I'd like to be the sixth man in a bluegrass group

[allenhopkins]

I saw Lester and the Nashville Grass when that was a seven piece band:
Lester Flatt, guitar
Curly Sechler, guitar
Kenny Ingram, banjo
Benny Martin, fiddle
Marty Stuart, mandolin
Charlie Nixon, Dobro
Pete Corum, bass.

And I agree, it was cumbersome. Very few instruments got to do full breaks; most were split. Flatt's guitar playing, by that time, was pretty haphazard and inaudible. Mostly he sang (about half the set) and did the MC duties. The situation was complicated by Martin's propensity for fiddling vigorously during others' breaks. If looks could kill, Ingram would have left the stage in handcuffs.

But that's not what JPL's talking about: he'd like to bring in a variety of instruments, using the one that works in a particular situation. Sort of the "utility infielder" approach. So you'd have the basic five-piece band, but also have the capacity to add a slightly different sound to certain numbers where it would be an enhancement. A little bit of harmonica on a slower, bluesy number; a touch of Dobro or mandola to get that particular sound or texture. Seems to make sense to me.