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Recently joined a Prince tribute band....

#21
songwriter21 said:
Since I don't have a wantingness to buy a Jazz, I just snagged a mint US Peavey Millennium 5...in dark purple. Heehee!

Regarding no 4-strings, and Prince's "mutant" comment (hahahaha), that had to have been before tunes like Get Off and The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. Those two, were clearly done with at least a 5.
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Well done!! That purple beauty should do just fine. Nice find.
 
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#22
songwriter21 said:
Since I don't have a wantingness to buy a Jazz, I just snagged a mint US Peavey Millennium 5...in dark purple. Heehee!

Regarding no 4-strings, and Prince's "mutant" comment (hahahaha), that had to have been before tunes like Get Off and The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. Those two, were clearly done with at least a 5.
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The other thing to take into consideration is that Prince was great on keyboards. He did not need a bass to go below E.
 
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#26
Btw, this guy has been THE MAN at showing the different fills/riffs broken down enough, so that I was able to get tunes down, like Let's Work and Uptown. Just figured out the latter (from his vid) last night, because up to that point, I was stumped on that little 3-note fill randomly at the ends of the main riff, which is slapped w/ 2 ghost notes/or sliding them into the 3rd note, being that really quick pop at the end. Because of not having played much funk in my time, it took me some time, and now I've really progressed with learning these styles and techniques...love this guy's tutorials! He kind of does them in his own way, but breaks each part down to a speed that lets you decipher what the heck Prince did, which I found extremely helpful. His YouTube channel is: sonofabass
 
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#27
superheavyfunk said:
Prince did use a jazz a whole lot but he also said that his "Eye" Thumb was the best bass in the world and he used it extensively throughout the 90's. His bassist in the NPG also used warwicks exclusively. Rhonda used active basses (jazz and a stingray) during the Musicology tour, and Ida used her Sandberg for 3rdEyeGirl and the HitNRun tours. I think, in the end, theres just a few key points to playing Prince basslines:

1) 4 string only (Prince called 5 strings wierd mutants. Lol.)

2) punchy, active preamp

3) no overplaying, or ghost notes. He was very deliberate with note choice.

Listening to and learning Prince literally my whole life is the biggest reason why im even in this game today. I'm so glad that so many new folks have learned to love his music! I only wish that it could have happened before he died.
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Prince had Rhonda playing a white Warwick live when she first joined him and then he had her play a Fender Jazz. I found that funny as she had once told me that she didn't play Jazzes because they were too big for her. I know she has also played her MTD 635 and Lakland with Prince (though Fender Jazzes were definitely her main basses on the Prince gig).
 
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#29
bass12 said:
Prince had Rhonda playing a white Warwick live when she first joined him and then he had her play a Fender Jazz. I found that funny as she had once told me that she didn't play Jazzes because they were too big for her. I know she has also played her MTD 635 and Lakland with Prince (though Fender Jazzes were definitely her main basses on the Prince gig).
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I just can't take to Warwicks...sent my latest Thumb acquisition back (a '97). I've never been able to get the action low enough, due to the annoying ABM-esque saddle design. Hipshot is the way to go, or something like Schaller, where the string actually lays low enough (for the most part), to get the strings on the frets, if you want. I never understood saddles that bottom out, and yet you still have room above the frets. o_O :rollno: :thumbsdown:

My Cirrus has guitar-like action, as I changed out the bridge, and hopefully my purple Millennium will do the same (in the shop, getting shimmed). Last night as I was practicing, the Milly preamp let me dial in a pretty darn close vintage-Jazz sound. That mid-sweep is just a thing of beauty!

Btw, Rhonda has been back with Warwick for some time now, hasn't she?
 
#30
songwriter21 said:
I just can't take to Warwicks...never could get the action low enough, due to the annoying ABM-esque saddle design. Hipshot is the way to go, or something like Schaller, where the string actually lays low enough (for the most part), to get the strings on the frets, if you want. I never understood saddles that bottom out, and yet you still have room above the frets. o_O :rollno: :thumbsdown:

My Cirrus has guitar-like action, as I changed out the bridge, and hopefully my purple Millennium will do the same (in the shop, getting shimmed). Last night as I was practicing, the Milly preamp let me dial in a pretty darn close vintage-Jazz sound. That mid-sweep is just a thing of beauty!
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Well, I've had my issues with Warwicks but I can't say that insufficiently low action was one of them.
 
#31
bass12 said:
Well, I've had my issues with Warwicks but I can't say that insufficiently low action was one of them.
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I've had a few, and all had straight necks, with the highest strings' saddles bottomed out, with the bridge screwed down as far as possible, and still high action. Yes, the nut was low, too.

My Cirrus' action is bascially still like this. I raised the G maybe 1mm to eliminate a little twang.
18558622_10212545230165183_3205354050684802133_o.jpg
 
#33
bass4more said:
You guys need to play Alphabet Street. That bass line is smoking! Lady Cab Driver and D.M.S.R. are other bass favorites from the Revolution era.
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D.M.S.R. will be there, and I think Alphabet Street has certainly been talked about (from my memory), so it may be added. Not too sure about Lady Cab Driver. Computer Blue will be interesting, though, to say the least....
 
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#34
songwriter21 said:
D.M.S.R. will be there, and I think Alphabet Street has certainly been talked about (from my memory), so it may be added. Not too sure about Lady Cab Driver. Computer Blue will be interesting, though, to say the least....
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Nice! If you are going to all Prince music, you will get some hardcore Prince fans at your shows. You should throw in at least one or two deep cuts to make them go crazy. I recommend Cloreen Bacon Skin. Strictly bass, drums, and vocals.
 
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