uk_lefty

I did two gigs in a day last month, precision on the first and jazz on the second. Much preferred the jazz tonewise for that back pickup but my P is a monster. Considering one of those "double j" pickups added at the bridge of my P rather than investing in a new jazz or PJ. Don't know if it will de-value the bass, or if I should just do it...

I imported a bass from the US years ago and it has a great big scar down the back of the neck that's been varnished over. I was a bit shocked when I saw it and asked about returning but it was too much hassle. 17 years later I barely care about it, I love the bass imperfections and all. It doesn't affect playing and nobody else has ever as commented on it, whether they have noticed it or not.

That's my thinking too. My playing style isn't very consistent, different pedals give me differing volumes, and I'm never quite sure when the mood will take me to play with thumb, pick, fingertips gently or fingertips digging in. Because I am so inconsistent in the dynamics I'm sending to the amp a compressor, even the basic one knob compressor on my amp, is something I need to be using a lot.

Not true. From my experience the enhancer is great, the limiter not so much. It's probably all about what instrument, what you want from the pedal, what other stuff is in your chain. But I find the enhancer on its recommended setting out of the manual great for fretless, I want it to bring out the slides etc with a bit more emphasis and it does that for me just fine without affecting anything else. I am starting to use the limiter now in my chain after an EHX Battalion and it does more for me after that pedal so I am warming to it now, but it needs some time spending on tweaking.

Sire five string fretless now on eBay. Disclaimer, I know nothing about the seller etc. I won't be bidding on it as I've already got a fretless fiver.

I was at the Reebok stadium the night Coldplay filmed their video for "fix you". I'm a tiny dot in the crowd in that. Red Hot Chilli's sold MP3 albums of their 2012 tour. It was a great idea but sadly the biggest disappointment Ive ever had from a band (the gig, the MP3 was done so you could actually hear the vocal).

Fender jazz. Think I got mine off eBay in 2011. Should have got one far sooner. I expect had quite a few basses but the sound I favour most is the jazz with a lot of bridge pickup. Considering a j in my P soon...

Then you need a five string with wide string spacing. You can't live without the B or G so it has to be a fiver. Or a six. But more likely a five.

I use the Harley Benton flat patch cables. No complaints whatsoever, they've really helped save space and no noise issues that I would pin on them.

I don't think people realistically expect the Eastwood's to be indistinguishable from the originals they imitate. Eastwood make it clear that they are modern copies made at a budget, compromises will be made on cost and some components etc that made the originals sound unique simply won't be available any more. They also copy guitars that would cost unrealistic (for most of us) sums of money to buy originals of you're ever lucky enough to find one. Some people won't want a copy or "homage" (a nice way of putting it, I think) and that's fine, they don't have to buy one. I like Eastwood because they cater well for lefties and they make things that are that bit different, it's not fender copies but copies of things that were quirky. Hadn't seen this custom shop before though so will explore!

Warwick rockbasses come in fretless lefty. Also there's the Sire jazz bass fretless but I've only heard good things about the Vintage Icon. There was a while where a few of the Vintages came up second hand on eBay but haven't seen them for a while. You could look at brands like BaCH and Rondo Music to see if they have anything too. I haven't checked either for months but you never know what new models they bring out for short periods of time. Also, rather than de-fretting a perfectly good bass you could get a second neck as fretless... It's an option.

Do you need the low B or would a low D cover most? I've got an Xtender on my four string jazz and while I'm after a new fretted bass there's a strong argument to get a four string with an Xtender over a five string.

Has anyone used this? Seemed great, choose your body colour, neck and fingerboard etc. But then I can't find how you get a price or add it to the cart? The mailshot said "design your own left handed guitar". I did. But then I don't know how to get a price and order it?

Wouldn't be surprised if they get stopped from describing it as a "Beatle" bass either, pretty sure that something more generic like "Beat-bass" or "Mersey" etc might be less likely to get lawyers on the phone.

