tobiewharton

Hi Dave, As nice as the M3 looks and as reasonable as it is, there only seems to be a four-string model. Tobie

Hi Heket, As far as I can tell it's just the finish, pups and preamp that differ. The design's the same, but if I remember rightly, the 505 has alnico pups, a three-band eq and active/passive switching. Should be somewhat more versatile sonically, but I've never played one. I love the BBs too. All the best with the search! Tobie

Update on this bass: I'm really glad I kept it! The preamp settled down and there are no issues. It's really versatile and the selector switch is surprisingly useful. The tuners are solid and the neck stable (despite it's slim profile). For the money that this cost (and I believe the red model is inexplicably cheaper from Thomann) it represents excellent value in my opinion. I also like the way Yamaha have hybridised the RBX and TRB models within this budget - I find it aesthetically pleasing and the materials and craftsmanship are more than adequate. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to people now. Tobie

Norm's a great player isn't he? And an engaging teacher.

Great groove and feel: [size="2"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygQx2mOxkkM[/size]

To my mind, this seems to be the issue: Many landlords and punters in pub-type venues are not always terribly discerning and therefore the venues will be more than happy to promote just-for-fun or starter bands, as long as they have very little impact on profitability. That's not to say that I believe it's right to devalue musicians and their needs in any musical setting, simply that people being prepared to play for nothing, as is inevitable, will affect pub/club gigs more than others. Many people however, will not be prepared to work NYE at all and that, in addition to larger profit margins and entertainment budgets gives you more room for negotiation in these venues at this time of year. For those earning a living through music though, the Christmas and NYE break is a busy and demanding time and fees must reflect this, as they do for other service and entertainment industry workers. The most lucrative gigs are, understandably, corporate events and those geared towards musicians. In answer to the Op's concerns about your bandmates' response to your unwillingness to accept gigs that don't tick the boxes for you, I would be really keen to ensure that everybody's singing from the same sheet regarding the band's purpose - it's very difficult to continue, let alone move forward if you're not. Incidentally, the 'exposure' argument is, in my opinion, a red herring and can only achieve the opposite of the desired effect. By offering yourself out for nothing with the intention of benefitting in the future, you can contribute to a 'free gig' culture that benefits nobody but the promoter/landlord. Tobie

Glad you enjoyed it

[size=2]Here's Andrew Gouche with his fretwrap behind first fret. Six string bass, no floating thumb and it's just intended to clean things up. I find mine useful.[/size] [size=2] [/size] [size=2]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J5d5knOKjs[/size] [size=2] [/size] [size=2]Tobie​[/size]

Ah, I see! Ironic indeed.

As with everything on YouTube, there's gold and there's tripe. It seems to be getting better and better though, as I suppose is to be expected. Why is the prevalence of the tritone substitution ironic Ambient?

Yes, gospel.

Bubinga5 - I was thinking the same with Abe Laboriel. Will check out these guys. Do you play yourself? The guys who are standing out for me at the moment are Justin Raines (Israel Houghton, amongst others) and Maurice Fitzgerald (Kurt Carr, amongst others).

Nice! Great plucking-hand technique and great feel. Those BBs sound lovely too.

Yes xgsj, he is a legend indeed. I've mostly heard his jazz and I'm not too familiar with his gospel playing, besides his work with Ron Kenoly. I shall dig a bit deeper...Enjoy Fred!