WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Ok, so now that I've been drinking all afternoon let's blog some more!

Last September I took the plunge and bought a 5 string bass. I am partial to Ibanez instruments. It began with my 4 string SR-500 which is an amazing instrument for the price and continued on through this 5 string purchase. Btw, as I told JCotter awhile back...if you are looking for an excellent bass for a moderate amount of coin, start with the Ibanez line beginning with the 500 series. Those and the next few up have the Bartolini pickups and it just gets better from there. Anything below the 500 line has meh pickups and what I consider (for what thats worth) to be inferior or at least not-so-great wood for the neck.

Anyway...,

So I bought an Ibanez at Guitar Center thinking for whatever reason that I bought a 705. Turns out I bought a 305. The only reason I realized this was because as I sat there playing it I realized that not only did the neck feel cheap as I played but the sound was...poor. So I looked into it and yup, 305. Not a bad "cheap" bass, but I didn't want a "cheap" bass. So I called GC up straight away and explained that the error was totally mine and I'd like to return my purchase and put it towards a better product. The guy was all good with that so I began to research.

Thing was, when I went to GC at this point in time their 5 string collection was a bit sparse. Now me, I am a Steve Harris fan. For those who do not know, Mister Harris is the bassist of Iron Maiden...hell, he IS Iron Maiden. So I have always aspired towards what he plays which is a Fender Precision (or just "P") bass, 4 string. The American made Fenders run in the neighborhood of $1200-$1400 though, so that was not in the picture at that time. So as I mentioned I have a thing for Ibanez so I looked further into their line. After a bit of research I came up with the SRX-695 model. GC had to special order it since they didn't carry it normally (at least the one I go to) but the guy waived the special order fee and cut me a deal, so I got a bass with a list MSRP (at that time anyway) of $1099 for $650. Nice. Plus he threw in a case...not a gigbag...which made me quite happy cause those generally run over $100.

It would have been easy to get an SR series bass except in the 5 string model, but what would be the point? I already had an SR 4 string so why get something with the same (or same-ish) sound? So I went with the SRX line, which has passive pickups and a heavier sound.

Now here's the tricky part...the 5th string. For those who do not know, the standard bass has 4 strings. Beginning on the low end (top) string, its E-A-D-G to the bottom. When you add a 5th string its above the E, and its a B. So you basically have to re-learn everything at that point since all your fretting is about to change. For what its worth, any would-be bassists out there I recommend to you to begin with a 5 string. Just get it out of the way, learn to play with that 5th string. It also opens your options for songs that are tuned down because you won't have to tune down because of the extra string. Just play everything half a step (1 fret) down and you're set.

Ok, so I get the 5 string and man was I fucked up for the first few days. Like I mentioned, your fretting is totally off now because what used to be your open top string is now your open 2nd string, or your 5th fret on your top string. WOOT! Good times. So what I did was take like 3 or 4 days off from playing altogether. When I picked up the bass again I was in much better shape and felt much more comfortable. Maybe it was mental or something, but whatever...it worked.

So I've been rocking the 5 string since and love it. It feels strange sometimes but the options are at least there. I've re-learned the fretting on a few songs to accomodate the 5th string. For example with "Enter Sandman" I play the E on the B (5th fret) instead of just playing the open E like before. Some of the original material we played while I was in BME (which I still play on my own cause I dig the songs) I play off the B as well to give it an extra punch.

Another nice feature is this particular model is a 1-piece through neck. In other words its a solid shot connected to the body so the neck won't bow. The downside of that is that this particular instrument was straight as an arrow, which meant I had to have the truss rod adjusted to give it at least a little bow. As it was, the strings were lying flat on the neck which resulted in a whole lot of Buzz (not the Buzz here, but an altogether unpleasant kind) which had to go. So I took the bass to this place down the street from me and had the guy adjust the truss rod, slap on a new set of strings, and set the intonation. The result? It was like a different instrument. When I got it back I couldn't believe the sounds I was getting. Hell, I even sounded good at times! Best $23 I ever spent on an instrument, I tell ya!

And oh yeah, speaking of strings...fuck bass strings are pricey. I can buy a set for my guitar dirt cheap, but a good set of Ernie Balls cost me @ $30 or so for a 5 string set. And oh yeah, I bought a guitar and amp last month too. Do I have illusions of becoming a great guitarist? Fuck no, but for songwriting its something I knew I had to do. Unfortunately with work being hectic and workey I haven't had much (read: any) time to screw with it but I can put together barre chords at least for writing. Of course I'm going to have to break down and learn real chords too some day but I'll deal with that when it happens.

So here is a pic of my newest bass:

It really is a thing of beauty, and it sounds great. Like I mentioned earlier, I am a big fan of Ibanez. Its not an American Fender, a Musicman, or even a Steinberger...but for what you pay you cannot beat what you get in instrument. Bang for your buck? You betcha.

Edit: I should mention as well...one really nice feature of Ibanez basses is the width of the neck.  Generally speaking Ibanez necks run on the thin side.  To be honest, I've played 4 string basses with a wider neck than I have on this 5 string.  So thats another plus to the brand.  I totally endorse Ibanez.  And that and 75 cents will buy you a copy of the daily Chicago SunTimes, but whatever.