chris_b

We had a similar situation, the bride's dad was a fan of our blues band and booked us for his daughter's wedding. I tried to stop them saying yes, but failed. We played the whole night to an empty room and the reception was effectively held in the car park.

On my last gig we did a Christmas song, written by the singer. It was only a 12 bar but had people singing along in the chorus. So I guess it was successful, but if I got a vote I'd suggest Christmas songs are unnecessary, even in covers bands. The one thing I always and absolutely refuse to play is Happy Birthday! Wish someone the best, but you'll play Happy Birthday without a bass line if I'm on the gig!!

Checkout a Palmer Pocket Amp Bass. Plug in your sound source, bass and headphones and you have silent practicing with a quality sound. https://www.palmer-germany.com/en/products/guitar-effects/5140/pocket-amp-bass

My TI's have been on for about 5 or 6 years. I wasn't planning to change them for at least another 20. I dread to think how many thousands of pounds a set will cost when I finally go looking for replacements.

The B string is no different to any of the other strings. The 5th fret doesn't sound like the same note on an open string on any of them. 5 string basses are not heavier than 4 string basses. My Lull PJ5 weighs less than my 68 Fender Precision. Some basses are boat anchors and some aren't. The number of strings is irrelevant. Muting isn't more difficult on a 5 than a 4. Learn what you have to do and it becomes an automatic technique. I knew a bass player who had inherited and sold his dad's trucking company and was comfortably a millionaire several times over. He told me he wouldn't play a 5 string bass, "Do you know how much a set of strings costs?" I just laughed. Stop making it a thing! Just play the bass that gets the job done. If that's a 5 string bass, just get on and make the changes that are necessary. The only "issue" is a player's willingness to relearn some techniques and add some new ones. Apart from that there are no downsides to playing a 5 string bass. Not even little ones.

I smiled when I read what Lee Sklar said. I had already decided the same thing. I play a 5 string for everything, because I don't want to chop and change basses. I want to get comfortable with one bass and use it for everything. I have zero interest in trying to copy the gear that was used on the original recording. The idea that there are 4 string songs and 5 strings songs makes no sense to me. Just buy the best bass you can find, the one that does the best and most complete job for you.

IMO Precision and Jazz basses dominated like they do in every decade. Personally my 2000's was dominated by Lakland. A rather splendid 55-94.

Fender started it for me. They were the aspirational instrument for bass players, so IMO find the right one and they are very hard to beat. I've owned a Fender Precision since March 1969. Nothing's changed much for me. They still have the sound and the look. Sadly, I discovered that Fender were late to the party when I went looking for 5 string basses in the 90's. These days it's FSO's for me.

I've owned a Precision since March 1969, so you could say I'm biased, but while my current Mike Lull Precision is an amazing instrument, my Sadowsky Jazz is my favourite bass of all time. Not because it's a Jazz bass but because of the pickups and preamp. They create a huge sound.

If the bass fails whatever tests Customs use they won't just fine you they'll confiscate the bass. They might still do that with your new materials. If they don't know what has been used, they could demand you prove nothing on the bass is prohibited before they give it back. Can you do that? That'll be going into another country and coming back here. You could go down the path of getting a CITES permit for your bass. Without one it is a risk and the easiest solution is not to take the bass out of the country.

I rehearsed last Monday for a gig on Thursday. That was my first rehearsal for many, many years. We didn't need it but the band leader is a worrier, so we had to humor him. If a regular rehearsal is a social event then fine, have fun, but you are living in a different musical world to me.

100% this. . . . . . .

I like the sound of both. I usually shy away from MusicMan. I owned an SR5 for 5 years and thought I was done with that sound, but your MM sounds good.

Just stop taking the drugs.

Great clip. Nails all those "Is it the player or the gear" discussions.

Strawberry Fields, I Am The Walrus, Here Comes The Sun and I Saw Her Standing There regularly dip in and out of my DID list, depending on my mood at the time.

I love driving. I love driving on empty roads and I love driving at night, so driving home after a gig (good or bad) is no big deal for me.

I'm not surprised. It doesn't have any strings on it!!

Actually SVT-4's. . . . but maybe the picture isn't accurate?

The only song I know I'd take to a desert island would be Marvin Gaye's Heard It On The Grapevine. The rest come and go, depending on my mood, but that one remains on the list.

The Beatles changed everything. There was Before Beatles and there was After Beatles. They were the most influential band, ever. They wrote great songs which will still be played in 100 years time. They are in my top 5 but if we are talking favorites, then there others ahead of them on my list.

The Interweb says he's worth £50million. I saw him many times with John Mayall and Fleetwood Mac. Everything I play on bass grew from those evenings.

I have played with all those personality types and worse. I don't have to be best mates, but as long as they are good musicians and don't have BO I don't care which institution they escaped from.

Of course you would. This amp was probably used back stage to warm up. Charlie Watts flight cased his teapot and tea cups. If you didn't it would be smashed to pieces by the end of the first week.

I don't play with half stack Harry's, but a Twin Reverb can get just as loud. My amp EQ is basically a straight line. That's what you can do with a good bass and great cabs.