JapanAxe

[quote name='Bobthedog' timestamp='1427911822' post='2735837'] Perhaps it is just because I have just bought one, but am I seeing more 5s for sale than usual at the moment? Are they really that hard to switch too? I am slowly getting into mine and yes it tough due to string spacing but it does not seem too hard. I have read some technical bumph about why studios do not like the B string, but why are there so many for sale? Thoughts anyone (humorous ones too are acceptable)? [/quote] Reverting to the OP, I am sure it is not uncommon for a 4-string player to buy a 5-er and then not get on with it. The number for sale in the BC market place could be a reflection of this, or of their continuing popularity. You do see quite a few people saying 'great bass but I've decided to stick to 4 strings'. As has been mentioned, there are various factors that can make the 5-er that bit harder, chiefly neck width and continually going for the wrong string. I have to admit I have only gigged my 5-er once in the 18 months that I've owned it, and that was because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. It went OK except on the songs where I had to take lead vocal, and then there just seemed to be too much to compute! Nothing that can't be overcome with practice though.

Great - now I have Super Compact envy! Seriously, thanks for that review, seems to be a boss bit of kit.

[quote name='planer' timestamp='1428354148' post='2740573'] I reckon that's well worth the current price... 99p [/quote] ...except no-one has yet bid 99p!

Plywood eh? Quality!

[s]Here's why I sold my Rickenbacker[/s] No no no NO [b]NO![/b]

I gig my '73 Precision, and indeed bought it [i]to[/i] gig. Just make sure you check it out in person before you buy. And if the electrics work, they work.

[quote name='Andrej' timestamp='1428151365' post='2738525'] I know this is a noob question... ...[list] [*]When and why do you look at the drummer or at the other instruments? What triggers that decision? [/list] [/quote] Just gone back over this thread. (1) Your questions are very good ones, and many 'noobs' would not even think to ask the, so +1 to you for that. (2) We all seem to have ignored the last question. Some the best advice I've ever heard was 'watch the singer, listen to the drummer' - they will give you your cues for stops, change of section etc.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1428266054' post='2739801'] Yes, there exists some ridiculous post-punk stuff from 1979 which found its way onto YouTube. So this is how the 19-year-old me played bass. I like to think I've improved since then... [media]http://youtu.be/hiI1zUsY2O0[/media] [/quote] I note (1) an abiding fondness for moody monochrome semi-profiles, and (2) a bit of a Tom Verlaine influence?

I was supposed to be playing tonight but a bout of sickness & diarrhoea has put paid to that

Players of electric instruments are used to price tags that are stupidly low compared to those in the orchestral world. I started on a £90 instrument. Then I was happy paying £250, then £400, then £700. Eventually I broke the £1,00 barrier, and in recent years my biggest single-instrument spend has been £2,500. You can still get instruments at all these price points, it's just down to what you want. I expect Fodera have added together material costs, skilled labour costs, and a proportion of development costs; then allowed themselves, the distributor, and the retailer a markup to make their business worthwhile.

Matrix Amplification have brought out a guitar amp head with a valve front end and Class D power stage. It is styled to look like, and intended to sound like, a Marshall. I'm waiting for them to bring out a Vox or Fender version.

'Rusted all to hell' would be my guess.

Let's see -1/3 of lowest selling price in shops, available in bulk from China. [size=8][b]FAKE! [/b][size=1]probably[/size][/size]

Usually nothing. If I am giving the drummer a lift we will have a good old natter, and he sometimes suggests Bob Harris or whatever late night Radio 2 show is on. Then we play 'Guess the artiste'.

If you are going to play a prominent lick that jumps out from the accompaniment, do it in a break between vocal lines; that way it will be heard, and you won't clash with the vocal.

Like many here, the worst amp I've owned was a Laney 1x15 combo rated at 100W or 120W. I only realised how bad it was when I tried to gig with it - it just could not compete with 2 guitars and a drum machine. I went from that to an Ashdown ABM combo, which I used for the next 10 years or so before discovering Basschat and bass amp GAS!

If you are anywhere near Swindon I would be happy to take a look at it fwiw, just drop me a PM.

[quote name='Spoombung' timestamp='1428160050' post='2738655'] C'mon then, post an example and we'll have a look. [/quote] [media]http://youtu.be/5NV6Rdv1a3I[/media] I rest my case.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1428158352' post='2738619'] 33kg! [/quote] That's more than my entire rig!

[quote name='Spoombung' timestamp='1428158186' post='2738617'] Can you think of any well- known, distinctive bass lines played below an E on a bass guitar? I bet you can't... [/quote] [i]Another Brick in the Wall[/i] goes down to the D below low E. EDIT: From your other posts, do I get the vague impression that you don't like 5-strings?

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1428144401' post='2738424'] Indeed! i was helping out a friend in his country band once. We doing this song called Jambalaya or something. It alternated between C and G and bored me rigid. I tried to spice it up a bit by using chromatic fills and pushing and pulling the beat. The singer glared at me and shouted "Play It Straight!" I never got asked back. [/quote] I'm not surprised! Jambalaya has a strong 2/2 feel. Stick to root/fifth for the most part, but some judicious walking can work well behind a solo, especially in smaller outfit where there is not much else going on. In general, 'spicing up' country bass lines does [i]not[/i] improve them as it turns them into something else.

Compressor first, as (1) it may boost noise if placed after the Overdrive, and (2) it will help the Octave to track more smoothly. If you put the Overdrive after the Octave you may lose a lot of the octave-down signal, unless you have a blend control. So I suggest: Compressor > Overdrive > Octave