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Everything posted by lownote
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I find fretless way easier and more fun to play than fretted. It sounds better (I very rarely use mwah and have the bass trimmed to avoid it). Even chords are OK on fretless.The only way it's harder is in remembering where the 'in between the marks' notes go, especially high up on the fb - but then I do play unlined. -
65, 10 years experience, based near Diss on the Suffolk / Norfolk border. Gear to replicate double bass (unlined fretless, flatwound strings, Ashdown rig). Also 6 string bass fretted. Transport, own hair.
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Liking fretless isn't a given, they vary so much. I've had several now and made two. I like a fretless to sound like any other bass. Don't like too much mwah, a little goes a long way. Nut slot height is critical for that, for me: too little, you get mwah, too much and the handling's awkward. I have a Vintage 940FL with a petite lightweight body which I quite like the sound of. My cheap Revelation P bass has a great big ugly body, yet it just jumps up into my arms and snuggles up, plays effortlessly.
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When I were a lad fifty years ago my CoE church in Sussex had a strong band and choir, including bass, lead, rhythm guitar section and drums. This wasn't an evangelical 'happy clappy' church of young people by any means, just yer average parish church. We did have our own service alongside the more traditional ones but we attracted just as many adults It led to quite a few members going on into musical careers or otherwise taking their interest in music forward.
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You might not be alone. I once suggested to a bishop friend that I fancied being a bishop, or at least a parson, but I'm not a Christian. He looked at me and replied "Don't let that stop you, quite a few of them aren't either."
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I know, my experience too. FYI, the London Bass Gallery will reposition any side markers that are 'adrift' for a fee. I expect most luthiers will, just I know the BG job to be pretty decent. They moved the 12 fret marker on my Revelation P bass. Curiously all the markers were accurately on the fret position except the 12th which was a centimeter out.
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I had Real repair my TC head and the bill came to more than it cost me to buy the thing in the first place. I am rapidly moving from Markbass zealot to Ashdown convert. When they go wrong some friendly guys in Essex invite you down to to sup tea, eat biscuits and watch while a skilled operative kisses your knobs better. Um, not sure that came out as I intended
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I live in Suffolk. I must a bin unlucky, all my bass teachers have been an expensive waste of time. Good bassists who are crap teachers, or live miles away. Quite a few online tutors are made of ticky tacky too. Save yourself a ton of money and time and go to Mark Smith at Talking Bass net, or Scott Devine at Scott's Bass Lessons. A good deal of their basic teaching is free, or can be sampled for free, and even the full on cost is less than you'd pay for a few round the corner lessons. All you won't have is the real life presence of an interactive teacher.
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I play unlined much better than I play fretted. Which of course could mean... I certainly enjoy it more, more inclined to pick bass up and noodle.
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I use Dunlop flats. Used to like D'Addario Chromes but the Dunlops feel a little more flexible to me
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121H Traveler cab, made in Italy. Great condition, no obvious marks, stains or tears in the carpet, corners fine, works as it should. Smoke and pet free home Bought from PMT, never gigged - home use only. Not practical to post with or without packaging but can deliver or meet within 30 miles or so of the middle of East Anglia (Bury, Ipswich, Norwich). £250 collected, £260 delivered. Please note: while this item is in very good condition it is secondhand. It is not as new. It may have small marks, screws that are slightly less than perfectly shiny, and the odd hair. It has been in oxygen. Also the house it lives in is on a lay line, although I don't believe it to be possessed. If you find it has a djinn he is not included in the sale and I would ask you to send him back. Once you take possession I am no longer responsible for it in any way, including thermic shock caused by taking it out to your car, the action of entropy while you get it home, or of civil disobendience or act of war. Or nuclear accident. or ... anytrhing really. -
This +1
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Joined nearly 10 years ago.....about time I said hello!!
lownote replied to Orange_Ben's topic in Introductions
Where've you BEEN! Your tea's gone cold. -
Wuff, that is beautiful. And I just found a clip online so I know its sounds great too.
