Adam 5-String Bass?

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I am 99% sure he has never used a 5 string bass. Being a bass player myself, I know what a 5 string sounds like, and I've never heard any recorded evidence of one. I've also never seen him play one live, and I've seen video footage of U2 playing pretty much every song live.
 
I thought adam used one on the outro bassline of WOWY.... at least the studio version. He plays a different one live.
 
The outro bassline??

What outro bassline does WOWY have? In the studio it is only one riff that never changes.. might shift up an octave but doesn't change...
D A B G
 
he has a D not he hits that I can't get to on my bassist's 4 string without tuning down the E to drop D...
let see... about... 4:20 into the song there is that one really low note you can't hit on a normal bass. Maybe it's not a 5 string, and he just tuned a normal one down. But that low D is there.
 
StaySafeTonight said:
he has a D not he hits that I can't get to on my bassist's 4 string without tuning down the E to drop D...
let see... about... 4:20 into the song there is that one really low note you can't hit on a normal bass. Maybe it's not a 5 string, and he just tuned a normal one down. But that low D is there.
Click to expand...
I feel so ashamed, I never noticed it, but when I'm playing (just for the soul), it's usually to a live recording so there's
not that note there and the notes are D-A-B-G.
It is something strange definetly not the note that was supposed to be played. On the other hand the bass
line goes through some volume alteration throughout the song.

I don't think I've seen Adam with a 5string, when there's a need for lower there's usually another bass guitar
for it. Besides Adam is to cool for a 5stringer. :D
 
StaySafeTonight said:
he has a D not he hits that I can't get to on my bassist's 4 string without tuning down the E to drop D...
let see... about... 4:20 into the song there is that one really low note you can't hit on a normal bass. Maybe it's not a 5 string, and he just tuned a normal one down. But that low D is there.
Click to expand...

Sure thats not the midi bass from the Moog Taurus pedal? I think it is. And it starts earlier than 4:20..

"4:20" :wink:
 
Yes the low Ds are quite clearly Moog Taurus bass pedals, there's no detuning the E string to low D going on... I haven't listened to check this recently but I seem to recall that the JT album outro features both bass guitar and bass pedals simultaneously, the latter an octave below the former.
 
gragravar said:
Yes the low Ds are quite clearly Moog Taurus bass pedals, there's no detuning the E string to low D going on... I haven't listened to check this recently but I seem to recall that the JT album outro features both bass guitar and bass pedals simultaneously, the latter an octave below the former.
Click to expand...

:yes: It's from the first falsetto Bono hits. That tone is definitely an octave or so below what a bass guitar can output

You can see him hitting them on R&H footage too. and on Bad and I think Streets too...
 
I stand corrected... seems Adam HAS used a 5-string bass; in the studio at least.

I was looking through "U2 & i" (by: Anton Corbijn) and I came across a picture of Adam and Larry from the "Passengers: Original Soundstracks 1" sessions.

corbijn-adam-lmj-1995-passengers-1.jpg


Looks like he is playing an Ernie Ball Music Man "Stingray 5":
http://www.music-man.com/instruments/basses/stingray-5.html

Those sessions happened after he'd spent a good deal of 1994 taking bass lessons in NY, with Patrick Pfeiffer - the author of "Bass guitar for dummies". (True story)

More on the book here:
Bass Guitar For Dummies:Book Information - For Dummies

I've not seen any pictures of him using one live nor have I seen it at any shows that I've attended. And judging by studio footage, from the Popmart webcams to present, it doesn't appear that he's used it much, if at all in the studio since the Passengers project.
 
Wow I have never seen that before! Interesting!

:hmm: Do you know if that book's any good? I was considering getting it for my birthday next summer or so, either that or music theory. Or perhaps both.
 
Galeongirl said:
I meant Bassplaying for dummies!

:reject: I already have Anton's book, he's a Dutchie so how could I not get it?

:lol: It's awesome, but very heavy!
Click to expand...

Ah. I don't have the book but I've read through some of it at the book store. Looks like a very good and useful book for someone wanting to learn bass or be better at bass, if they are already playing.
 
Yea I wanna improve my playing. I do get lessons but they're not professional.They're from a guitar player/music teacher I know and he's really cool and I love it that he's doing this for me, but I'd like to know a bit of background information and he just doesn't have the time to teach me everything. So I figured if I get a good book on basic music knowhow for bassplaying, I can understand more.

Did you read any music theory stuff or did you get lessons/self taught?
 
Galeongirl said:
Yea I wanna improve my playing. I do get lessons but they're not professional.They're from a guitar player/music teacher I know and he's really cool and I love it that he's doing this for me, but I'd like to know a bit of background information and he just doesn't have the time to teach me everything. So I figured if I get a good book on basic music knowhow for bassplaying, I can understand more.

Did you read any music theory stuff or did you get lessons/self taught?
Click to expand...


I am not actually a bass player. I have played drums forever. And I've been playing guitar for about 10 years. I can fake my way around a bass guitar and have done so for home recording purposes.

But I do think the Bass Guitar for Dummies book is worth having a look at. Perhaps your look giganto book barn: Barnes and Noble, Brentano's, Borders' or other books stores that all seem to start with "B".
 
Yea I know you're not a bassist. I really need to type things out more, I wanted to ask how you learned to play guitar. :doh:

I've a website where I can order it, they have the English version which is cheaper than any of the Dutch dummy books. Seems odd to me, but yea there's no Dutch version of that one anyway so I'll go for the English one.


Thanks for the advice!
 
Galeongirl said:
Yea I know you're not a bassist. I really need to type things out more, I wanted to ask how you learned to play guitar. :doh:

I've a website where I can order it, they have the English version which is cheaper than any of the Dutch dummy books. Seems odd to me, but yea there's no Dutch version of that one anyway so I'll go for the English one.


Thanks for the advice!
Click to expand...

While playing in a band, the two guitar players would show me a thing or two... and send me home with one of their gutiars to practice. Lucky for me, they both have great guitars that are set up proper and play great (Ian's 1964 Gretsch Country Gentleman being my favorite to borrow).

Eventually, those in the group pitched in to buy me my first guitar, a Rickenbacker 330 6-string.

SO with a lot of encouragement and folks that could show me a few things, I began to learn chords and then put songs together. The moment I could play a song all the way through... (REM's Talk About the Passion was the first one I learned) I was told "Good, YOU will play guitar on that at the next gig". (Yikes!)

Luckily, it started with me playing along WITH Ian or Luis but eventually I was confident to do it alone.

So there was a little trial by fire but there was a ton of help and encouragement from bandmates.

Slowly I started playing more guitar at shows, up to about 1/3 of the time and that was how I learned.

Looking chord charts and tablature on the internet has been helpful too... that and video tutorials from all the great folks on U2 Recording Yahoo Group. I've learned so much from those on that list.
 
Galeongirl said:
That's one sweet guitar man!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I agree, it IS sweet.

Burgundyglo (Ric likes to add 'glo' to all of their finish names) is a rare finish. It was Rickenbacker's finish of the year for 2002. They hadn't made burgundy for a number of years before.

I am fortunate enough to have some pretty great guitas and effects and such. But that should be for another thread, as we've gone a bit off topic, I suppose.

Don't want to upset anyone.
 
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