Leaderboard

Special showing for 'lefties' ...

Here’s my solution. A bit of both 😏

Having lines and dots doesn't challenge enough to start using your ear - at least this is how I feel. One of the reasons I bought the double bass was to develop my ear, as my, nomen omen, precision bass made me too lazy. I developed thinking about notes as patterns on my fingerboard rather than sounds I need to listen to. I know it might be just me, but it still seems like a common side effect of playing on a fretted instrument. Considering the above, the choice should be dictated by the intention behind the fretless. If it's the sound or comfort, lined will do, but if it's general musical development and taking it outside ones comfort zone, I'd say go for as plain a fingerboard as possible. I'm not an authority on that though, just my own reflections on the matter. There's also a valuable lesson in the training wheels metaphor. Children struggle so much when the wheels are finally removed, because they need to get rid of all the bad habits they developed. I'm sure motorcyclists know what 'counter steering' is, but in general, after removing the wheels (or transitioning from the tricycle to bicycle) you literally need to start pushing the handlebars to the opposite direction than you used to. The conclusion is all cyclists make poor basists, or something, I don't know

I think manufacturers should just stop being lazy and finish the basses properly. Put frets in the neck and that would do away with all this stupid arguing 😄😉

You can always have an unlined fretboard and draw lines with a pencil, erase them as you learn and get more confident with it, as a removable easy guide.

Is it because Antoria might sue them?

On behalf of myself, Michael G and our Product Engineer Simon Austen, just putting a marker down that your friendly neighbourhood Basschat sponsor Gillett Guitars will be there on stand A0. We'll have our Contour Bass range, a couple of Ashdown amps (UK manufacturers only on our stand ), our bass buddy Freddie Draper, and an itinerant keyboard player to make it all feel like the cocktail lounge on the QE2. Very much looking forward to meeting fellow members of the Basschat gang over the weekend! Scrumpymike, aka Gillett Guitars Sales & Marketing Manager

Just realised...it's NEXT WEEKEND!!

Disappointed to see that being over 60 leads to warnings about falling over.

We are all different so we should do it whichever way feels most productive, no one way is best for everyone.

Another reason I like P basses... as said above, they are very simple but instantly give you 'that' sound in a mix. So you can forget all about the 'tonequest', forget about GAS and get on with the business of actually playing the bloody thing. Which is why I don't much care for on-board preamps, active basses* and over-complicated amps - too much of a distraction. *Spectors excepted, obvs.

Can't believe one of these is on eBay. Paul's Grandson must be stony broke If you don't know the Tutmarc Bass Fiddle story here's a link but bottom line is Paul Tutmarc invented the electric bass decades before St Leo http://www.vintageguitar.com/1782/audiovox-736/ eBay link https://www.ebay.com/itm/232677254563?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

So i got the behringer thingy! First impressions are that its great, does what i want and as a bonus, makes Netflix sound a lot better!

Cheers for all the comments. Progress on this has been slow recently - between work and the garage being so cold getting some of the remaining jobs done is taking a while!! The fretboard had been radiused and the frets have been installed. I filled the gaps at the end of the fret slots with the sanding dust from the fretboard and some epoxy and I've started dressing the fret ends but this isn't finished yet. I've also shielded the control cavity and soldered the pots and jack; the pickup is yet to be installed. I made battery holder for the cavity and fitted this with a couple of screws - I'm quite pleased how this has turned out. I've also fitted the string anchors which was one of the last fiddly jobs. Hopefully I'll get to do some more work on it next Friday - I'd like to get it assembled and check the neck angles etc. before I complete the finish. Cheers Jez

Why can't Fender release anything that looks this cool?

I thought the med. helicores were a bit like spiro mittels , maybe a touch less tension , pretty bright string , zyex medium are a lot lower tension , possibly one of the lowest tension metal strings? I like zyex on one of my basses, they have some of the sustain of metal core strings but are a little bit thumpier and easier to get moving

Thanks Jim , it seems they are really good bang for buck and I found a company selling new for under £80 including postage - I may have to go shopping

I entered a stock version of a Gear4Music L.A. Precision bass into a blind head to head challenge test at a Herts Bass Bash. @Lozz196 would know where the link is to the results, but my L.A. came 4th, above some USA Fenders. The body of mine was a little heavier than the current versions though.

