Linus27

Oh my god, that is gorgeous, I could so do with one of these right now for a bunch of gigs I've got coming up.

I had a fretless with Pau Ferro and I really didn't like it, it felt cold and brittle. I also feel like that with Rosewood a little but not as bad. Ebony for fretless is unbelievable and my preferred wood for fretless followed by graphite. For a fretted bass then I don't think it makes any difference as you are fretting onto the frets.

I bought the Laney and I was massively disappointed in it and returned it. I also found the EQ to be very weak and subtle and if anything, it sounded very sterile and bland.

PMT, Bax and Gak all gone. These are not good times.

I would also add that the landscape, certainly in the UK has changed since Covid and that a lot of venues have closed. This has led to audiences/members of the public having less interest in seeing live music for various reasons, be it not interested in going out to public places, unable or unwilling to pay to have a drink or see a band, interests have moved elsewhere.

They also don't offer unlined fretless so no good for me

We are exactly the same with my main band. We even have a saying, "we are consistently inconsistent". We literally have no idea how we are going to play a song on the night because we have no idea what mood the three of us are in, the vibe of the room or the sound. We even discover how to play a new song on the night and play it differently unconsciously, despite having rehearsed it for 6 months and we then go, "ah, that's the way we should be playing it" and then play it that way onwards. It's like the song has to find itself no matter how many times we rehearse it or have played it live previously.

I saw this earlier as well. I was going to post something on here as well but I wasn't quite sure if it was genuine or a scam etc. The post about his wife is very worrying.

As my bass tech once said to me in 2002 when I was 32, my record deal had ended and I was giving up, he very angrily said to me, "how dare you give up, you're an amazing bassist, you've been given a talent that others can only dream off, don't waste this gift you've been given, that would just be selfish, go out there and use it, not everyone can play bass or do music." That kind of stuck with me and to this day, I'm still playing and still having some of the best musical experiences in my 39 years of playing. Looking at some of you older chaps, I'm still a youngster at 55 and massively admire those of you who are in your 60's and 70's still playing, that in itself is an incredible achievement. I've had periods where I'm sick of it, can no longer see the point, feel like I'm flogging a dead horse and I make the decision to retire, to then get an incredible opportunity come my way. It literally comes out of the blue and is simply too good to resist. It has happened to me about 5 or 6 times over a 15 year period and even this year, when I'd decided to retire at the end of this year, an amazing opportunity came my way and I'm having an incredible year of music. I joke with my wife that it's my dad looking down on me and saying, "like hell are you going to stop, here's something new to keep you going". She always says that things happen to me for a reason and if something doesn't come my way, then there's a reason for it but its because there's something else much better around the corner and it does usually work out that way. I've kind of gotten used to that's just how my life works, things just tend to happen for a reason, even if it's not obvious at the time. So I'm now resolved that this is me, I'm a bassist and a musician, it's what I do and have done for the last 39 years and I'm not allowed to stop. I've had an incredible career in music, a lot of success and achievements and fortunate to have played with some big artists and some incredible venues. I just make sure that these days, I enjoy and cherish every moment and be grateful to be doing something I love, something I perhaps I took for granted previously. I make sure I get the maximum enjoyment out of it, put in 110% effort and try to not get stressed or frustrated about anything. I no longer fight it and I approach it as if I'm a session bassist and make sure I see the positive in absolutely everything I do or have done. As my friend and bass tech said to me all those years ago, "don't waste this gift you've been given, go out there and use it". That is exactly what I'm doing and on my terms.

Oh wow, that is ever better, thank you as well and will do 😊

That's super kind of you, thank you. I'm in Camberley, Surrey so not far at all. When I'm closer to going for the change I'll drop you a PM. Thank you 😊

Absolutely, I am sure I will come across one at some point. Sadly, Norfolk is a little far away despite visiting the Lotus factory a few times and my daughter racing at Ellough Park once a year.

I've used the Mooer A7 Ambient Reverb for about 2 years with my fretless and I wouldn't leave home without it. It is an absolutely brilliant reverb pedal and I can't fault it.

That is so very very interesting as the boominess you describe is exactly the thing that drives me mad with my Two10. I've always thought of it that at certain frequencies it goes a bit mushy but boominess is more accurate. The tone can be lovely under certain frequencies but then, other frequencies, I get that boominess and the clarity vanishes. I've also noticed it running out of steam in the highs as I play quite a lot of high melodies. I am also using a LM IV 500w so not that different to you. In comparison, when I use my TC Electronic 208 and Warwick Gnome, my fretless sounds absolutely beautiful and I run that flat which is bass at 10 o'clock, mids at 2 o'clock and treble at 2 o'clock. I know they are not like for like but its closer to the tone I like. I've also used a Fender Rumble 500 v2 combo a few times and every time, my fretless sounded fabulous to the point that the band have commented mid gig and members of the audience have complimented me afterwards. So it is an interesting assessment and it does sound like an LFSys cab would really suit me.

I'm really keen to try one of these. As a fretless bassist who very much has the typical 80's Pino/Giblin tone with chorus and octave, I'm super interested in seeing how clean and defined something like the Monza will be. I'm a very melodic bassist, even cello like in places and I play with a gentle drummer with brushes and shakers and an acoustic guitarist. So I'm after a very clean, rich tone. I like my Barefaced Two10 but I find it has a more vintage tone and lacks something and I have used other cabs/combos that I've preferred tonally. The weight, size and power is also perfect as a gigging rig for my setup.

I bought one back in 1998 from the Bass Centre when it was in Wapping. I had just signed a record deal and was given £5k to buy new gear. I bought a Musicman Stingray, a Hartke HA7500, a Harke 4x10 and a 1x15. I only had a little bit of money left and needed a second bass so I bought an all black Status Shark. I loved the look of it but I really didn't get on with it but that would be 100% down to me not knowing how to get the best out of it but it was a lovely bass and looked amazing.

I wonder who manufacturers them for Harley Benton. I might try a set for curosity.

1. Washburn Status with unlined fretless neck - I know they exist but I have never seen one for sale or in the flesh. 2. ESP 400 Series 62RI Jazz Bass - This is the mid to late 80's model made in the Fender Japan factory and has the Fender shape headstock. I have one and it's the best Jazz bass I've played. Only ever seen one for sale in the past. 3. Fender Japan 51 Reissue in Yellow - These were first released around the mid 90's and they came in Sunburst and Yellow only. I have only ever seen two in the yellow, one I owned which I stupidly sold and the other someone owned on here. Fender later did a re-release and replaced the yellow with Butterscotch Blonde.

Perfect, thank you. The Fishman is high on my list for my EUB and for a moment, I thought you were saying the SH1 was even better. I'm currently toying over the idea of either a Sansamp Para Driver or Fishman Platinum Pro to cover both my fretless electric and Ibanez EUB.

You can or can't see it replacing your Fishman Platinum Pro?

I guess the good thing is it will be a one time payment as they'll never need replacing. Still, I doubt they are any different to regular Ernie Ball Flats so you are paying for the name.

This is my thoughts and why I am hesitant to go although the event I am thinking of going to is a 5.1 surround sound mix and played loud though uncompressed audio on our powerful cinema sound system. I still ask the question, is it going to be that good that I am left with wow, what incredible detail and clarity or am I going to think, wasn't much better than through my system at home or through headphones.

Has anyone been to a Pitchblack Playback event? I'm thinking of going to one and I'm really not sure if it will be worth the money or something that will be an incredible listening event.

Yeah that is way over priced, Bass Direct has them for £122.