Kongo

Just go for it man! Hell, I went from a 4-string 34" scale to a 6-string 35" scale bass in a jump (2nd bass I ever owned) purely because I liked the look of Claypool's Rainbow bass and wanted to learn a load of Primus songs...Needless to say it was rock solid to begin with but, in time, I got it and have never looked back. So, if you wanna go for the 5-string do it. Don't let anyone tell you anything else f you wanna play one, play one. :-) Oh...but mind what you tune. Turning the first peg when tuning an E-string and wondering why it isn't going up in pitch means your hands are on the B-string peg! When those behemoths snap, you'll know! :-D

Hmmm looks nice, I'd like to play one if I ever saw one...Not sure that pick up config will work though...7-string P-bass? Meat and potatoes punch is all fair and good, but I'm not sure it'll cater to the range of the 7-string too well...That being said, if it's any good could always add a bridge pick up later. Could be wrong however, it could sound fantastic!

[quote name='redstriper' post='1319555' date='Jul 28 2011, 05:37 PM']I haven't seen that DVD - would you mind summarising what he says about "practise versus playing". Thanks for your time (if you have enough). Steve.[/quote] I'll pop it in and have a solid recap later on and post back here. I took on what he said, but I'd rather refresh my memory before posting here, so you get all the info. :-)

Not really read all of this from the start, though it's an interesting one, especially as my preferred genre does, on occasions, go a little too far on Technique (Did someone say "Viraemia"? :-P). In case no one has though, just wanted to say in Billy Sheehan's DVD "IMHO" he addresses this well witht he whole "practise versus playing" section, speaking on music and mechanics. I know some of you are thinking that name always follows a load of fret w***, but that's just Youtube, he's actually a very rhythm based guy. Also has a section on locking with the bass drum, for those of groove mind. :-) Anyway, that out the way, let the discussion continue. :-)

First off, to help you as you stand now, your Warwick should actually do the trick. :-) I also use a Jazz oriented bass (Yamaha TRB6II) but in Death Metal instead, works a treat. So, you use fuzzy distortion. I recently got taught about "The Fearedse way" when it comes to aggressive bass tone of that ilk, maybe you should check that out. There's a tutorial on Youtube. End of the day I say this; It's all about your mid range! Blend clean signal with distorted, so you don't loose the low end and tweak them mids! The MXR M181 Bass Blowtorch is fantastic for mono signal distortion blending as it has a mid range selector which will dial in any form of aggression you need without sounding nasal or piercing, which is what you'll want. Will look into the basses suggestion later if you really want a new toy (and who doesn't). :-) But for now, play around with your Warwick. Ryan Martinie of Mudvayne has an astounding aggressive and full tone and he just uses a 5-string Thumb. :-)

I wear mine high I guess...About the same as when I sit to when I stand and it's very useful for keeping a 6-string bass tame, as well as causing that "tilt" I speak about on here when pressed against your body. (The bass tilts towards you as opposed to being flat). Makes finger style, tapping and slapping (parallel) extremely easy to me and results in zero wrist pain. As for looks...I play technical and progressive death metal, amongst other things...No one says a word. Seriously, unless you find it comfortable, the whole "axe around your ankles" is cliché, even in metal. Horses for courses. :-)

[quote name='Muzz' post='1192661' date='Apr 8 2011, 10:22 AM']The more I pick up the three basses I keep coming back to (the FrankenP, the Ray and the Fortress), the more I think it's impossible for me to settle on a single bass which will do everything. They all have strengths and weaknesses which I think I should accept as part of their whole, rather than trying to resolve into one 'perfect' bass.[/quote] In my experience, the quicker you realise this the more settled you feel...I searched high and low for that "one" bass, but fact of the matter is no such instrument exists, because they are all made to a purpose. Closest I've got to is my Yamaha TRB6II, but even then there are areas...Like it's sheer size is great for what I want in a bass, but if I'm to play a song written by someone who used a smaller scale, narrower neck 6-string and utilised those traits in their playing...I'm screwed! It took time, but now I've (almost) settled on 4 basses: Yamaha TRB6II, Ibanez BTB556mp, Ibanez RD605 and my self built P-bass "Trology". Yamaha handles the band and most of my own stuff very well, broad neck, excellent tone and overall very well made high end bass. Hates anything but standard tuning. Very all round bass and great for progressive play. Ibanez RD605 also used in the band, despite being a 34" scale has tonnes of tension, and this along with it's powerful pickups and pre-amp means it handles lower tunings better...And shakes the glass off of bars. (whoops) :-/ Ibanez BTB556 is back in the mix after I set it up properly and takes to my current home playing of Technical Death Metal better, only because it's slightly smaller than my Yamaha...An Ibanez SR would do the job miles better. (See, here we go again) And lastly my P-bass...well it does everything a P-bass does and nothing does it better. Racer-X, Mr. Big, Iron Maiden, Billy Sheehan etc...Nothing better to play em on. Plus, should any time come I may need one, here it is! So...After looking at those 4...I think it's impossible to have "the one" unless you can get a bass to shape shift. :-/

Successful trolls are successful! :-D

[quote name='pqs' post='1255136' date='Jun 3 2011, 10:17 AM']So am I right in thinking the RBX 170 has a wide neck then? more ike a P than a J? Regards Peter[/quote] Feels more like a P-bass neck to me, not quite as thick, but not as thin as an Ibanez. Still try one out though because they are very easy to play. Neck thickness has never been an issue in my book.

Learning new stuff every day...Obviously never seen those Fenders before.

I have absolutely no clue. :-/ Could be from another model? I say this because (and forgive me if I'm wrong) I see a truss rod adjuster @ the headstock, yet the body also has a cutaway for one @ the heel under the scratch plate...So it seems these bodies are used for more than one model?

I hit this wall once...I found two problems with it: 1) I wasn't getting any better because I wasn't continuing to push...Some stuff is really daunting, but, one note at a time, you can learn anything. That and Procrastination kept me at plateau for quite a while. 2) You may think your not improving but when you look back at how hard something was about a month before you notice you actually HAVE gotten better, just not by leaps and bounds, so you never noticed. Latch onto something you REALLY want to do but can't, and have a go. Even if it sounds really rubbish at first, it'll get better. You can't slap very well? Right there you have a few years worth of material to look into, even if it means starting with some really cheesy typical slap, it's progress. (Recalls his early days of slap and shudders) Theory is another massive area to delve into. If you can't do this yourself, by all means a teacher may help as they can kick you into gear, or not depending on how they see things. Either way, you've already left room for vast improvement and many years of happy practise. :-) I wish you well in getting out of this rut.

"I will become a rockstar ponce and willingly enter into a downward spiral of depravity and exess if i am paid to do so" Ahahahahaha!!! Just for use of those words in that sentence man...I bet this guy is proper fun in a band really.