BASH UPDATE!! CHOWNY BASS Regrettably it's not going to be possible for Stephen Chown to attend this year's bash but I'm going to see if we can find a way of displaying examples of his newer stuff such as the top-of-the-range SWB-1 (which I would very much like to try). So, it looks like our self-build 12" cab team will be sharing the stage area with the Gillett Guitars exhibit plus (hopefully) a few Chowny basses on the side. RAFFLE If you have anything that would make a decent raffle prize, please put it to one side and bring it on the day. I've got a new Maruszczyk premium-quality wide leather strap, some new Maru strings and a few other odds & sods. CALL FOR MUGS (?!) Our otherwise perfect community hall only has piddly little cups so, although we'll be bringing some from home, it will be helpful if you bring your own - or (better still) buy one of the bass-bash mugs we'll be selling at a fiver apiece. http:// http:// T-SHIRTS will only be available on a pre-ordered/pre-paid basis this year - 'no takers, no T-shirts'. So, if you want one, please order and pay your £12 before Monday 12th March to avoid disappointment. http:// (Sorry about the models but it was a low-budget event) Not long now

https://www.facebook.com/groups/689090051102626/permalink/1822382701106683/?sale_post_id=1822382701106683 not mine, and if I had £350 I would be buying not sharing

S'not a warning; just a premonition, almost a certainty.

Tickets are limited and marked up 25%

Nice bass! Would love a Rick but the cost has almost doubled in the past few years, can't justify it at all

I've been a fan since I saw them on the telly doing Live Aid. In fact the main reason I play bass is because of Queen

Just got back from the gig,great night,second gig with Black dog,first time up this pub everyone loved the band and wot can I say about my AH350 SMX,it sounds the nuts even with the Markbass cabs which are 4x10 and 2x10 800 Watts each cab,think I’ll sell my Markbass Head ,

You can hear it here :

I use the Trend fast track sharpener when I’m re honing my chisels (or my Tourek sharpener when I take a chunk out of the edge) then a jap wetsone to polish the edge by eye but then I always put a micro bevel on them too!!... My Marples lose their edge quickly but my Ashley Iles chisel keep their edge for a long time even after I use them on the likes of Oak and Wych Elm!!

I think this statement is a bit of a clichè to be honest. It's a bit like saying 'use your brain' when trying to solve an equation. Great, if your brain already contains the necessary information to solve the problem. Using ears to correct intonation takes years, even decades of focused study. If you have that kind of time available, great. For the rest of us, there's fretlines, so we can get on with the enjoyment of playing a fretless without 35 years of listening to a drone. Just because the lines are there doesn't mean we stare at them all night. They're there to help. We don't stare at fretted basses when we play, but we occasionally check we're in the right place. If I didn't play jazz, I could probably get by without them no problem, but for soloing up the top end I definitely need those lines.

I'm basically a fretless player : sixers for the ego, one of them having 31 positions ("frets") for even greater ego. I'm also playing a 6 strings 3/4 EUB : ego, I told you. They all are unlined and my intonation is always good as I play with ears not eyes as everyone is telling it. In fact, I hate side dots at the fretted position as they are just confusing me when I take a look at the fretboard. The problem with the lines is that, in the beginning, you'll have a tendency to play right on it which will make you sound sharp. You'll also notice that your fretting fingers will not have the same hardness from day to day so you'll have to correct it by ear. There are four tricks for the beginners and others : 1. Use opened strings to check your intonation as they must be perfectly tuned. 2. Play chords from time to time, again to check your intonation : this is unforgiving. 3. Use a very good tuner like the TC Electronic Polytune in strobe mode to check if you are perfectly in tune. 4. When playing a fretted bass, play on the frets to develop your muscle memory. Use your ears, then lined or unlined won't make any difference. And don't forget to have your fretless bass perfectly set up by a real luthier as it's the key to perfect intonation. I would also add to play as often as possible in the higher positions to develop your ear precision.