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Fiver, nice. I can't seem to find a cheap 5 string. There is always this, currently in the Bass Gallery for almost £8000. Its ebony fingerboard is probably worth more than all my gear put together.
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Do stop me if there is already a thread but I couldn't see one. Just thought it might be good to have somewhere to swap ideas , wrinkles, that sort of thing. I accidentally got into unlined after I bought a Revelation off eBay. The seller's pix were so bad I thought it was lined until I picked up but I decided to keep it anyway (as new, £120, what's not to like?). I'd always assumed unlined was seriously hard, but it turned out to be much easier than I thought - so long as the side markers are in the right place. In fact I took to it so much I've since bought another, an active 940FL Vintage (pic) and my fretted Hohner 6 is gathering dust. The Vintage through my Ashdown MAG300 + 15" is such a nice sound. So far the upsides are the sound, and having young people at blues jams ask "Are you really playing unlined? Wow" in an awed tone which frankly I don't get very much for .. anything really. The downsides are they're pretty difficult to sell because there are so few unlined FeLlas.
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That. When radio stations decide on music playlists they refer to something called Music of Your Life. And that in turn is the music that was around when the average listener is/was 14. Thus a station targeting 25-50 year olds at any point in time (say, now) will play music that was in vogue 11- 36 years ago (1984-2009). If it's a policy that works well enough for radio stations to craft their music programming me suggest it's good enough for us all.
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Jumping straight from 4 to 6 strings?
lownote replied to Newfoundfreedom's topic in General Discussion
Good for you. The thing is not to dither. If you're going to go 6, do it, and don't go back to four. Let your muscle memory learn its chops. Not to divert your thread, but the same is true of unlined fretless. I'd never have tried it but I accidentally bought one (eBay pix were so bad I thought I'd bought a lined fretless.). Any road, as I'd bought it I thought I'd try it. Much to my astonishment it took very little time before my hands were placing themselves precisely on the notes, even without me looking. But I stuck to it for several weeks, not touching my fretted bass. I now find fretted as frustrating as stabilisers on a child's bike and I'm now idly looking for a 6 string fretless. Or I would be if my hobby budget wasn't horribly overspent. -
Jumping straight from 4 to 6 strings?
lownote replied to Newfoundfreedom's topic in General Discussion
I went to 6 before I'd even half got the hang of 4. Not really a problem, just a more complex fingerboard picture. In many ways easier to play because you can go across instead of up and down the fb. Great for chordal work, and the B is useful for many songs. I don't find 5 any easier. -
For sure. Here are mine. Hohner B Bass VI, Revelation fretless P Bass, Vintage 940FL PJ: £195, £120, £120 respectively. Considering I used to spend up to £600 on basses these are amazing value and very well made. I have had much more expensive basses with much clumsier neck work than the Rev, which is only £199 new!
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I got an Aria P bass off Gumtree listed at £75 knocked down to £10 because of 'dodgy electrics' - loose bridge earth lead
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Eclectic electric... 9 years ago I took up bass. My first kit was a borrowed Squier P bass into a knackered amp with a bad hum and a speaker (I wot not size). Nice bass rubbish amp. 40+ basses later and probably 5 rigs.... ...and we're a Vintage unlined fretless 940FL with two amps and two cabs. Basic kit is Markbass LM2 and 112 Traveller. The Ashdown 15 and MAG 300 are my reserve and for when I want faux upright (although the MB will do that too) I'm more impressed than I thought I'd be with Ashdown. Their service is super cool, and value for money commendable (head for 150 and cab for 50, 2nd hand). But MB for me is spot on and in another league for what I want.
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Also, if the rubber washer is very tight it can conspire with the strap to wiggle the screw loose after multiple puttings- on and takings- off. Result: unhappiness.
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I usually buy the best I can but at the moment I have three basses, all worth no more than £250, and furnished with pickups costing no more than £30. They all do a great job. Most remarkable is the Entwhistle p bass pup on my Revelation (£199 new). which punches way way above its £12 weight.
