chris_b

I believe multi-scale brings tuning and string tension benefits. It's like the difference between blended whiskey and a single malt. Can you tell the difference? Can you appreciate the difference? There is no right answer, just a personal preference.

Looks like the MM SR5 has been replaced by a Sire. She's sounding as good as ever.

I popped in at about 12.30. Chris May had 8 basses on dis[play, very nice ones too. Phil Mulford and Phil Mann (with his signature basses) were there. I couldn't stay long and it started filling up as I was leaving, with Mo Foster, entourage and others arriving. If I had a gig where I could sit down during the show I'd have bought an Overwater years ago.

It's not really a minefield. These days you have to try really hard to make choices that end up not sounding good. If you're too quiet for the band you'll have to start catching up with unnecessary upgrades. Also you don't want to be pushing either amp or cab hard enough to sound bad or break something. I'd start by looking at 500 watt amps and good cabs, either 2 112's, a 212 or a 210.

Checkout the Palmer Pocket Bass Amp. https://www.palmer-germany.com/en/products/guitar-effects/5140/pocket-amp-bass?__shop=23 https://www.andertons.co.uk/palmer-pocket-bass-amp-pepampbass

Very nice. Great tone out of a 5 string Sadowsky.

Great playing. I don't know this guy. I'm going to have a closer look at this tomorrow. We used to play Thinking Out Loud in the cover band. I really enjoyed playing it and we went down a storm every time.

Not true. You're not listening to the right Funk. There's a Funk thread on BC which should steer you in the right direction.

In my travels I have not seen a 5 string Overwater that light! Lucky chap!!

Making music as opposed to only playing songs I like. Others might be fine with limiting their playing opportunities but I like playing as many different styles with as many different musicians as I can. I was asked to learn some Beyoncé, Jesse Jay and a couple of others, who I'd never heard of. On the gig, a wedding, I just loved playing those songs.

I wish I could play all the techniques you mention. Sadly I'm a one-trick finger style pony! Old dogs and new tricks springs to mind, but I don't see why any technique shouldn't be utilised where it would sound interesting. Initially, electric instruments met with significant resistance in the Jazz world and electric basses are still generally shunned in Rock and Roll, even though most of the original artists were using electric bass by 1957. The excuse that the original was played on a 4 string bass is regularly trotted out as a reason why someone won't play a 5 string bass! So many musicians love their blinkers! Why pigeon-hole a technique or style of playing or restrict its use to specific genres? If you are good at a technique why not break down barriers and add it (in a tasteful and appropriate way) to your playing. If you are good enough it won't sound out of place.

No limits. I enjoy playing anything and everything. Even stuff I wouldn't normally listen to. Making music has always been the only priority.

Rehearsing with a guitarist last week and the Schaller strap lock on his Strat worked lose. It's obviously a feature!!

A very small and insignificant financial penalty compared to all the money Fender stole off it's online customers over that 5 year period.

Overwater are exceptional instruments. I would love to own one of their 5 string Jazz basses. My problem is their weight. These days I can't carry a 10+lb bass for 2 sets anymore.

All those big stadium anthem songs are interesting to play in my opinion.

You beat me to it!!

I bought a D'Addario clip-on tuner and it broke in the first month. I'd be interested to know which is the best clip-on tuner for low B's.

There is a saying, buy your second bass first. Many people get a cheaper bass as a starter, and upgrade to a better bass quite quickly. If you jump straight to that second bass you'll probably find it's easier to play and will sound better, which should inspire you to improve as a player. Well that's the theory! Then again, you will definitely find better deals in the classifieds.

I thought we were talking about new amps, but the used marketplace is a very interesting place to be.

How is that even a question? Mesa will make their own business decisions. They know their marketplace and they have been running a successful company, with pretty high prices, for 50 years. A few years ago I remember walking around their shop in Denmark Street and almost every guitar combo was over £2k. You can dislike their pricing policy but comparisons are futile. If only Aston Martin reduced their prices I could buy one, instead of the old Volvo I could afford! 25 years ago Mesa certainly did assign and enforce retail prices, well in the UK and at the Bass Centre, they did. Grant complained about them, a lot. Then again, people can pay just as much for their cabs and significantly more for their basses. Many big valve amps are north of £2K so the headlining, feature packed D class amps could be said to be on the more reasonable side of that comparison. But still, owning certain gear can be an expensive decision. You decide which marketplace is for you and then normal buying decisions apply. But if you're a Ford Focus guy why worry about the cost of a Range Rover?

What's the problem? One bass has a higher output than the other. Adjust the amp and, assuming you can make both basses sound good at their respective volumes, you're ready to go.

If you think £600 is a "tad pricey", did you try any of the Sires?

In Mesa's opinion they make high quality products and price accordingly. They are not in the high production volume market so comparisons in that area are pretty pointless. Why does anyone on BC think they know the costs involved to distribute products around the world and maintain a global support network and a sales infrastructure? 25 years ago a 400+ was £1449. Now that was expensive! In fact my annual bonus, and then some. Mesa earned their money and much respect from me when they took the amp back for repair about 5 times and then asked the shop to exchange it. Not what I expected of the amp but more than I expected from the company.

What a great feel and tone. . . . . . . and a fantastic line at 3:18.