chris_b

If I was still playing 4's I'd be looking for a good used 2010 or later Fender Am Std with some budget left over for upgrades, if they were needed. IMO Fender make it more difficult for 5 string players to go for their P basses. The Roscoe Beck was a great bass but obviously didn't sell enough. I think they should have stuck with it but who knows why Fender make the decisions they do! There are some fabulous 5 string P basses out there, unfortunately and sadly, because I've been a Fender fan for the last 50 years, non of them are being made by Fender.

The band doesn't have to be playing loud before the bass drum can get lost in the mix, so bringing it out helps define the band sound better.

I don't know why you guys let the people who work in music shops wind you up so much. Go in, say "no thanks, I'm just looking" and get on with it. Know what you need to know before you walk in. Don't ask them stuff and don't converse. If you find anything you'd like to try ask and try it. Either say I'm having it or no thanks and go around the loop again or leave. Life's too short to get angry with anyone let alone anyone working in a music shop.

Don't worry about the count in, do your own version.

That's why it's easier to just play one or the other. Or just the 5, because then you have a stable environment on the fret board and can play any song on the one instrument. IMO, trying to keep the 4 in play as well serves no useful purpose and just causes unnecessary complications. . . unless you can give over a lot of practise time to developing 2 lots of muscle memory.

My aim is to be simple, effective and to get the best sound I can.

Do you need 2 subs? Just take 1. I'd agree with the drummer. Putting a little bass drum through the PA improves the sound of the whole band and when everyone can hear the bass drum, the timing of of the band tightens up. If you want to make the drummer happier still, run a bass drum monitor for him. I used to play with a drummer who bought his own PA, just for the bass drum, and 1 speaker which went between us at the back. Hearing the bass drum so clearly changed and improved the feel of the rhythm section. I was surprised ho much better we all played with just that one change. He then ran a feed from his PA to the band PA.

Maybe it would have been just as easy or difficult to learn the guitar the other way around. I just picked up the instrument and played it as it was.

Never. No one touches my bass and I never lend my back line. They are the tools for my job and represent a substantial investment on my part. This is one rule that is fixed in stone.

The only 2 guitarists I know using Gibson guitars have switched to Burny and Orville. Apparently, sadly, they say this was an upgrade.

You're hitting the strings too hard with your right hand. If you can't lighten up on your RH technique you'll have to raise the strings.

I had Play In A Day and a book by Chas McDevitt. Both a complete waste of time IME.

The first thing to do when you join a new band is [i]don't [/i]stop looking for a new band. Until you've sorted out all the details and given it a few months to see if it's working as you expected.

The PF500's had serious problems in the early days but that should have been fixed for the last few years. I haven't seen reports of anyone having problems recently. I wouldn't buy a second hand one unless the seller could prove when it was bought, but new ones should be fine now.

My friend had a proper guitar, a Futurama and a Watkins Dominator, so he got to play the guitar parts. I had a crappy Spanish acoustic so I had to play the bass lines. I was a terrible guitarist anyway, so it was one of those happy accidents.

[quote name='Raggy' timestamp='1475150570' post='3143452'] Ah nuts, I was thinking of moving on my SC's to get a Retro cab setup to help with my barracuda bass sound. Sounds like Retro's would work with the Ska sound but not the punk [/quote] Put a Super Midget on top of one or both SC's.

[quote name='Earbrass' timestamp='1475145968' post='3143385'] People who are very good at stuff are seldom happy with their performance - that's why they are so good, they are constantly driven to improve. [/quote] +1 I always used to think, I can do that better. Now I'm older I think that should have been better, but that's as good as it's going to get.

Find an American Standard that you like p[laying and upgrade the pots and pickups if you have to.

Staff in music shops haven't changed much in 60 years.

I'd put some flats on the fretless.

[quote name='zawinul' timestamp='1475056115' post='3142607'] Apart from getting different strings or raising the action which I don;t really want to do, [/quote] I guess this reads as, I don't want to do either, rather than, i don't want to raise the action! More appropriate strings and a resultant set up is the only thing I can suggest.

Why is it so difficult to change the strings?

My first indulgence was a Mesa Boogie 400+. Great amp built for me on special order, but not the best choice when you're only playing every 4 months or so. Then I decided I preferred the sound of something else. I lost a fortune selling that amp. The next and last indulgence was a Rob Allen MB2. A beautiful sounding instrument and wonderful to play. I really didn't think I'd have such a problem with it being fretless [u]and[/u] a 4 string. If only it had frets or a B string I'd probably still own it. Buy with your head not your heart. I knew that. . . . !

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1475003078' post='3142253'] Are we sure he is recovering from a stroke at the time of this clip. . . . you hire Chuck Rainey because he does what he does. With his background, he will be hired for what he brings to the party [/quote] I believe this is after the stroke. The video was supposed to highlight the idea that many of the best players do not always follow "the rules". And it doesn't bother them or their playing at all, so don't get hung up on right and wrong. There are many ways to be an effective player. Most of the great Rock players were absent when the rule books were handed out. edit for spelling!

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1474997961' post='3142189'] The real right answer to this question is really to [b][u]get a lighter bass[/u][/b]. Until i find one with the same core tone as my current one i'll keep hauling it while i'm able. [/quote] That's what I thought when I was gigging my Road Ready EV Mesa cabs. They were way too heavy for me, weighed about 99lbs each, and I knew it but they sounded so good I thought I'd use them for a bit longer. Then I damaged a disk in my back and life became very difficult. Like the right time to use ear plugs is while you can hear everything clearly, before any hearing loss, the right time to get light weight basses and cabs is when you still find it easy to lift the heavy ones.