Eh, it's probably kosher. If not, these posts can be moved someplace else accordingly.


I've found that it's best to have both. For me, four strings are easier to get around on and a bit more fun to play. I tend to do more inventive things on them.

That said, a B string is damn handy, even if you're playing in a "normal" guitar key -- if you're playing up the neck, it can be a pain to have to go all the way down to the nut for an F or F# then back up again.

My advice is to try both and see what inspires you most; I think either will do what you're looking for, though.


As to pickups, I really like EMG's bass line. In guitars, I hate active pickups but I really feel that they help out the bass frequencies. Of all my basses, my EMG equipped Jazz bass has the lowest output level and yet cuts through a mix the best. If I'm playing with distortion, it resists feedback but when it does, it's a very smooth, "musical" feedback. In the case of the Grind (and a lot of Dean basses), they're an ideal choice because the correct hole is already routed.

Again, see what's out there. Bartolini makes some excellent bass pickups and preamps, Basslines' pickups seem to be selling well, and I see even Rio Grande has a series of bass pickups out.