BigRedX

But you are forgetting that the string retainers put another kink into the path of the string (one that looks less obvious because of the plane it is in) but is adding a second point in the string path where the pull angle changes which IIRC is worse. Remember also that every string changes the angle of its path as it passes over the nut. Those designs that don't have a straight string-pull look worse (and may be worse depending on whether the nut has been cut the allow for the fact that the angle is occurring in two different planes), but it's still just a single change of direction in 3D.

Why are the controls on the top? Sure it looks cool and retro, but it's also no longer the 1950s and we don't put our amps on the floor and stand behind them when we play any more. As soon as you stack this or use a tilt-back stand you won't be able see the controls properly. Also no weights or dimensions given. Back to the drawing board for Backstar I think.

These days there is absolutely no reason why you can't have both elegant form (although that is completely subjective) and ergonomic function at the same time. Any manufacturer that isn't striving for both, simply isn't trying hard enough.

I think you've misunderstood. My point in the post that you quoted was that Rickenbacker (and all the other companies making basses that aren't simply Fender copies) exist to produce something different for those of us who want something different. Also while a straight string pull over the nut is a Good Thing, IMO a properly cut nut that allows for an angled string pull is preferable to string trees and other retaining gubbins required to get a decent break angle for all the stings on a non-angled headstock. Having said all that I'm not a fan of the looks of this new Rickenbacker. They've left off the triangle fret markers and body binding - two things that in my mind are essential to the looks of the 4001/4003 design, and the headstock while being a bit of a kludge to try and get 5 machine heads in place without changing the shape, there are plenty of other basses with equally poor designs for their 5-string models (Warwick aren't much better). I'll reserve further judgement until I've seen the price these will sell for in the UK and I've had the chance to actually play one.

+1

IME every single MIDI guitar and bass that I've tried required so much modification of my playing technique, that I ended up learning to play synths using a keyboard instead.

Exactly. Surely the whole point of the Rickenbacker bass is that it isn't a clone of a P or J? BTW before 1980 they'd have been playing a 4001...

The Meteora looks a bit different. However it needs more interesting electronics than those off the world's most boring guitar (the Telecaster) and some much funkier finishes.

The problem is that very few bassists buy the 4004 probably because it doesn't look like a classic Rickenbacker 4001/4003. And unfortunately this 5-string will suffer the same fate. Where's the binding on body and the triangle fret marker inlays? These to me are just as much the things that make a Rickenbacker bass distinctive as the body and headstock shape. However I would still like to try one out.

Thos machine heads look like typical unbranded far-eastern Schaller/Gotoh copies with tulip heads. You should be able find something suitable either from one of the guitar parts web sites or eBay. As for strings you can't go far wrong with a D'Addario XL .010 - .046 set for standard light gauge.

You should look at some tension charts then. For those manufacturers that supply the information (D'Addario are very good) it can quite an eye-opener.

Overwater make 36" scale strings - that's what I used on my 36" scale Overwater after I stopped using Newtone strings. IMO the Newtones were better, but it was easier to order the Overwater strings, and I didn't have to have them made specially to order.

Shouldn't be a problem. Owning a 36" scale bass was exactly why I switched to Newtone strings. It was only when I went back to 34" scale basses that I also discovered there was a lot more variety available if you shopped on-line.

I swapped to custom-made Newtone strings back in the mid 90s when the only alternatives for 5-string basses were Rotosound and Elites neither of which, back then, were delivering me the consistency that I required. In fact I gave up on Rotosound when they failed to be able to supply a suitable low B string in 3 out of the 4 sets I got. For the next 10 years I had Newtone make all my bass strings for me and without exception they were excellent. Since then the availability of other makes of strings has increased substantially, and for the most part I've been perfectly happy with Warwick Red Label, which are relatively cheap and fairly easy to get if you buy on-line.

It's hardly the worst example you could find. Anything with an Explorer-style headstock will be far more extreme. And so long as the nut has been cut properly everything will be fine.

Because most of these gigs a multi-band affairs and you will have 30 minutes at best in which to get one band off the stage and another onto it and ready to start their set. Without a shared drum kit and some backline provided that isn't going to happen. And as a bass player unless you have no PA support the contribution your rig will make to the FoH sound is going to be minimal.

I've managed being in bands for over 40 years now without owning a car. However I've spend most of my musical career living in a big city and playing in originals bands who, because they have had aspirations above being just a hobby, have had a dedicated band transport vehicle usually with a roadie/driver, so not owning a car has never been a problem for me. Also originals bands tend to be a lot more flexible about non-driving band members provided that they have other useful skills, such as designing and printing all the band's promotional material, providing a place to rehearse, record and store equipment for free and writing the bulk of the band's music. Conversely IME the members of most covers bands tend to be very insular outside of gigs and the occasional rehearsal, so someone who can't drive or doesn't own a vehicle big enough to take a portion of the PA and lighting rig, isn't really very suitable.

You should have probably looked at the first link in the post you quoted... ;-)

IMO you are going about this all wrong. Start by getting some support slots at local gigs. Find similar sounding bands on social media, get in touch and ask for a support. For this you only need 25 minute's worth of original songs - no-one will want to listen to a band they have never heard of for longer than that. You'll need a demo to convince the bands you are contacting that you are worth bothering with so find a decent cheap local studio, book a day and get a good version of your best song recorded and mixed. It sounds like you have plenty of songs already written, so pick the best 25 minutes worth (plus one cover) and get practicing.

The question you need to ask yourself then is can I compete with eBay and the Basschat sales forum?

It's the same bridge that every Korean-made 8-string bass with individual saddles sports. Having owned a Carlo Robelli 8-string bass with that bridge, it does the job in an OK fashion, but the separate tail piece is particularly ugly. If you want a really good bridge on your 8-string bass you either need a Japanese Tune Bass or something fitted with the 8-string version of the Schaller 3D Bridge.

There's nothing wrong with Fender churning the the same old... it's what they do best, and it's what most of their customers want. However to say that these instruments are "new" when all they've had are a few specification tweaks is being very generous with the definition of "new". Maybe they should use one of those brand names that they've bought up and squandered over the years to use for any innovation they might have lurking within that corporate behemoth...

I have yet to play an 8-string bass that was capable of playing in tune above the 7th fret if it didn't have the ability to intonate each string in the pair separately.

Meet the new range, same as the old range...

The last band I was in from the start went from an idea the singer had for a band to our first gig in less than 10 weeks. Two weeks auditioning musicians, and then having settled on a line-up 7-8 weeks to write and rehearse about 25 minutes worth of songs ready for our first support gig. That also included picking the name, an image and designing the band logo.