Stub Mandrel

I'm probably listening to the single which only has bass in about 40% of it... " The album version features bass guitar by Guy Pratt doubled by an analogue Minimoog bass synthesizer, while the 7" version has a different bass part played by Randy Jackson. "

I want to learn how people make use of the opportunities a 5-string offers. Seems they don't go much further than using a few extra low notes. My noodling turned up some possibilities in order of reducing practicality: Those low notes are great for creating a pulse or atmosphere, much as you might use an octaver for. Using the low B string for dropping down instead of going up. You can play a typical I IV V all at the same fret if it starts on the E string - problem is it doesn't generally sound as good so use with care... Two and a half octaves is a long way for riffs that use the whole of a position on the neck, hard to come up with something that sounds 'solid' but a call and response approach works. Lots more harmonics to play with - the low B gives some lovely strong ones right up to the second fret which have a sort of 'phased' character. One can (I won't put 'I can') use it as a sort of baby Chapman Stick.

I'll take your word for it - I looked at six different tabs and they were all for a 4-string.

I'll write my own five-string bassline and put it up for you folks to dissect :-)

<Sound of 5-string bass being cut into small pieces for firewood>

I am struggling a bit... We Didn't Start the Fire doesn't seem to go below E and 95% of Like prayer doesn't have bass in it (although what there is is simple and fun).

Is it really that rare to find songs that actually use five strings, rather than just contriving a four-string song to fit? It's not very motivating to just change things I already play, or drop them down a few tones, and scales get really boring really fast...

I want to improve my 5-string playing. Can anyone suggest some songs to play along to that are (1) fairly well known (2) make genuine use of a five string (not just ordinary songs with a dropped D, for example) and (3) are reasonably easy to learn. I suppose the ideal would be a nice walking line that takes you right across the fretboard and have an accurate tab available..

I may well be interested, I'll be in Dunblane several times between late September-November.

From the comments it appears to be original. I guess people were still experimenting with what was 'right' in those days. It's a perfectly sensible material to use... for many years I had this rough and ready repair (done in teh years before cheap pickguards became available on eBay!)

Anodised pick guard in 1957!

Fit only for the bin. Post it to me and I will recycle it for you 👿

Metallic blue with a gold scratchplate? ... do you drive one of these... 😲

I should have guessed... it was all far too earnest 🙂

I haven't got the stamina to read another seven pages... but ... surely saying bone conduction means earplugs don't work is a bit like saying sunglasses don't work because light can get around the sides -wear a welding helmet. It's absolutely true but only relevant if you are exposed to an extreme sound/UV source.

Obviously a copy of a Warwick 'Thumb' bass...

Let me assist...

Update of my pedalboard. I do need to get a better wah, last night it threw a wobbly and just sucked away nearly all my volume. Works fine today...

The answer my friend is...

We're doing 'Brute Force and Ignorance'. On the live version Gerry McAvoy's bass line is basically improvised from about five bars in... impossible for me to follow. It's a very simple song, mostly G D D G, and the main 'character' is thumping down on a the root note at the right moments to keep the pulse of the song alive (and putting the brief chorus in the same place as the guitarist. But the song demands that you change the dynamics and pace and that you vary the complexity according to what's going on. I want to play a combination of some 'signature' riffs that work well over the verses with random in-key noodling. I'm along way from happy with where I am but as hard and as satisfying to tackle as learning a well-documented bassline. My lesson learned from this is that there's an awful lot more to successful improvisation than scales. I can over analyse it (by claiming to be 'modulating between G mixolydian and D mixolydian) but that's getting close to 💩💩💩

In the Midnight Hour?

I've invested exactly £10.10 in upgrades, hopefully by the end of the week it will be a '1963 Jazz bass' (-ish). Bridge cover (already got, bought a Jazz one for my p-bass by mistake). Tug bar in 'old style' position (had two ina packet). On order: Jazz bass knobs. Pickup cover Neodyminium magnets Red tortoishell scratchplate Tempting to build a stacked pot control cover to make it a '62 'birthday bass' 🙂

My practice amp is carefully positioned so the door can't contact the basses!

Talking to the chap in the shop where I bought my Jaguar SS he says they have never had a bass that flies off the racks faster - every time they have one it goes straight away. Our guitarist bought one for his daughter before I got mine. I bet in 20-25 years there will be those who speak of them in hushed tones and those who say 'I can't see what the fuss is about they were only entry level basses', but I reckon they are probably the most instrument you can get for your money at the moment.