hiram.k.hackenbacker

Picked my ones up yesterday. It appears my friend is set on using all of his free reel of filament just for thumb rests 😂. The good thing about this design compared to the Zero-mod is that I can use the existing scratch plate screws. Zero-mod send you extra long screws with their thumb rests due to the depth of the hole. Offered it up to my Old Smoothie and it was spot on.

True story: my ex-wife fell asleep during a Zappa gig 🤷‍♂️.

One of the absolute joys of the Zappa catalogue as it stands today, is that for an album like 'Sheik Yerbouti' which I absolutely love, we now have the original gigs from which a lot of the basic tracks came from in the shape of the posthumous release 'Hammersmith Odeon'. Then there are projects that Frank started and Dweezil finished like 'QuAUDIOPHILIAc', which sounds superb on DVD-A. Another DVD-A release is 'Halloween' - you can just shut your eyes and feel like you're in the room (I usually have to make sure everyone else is out for this experience to work properly 😂). For those who fancy a different line-up, try 'Philly '76" which features singer Lady Bianca who was only on tour with Frank for a very short time. One can only wonder at what further delights there are to be released.

Long time Zappa fan here too. My introduction was Live In New York, which is still a favourite. He’s one of the very few artists that I’ll blind buy anything that comes out. Received an e-mail from the ZFT the other day announcing the latest release. Didn’t even bother reading the blurb - went straight to pre-order. I also have a ton of bootlegs, which when you take a deep dive into, it’s just amazing the amount of variation in the sets. Not only that, but when you listen to the songs, they’re not always performed the same way night after night either.

A pleasant surprise today in that Jon sent some more photos from Shuker HQ....

This just in. I have yet to get my hands on one, but my friend seems to have started a production line....

The issue is very much of first world proportions 😉. The Stingray in question is an Old Smoothie which is fitted with what is essentially a 5 string pick up on a 4 string bass. This raises my normal thumb rest position on the the pick-up and it’s messing with my head. The add on thumb rest should lower it to my normal position.

OK, a bit extreme if you already have eight Stingrays and two of them are an HH and an HS 😂

Doesn’t really solve the problem though 🤪 Now, a HH or an HS would, but that’s a little extreme.

As mentioned numerous times in this thread, there is no correct answer, but.... I never get bored of watching Stevie Ray Vaughan, despite multiple visits to the same concert footage, I continue to be in awe of his talent and will forever be saddened by his loss. Jimmy Page is phenomenal as was Frank Zappa. A couple that I don't think have been mentioned are Guthrie Govan and Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal. Technically brilliant and nice guys to boot.

Another vote for the Mono Dual. Yeah, it's not the lightest, but it offers great protection and that comes at a weight premium. I take it to every gig along with my single mono. Yeah I know, three basses, but that just how I roll 🤷‍♂️

I don't know where it sits in the 'best of' list, but I've been using Line 6 for several years without issue. The Shure does look a good bit of kit though.

This is my third. I can't imagine finding one that better suits me. It might be out there somewhere, but I can't say I'm actively looking for it 😀. I wouldn't mind trying one of these Series 3 Yin Yangs....

'Well, I'm no Charles Mingus'.... and when they respond 'Who is Charles Mingus?', just raise your eyebrows and mutter 'Don't you know anything?' 😂.

Oh, I thought you were taking the gypsy's kiss 😂. As a result of @Dad3353 finding that .stl file, I put a post on FB to see if any of my friends has a 3D printer. I've just got off the phone with someone who is printing one in a kind of pearlescent finish. It was a free reel of filament that he was given with his printer. Should take about an hour he said 🤷‍♂️

You should send that into Viz, they would love it. It’s right up there with “Never lose your contact lenses again. Put a hole in the middle of each and thread with a piece of string to make a necklace when you’re not wearing them”.

Yes, and that’s absolutely fine. I would never argue that aesthetics shouldn’t be a factor in deciding what you want to play. A couple of their models don’t do it for me, but I love everything about the Monarch design.

You were doing so well there, then you ruined it 😂 I don’t get the bashing Fodera receive from time to time either. Yes, there’ll be the % that have tried them and genuinely don’t like them, much the same as myself and almost anything with Gibson written on it. However, I suspect there a few that haven’t tried them and pigeonhole them as boutique/overpriced which they are far from IMHO. I’ve had a few Foderas and wouldn’t have sold any of them if money weren’t a factor.

Welcome to Basschat Tony.

Welcome to Basschat. I look forward to hearing some of your tales from the road 👍

Aha. I was just watching some You Tube videos for 3D printers and as you say, half the battle is having the file to print. You appear to have solved that 👍

Not a bad shout, but I'm not keen on sticky stuff on my bass. I'm just wondering whether I could copy the one I have with a 3D printer 🤔

I don't find the Stingray scratch plate sufficient to use as a rest.

I find using the corner of the fingerboard is too far forward and I do use a plectrum where required, but most of the time, it isn't.

I have a Zero-Mod thumb rest on one of my Stingray's already and I really like it, but I could do with another one as I don't want to be constantly swapping it over. Are there any good alternatives to the Zero-Mod, because as great as it is, I don't want to pay out £40 (plus whatever taxes I get charged) for shipping another one from the USA.