molan

Having moved to a slightly higher level of proficiency on 4 string in the past year I recently arranged a long(ish) term swap with one of my better 4's for a 5 of a similar value. The 5 in question is an MTD 535 so is of great quality and I really like the core sound it has. I haven't really had much chance to play it 'properly' but have noticed I'm struggling a little with the spacing of the 35" neck, nothing major just finger memory not quite stretching and fretting slightly off. I'm also tending to use the B purely as a resting place for my thumb a lot of the time. To be honest I think I can get over the spacing issue with a bit more practice and probably need to push my thinking more to start using the B. However, the biggest issue for me is that if I decide to really go for a 5 string approach I'd probably want to have majority of basses with 5 strings rather than 4's. Obviously this might be fun as I can get on the trading floor again Conversely I actually quite like my current 'stable' of 4's so selling some would be a bit of a wrench! So the big question is - should I take the plunge and take on what will be a fair bit of extra work to get my hands & head around the whole 5 string concept or should I just stick to my 4's and work on improving my technique with these? Any thoughts gratefully received! PS - Josh, you're not allowed to comment

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='352942' date='Dec 12 2008, 05:44 PM']I was born in 1956 and I have an older brother, so I grew up listening to The Beatles (just like Mott said: [i]Well my brother's back at home with his Beatles and his Stones[/i]). When I was ready to strike out with my own musical tastes, the very first album I bought with my own money was Fragile. So by far the two most influential players in my formative days were Macca and Chris Squire. Both players of intricate and melodic bass lines, rather than 'dig in and get that thump' types. I grew up thinking that the Ric "clank" was the ideal tone. I've spent the last two weeks alternating between a Ric 4003 and a Lakland P-bass and it is truly startling (1) how difficult it is to get the Ric to sound like my heroes, and (2) how differently I find myself playing when I pick up the Ric. I hold it in a different way, play in a different position, set the knobs on my amp to a different combination. That's it really. The Ric isn't "special" but, in a world full of Fender clones and derivatives, the Ric is different. In its own way that IS special. Make mine a banana daiquiri.[/quote] Your drink is waiting for you at the pool bar, if it looks like the crushed ice is beginning to melt before you get here I'll have to drink it for you

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='352908' date='Dec 12 2008, 05:03 PM']What about Rick James? [spoiler]...Oh yes he mostly used it for photos & Oscar Alston played a musicman on Rick James tracks[/spoiler][/quote] I love that pic of Rick James with the Ricky and the huge platforms

Damn, how could I forget Lemmy! I always think of McCartney with a Hofner I guess (plus I hate the Beatles, lol). Actually, wasn't Geddy a Rick player for quite a while? I can't stand Rush either so maybe my theory is falling apart already!

So here I am sitting by the pool in Antigua (it's a tough gig but someone has to do it!) And trawling through my iPod for bass heavy tunes and I've noticed how many songs I have that feature some really great playing by Ricky users. Currently have Chris Squire on playing some really amazing stuff from earlyish Yes. What a great sound he gets by the way, not sure what amps etc he was using? Have also had some Mike Rutherford (bit of a prog fest going on today!) From early Genesis and also the ever wonderful Bruce Foxton. I'm sure there's loads of other great Ricky players that have slipped my mind as well. So what is it about the Ricky that brings out such great playing from people? Such a distinctive sound and not the easiest to bass to play - in my opinion anyway - and I've always thought they look great as well. I rarely see a 'bad' player using one. Bit like an SG amongst guitarists, so many SG players are really good and very distinctive, Zappa, Zal Cleminson, Angus Young etc. Oh well, time for a dip

I keep looking at these, lol. I imported a set of standard ultra lites very cheaply direct from the USA but went for chrome rather than black & now I have them I'm thinking black may have worked better!

Blue Flower is way prettier. Paisley works on a 6 stringer I think but not a 4?

