Fat Rich

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1317761624' post='1394381'] it has a graphite neck with that certain weave in the neck - anyone who cares won't need to see a logo to know exactly what it is [/quote] That pretty much sums it up! My Series 1s have no logos on the headstocks or on the pickups as they were prototypes, that's the way they were built and that's the way they'll stay.

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1317400319' post='1390438'] Pots are easily wired whichever way you like, bit like a left handed tea cup really [/quote] That'd work for linear pots but how about log pots?

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1317395792' post='1390359'] Don't the pots have to turn anti-clockwise? [/quote] They have to turn both ways like on a RH instrument. I don't think I've ever tried a lefty instrument but I probably would expect the pots to turn the wrong way

Fretless Jazz basses are great, not sure about the sound of a maple fingerboard though. I've always found rosewood sounds best, the maple might not have much character and may be a bit bright. Personally I don't like gold hardware on Fenders, unless they don't have pickguards and control panels, but each to his own. Cherry sunburst sounds great though!

[quote name='jaybyname' timestamp='1317114169' post='1386776'] ....I have individual bridges and although they seem lined up the F string saddle seems to be off centre or the string goes over the bridge straight then changes angle to carry on inline with the neck. Plays and sounds fine, just looks a bit off. Just wondered if this is the norm on extended range basses? ..... [/quote] It's because the top of the neck at the nut is narrower than at the body end, in other words the strings on most basses aren't parallel because the spacing is usually much wider at the bridge than at the nut. It doesn't really show on 4 string basses but the more strings you have the more the cumulative difference in spacing starts to show. Plus having individual bridge pieces set out on the body gives your eyes a parallel reference so it's more noticeable that the outside strings make a bit of a detour over the bridge pieces. I had a double take when I first got my Status 6 string for the same reason.

[quote name='Sonic_Groove' timestamp='1316735046' post='1382297'] The album he did with Justin Adams is great... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHBYXtqmerY[/media] [/quote] Always loved this song, I bought "I Could Have Been a Contender" but haven't really given it enough listens... will watch this thread with interest!

It sometimes happens when manufactures don't use completely dried out timber, wood with a very open grain (ash for example) or they don't seal it properly. After several years it can sometime happen even when everything has been done properly, working with wood sometimes throws up these problems. It's certainly not structural and has been said before happens on more a few expensive brands with poor quality control. It's a cool looking bass and probably no one is going to notice the blemish unless you point it out.

If it's a bit damaged, and it's on eBay, then it's vintage. I used to think pre CBS was vintage for Fender, but I suppose 70s counts now too. Also Fender really ramped up production numbers in the 80s so that maybe makes them less rare and less "vintage". Sometimes it's a change of management or maybe a change in construction technique that defines an era, some people are saying the older Status basses with the graphite "paddle" shape neck through design are vintage even though they're from the 80s. For a lot of people on Basschat any Status is too modern for them. I think any guitar from before about 1965 could be called vintage without too much argument, after that it's up for debate.

Same with coffee table basses, get your eyes checked before buying one. Buckeye burl? Really?

[quote name='janmaat' post='1373081' date='Sep 14 2011, 12:15 PM']I find that the fingering technique is rather different. On fretted, I use 4 fingers - 4 frets. On fretless, I use a fingering similar to double bass, in that I use index and pinkie much more and ring finger almost never; so a 1:1 transition between the two might be a misleading approach (and is certainly a reason for why guitar players find it hard). Anybody else has something to say about that, would be interesting.[/quote] Maybe depends on the size of your hands? I have no problem 4 fingers - 4 frets on a fretless even though my basses are 35" scale. But then I've got hands like a bunch of bananas that drag along the ground when I walk. Whatever works best for you I guess!