New Album Released TODAY!!! https://umusicmena.lnk.to/TheRoomFP BUY, DOWNLOAD AND STREAM!!!

If you're buying your first fretless, then I definitely recommend this approach. It's been used reasonably widely over the years - 70s and 80s Ibanez basses spring to mind - so there's a fair number out there. Alternatively, any decent luthier will be able to do this as a mod for very little dosh.

I'm looking forward to the Line 6 HX mini (MS-60B size) and the Line 6 HXn due (with DI and headphone out and aux in plus additional cab sims) both "due out" early to mid 20XX... I will be very tempted to get both

That doesn't surprise me - they're both monumental bell-ends.

I wouldn't take that as reason to buy. You need to try them out first..... I almost bought a Big Twin II but tried it side by side against my GenzBenz Neox212 and the Barefaced came out 2nd best. A good friend and respected bass journalist/reviewer was with me and also felt the same.... saved me silly money in an unnecessary outlay! I don't say this to 'hate' on Barefaced - they're great. Just be sure to try any cab before buying as it may not be the step up you're looking for, or even need!

The Gen3 are pretty much the flattest/most uncoloured sounding cabs I`ve used. When I recorded the sound I heard from the desk was virtually exactly what I got from my Gen 3 Big Twin. So really, choose the Gen 3 cab that fits best for size and practicality. for what it`s worth I was really impressed with the Super Midget - an amazing amount of sound from those little cabs.

As I said up top - EQ pedal. Gain reduction.. with buffer in front of first pedal...

Gently tip a small amount of baking soda into the E and A slots until you have about as much lift as you need. Then pour in a couple of drops of superglue and let it solidify. A surprisingly effective fix. Doesn't sound like it should work, but my chemist friend tells me that they combine to form a sort of basic cement.

Can't beat this groove IMHO.

-

To me this is almost the perfect rock song. George Lynch is a vastly underrated guitarist and I think this is a beautiful solo, easily matching the famous Zak Wylde in Ozzy’s no more tears. Ray Luzier is a monster drummer and drives the song, rhythm changes etc. dUg kills it with simplicity. KXM - Breakout - I could listen to this everyday and not get bored.

For £115 new, it does look pretty good value. I particularly like the way that it keeps low end with a clean blend and also acknowledges that dirt pedals are often the noisiest in the signal chain which it takes care of with a built in noise gate; and then tops it all off with a decent HPF! If it didn't take up quite so much real estate on a pedal board, I'd definitely be tempted to get this!

Just a quick update. I took the JV5 up to my friends up at DV247 where they have an excellent guitar tech. We put the JV5 through its paces against a Fender Jazz 5 Elite. Bearing in mind that the Fender is just under £2k and the Moollon was just over 2k I would have expected there to be some level pegging. The Fender sounded dead and cold and frankly dull. The Moollon was bright, expressive with nice dynamics and a good growl when you dig in. Build quality left the Fender dead in the water. The Moollon made the Fender feel cheap and nasty. The JV has a lovely integrated deep b, the Low B on the Fender just wasn't even there. I have played the JV5 against my own 66 and 62 Jazz basses. I have to admit the 62 slab has a bit more thump and the 66 a little more open harmonic content but the JV5 delivers 100% in every other respect. It has to be in the ranks of any super jazz I've ever played and its still less than half the cost of most. It is an absolute tone monster. I'll do a video review over Xmas. I can now see why people have raved about these instruments.

Oh my, that price is better than anticipated. That is highly unfortunate, said my wallet

With that specification, surely the Thunderbird should have "Gibson" on the headstock. Can't believe that the "budget" brand is selling a potentially more authentic version of the bass than the parent company.

Hope not, the Tbird is supposedly replacing the current Pro 1V, which sells around £350/£400. Certainly not going to pay pushing a grand for an Epi, as good as they can be.

Oh Hell's bells, T/bird, white, chrome colour pups and vintage bridge. I KNOW I'm in trouble