops at the instrument. For the fretless lineage he is measured against, see our Jaco Pastorius page.

Anthony Jackson (1952 to 2025) is the reason the six-string bass exists. Per Fodera's tribute page, he pioneered the concept of the six-string "contrabass guitar" and revolutionized the role of the electric bass across jazz, funk, and R&B. He developed the format with Fodera over decades. His exact string specs are not published, so we credit the instrument and the idea, not a gauge.

John Patitucci is one of the defining jazz bassists of his generation, best known for his work in Chick Corea's Elektric Band. His signature Yamaha TRBJP2 is a six-string on a 35 inch super-long scale with 26 frets and double truss rods to counter the tension of six strings. Yamaha does not list a factory string spec, so his strings stay unconfirmed here.

John Myung of Dream Theater is the prog-metal six-string reference. His signature Music Man Bongo 6 uses a 34 inch scale and, notably, a five-string nut width on a six-string body for tighter spacing. Music Man's own spec sheet lists it strung with Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt 6-String Electric Bass Strings at 32w-45w-65w-80w-100w-130w. That makes Myung one of the very few players on this page with a documented string brand and gauge. The full profile is on our John Myung page.

Oteil Burbridge of Dead & Company (and formerly the Allman Brothers Band) plays a Fodera Oteil Burbridge Signature Monarch 6 Elite, a six-string signature built as a custom-order instrument. His string specs are not published, so the entry stops at the bass. See our Oteil Burbridge page for the wider rig.

Steve Bailey is a longtime six-string player and educator whose Warwick Masterbuilt Steve Bailey signature is offered as a six-string. Bailey is widely known as a fretless specialist, and the six-string fretless is central to his identity, though the Warwick page does not publish a factory string spec, so his exact strings stay unconfirmed.

The engineering problem of extended-range bass is the low B. A low B is a fourth below the four-string E, and on a 34 inch scale it holds less tension at pitch, which is why a light B can feel slack and sound flabby. There are two answers. The first is a heavier B: five-string sets land the B around .125 to .135, and D'Addario's ProSteels line runs a .130 B on the EPS170-5 and steps up to a .135 on the medium EPS160-5. The second answer is a longer scale, which is why the Yamaha TRBJP2 and the Spector Euro5 LX both use 35 inch scales to add tension without a heavier string.

On the high side, a six-string adds a high C above the G, almost always a .032. It is the thinnest string on the instrument and the one that snaps first if the nut slot is cut rough or too narrow, so a clean setup matters more here than anywhere else on the neck. Spacing is the last variable: because you are adding strings to a neck of roughly similar width, each string sits closer to its neighbor, which is why some builders (like Music Man on Myung's Bongo 6) deliberately use a narrower nut for a compact, fast feel. The full breakdown of how gauge and scale trade off is in the string gauge and scale length guide.

John Myung's Music Man Bongo 6 ships strung with the Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt 6-String Electric Bass Strings (.032 to .130), per Music Man's own spec sheet, the only 6-string gauge in Ernie Ball's Cobalt bass line. Five-string players chasing that same cobalt bite can reach for the Ernie Ball 5-String Regular Slinky Cobalt Bass (.045 to .130) instead.

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• Bassist profiles: John Myung, Oteil Burbridge, Robert Trujillo, Jaco Pastorius.
• Five-string sets: ProSteels EPS170-5 (.045–.130), ProSteels EPS160-5 (.050–.135), Ernie Ball Cobalt Bass 5 (.045–.130).
• Six-string sets: ProSteels EPS170-6 (.032–.130), Ernie Ball Cobalt Bass 6 (.032–.130).
• Physics: string gauge and scale length guide.