mcgraham

[quote]I don't understand your question ! How can you "set-up" the intonation on a fretless bass ? Surely that is what we do when we play the thing ie play in tune.[/quote] If you adjust the saddles on a fretless as you would on a fretted, you alter the relative finger positions you need to play to be in tune I've experienced this issue before. You need to set up the relative intonation on a lined bass to match the way you like to play. That's why my Wood&tronics is going to be unlined, that and the challenge... and the coolness factor Mark

From what you've said it sounds like it may be a technique issue rather than a physical problem with the bass. Can you play guitar? I find that the crossover between the two is immensely helpful and helping me to progress and use new ideas (chords and otherwise). Mark

Yup! Bought a great middle-high end Ken Smith Burner bass, but after 6 months I ended up playing my old bass again for a couple of gigs, and it slowly became my main bass (again). Then sold the KS on. I enjoyed the playability of that bass, but the sound was just lacking in a band situation. Mark

*nod* Good point pete. Certain techniques lend themselves to particular playing styles... which is bad if that's the only one you know, but great if you can use lots of techniques! With the four finger technique, I found my timing improved massively for fast runs, but then for comparatively slower lines I found my timing was still a little bit too 'rigid' as compared to using 2 fingers. So I tend to use it as a higher 'gear' so to speak; two fingers for almost everything, four fingers for those exceedingly fast sustained runs. Mark

I think using multiple fingers is considered to be more advantageous than it actually is. The idea is that if you're using more fingers, then you can play faster (via division of labour between the fingers). However the drawback is that the movements are more complicated and therefore require more effort to learn and get right (for example, three fingers means you need to get comfortable crossing strings with 3 fingers instead of 2, comfortable starting riffs on 3 different fingers instead of 2, etc). People choose to learn multiple finger techniques and put significantly more effort into their 'x' finger technique than they did their 2 finger technique, simply because of the attitude that 'I will be quicker as a result, this technique is just a little awkward to start with'. I'm a firm believer that if you take that attitude with two fingers, you can achieve similar amounts of speed with a simpler technique. I adopted and still use the Matt Garrison 4 finger technique, but then also put the same amount of time into advancing my two finger technique (ala Hanon I've mentioned in other threads). Nevertheless, I totally acknowledge that using multiple fingers provides great endurance benefits that 2 fingers don't quite achieve. Mark

Good job! The store is great for customer service, but you are right in that they don't know anything about bass. I happened to stroll in last week to find someone querying what the difference was between power cables with 1/4" jacks and speakons, and the staff couldn't help him. The customer was being particularly confusing with his description of his bass amp which didn't help. So well done for you, sounds like a change for the better! I'll be sure to pop in one Saturday and say hi. Mark

Why buy an expensive bass? To be honest, for me the question is flawed. I don't buy a bass based on how expensive it is. I buy one for its qualities in spite of its price - be it cheap or expensive. Let me illustrate - I have a wonderful fretless J bass. I picked that bass out of about 30 or 40 Jazz basses hanging on a wall because it spoke to me. It's got a wonderful sweet singing tone. However I am selling it to fund a new fretless by Wood&tronics - why? Because I've found a company who make basses that cause all others to pale in comparison (IMO). I just don't enjoy playing my wonderful J [i]in comparison [/i]to me even more wonderful fretted Wood&tronics bass. Again, it's not about price, it's about all its other qualities that mean I feel slightly disappointed with my other basses. It's like the 'you do not know what you are missing premise'. Once you know what you're missing, and you like it more than what you had, why would you settle for anything less? (Assuming cost wasn't an issue) Mark

Wicked! Bass brothers Does this mean we'll finally get to meet up at some point? Mark

Thanks! People are more than welcome to come check this bass out once it's finished. Same goes for my current Wood&tronics. I'm always up for a jam and for talking bout all things bass Mark

Deposit is down! Always a bit sad to see that sort of sum leave your account, but I know I'll be thrilled with the result Mark

