chris_b

If it works, great. I know a player who's using C F Bb Eb on a 4 string jazz!! I use the G string as much as the B string so it wouldn't work for me.

Aguilar TH500, AG700 and a Thunderfunk amps have always given me a great sound through Barefaced 210's and 112's.

Sorry to hear such sad news.

What TC amp are you using in the rehearsals? Where is the volume control when you are playing? If your guitarist is anywhere near right with his 30w estimate, then you're playing at a much lower volume level than I expected or I have experience of! My thinking is - a 500 watt amp will be putting 250 watts into an 8 ohm cab and you don't want to be pushing an amp hard, maybe no more than half way on the master volume control, so that means you are using about 100-150 watts of clean power. Holding a lot of the amp's power in reserve will give you a thing called "headroom" which gives you a cleaner and clearer sound. depending on the soujnd you are after that can give you a "better " tone. IMO while combos have a level of convenience, they will be a heavier lift than separates and they have the disadvantage that you have to sell the whole lot when you want to upgrade. There are no stupid questions. Keep asking and you will build up your knowledge.

There are too many parameters involved here to know what was happening, but if anyone can't get a good sound out of an active bass, they should be looking at the way they are EQing their sound.

So what is your budget? I can suggest a light, loud, one cab solution but it might be more than you want to pay. I'd suggest an 8 ohm 112 and 500 watt amp. That gives you the ability to be loud enough with one cab and add a second cab if you want to sound bigger and better.

If it doesn't apply to you then fine. I wasn't calling out anyone in particular. You should read some of the posts here and on Talkbass. It's usually tied in with vintage, valve and big gear being "better".

I think you're right. I've changed my mind. Making music qualifies someone to be described as a musician. There are those like me, who make music, and those like Ed Sheeran, who I'd describe as "artists". They have a level of creativity that I can only dream of. IMO ES is a fine songwriter and performer.

I'm not sure at what point we qualify for the term musician. Maybe it's when we start to play with other players.

Heft is a description of bass "sound" that makes those, who think they have it, feel superior. Having it or not is largely an argument had by those who would better spend their time improving their playing.

The 3+1 and 4+1 headstock's are a design which keeps the head smaller and reduces the likelihood of neck dive.

If your budget is up to it, there is the Overwater factory in Carlisle. Beautiful basses. We have several BCers in Newcastle. Maybe you could meet up with them?

As long as players look at a 5 string bass as 4 +1 they will never get the most out of the instrument.

Aiming for a synergy between your bass, amp and cab is the right way to go. IMO. You already have a good Precision bass, so rather than looking for a better P bass, I'd be looking for a good Jazz bass (or other 2 pickup bass) to compliment it. 420 miles? Where do you live?

You should practice to remove any dependence you have on size of neck in order to play busy lines. Anyone who is "struggling" to play a 5 string due to physical or technical issues needs to put in the time to make their technique independent of the instrument.

Seems to me you need to make that 2 hour drive. You have all sorts of ideas about what you want and don't want and now you need to play some basses to see if the real thing matches your ideas. If you want to cut through I'd also be looking at the amp and cab you use, any pedals and the EQ you have..

I play a 5 string bass because it is the most flexible instrument I've found so far. I play the lines I want and need to play and I don't stand there counting the number of times I play a note on any of the strings. I've got better things to think about.

My Laklands, Wals, Mike Lull's and Sadowsky all had great sounding B strings. My Stingray and Fender Jazz were good but not in the same league as the first list. So far I've found that scale and strings made no noticeable difference to me. Maybe it was the manufacture and/or materials or maybe they were all made with a higher level of human input and skill. I'm guessing. I don't know how to analyse any of this stuff. I just play them. Barts have been a favourite sound of mine since my first set in the 80's. I know a guy using Barts and an East Uni-pre. He's getting the best sound I've heard in decades.

James Jamerson was a perfect storm. He had a total understanding of musical theory, perfect timing, unique harmonic ideas, an ability to think and play on his feet, an understanding of how the bass could enhance and lead a tune, how to play complicated and busy lines in a way that didn't detract from the song, a bunch of fellow musicians, producers and writers who happily gave him all the space he needed and a record company boss who allowed him to do what he liked and paid him a fortune at the same time, all driven by an ego the size of Texas. He developed a totally new and unique style of playing. After JJ the role of a bass playing got significantly more complicated!

A good drummer will have good ears and good timing. There has never been a good band that doesn't have a good drummer. If you don't enjoy what and how your drummer plays, it's time for a new drummer.

Yep. Always upgrade.

At those prices you could buy an awful lot of lessons. The cheapest tick would get you over 100 face to face lessons or 14 years on Scotts lessons.

This. The various shoot-outs we've done at the SE Bass Bashes have proved to me that you can make 90% of the gear on the market today sound good enough for any gig. Being picky is seen as a good thing, but IMO it is a distraction from the real job we have, learning to be better bass players.

Sorry guys, but you don't need cabs that reproduce 31hz in order to get a great sound out of a 5 string bass. An SVT 810 only goes down to 40hz and it doesn't blow up when a 5 string bass is plugged in.

We have to care because we play better when we are happy with our sound. The bands I play in would notice but even if they don't know why, they will still appreciate better playing (from a happy bass player). Some audiences will notice the good stuff. I have guys come up from the audience and ask about 5 string basses and compliment my sound, but that's probably the demographic of the bands I play in. Older music fans might understand a little more? Of the very few younger people who have come up to chat most have been musicians themselves. IME in the better bands, what and how you play gets you the gig, not what you sound like.