The Mediocre Bassist Club, pt. 4 - We can count to four!

[caeman]

Hats help to keep one's head warmer on cold nights.

[DerTeufel]

Yup..and since I like to shave my head, it's pretty much a necessity.

[My name is Mudd]

Originally Posted by Tat2dHeart

Is this the appropriate time to show you this now?

OH my...that is nice!

Something I just noticed behind it there is the fan-fret in amongst the others - is it weird going from the fan-fret to a 'normal' neck and back again?

[SpecialBlender]

Originally Posted by My name is Mudd

OH my...that is nice!

Something I just noticed behind it there is the fan-fret in amongst the others - is it weird going from the fan-fret to a 'normal' neck and back again?

I'm sure Tat will be along but I can speak from my own experience there is no problem with swapping between the 2. I have a Dingwall Combustion I do all my gigging with and I use our drummers Squier 5 string at his practice room. When we hit our other practice room he gets to play mine. He keeps trying to talk me into selling it to him, not going to happen.

[Lady Kayri]

Same here. Two Dingers, two Fenders and two Ibbys...no problem switching from fanned frets to regular. It took longer to adjust to the fifth string on the five string basses from the four stringers than it took to get used to the fanned frets.

[CTC564]

I would love to try a Dingwall someday...that fanned fret thing is really intriguing

[SpecialBlender]

Originally Posted by CTC564

I would love to try a Dingwall someday...that fanned fret thing is really intriguing

Having played 5 string exclusively now for 15 years or so I can honestly say nothing I've had the opportunity to play can come close to the sound of the B string on my Dingwall. So many of them it just comes out with little clarity and a booming noise. I use the B string quite a bit playing further up the neck to save having to move around a lot. Difficult to tell sound wise if that G note is on the B string or E string.
The only time the fanned frets get a little weird is from the 14th fret & above for chords. I never play up there and don't use many chords so it really is a non issue for me.

[My name is Mudd]

Reason I asked is that a friend on a different forum recently bought a Combustion and has experienced some wrist pain from the transition to it.

I hope to try one myself someday, but here in the wastelands of CenCal they just don't exist...hell, if GC doesn't have it, nothing exists here.

[SpecialBlender]

Originally Posted by My name is Mudd

Reason I asked is that a friend on a different forum recently bought a Combustion and has experienced some wrist pain from the transition to it.

I hope to try one myself someday, but here in the wastelands of CenCal they just don't exist...hell, if GC doesn't have it, nothing exists here.

Not sure why he would have experienced wrist problems with the fanned fret. I find my hand naturally follows the the "pitch" of the frets as I move up & down the neck. The one & only note I really am conscious of moving my hand/wrist is playing the bottom C note on the B string. However I might only use that one note a couple times a night.

I think if one doesn't have a reasonably good left hand position on the neck you could be prone to wrist problems but I honestly believe that will apply to any bass, fanned fret or not.

[rust_preacher]

A mediocre report from mediocre band rehearsal: News had it that Uriah Heep's "Easy Livin'" was to be a part of the set list. Luckily, nobody else copped the interlude run either. And I had in fact practiced. High points of the night extended to CCR and Neil Young. Otherwise, we were off our normal game.

Could be because of our new singer.

[Tat2dHeart]

Mudd, I had more trouble adjusting to a 5th string than I did to the fanned frets. My Dingwall is one of my most frequently played instruments, right up there with the amber Lakkie that you covet and my Spector. It is, at the moment, my only 5-string, but that's changing in February when I pick up my first custom made for me bass, which is also a 5-er, but unlined fretless.

[Shardik]

Originally Posted by rust_preacher

Otherwise, we were off our normal game.

Could be because of our new singer.

Yes... I still guess the singer may be a step up, mediocrity or not? ;{)

[BayStateBass]

Well, I recently got my first five string and honestly, transitioning over from my 4 was pretty smooth. For me, it was just making a mental shift and being aware that now E is B, A is E, D is A, etc..

After getting some time in on my new Carvin, I really doubt I'll be in a rush to get back to 4. In fact, I played my Diamond P 4 last night and found myself reaching for the versatility my Carvin has with the fifth string.

Funny thing was while practicing with the 5'er I found I typically got screwed up when I looked at my hands. If I just didn't look and went by feel, I made very few mistakes.

Now a fan fret......ummmm.......don't know if I could get used to that.

Kudos to you Dingwallers. You truly excel beyond mediocre.

[rust_preacher]

Originally Posted by Shardik

Yes... I still guess the singer may be a step up, mediocrity or not? ;{)

We will see. She was mostly there for backup last time, tomorrow she'll have some lead duty as well. I am already getting nervous about tomorrow

I went to the local music store to get a cable and while I couldn't find what I wanterd, they had a taperwound Fender nickel set in a closeout bin. Next up - tuning down to D? or maybe C?

[graver555]

I would like a number.

I cant play something by listening to it. I am pretty good at reading sheet music and great if someone plays it with me the first time so I can see and hear it but I cant memorize or hear anything more complicated then seven nation army. Cant slap, can almost pop. Im pretty mediocre....

[Shardik]

Originally Posted by rust_preacher

We will see. She was mostly there for backup last time, tomorrow she'll have some lead duty as well. I am already getting nervous about tomorrow

I went to the local music store to get a cable and while I couldn't find what I wanterd, they had a taperwound Fender nickel set in a closeout bin. Next up - tuning down to D? or maybe C?

I use DGCF as standard on my basses. I love it. Never tried C, but I guess it would be great as long as the strings don't get too sloppy.

[Lady Kayri]

My main problem when I started playing 5ers was that I was used to counting strings from the one closest to me to the furthest, ie E to G. When I added on the B string, it messed up my feeling for what string my fingers should be on, botn fretting and plucking, for which note. I had to step back and start thinking of finger placement from the string furthest from me (the G) toward me instead. I'm still working on it, but once I got my head wrapped around what the problem was, I've made a lot more headway in hitting the correct strings no matter if I am on a 4er or a 5er. Thank you, I have no desire to try a 6er, I suspect I'd really get well and truly mixed up on one of those...Just the way my head works!

[My name is Mudd]

I'd rather have a 6 than a 5, tbh...I do sometimes spend time way up around the 12th fret on the G (my poorly-done Chris Squire impression) and not having to scramble for position on the fretboard would be nice.

[ewe2]

That's my only issue with a 5, its not really a noodly solo instrument - I miss not being able to play the high bits along to Colin Moulding's One of the Millions. I'm currently teaching myself to use a floating thumb which isn't terribly natural but I'm getting better at it. I have a few cover songs where its important to quickly deaden the middle strings.

[Tat2dHeart]

Happy Thanksgiving to my family in mediocrity.