[quote name='gothpugs' post='1372050' date='Sep 13 2011, 04:13 PM']............... and from what I've read you play a fretless bass ON the fret markers as apposed to inbetween in the area you would play on a fretted...[/quote] I'd suggest you try to play just behind the fret on both your fretted and fretless bass, your fretless playing will probably improve quicker. The plus side of playing fretted bass just behind the fret (rather than in between two frets) is you'll need less pressure on the string to get a clean note with no buzzes or rattles. That'll probably clean up your fretted playing and possibly help you play faster too. Also you'll get used to putting your fingers close to where you'll need them on your new bass to be in tune. Lines are optional but try not to rely on them too much, it doesn't matter if your playing looks in tune, if sounds out of tune you're sunk. I prefer no lines so I can't cheat, but occasionally I've had gigs where I couldn't hear myself clearly and it all got a bit tricky Good luck and enjoy your new bass!

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1372268' date='Sep 13 2011, 06:31 PM']Quotes like this really piss me off. "£27 to watch Marcus Miller going slap slap slap slap slap ? No ta.......... " What do these people base their opinions on? A couple of YouTube vids? Something they heard in the pub?[/quote] Great, where's he playing?

Hopefully these shirts will be huge! Then I might just about be able to wriggle my big fat self into one. (Looks like XXL might just about cover it at a stretch )

Nice playing, definitely not a Status neck as they have a Musicman / Sadowsky style headstock rather than a Fender one. Could be a graphite neck though, or just painted black like the rest of the bass.

My first gig was a fairly big one at Middlesex Polytechnic in the late 80s, I didn't count 'em because I was nervous enough already but probably 500+ people. Smallest gig was at the Stick of Rock in east London, we played to the bar staff and a bloke with a Jack Russell dog. About halfway through our first number the dog looked at his owner and jerked his head towards the door, the bloke nodded at him gloomily and they left without a word. If they'd stuck around a bit longer they would have seen the drummer's throne work it's way off the back of the drum riser and him disappear completely mid fill. We were a quality act.

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1367937' date='Sep 9 2011, 06:23 PM']What would be really old ?[/quote] Had some strings that were over 20 years old on my Jazz, they looked like something you find on a shipwreck. And made my fingers smell bad when I played them It's now got some fresh strings but the bass still looks pretty gunky, like all Fenders should be.

[quote name='Phil Starr' post='1367332' date='Sep 9 2011, 09:34 AM']......... I suppose what I am asking for is for someone to explain how musical theory will improve my playing in a practical sense. I don't doubt that it will, and I read as much as I can. In a theoretical sense I understand modes, scales, triads pentatonics and can even convert sheet music into tab so I must know what all the little squiggles mean. None of this is any practical use to me so far. If I'm playing a new song and it moves from G to C then I know the patterns for both, I know what notes there are between them and which ones they have in common and I play some variation of those, it works. Lots of books, teachers and bassists and other musicians I respect seem to emphasize the learning of scales all over the fretboard and knowing, usually by calling out, all the notes in each scale. Major scales followed by minor scales and eventually all the modes and so on. I don't think they are all wrong, I just don't get it. It's a huge investment of time and it is immensely boring to just play scales even for 10 min's each practice so I need to have a reason I understand to start this. Can anyone explain? Uncle psychosis, that's really interesting, what sort of things did you learn and how has it helped?[/quote] Sounds like you sort of know lots of music theory but haven't connected it all together yet, maybe a couple of lessons with a good teacher would help you make it work in the real world. It might be the quickest way to focus on which aspects of study are going to be the best use of your time.

[quote name='flyfisher' post='1365862' date='Sep 7 2011, 10:30 PM']Has anyone played The Horn in St Albans? I've never been there but it bills itself as 'Hertfordshire's largest live music venue'. It looks like we may be playing there next month so I'm wondering what to expect. Might be a big step-up for us TBH - hope it's not too big a step![/quote] Played there a couple of times but probably about 5 years ago or more. It was a pretty good venue with a good crowd but not what I'd call large unless I'm confusing it with somewhere else. I'm not sure I'd call it the mediumest live music venue although I've not played many gigs in Herts to compare it to.

