chris_b

Do you know what key you'll be playing this in yet? So far I've played this number in 2 bands, in A and D.

Play open E then E on the A string. Your plucking finger mutes the open E, your left hand mutes the other E when you take the pressure off the note. The run up is C# and D with their octaves on the A and G strings. The Middle 8 is D, A, E. Forget tab.You gotta work stuff like this out by ear. And if we're talking about the 1978 live YouTube version([url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWQKGZTCRWo"]https://www.youtube....h?v=xWQKGZTCRWo[/url]), the sound quality isn't good but I can hear all the octaves being played just right. At 2:00 you get about 5 seconds of the bass player. Check him out.

Many well known and popular cabs can't handle the fundamental of the E string either. It doesn't matter that cabs can't reproduce the fundamental. They reproduce the harmonics and that's all you need to hear the note.

All IMO. Get this bass if you really want it and if you have this amount of spare cash, but please, this is not a plan for an investment. Potential buyers will just see a Fender Precision at a price very few will think is good value. So the investment potential will be minimal. It's an expensive vanity project and if you are trying to find reasons to justify buying this bass then you should walk away. It's not a good idea, even for a "significant" birthday. A good investment would be an original vintage bass. Buy a good Fender Precision and get a luthier to convert it to fretless for 1/3 rd of the cost. Spend the rest on the wife. Win win.

I don't know what you're trying to achieve in the studio, ie what music you're playing or what sound you're after, but I would. . . . . . . leave the strings on, put some foam under the strings and just love the sound.

This is the guy who's excesses are legendary. I'm surprised he looks this good.

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1417185517' post='2617942'] .... love it.... the bass is superb.... the fan frets are incredible.... the famous B string.... it weight almost half of my previous bass.... [/quote] . . . . and you want to sell it? It seems Dingwall have 3 pre amp options for this bass including their Glockenklang pre amp. I'd email Sheldon, he's a member of Basschat, and ask about it.

I've heard most of the numbers but when depping I always ask for a set list so I get prior warning and can do some homework. I'd rather none of us had any nasty surprises. I use chord charts for most of the gigs I do, although they are really only for occasional reference; keys, intros. endings. We had a no charts rule for the originals band but no one else minds. The charts can be tucked away.

There are many reasons to prioritise gigs; a pro band, a better paying gig, a gig you prefer to do are all good reasons. You can run a "first in book" system, but if the bands are unequal (ie pro v semi pro, originals v covers) you have to have a pecking order and gigs always trump rehearsals. Whatever you do give plenty of notice, find good deps (not too good) and be open about everything. But most importantly, make sure you're enough of an asset to the band that they'll accept absences.

I've got some Dunlop Super Brights on a Jazz bass which sound pretty good. Plenty of snap there. I used DR Lo-Riders on my other basses for years until I switched to flatwounds. DR have a Marcus Miller signature set which might work well for you.

No one [i]has[/i] to play a 5 string bass. But advice that I have never understood is that some numbers are better on a 4, or covers that were originally recorded on a 4 [i]should[/i] be played on a 4 string bass. I have a 4 string bass sitting right there every time I go out and gig. I play midi bass lines, 4 string bass lines and even some 3 string bass lines on my 5 string bass. That's the flexibility I mentioned earlier.

.... also, for me switching back and forth between 4's and 5's wasn't helpful. It complicated the learning process so my recommendation is to put the 4 away and don't use it.

5's aren't all about the low notes, which they have and which come in very useful and sound great in a large number of songs, they are about increased flexibility, as others have said. I don't understand why others assume that because you play a 5 string bass you [i]have[/i] to play low notes! You can but you don't have to. 5's give you a range of options which you don't get on a 4 stringed instrument. I'd agree about getting the best instrument you can afford, I've got both 34" and 35" basses and I prefer the feel and sound of the 35" scale. I'd also point out that ultimately you should plan to upgrade your amp and cabs. A good 5 string bass at volume and with a fat warm tone should be allowed to thunder through the best rigs.

They don't seem to so a 36" set for 5 strings.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1417084711' post='2616864'] ....Although if it is as you said, seems rather pointless making a ported cab sound sealed, just make it sealed no? .... [/quote] Ported and sealed cabs have different strengths and sounds, so as the site says Alex is building a [i]"hybrid enclosure which sounds and feels like a sealed cab but can play loud and bring the thunder like a ported cab"[/i]. Pointless? How do we more about this than Alex?

Can anyone tell me, do TI flats fit a 35" scale bass? The descriptions for their strings seem to indicate they are only made for 34" scale.

This video is of an old fashioned Soul band. I can play this easily, but I'd never get the chance because I'm not pretty enough, I'm too old and I'll never break into the clique that these guys are plucked from. I think that's the gist of Blue's point. I'm already suffering. A young drummer I played with in the now defunct originals band has joined a blues/soul band I know and have depped with over the years. They do pub, club and festival gigs. Just joined on bass is a young guy from the same music college. He's a great player. Playing stuff with a technique I've only ever seen on Youtube vidoes. That's another dep gig gone west! Some days I feel positively Jurassic!

I play Testify by SRV in a trio, and it usually gets counted in faster than the record. I try to think of something else when I'm playing it. If I focus on the 16 to the bar beat I always tighten up. I try to relax, play with a light feel and breath. This is an athletic performance, so you need to stretch and warm up first. Don't push it. Take breaks and you'll get your speed up to where you need it to be.

The smaller you go the less bass frequencies the cab can handle and the thinner you'll sound on a gig. The smallest rig I'll use is a 112 and a D class amp.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask where the cash is going. He's asking you to give up your time and money, so if he's donating to a charity he should be proud of that fact . Proud enough to give the details to anyone who asks. The fact that he got huffy means, in my book, he's not giving as much as he should.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1416829364' post='2613912'] You could sell the rig, but then you have the downsize in the TH500 and 1 DB112 option so you don't need to do anything, as far as I can see. [/quote] +1 If you want to downsize why go out a buy a combo when you can down size to 1 cab without spending any money. A Mesa combo would be the same size and weight and IMO wouldn't sound as good.

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1416822696' post='2613810'] ....Now me and the lead guitarist understand that you have to turn up to the volume of the drums because obviously with an acoustic drum kit you cant excatly turn them down... [/quote] Yes you can. Drummers can play loudly or quietly. It's called drumming. If you have one that can't adjust his volume then I suggest you get a better drummer who can.

The conclusion, rightly or wrongly, is that he is something to hide. Call the charity and ask them.

I use my Gramma on solid floors and I've not had any problems with the sound or tone.

Also get it in black. White looks so semi-pro!!!!!!