Moderators isaac42 Posted October 10, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 10, 2015 Lately I've been playing my Carvin LB75. It's a 5 string passive bass with stacked humbucker pickups, single coil switches and a polarity switch. As I've noted previously, I had some trouble adjusting to the tighter string spacing after decades of playing Rics. I did make the adjustment, and was getting comfortable with the Carvin, but it just doesn't sound like a Ric. don't get me wrong, it's not a bad sound at all, but it's not the sound I've become used to. At rehearsal Thursday with the Deep Woods Band, I pulled out the Mapleglo 4001 instead of the Carvin. Bob, the bandleader, noticed. "Are you Ricking today?" "Yeah, I think so." I didn't mention that I'd moved the strap from the Carvin to my Ric 4004Cii for a gig with another band and forgotten to bring it back. I could have moved the strap from the 4001, but why bother? "Good. The Ric just sounds better. Sounds more like us, if you know what I mean." In that band, there aren't many songs we do that need any notes below low E, and not many that are easier to play with five strings, so going back to the Ric won't be much of an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted October 11, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 11, 2015 I've also been playing it in another band. We do a couple of Tom Petty songs that go low, and I think the songs sound better with the low notes instead of playing them an octave higher. The band still prefers the Ric, though. I suppose I could just pull out the Carvin for those few songs. The guitarists are switching guitars almost every song, seems like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted October 11, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 11, 2015 Or I could convert a 4-string to BEAD. I don't play up the neck very often with this band, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted October 11, 2015 Members Share Posted October 11, 2015 Just a wild guess but I suspect you're simply more comfortable playing the Ric due to balance, neck profile, etc. and you just tend to loosen up more and play better in some subtle way. Anyway, you know better than I do that you need to play what sounds best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted October 12, 2015 Members Share Posted October 12, 2015 I played bass professionally for decades. Always fought the 5 and 6 string things..... then bought a 6 stringer. For 2 years I struggled with it, then went to a 5 stringer. A year latter, I only have 4 strings. To me, it's just right, the way it should be with a 4 stringer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted October 12, 2015 Members Share Posted October 12, 2015 It also occurs to me that you probably know the Ric well enough that you're able to dial it in by instinct, whereas that might not be true of the Carvin and the settings might turn out to be be less than ideal (just another guess). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted October 13, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 13, 2015 Just a wild guess but I suspect you're simply more comfortable playing the Ric due to balance, neck profile, etc. and you just tend to loosen up more and play better in some subtle way. Anyway, you know better than I do that you need to play what sounds best. Maybe. Certainly I've always been more comfortable on a Ric than on almost any other basses I've ever played, but there is also a difference in tone. It doesn't all come from the fingers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted October 13, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 13, 2015 It also occurs to me that you probably know the Ric well enough that you're able to dial it in by instinct, whereas that might not be true of the Carvin and the settings might turn out to be be less than ideal (just another guess). Again, I dunno. I thought the Carvin sounded good, just not like a Ric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted October 14, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 14, 2015 Played my red Ibanez GSR 200 at tonight's rehearsal. I'm always surprised at how good that bass sounds, especially for a cheap POS. Okay, not really a POS, but definitely cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted October 14, 2015 Members Share Posted October 14, 2015 Played my red Ibanez GSR 200 at tonight's rehearsal. I'm always surprised at how good that bass sounds, especially for a cheap POS. Okay, not really a POS, but definitely cheap. A guy I used to know from work has one of those in black. I've played it, and replaced a tuner screw and set it up. Surprising for a cheap bass. They go for $200 new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted October 15, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 15, 2015 I got mine for $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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