Personally I would have run and hid somewhere! That's a pretty demanding session and it sounds like you did well for a first attempt at a new genre. I guess start to look at what scales and arpeggios go over certain chords and get stuck into some jazz standard progressions, you might find some useful stuff here: [url="http://scottsbasslessons.com/free-video-bass-lessons/"]http://scottsbasslessons.com/free-video-bass-lessons/[/url] Just got to be positive and get stuck in, hopefully it's the beginning of another musical adventure.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1365463' date='Sep 7 2011, 05:03 PM']yep..liove that low C.. I've had a few women come up to me and say that note goes right through them... I, of course, wish I could say, I have something else that could right through you as well... boom tsh..!!![/quote] There's a middle C joke in there somewhere but I'm far well mannered to post it.

C on the A string, especially if followed by C on the low B string. Sounds kind of purple with a hint of blue in the overtones. Burple, marvelous.

I've been to The Gallery about 10 times at a guess, always only been Alex in an otherwise empty shop. First time I was very disappointed by the service, I would have got more info from the cat and felt like I wouldn't bother going back. Then they had a used bass that was exactly what I was looking for so I went back and Alex couldn't have been more helpful. Subsequent visits he's been pretty helpful too, maybe you just caught him on a bad day or he really really hates DJ Shadow.

I find Kingbasses a bit small and don't hang well on me because I don't wear my basses very high, I much prefer the S2 Classic which fits me perfectly. The Kingbasses have a slightly snappier sound than some other Status basses in my experience but they could never be described as tinny. While there is lots of top end clarity and clean mids, there's also a lot of ooomph and bassiness available too. You could argue that the graphite necks have less character than wooden ones, I find they take on the tonal characteristics of the string more than wooden necks, which I find quite useful. They also don't have some of the less desirable characteristics of a wooden neck, like deadspots, they don't need adjusting when the temperature / humidity changes etc. They feel alive anywhere you play on the neck, the harmonics really project well. It might be worth dropping in on the Statii.com forum, there's plenty of info and opinions on the different models there.

[quote name='Phil Starr' post='1362046' date='Sep 4 2011, 06:59 PM'].... So lessons, learning formal scales or musical theory would all have to come out of practice time, at least in part. What would be the one thing you would do next?[/quote] Not knowing the note names on the fingerboard will slow down almost everything else you try to learn, learn the moneymakers first (which is up to 5th or 6th fret) and once you've got them down then get to work on the rest of 'em. Long term aim to know them instantly without having to count up or down the neck from the one note that you know well. You'd be surprised how many bass players and guitarists haven't got this down. It'll probably also make it easier to learn and remember all these tunes you're playing if you can think in terms of what key they're in and what chord tones you're playing, rather than having to remember the pattern and the fret number that works for each song. Also you'll be able to talk music to the other muscians in your bands without sounding like a drummer, that'll make you feel better about your playing straight away. Reading music is a useful skill so I'd say give it a go and see how you get on, it will really force you to learn your note names on the bass. You might get some tips from this thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=111038&hl=Bass+clef+yts"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...l=Bass+clef+yts[/url] TBH I've found learning to read a real chore and because I don't use the skills often enough it all starts to get away from me, if you have the same problem then most music theory books have tab and a CD these days so it's not a big problem. You'll be limiting your choices of book a little but not much until you start getting into serious theory books. But start learning your fingerboard first I'd say.

In my experience changing to a high mass bridge helps a few problem basses that have a problem with sustain but for most basses it makes little difference. In terms of tone a high mass bridge might add a bit more top end to the sound but I went back to the bent bit of tin bridge on my Fenders because I wanted them to sound like a Fender should. Pretty much the only thing these replacement bridges offer is less rattles and better lateral (string spacing) adjustment, maybe they look cooler too. But if you enjoy customising your bass then go for it, just don't expect to improve the tone much.