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So I finally arrived back in Albir early yesterday evening, after a busy but productive few days down in Mojacar. My show at Rayo Del Sol went well, and I had many compliments, and indeed, questions regarding my guitars! One guy came over and wanted to know what my 5 string was. I said, "well, it's a bass."
"But basses have 4 strings!" he replied.
Well, to the uninitiated, I guess they do, and I'm sure all the musos out there know this already, but it struck me that the general public might not be so aware.
The 5 string bass came out in the 80's, with a low "B" to satisfy the demands of live work when it came to reproducing some of the deep notes of synth-generated dance music. Indeed, 6 string basses are now not uncommon, I believe that masterful player Nathan East uses one. The fretboard resembles a 6 lane highway!
My first 5 string, which I still have, was supplied to me by Fernandes in Japan, with whom Graham Olivers Saxon, who I was playing with at the time, had a deal.
I used to alternate between that and my Fender 4 string, but often forgot which one I was playing in the heat of the moment, getting some strange notes out of a string I had forgotten was tuned to B instead of E! So I quickly dispensed with the 4 strings altogether, and got a Music Man 5 direct from the U.S. with the help of my friend Barry who runs The Bass Centre in London, and what a beauty it is!
I played "A Cat called Caramel" one of my own songs, for the first time this weekend, and was pleased with how it was received. I may well feature it as song of the month for February, so you can see for yourself! I also dug out even more memorabilia, so The Postermanium and The Discography will be getting updated.
Oh, and the 4 string bass is about to make a reappearance...but that will be a whole new article....watch this space!