[quote]So a guitar player like Jim Hall or Bill Frissel, who cannot 'burn' like Coltrane or Brecker, can still be a credible force in the music.[/quote] +1 Great point. Great jazz musicians are those who can express themselves when playing. Speed and technical ability are simply the means to an end, and not the end in itself. However, what it means to 'express' oneself may not always be accessible or obvious to everyone. I would supposit that good jazz is made by those who want to play something as they feel it, and are not wholly directed by ego or adhering to what they think they should be playing. If you can 'get that' from certain pieces, then I think you're doing well! Mark P.S. Much jazz seemed random to me at first, (Giant Steps included), but after leaving the jazz I didn't 'get' for a while, and growing as a musician, I gained a real appreciation for what was going on once I came back to it.

Thanks for the reply Orphius! That looks very nifty! Whilst there are some products on the market that could do what I wanted, they were either overkill (as in this case), or too expensive, or they needed additional bits to make it work. Anyway! The device is in the works. I'll keep you all informed as to its progress. Mark

I love the Digitech Whammy. I was tempted to swap mine out for an EHX POG, Micro POG, POG2 or (my personal favourite) the HOG, but the Whammy just works so well. Even the glitchiness sounds musical to my ear. Granted I don't use it so much for bass, but it's a fantastically fun pedal.

Thanks very much! I saw the Shure PSM400 which was a 4 channel pass through with headphone/personal monitor mix out. However it was way too expensive for my needs. The one I've opted for is totally custom, but brings together a number of other features in a verrry cool little box. Really a do-it-all wonder. It offers a high quality preamp, headphone out, aux/monitor in option, throughput for two channels to an existing sound setup (e.g. existing amp/preamp or monitor setup), as well as a high quality DI with separate DI volume. Mark

'Exercises' are needed. If you can't do it when playing slow and with positive mental effort, then you can't reliably do it fast and when you're thinking about something else. Exercise just means working out a particular aspect you wish to improve. However exercises don't have to be dull. Perhaps pick a song you like and know (or even want to learn), and get the fingering down, but learn the fingering and practice the technique purposefully and with great control... slowly, then getting close to playing it at speed! Do the same with other songs you know, always watching your technique as you do it. Also bear in mind that practice is preparation for playing live. Once you're out of the woodshed, just enjoy playing. Obviously don't let it all go to pot, but if you've practiced efficiently, the stuff will have been internalised and you'll be playing better and better more and more naturally. Mark

I'm actually in the middle of planning a pedal board project, with the patch ability of the ME20 at its core. Still trying to decide whether to have a smallish pedalboard, or leave space for additional pedals that allow me to sling extra options on. Mark

I never did this in the end. Too expensive and too many mixed opinions. Speak to CrazyKiwi about it though. He had a bass made by Jon Shuker to allow him to utilise this very unit! Mark

I've got the ME20 (guitar version), and I find it to be fantastically easy to use. If you like having lots of effect options, and the ability to switch and navigate patches, but you hate unnecessary knobs, then the ME20 series is a great buy. For setting sounds from scratch at a gig/rehearsal it's not the easiest due to the same knobs being used for different effect sections, but that sort of thing is best sorted out at home IMO. Mark

Glad you like it

Update! The time to put down a deposit is almost here! I'm ordering this through Bass Direct, so Mark, Enrico and I are just going to consolidate and complete the final specs before I put down my cash. The specs thus far have not changed much but I've added what extra info we've got. At present the current Estimated Time of Completion is Christmas provided payment is sorted in the next few weeks. I can now reveal that this bass will incorporate a 3 octave unlined ebony fingerboard, as inspired by the awesome bass that is the Zon Hyperbass. Enrico has spent some time working on a modified version of the Zoid bodyshape to accommodate the extreme extended range that this bass will have. In combination with the semihollow bubinga body, and the fantastic wood combinations of this bass, it's going to be [i]amazing[/i]! I'll keep BC informed as soon as I know more details. Mark