Had my first chance to really try out the DJ this week at rehearsal at decent stage volumes & against a live drummer. Really impressed at how it seemed to come alive when played much louder and digging in a bit more. Great slap tone as well

[quote name='Thunderthumbs' post='334440' date='Nov 22 2008, 02:58 PM']I'm sure in an old book I had of them, there's a photo of Weller playing an old violin bass methinks when they were a 4 piece.[/quote] The story goes that Foxton sat on it in the back of a transit on the way to a gig and broke the neck. Weller wasn't very happy and a fight broke out which ended up with Foxton getting a black eye! There were some shots of him with the shiner on the documentary

[quote name='tombboy' post='334283' date='Nov 22 2008, 10:47 AM']This is From The Jam last year.... even though Weller isn't there I still think it's a class effort. [/quote] Sounds great, still absolutely spot on bass & unmistakeably Foxton. I got a set of signed Rotosounds from him once in Denmark Street. Refused to use them for years and then broke a string just before a gig so had to whip them out. Still kept the signed box of course

I was watching a Weller documentary this evening and listening to just how good Foxton was in his heyday. There's a period when he switched to playing the black Fender P with a maple neck live (although still sometimes using a Ricky for music vids & TV appearances) when he just had a great bass sound. Sounds a bit like a Ricky with the clanky top end but with a bit more depth. I love the sound of his bass on songs like Tube Station. I have to admit that I have no idea what he actually used on the recordings but there's quite a few live vids showing him with the P so it definitely seems to be his favourite gigging bass from this period. Sound on this vid isn't the best but gives an idea of what I'm rattling on about : [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiHv_VZFJR8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiHv_VZFJR8[/url] & from a TV show: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGsyL6DhgPU&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGsyL6DhgPU...feature=related[/url]

I know this might sound a bit dumb but if its an infection have you been to the docs to get something to cure it? Big difference between infection related issues and full on long term hearing damage that leads to permanent tinnitus.

Need to consider potential 'sell-on' value with any custom build. We all start out thinking that we can design the perfect bass and that having it custom built means we'll never need to buy anything else. However, styles and techniques change & there's good old 'grass is greener' syndrome to contend with so you may wish to sell on your custom at some point. Even a relatively standard build from a custom maker can often be tough to sell and values tend to plummet. Bit of a generalisation obviously but I have noticed the odd Shuker kicking around on the forum here and on EBay for a lot less than their original value. Obviously most new basses depreciate in value but the higher end basses from what I'd call the 'semi-custom' manufacturers like Sadowsky seem easier to sell at much closer to their original price than something like a Shuker. Even the other British builders like Overwater & GB appear to be fast moving on the used market. Could just be that Shuker haven't really built up the rep of the others yet of course but worth bearing in mind anyway.

[quote name='funkmunky' post='331004' date='Nov 17 2008, 08:31 PM']Actually, it was me who played for Led Zeppelin in their heyday [/quote] I thought I could see a resemblance

[quote name='funkmunky' post='330981' date='Nov 17 2008, 08:09 PM']Thanks for posting that, very nice indeed. There is one slight inaccuracy though. I never played for Robert Plant. That role was filled by Ian's previous drummer of 5 years ago, Andy Edwards. Steve[/quote] Don't knock it - if Pete says it's true then it must be

From Pete today: We proudly present Ian Parker & his band, one of Europe’s major guitar and song writing talents who also has a soulful voice like Robert Cray. With a guitar style like the younger Peter Green and a brilliant new live album ‘The Official Bootleg’ plus a cracking band, Ian has been touring with the likes of Gary Moore and Walter Trout and is easily one of the top 3 rock blues artists of his time. But there’s more to his music than rock blues as his passionate songs push him into the top contemporary song writer league. [b]If you want to see the best up and coming band in the business , look no further as Ian is joined by Morg Morgan on Hammond and keys, top drummer and producer Wayne Proctor and former Robert Plant bass man Steve Amadeo [/b] Click here to be mesmerised!! [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pnmpImVOV6s&feature=related"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pnmpImVOV6s&...feature=related[/url]

My guitarist went & came back about £3.5K lighter Add a rather nice PRS Modern Eagle to his collection tho