chris_b

The Status Streamline weighs about 7 - 7.5lbs. Short scale and headless so it balances very well. It has great pickups and electrics, so you can make it sound like any bass.

Yep. He's been great for always, but for that time in the Bluesbreakers EC's playing was stunning. And you got to hear John McVie as well. You just knew you were watching something special. It's sad that they didn't record a live album at that time.

I don't have to justify 5 string basses. Like it or not they are an accepted part of the bassists tool box and have been for many, many years. There is no down side. I don't understand why some 4 string players have such a problem with this.

Anything recorded by Nathan East in the last 30 years. From Anita Baker to Daft Punk.

Nice one. I last saw EC live at the RH in the 90's. The first time was at a club in Cowley, near Uxbridge, playing with John Mayall. Just before the Beano album came out.

+1 for you needing to try better 5 string basses. Your description doesn't fit any 5 sting bass I've played or heard on record.

Have you ever seen a really good band have an off day? Years ago a friend who's a very good jazz drummer went to Ronnies to see Tom Scott and the LA Express. The bass and drums spent most of the night talking to each other and egging each other on. At the end my friend asked Max Bennett what was going on, and he said they were having an off night and they were trying to overcome it. My friend said the gig sounded perfect! I guess you can have some shockers and even informed members of the audience won't necessarily notice but the band should notice and repeated "bad" gigs are an indicator that something needs to be done before the audience does start to notice.

These are just old fashioned country songs so you're best bet is play what they did on the original. You can make the bass lines as interesting as you like but you won't make the lines any better for those songs. Just concentrate on getting the part right. It's not an uninteresting bass line if it's right.

Sounds like you've made the move for the right reasons and are adjusting in the correct way.

Mick Taylor was being booted out of JM's band so he had to go somewhere. Not such a bad choice for an out of work musician. I've seen the Stones four times. At the Greenford Odeon in about 64ish, twice at Earls Court in 76 and the O2, at the end of their last tour. All great gigs and a spread of about 45 years.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1427969035' post='2736377'] I suspect he's trying to confirm his own prejudices as much as anything else. [/quote] +1 The article is a personal view only. Better engineers than him have been happy to let Nathan East and his 5 and 6 string basses loose on their multi million selling hit records records for the last 30 years.

If you're talking about the place I think you are, I've played there for over 12 years in other bands and doing various deps, but I just can't get my band in!

Try a Squier. If you can find one that plays well you can always upgrade the pickups.

I believe that was 1976 and The Meters were the support. I saw 2 of those shows.

[quote name='Bobthedog' timestamp='1427919588' post='2735964'] I cannot find the article I read only yesterday from a studio sound engineer [/quote] Hey Bob..... not that I don't believe you read it..... I don't believe him. There are 5ers in Blues, Rock, Metal, Soul, Pop, Country, Jazz, Fusion, Hip Hop; I can't think of a genre where 5ers aren't being played. People can play as many or few strings as they are comfortable with. IMO 5's have never been a fashion, but are a serious addition to the world of bass playing and they bring unique advantages. I can play any number that was recorded on a 4 string bass without exception, but I don't think 5's will replace 4 string basses. Those two designs will live together, as will fretted and fretless, because there will always be guys who will chose to play those instruments. I've been told that the old songs should be played on 4's because that's what they were recorded on. I don't buy any of that nonsense. If a number was recorded on a 4 it will sound just as good when I play it on a 5. IMO the only limitation is in how you play a number, not the instrument.

I've never heard of studios not liking 5 string basses. In the last 30 years there's been enough music recorded featuring 5ers for me not to believe that.

The live music scene isn't dying, but it is seriously contracting. If you're feeling the "heat" and want to continue you've got to raise your game and get better than the competition.

As you've found out, a great audience reaction doesn't mean the band is playing well. It's good that you can hear what needs to be done. Play the tape to everyone in the band and put all the "issues" under the microscope. Tell them that not fixing everything is not an option. Be prepared for push back. Timing separates the good players from everyone else.

I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

Of course you judge yourself and the band on more than the audience reaction, but the main objective is that the punters always come away thinking they had a great time and we were the reason. Promoters like that as well. My cover band usually goes down well which, over the years, has caused some complacency. Now we're in a process of rebuilding the set and focusing on how we play it. We got sloppy and now we're tightening everything up. Some of the band members are not comfortable being analyzed, but it's working and I think were playing better than ever and the reaction to us is improving. Compliments are the litmus test for a band. Whether we deserve them or not, I'll take as many as I can get. But there's no rose coloured specs here.

I've recently heard BF cabs being played with a TC RH750 and a GB STL 9.2 and both sounded fantastic. I have used an LM2, which is close to the LM3, and always got a good sound out of it. My Aguilar TH500's have sounded great with a fat, warm vintage vibe, through all the cabs I've used, including a BB2. These are all shades of great. I think you've got to hear the amps before you decide.

Merton is selling his Barefaced SC g3 cabs for the same reason. I wonder how many people are moving about on your (and his) side of the stage? How would your rig get knocked over? When I set up there's just me and access to the drum kit on my side. Also, how loud do you play? My bands are pretty loud and I had no trouble hearing my 2 112 cabs and that rig didn't even come up to my waist. I found no need to vertically stack my 112 cabs. Back in the day, we used to stack 2 412 cabs and a valve amp on some very iffy stages and I've never seen a stack come close to falling over.

Which bass do you like the sound of the least?

Foam works in the studio because it evens out the notes and prevents unwanted resonances. What foam takes away can be added by the desk, but for live work I prefer the dynamics of undampened strings.

Jack, If you included 3 tone sunburst and rosewood fret boards you'd be exactly right. Scale: I prefer 35" but my Wal at 34" was fine. So scale isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me. I could go longer without much trouble, ie 36" but I wouldn't be keen to go shorter, ie 32" or 33". That would depend on the instrument. String spacing: I was given a Yamaha 5 string to play on a gig and I had the most miserable time I've had in years. The strings were so close together it was unplayable. I prefer room to stretch out so 18-20mm is good for me. Weight: These days I can do 3 sets with my 8 1/2 lb Lull but 2 sets is a stretch on anything weighing more. As the years go by, chambered Sadowsky basses are becoming more appealing!