I'd like to try this but we don't have the kit to make it happen, sadly. Not sure if there's the option to rent out this kind of stuff in a decent rehearsal studio? Suppose in-ears aren't something you want to be renting.

I'm the only one in my band who even considers warming up. I do some runs around the bass neck, play some of the tricker riffs or changes to ensure I don't mess it up on stage. This is to get my fretting stretches in but also to get rid of any missed fingerings etc to start off with. In breaks I keep stretching out my fingers to get that balance of rest but keeping mobile. I have a can of red bull and I jump around/ move about a bit. I can't remember who but I read someone saying they jump around before going on stage to make sure they're not stood stiffly throughout the first half, if you've been bouncing around before you go on then you move more naturally on stage...

Me too

Excellent!! They do sound rather special. I use an SWR simulator constantly on my Fender Bronco for the ultra-clean sound... Which is a bit odd when my gigging amp is an Ashdown.

I had to put my foot down with the band about rehearsals. We were in tiny rooms, shoddy kit being pushed to the max, ears ringing for ages after. We now pay more to use the big studio rooms in the same place so we can play at low volumes but with real clarity. Nobody has ringing ears and the practice is far more productive, so though we pay more we are actually getting value out of it now. Why do all rehearsal rooms stink of damp??

I've got one kid. I don't practice much at all. When I do it's headphones on, playing through new songs for the band set. Most new covers I learn by ear or a quick reference to tabs or chord charts. It's hard work juggling it all, especially when there's a commute for the day job.

Has to be my fretless five string Kramer. It's not worth much at all, but I got it for my 18th. It still gets gigged nearly seventeen years on, here it is enjoying a sunny June afternoon depping in with a friend's band. You know when you've had a bass so long whenever you pick it up playing is just effortless... For long periods of time this was my only bass. Others have come and gone but I wouldn't swap this for anything. It's been gigged in every band I've been in, whether it looks the part or not!

I was thinking about this just yesterday... I quit my first band aged 18. We had spent a year rehearsing before our first gig. I got most of the gigs in even though the drummer and guitarist were older and way more experienced. At our last gig the guitarist, amazing guitarist but awful singer, introduced a guy to us and said "he's my mate, great singer, I want him in the band". To which I had to say I'm sorry but I move away to go and study for four years. That was the end of the band. I realised that while I liked the guys and we had a great band, we never socialised or talked about anything other than our set. So they didn't actually know that I was going away to uni even though it was my focus for the last two years! Other bands I've left because: rock covers band, plays biker festivals and so on... Singer spitting all over the place during rehearsal (disgusting), and not very good. Guitarist had guitars worth thousands but couldn't play in time, no energy to it and never felt part of it so quit without needing to say anything. I didn't ask about next rehearsal and they didn't contact me. New covers band with a dictator on guitar who wants to play loads of Stereophonics songs. We had two female singers!! Plus guitarist wanted to hire and fire other guitarists, drummers and keyboard players each week. It fell apart but me, the drummer and another guitarist had already thought to set up on our own without them. Failed covers band three years back. Great guys but two of them had a bit too much to drink before rehearsal every time. Endless versions of a song I told them I need time to work on, but they jam it for twenty mins anyhow... Etc. Couldn't see it going anywhere so got an audition for an established band and quit politely.

Ok, maybe wasn't meant literally... I just meant the typical formula of verse-bridge-chorus, verse-bridge-chorus, solo, verse-bridge-chorus... Etc

Interesting views on the Foos... I thought I was the only one not wildly in love with them! Great songs, solid musicians, excellent performers live, just a bit bored of the formula now.... And they were my ex's favourite band so I struggle to enjoy them now. They are worth seeing live, so generous to the audience.

Play was good to watch/ listen to. He's keen on young people learning and discovering music, he has no arrogance about him. The musical piece is a bit long for me, sounds very Foo Fighters too, then there's a bit with the acoustic guitar and glokenspiel/ xylophone which reminded me of Radiohead.... It's well worth a watch, good to see a rock musician a little out of his usual comfort zone of three and a half minute pop song formula.