Conan

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1330425582' post='1557092'] I love stainles steel strings...the brighter the better! [/quote] [quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1330425979' post='1557101']Do you guys like new strings? I hate 'em. All that brightness is so un-bass.[/quote]

After years of using rotos, then Elites, then D'Addarios I am now working my way through the DR range! I am pretty impressed. They are not cheap, but they just seem to have more tone than the other strings I've used. Nice feel too

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1330368291' post='1556374'] It would be interesting to know what percentage of basses put up for sale actually sell. It's not really a Basschat problem though, I'm sure most basses put on eBay with a BIN or a start price close to the market value don't sell either. [/quote] It seems to depend on the market sector. There is plenty of movement at the budget end of the price scale, and deluxe basses always seem to shift.... more problems in the £300 - £1500 range perhaps? In the last few months I 've bought strings, fretboard markers and a bass. I've sold two guitars and a bass. Sales are happening.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.... Unless it's a rose with no fragrance.

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1330366485' post='1556330'] About as useful as a chocolate fireguard. Sorry. Just wanted to use that saying. [/quote] Or an ashtray on a motorbike?

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1330310389' post='1555578'] The bassist in The New Mastersounds has a great Precision sound. He's also a damn good player.........as I'm sure you'll agree. [/quote] Hell of a rhythm section all round! Although I'm not sure how much of the "P tone" comes through in this clip as all of his playing is so staccato and he clearly has the tone control rolled right off... Very nice though!

A few people have talked about the low B string sounding poor in comparison to the other strings. Could this be due to the reduced ability of cabinets to reproduce these frequencies, or is there an inherent problem in the design of the basses themselves that makes the lowest string the weakest link? Surely the diameter/gauge of the low B string also becomes an issue, particularly with intonation? Or is it just that our ears have become habituated to hearing notes in the "normal" E - G range and struggle with the lower notes? I find this fascinating!

Alister just bought my Squier Affinity P-bass. Great communications, asked sensible questions, paid very quickly and arranged the shipping! What more could you want from a buyer? Highly recommended.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1330303188' post='1555557'] Other people being impressed at what I am able to do in any aspect of my life isn't what motivates me on any level - in fact I find it toe curlingly embarassing. [/quote] I'm not quite as bad as that... but I'd far rather have one happy punter tell me they liked the set than ten bass players comment on my use of low-mid frequencies to fill my sonic hole, etc. And my choice of instrument is my choice - it's nothing to do with anyone else!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1330334325' post='1555673'] One thing I have found is that IMO you need to spend at least £1000 (new) to get a 5-string bass that is sufficiently good enough to make a meaningful comparison with the average 4-stringer. [/quote] Therein lies my problem.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU5A9C6ypZ0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU5A9C6ypZ0[/url]

Why is there no "it depends" option??! It depends. It depends on the singer's favoured key. It depends if you have been with a singer so long that they are having to drop keys and the original recordings were in E. I depends on whether your four string and five string are of an equivalent quality... I, for example, seem to find myself reverting to my four string basses all the time. If I had a brilliant quality fiver maybe that would not be the case? Problem is, as I see five strings as a bit of an experiment I haven't been able to justify buying a top quality one. Because it is not top quality I maybe don't get as much out of playing it as I should... I also found myself using the low B string (I don't see the point of a high C) as an effect. Like most effects I get bored of it pretty easily. It also didn't sound so good when recorded - just didn't work with the band mix... So you see, it depends!

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1330283301' post='1555176'] Ah, just you wait. Those 80's Fenders will be 'highly sought after' in about 5 years time. [/quote] Sadly, this is probably correct!

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1330251976' post='1554512']By the time you've bought a Squier, replaced the pickups, upgraded the electronics, put a new set of machine heads on it and maybe pushed the boat out and fitted a new bridge - wouldn't it have been cheaper and quicker to have bought an MIA in the first place... [/quote] Possibly... but MIAs are noted for their variability. Get a good Squier and upgrade it and you KNOW you have a good player. BTW, all of the upgrades you mention could be done for less than £200, so even with the most expensive Squier you are still nowhere near the cost of an MIA!

[quote name='neilb' timestamp='1330205920' post='1554220'] So you would know then, that you should never start a sentence with "And". [/quote] That's because I don't have a Gramma pad...

I like it. And I don't mind Adam Clayton. Controversial, I know. I think I'd rather have a "Paul Anthony" though...

[quote name='Grant' timestamp='1330251764' post='1554501'] I went back to a 4 a few years back - wasn't using the low B at all. [/quote] I was over-using it!

Horses for courses... but "that" sound does indeed work in certain situations. Although for me it would be a J rather than a P!!

I'm in that position but for different reasons. My main desire to get a five in the first place was to play more low notes. In rehearsals I thought it sounded great! Loads of profound bottom end that really shored up the sound of the band... Then we recorded a live rehearsal. I listened back and the sound was totally not what I expected. The bass sounded OK in isolation, but it just didn't sit right within the band mix. The best way I can describe it is that there was too much "distance" between the two guitars and the bass! I know we always talk about everyone fitting into their own sonic "pocket" or frequency range, but mine just seemed to far away from the rest of the band. This band anyway. We re-recorded the stuff with me playing the bass parts an octave higher on a J bass. Result!! It just worked. I know that every band is different, and that in some cases the separation between guitars and bass can really sound good, but I am trusting my ears and ditching the five string. Should I try re-stringing it E - C? Not sure there is any point for me as I don't tend to play many high notes anyway. Truth be told, I am much happier to be back "home" on four strings!