nobodysprefect

We traded basses with Andy, and I couldn't have hoped for a nicer guy to deal with. Very understanding when I got swamped with stuff, too. Thanks for that especially!

Blues bass is based on time & feel, not so much room for 'interesting' note choices - at least all the time. They'll think you're a jazzer! So my advice is, listen to a TON of blues. Early stuff, too. Delta Blues. Texas Blues. Jump...

I bought, sold and traded basses for 6 years, going through over 40 boutique basses before landing my first MTD 635. I've done all but 3 gigs with an MTD since then. If you get one that compliments your touch and needs, it's pretty much as good as it gets. One thing many might not know is that they now offer a USA model with single coil pickups. (Interesting bit of history with Norm Stockton there on youtube as well)

PRS changed their neck heel to what Ed Roman used to call heel from hell back in 1994, when they put up a new production facility. In PRSi circles the earlier guitars are called 'pre-factory' when in fact PRS already had a production facility that was, for all in tents and porpoises, a factory before that. But the production methods DID change, and the wonderful set-neck heel was changed - at least in the Custom 24 models which I suppose were [i]the[/i] model to get back then. AFAIK it's do to with cutting out as much labour costs as poss. Ed Roman's site had (has?) pretty good comparison shots of the neck heels... Me, I wouldn't go for a guitar with such a blocky heel. Bass? Nah, I'll keep my MTDs.

You'd get to rehearse the material, unlike in silddx' nightmares!

Zombie band eh? Hmm, couldn't think of the One Lineup to Rule Them All and need to head off to a gig... But I'm fairly sure I'd have Frank Zappa on guitar. And he couldn't say no, because he's a zombie and I'm a necromancer.

'So and so only played a four' Well. A lot of our heroes started out when many guitarists didn't sport much low end in their tone: thus, the eb of a bass in stanrdard tuning worked, as there was all the sonic space you could hope for. Another thing is the audience expectations: most audiences will expect fairly strong low end from the band these days, and I prefer to be it. A lot of our heroes wrote their own music, thus, they could use keys and lines that either worked with standard tuning or detune. Don't like that much, but I admit that's me being lazy. I [i]like [/i]having the same notes at the same spatial location all the time. Helps me stop thinking and start feeling. Also, why I swing so much better on the upright. Still, it's pretty much up to the player to choose... and remember, [i]it don't mean a thing/if it ain't got that swing![/i]

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1359633845' post='1957869'] Other than having the occasional recurring dream / nightmare of standing in for Alex Lifeson (but my guitar never works), I am perfectly happy where I am.[/quote] I get that too! I feel like a total sap when I can't pick out the key the guys are playing in, and then the bass cuts out, and everybody's looking at me!

Thanks for the compliments! I guess we're backwards here in Finland. I've heard some guitards (sic) tell a bassist that they need a Real (preferably vintage 4-string) Fender, none of that Sadowsky clone crap. And the amount of lip I get (from other musos!) for playing the sixers at weddings! Thing is, the two musicians I've played with more than half my life with really appreciate the fact that I can comp or play kontrapunkts or solo or play a nice intro or outro up there. And then there's the usual 'we play lots of stuff in Eb or have to transpose to accommodate a vocalist.' So I realized playing a six was the way [i]for me[/i] to serve the needs of the trio. Then I found out going between five and six really mucked up my playing and it's been all sixes from there. To answer my own question, I don't think I've ever heard a chord played on a, d and g strings sound the same as one using d,g and c. There's a different sonic quality and if you want that nylon string-ish tone, you'll need thinner gauge. Also, where in the scale you play has famously a huge impact on the tone - who of us is free of the carnal sin of playing something up the neck on E or A string? It's got [i]that tone[/i] in a good way.

Fairly interesting spread of choices! Not many drummers mentioned though? As to the vocalists... Blah, I already play with 10/10 young women and believe, it's not worth it. The sense of entitlement! I'd say a reasonable 7 is much better - makeup and dress work wonders to satisfy the audience's need for eyecandy, and she won't have grown up to expect star treatment at a pub gig. Might even carry a microphone case from car to the venue. Pat Metheny would be horrible though. I'd be stiff with apprehension and couldn't play even Have You Heard!

So, we'd all like the tons of money that comes with touring with, say, Alisha Keyes (sp?). But, who'd we like to play with, with no expectation of pecuniary interest? I'd like to play with Lindsey Buckingham and Carter Beauford, myself. Possibly run through Fleetwood Mac catalogue, even. If there was a blonde vocalist as well that'd be just gravy! =) Here's 2 videos showcasing [i]why[/i] I'd like to play with them. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0c8Q5_Lplw"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0c8Q5_Lplw[/url] Carter B. I suppose it's a question of having twisted sensibilites. To me, his drumming is just plain [i]musical.[/i] Oh, I like Old Purdie as well, make no mistake. Just, I'd really like to play with Carter B. Yes, it's not the deepest groove out there. As for mr. Buckingham... [url="http://youtu.be/lC4ER59o0m0"]http://youtu.be/lC4ER59o0m0[/url] Okay, that could easily been seen as humorous. Solos from a legendary guitarist NOT known for his blazing speed? sh*t, the man can play, but doesn't let that get in the way of music! And he's got a nice sense of time as well. Who'd you like to play with, money not being on the line?

And Matthew Garrison can't probably groove, either!

Me, I only play sixes these years. Having more range never stopped Melvin Davis or Andrew Gouche from grooving... And groove is where it's at!

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1359589067' post='1957347'] I had a 6 myself for a few years so I appreciate they can sound good, but it never did become a popular instrument - I still only ever see them used in pretentious metal bands (the sort who come up with a convoluted genre classification for their music before they actually come up with any songs). And like it or not most bands will roll their eyes at you if you turn up with one. [/quote] Chaka Khan is pretentious metal these days? Andrew Gouche is one of the hardest grooving cats you'll [i]ever [/i]hear and he mostly plays an MTD 635...

11 strings... Eh, I dunno, never felt the need for more than 6. That's how Leo designed it. If you want to play that many strings, you should play a sitar or a harp. Anyway, you don't need more than 6 strings to play the money notes anyways. Frankly, though, I don't think I could develop the technique or stamina necessary to swing an 11 string. Or a 7 string, really. My pinkies are really short and a 19mm six is the absolute max I'm comfortable with, with practise!

Nah, flog the bastards with it!

You'd be surprised me matey...

Here's a trailer for a musical theatre production by rank amateurs - law student's at my faculty - for which I'm the MD. Called to create music, I whipped out a chord progression - arpeggio inversions, really - I'd come up with and played two solos on top of it and picked the better one. Me, I think the result proves that sometimes a high c string is worthwhile. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xainYWAwV7k[/media]

I'll second everything said above! Dealing with Alex is a pleasure.