Ok, I get most of that now. But if he had the VI at Xmas, they wouldn't be an octave higher?
That's right. He has 2 of those horrid Schecter UltraCure signatures. One's a regular guitar & one's a VI. The VI has an extra set of pickup switches below the strings & is a little bit bigger. Both weigh as much as a car Neither sound like the Fender
But that's where you confused me. Earlier, you said: "Some of the set lists posted by pillowman from the xmas shows actually detail in which songs RS has the VI, except whoever typed them typed "v1" Then take a version of Primary from say, one of the Reflections shows & then one from the xmas shows. The "lead" parts are an octave higher than the Reflections "lead" parts."
...Implying that the six-string bass was used at Hammersmith. So wouldn't that make it the same octave as Reflections (if a six-string was used there)? Or was a normal 5-string lead used at Reflections? Confused.com
I've re-read the whole thread and I kind of get what's going on now ;-)
I didn't even know RS played a bass. I'm sure I'm not alone in that, I hope.
...Implying that the six-string bass was used at Hammersmith. So wouldn't that make it the same octave as Reflections (if a six-string was used there)? Or was a normal 5-string lead used at Reflections? Confused.com
It all depends on the arrangement really. When Reeves has the VI, he & Simon are chugging along with the rhythm (with Reeves having all the effects on his VI) while Robert takes the lead part. As Robert's using his regular guitar, that lead part will be an octave higher than with a VI. In 1990, as fatrabbit pointed out, both Porl & Robert had VI's & so the arrangement was similar, except the lead parts were an octave lower due to the actual instrument.
...Implying that the six-string bass was used at Hammersmith. So wouldn't that make it the same octave as Reflections (if a six-string was used there)? Or was a normal 5-string lead used at Reflections? Confused.com
It all depends on the arrangement really. When Reeves has the VI, he & Simon are chugging along with the rhythm (with Reeves having all the effects on his VI) while Robert takes the lead part. As Robert's using his regular guitar, that lead part will be an octave higher than with a VI. In 1990, as fatrabbit pointed out, both Porl & Robert had VI's & so the arrangement was similar, except the lead parts were an octave lower due to the actual instrument.
Ok, I get most of that now. But if he had the VI at Xmas, they wouldn't be an octave higher?
That's right. He has 2 of those horrid Schecter UltraCure signatures. One's a regular guitar & one's a VI. The VI has an extra set of pickup switches below the strings & is a little bit bigger. Both weigh as much as a car Neither sound like the Fender
Also, the VI has 3 single-coil pickups... (not sure you're familiar with pickups, it's those plastic/metal things that sit in the middle of the "body" of the instrument, under the strings - where there would be a hole on an acoustic guitar). Single-coil pickups are generally thinner looking (and sounding) than their counterpart, humbucker pickups. Many of Roberts guitars feature only 2 humbuckers (the Schecter included), as opposed to most of his VI, that feature 3 single-coils.
I can understand Robert's appreciation for the Bass VI. It is the best of both worlds pretty much. Little bit of both. I think it's more versatile. And Pictures of You would not sound the way it does without it I think (or am I wrong on that? He uses it on that one correct?)
Yes Pipperoo... not only it would sound different, it probably wouldn't have been composed an played the way it is at all. The approach to playing a Bass VI is very different from playing regular guitar, in my opinion. You end up thinking more about single melodic lines (as everything Bass VI in Disintegration, and why not, most of The Cure), instead of chords and such.
...or maybe not, there's a lot of that kind of approach with regular guitar on Robert's work...