tobiewharton

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!

Cheers Ambient! All these guys are incredible players, Fred being a prolfic writer too. He also has that incredible ability to play complex, sycopated lines whilst singing. Have you listened yourself? If so, what did you think?

Hello to all gospel players out there! I'd love to hear from fellow players who'd like to share some hints and tips about gospel music, technique and gear. There's a lot to talk about! Cheers, Tobie

Hello all, I've been signed up for a while now, sold a bass and received some great advice from the good folk here. However, I've never really taken the time to discover all of the treats that the site has to offer. What a treasure trove I've been missing! I'm 32 and have been playing bass for 18 years. Initially the allure was Brit Pop, but I've moved through playing pop, rock, funk, soul and reggae styles in all sorts of originals and covers bands and with solo artists. I now play almost exclusively gospel music, with a touch of soul and some contemporary Christian music. I also sing and play guitar (badly) and write Christian music extensively. I am in the process of starting a tuition business as I continue to learn myself. My influences include: Duck Dunn, Justin Raines, Chuck Rainey and Calvin Turner. Cheers! Tobie

Thanks for the replies guys - I've only just seen them! Incidentally, I did correspond with the guys from LeFunk, but we didn't tick each others' boxes. All the best if you're still searching. Tobie

Thanks JimBob.

Any other suggestions? I wonder if the EMGs might be difficult to get hold of second-hand and they're not cheap new. I just need something that will do the jazz job

Cheers Fretmeister