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maurilio said:If it hadn't face dots it would even be ... (I can't say it here)
M
I asked Kevin for the blackest Ebony board they could do. I thought about leaving it alone. But I wanted LED markers for some of the darker environments I play in. All the dots--front and top--are Sims LED fret markers. They're pretty amazing on a dark stage or theater pit! Actually, they're amazing on a not-so-dark stage too. Not sure if they're orgasmic ... (Okay -- that's a lie! They are!)
Greg
Relearning songs in drop D can be hard, but IMHO it sounds a lot better. I only use a 5 now if there is serious work to do below D. Which is pretty rare. For a long time I played only 5s but my tastes have just evolved.
Then there is the key of Eb. SO much better on a 4 tuned down a half step. Not even close in my book, even on the best 5s.
Then there is the key of Eb. SO much better on a 4 tuned down a half step. Not even close in my book, even on the best 5s.
madbassplaya said:
Labella hard rockin steel, and the pedulla and Carvin strings that are similar
Sadowsky black steel
Dr DDT
Circle K
And on the very most special 5ers, hi beam 125s, when they sound like a super low E string. 3 basses of 25+ I've owned.
Varys a lot bass to bass, but the labella always works.
that's cool, I love ebony, but I would have gone with LED only on the side markers (even more so being luminous). Looking down over the neck you really don't see the face dots and I prefer a clean fretboard.
But that's me, of course
Still, it is a unique looking 24F!
M
that's cool, I love ebony, but I would have gone with LED only on the side markers (even more so being luminous). Looking down over the neck you really don't see the face dots and I prefer a clean fretboard.
But that's me, of course
Still, it is a unique looking 24F!
M
Yes, the "clean-look" has appeal. But this is my show band bass! During a dramatic entrance on a darkened stage at the beginning of a show-band gig, the glowing neck looks amazing!
Here's my "everyday J." No LED's on this one, but still lots of dots!
...something along these lines...?If it hadn't face dots it would even be ... (I can't say it here)
M
Yeah, especially on the modern types, I like that pure black playing field.
Chef
In Memoriam
Nope. Long gone at this point. I just missed the rounder bottom on the J style basses, which is how I ended up with my JJ/24's... first the Metro, now the NYC with the flame top.
This is basically my "replacement" for that one, and I play it more often than I ever played the other one.
Chef
In Memoriam
vision
It's all about the groove!
- Feb 25, 2005
- 3,988
- 618
- 47
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, La Bella Strings, and 64 Audio IEMs
Here's the rough instrumental on a session I did today with the UV70...
Last edited by a moderator:
awesome sound! (= my UV-70 is gonna be like that,cant wait
Last edited by a moderator:
- Nov 4, 2003
- 11,943
- 3,140
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist- Suhr basses, PedalTrain, GHS, Ultimate Ears
Always an interesting discussion. IMO, no one 'needs' a 5 string or a 6 string (and Tony Levin, years ago, showed that really no one 'needs' a 4 string).
IF, like me, you are comfortable playing a 5 string (i.e., if you have mastered the muting of that extra string), then IMO, unless you slap ALL the time (muting that B can be a bother when slapping), there is very little downside to that extra string. Of course, the 6 string guys say the same thing to the 5 string guys. I never could master the muting of a 6 string though, and the necks are just too big for me (or course, the same argument is valid for guys who prefer 4 strings to 5's).
The only thing that makes little sense to me is that drop D tuning on a 4 string. Probably due mostly to my ignorance of it, but just having an extra step down on one string seems pretty trivial. The 5 and 6 string 'advantage' is IMO, primarily the ability to vary/change hand positions and play difficult passages a bit more easily in some cases.
Of course, being able to cover a few synth parts 'as written' is cool on the 5, but is a minor thing IMO. And, of course, if you are a 'chording/soloist', the C string is great (whether on a 6 string or a 5 tuned # to C).
There is no gig, nor actually any tune that I couldn't play on a 4, 5, or 6, so IMO it isn't really about that.
Interesting discussion, indeed.
My background is on trombone, on which players work hard to develop technique and strength to extend their range in both directions, especially the high end. The notion of being able to simply "buy"extra range is mind-boggling! My own attraction to 24-fret 5-string instruments is probably rooted in that simple fact. I guess the logical outcome here would be 6 or more strings, but I'm not so sold on the timbre of a C-string, and have been daunted by the muting and left-hand reach issues (I have average-sized hands), although as i get more technique perhaps the muting needn't be so much of a problem.
I've played covers in the past, but they are not part of my current scene. Even if in a cover situation, I think it would be cool to drop into that lower register, and there certainly is the ability to use different positions/patterns. But I also dig having a wider range of places to play the same notes - I like being able to get a fatter timbre by playing higher frets on lower strings, than would be an option on a 4. BTW, this is where the Sadowskys kill, because the B string is quite usable for the notes I can reasonably grab on it (not really beyond the 15th fret, but totally loving how the Sadowsky 5-24 keeps it together where I do play - lots of lesser instruments get weird beyond the 8th fret, or don't speak clearly into the low end).
When comping in a jazz context, I love being able to bounce chords and triple stops off of that B-string; some major convenience and flexibility there. When soloing, I'm again digging that flexibility and range of options, both for placement/convenience, and for deliberate timbre choices.
Then consider the question of 4-string familiarity. I've played bass on and off, largely as a goof, since the late '70's, but have gone 4-5 years at a time, several times, without touching the instrument. Once I started getting more serious, round about 2006, I wrestled back and forth, with several false starts on 5-string, but ultimately decided to give it a few months where I'd just play 5. That was several years ago, and I'm not looking back...but I totally get how a serious four-string player, with a whole lot of muscle memory and experience, would have trouble adjusting to 5...I didn't find it easy at first, as a piker.
I've been briefly exposed to D-tuners and understand why folks would dig them, but for me just bringing the extra string works a whole lot better. And again, I'm not rocking out such that extra weight or the "look" is an issue in any way.
De-tuning is a whole different kettle of fish - I totally get why folks may go for the differences in range/timbre/stringfeel that come from going that route. My mind was blown when I first heard D'Angelo's Voodoo album, and I get that detuning has been used from metal to gospel. But I'm often doing things where folks are playing unfamiliar material, with guitarists (and sometimes me) checking out hand placement to confirm the key or changes, so I'm so far disinclined to detune, although reading that Nathan Watts detunes to E-flat certainly got my attention - I LOVE his playing.
Anyhow, at this point, I am 98% of the way toward selling my two remaining 4-string basses - I'm simply not using them, and am loving the 5-string lifestyle. But no reason to be doctrinaire here - let a thousand flowers bloom...it's all good!
