Sara SG

[quote name='three' timestamp='1478512517' post='3169464']
Brilliant - thanks all, I think I'm getting there! Cheers!
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Did you buy a Sims one in the end? Any good?

I'm looking for a white tortoiseshell pick guard for my Squier Mike Dirnt (the model with the star, I understand the newer ones are slightly different in size?)
Its same as white bass in my profile pic , but in reverse! London. Any ideas appreciated. Not looking to spend more than £20. Paint it? Exisiting plate is white but has YELLOWED slightly with age

Ive got a black Squier Mike Dirnt bass (with the star on) has a faded white pickguard . Any advice. Dont really want to spend more than £20 on a new one. Paint it? Ive read that different Dirnts have slightly different size/shaped scratch plate
The bass is the same as the one in my profile pic here but in reverse! I like the white tortoishell version on the later model - but not sure if that would fit (even if i could get hold of one!!).

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1420848907' post='2654324']
I was sure the other day i got a little shock from my bass.

Didn't half move quick to turn the power off. Hasn't happened again however.
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If you are still using the same amp Twincam - check the earth. If it was one at a gig - it was probably their dodgy amp! Otherwise dont wear nylon underwear to gigs

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1420848907' post='2654324']
I was sure the other day i got a little shock from my bass.

Didn't half move quick to turn the power off. Hasn't happened again however.
[/quote]

Twincam - were you using a mic? I've had nasty electric shocks when using a mic at same time as playing bass - usually means there is an earth problem with the bass amp.You get in the circuit. Take care!

Felt backing is attached via masking tape. Was a quick fix at a gig.
But Ive kept the felt on there a year later . Great for dancing around with the bass
Yes thats one heavy bass I have, i dont have neck dive problems with this one but it makes it more manageable for sure. Goes where i want it to go

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1420848649' post='2654319']
Interesting. It probably helps with neck dive if you're wearing cloth?

How is it attached?
[/quote][quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1420848649' post='2654319']
Interesting. It probably helps with neck dive if you're wearing cloth?

How is it attached?
[/quote]

Thank you all so much for your advice. In the end I tried out a few fretless basses and I fell in love (literally) with a Squier fretless P-Bass style. It was so beautiful to play in the shop. However after they set it up for me it lost some of its Mwah! So I went back and exchanged it. I set the next one up myself and its great. It feels familiar as I play a Squier anyway. But this one is about half the weight! Im using it on a recording for a song I have written. It still has the original strings currently. I am practicing at home, and have not played it on stage as yet, but will do soon
I will try and close this topic now if that is what I am supposed to do. The forum has been very helpful

Sorry for posting in wrong section. I'm finding it hard to get to grips with how the forum works, but getting there eventually. It was a quick fix at a gig but it has been very useful ever since. Great for swinging the bass about on stage. Just thought I'd share the tip - really worth a try even if you don't have a static problem

if OC3 remains please message me

Old Horse Murphy -
Im trying to contact you about your oC3 adverstised for Sale in one of the forums. please message me

i messaged you. Got any pics?

my clothing is static! PVC and leather stops me swinging around my bass on stage . The felt makes it frictionless. Its a godsend!

Sneaky photo taken by Alan Hawkin last week of my secret felt backing to my bass! Cures all static cling. Highly recommended for friction-less swing.
www.facebook.com/listenzara
[attachment=170689:sarah back.jpg]

I bought a fretless today. I tried it in the shop. It had plenty Mwah! Although the E string had too much buzz. So they offered to set it up. They seemed to know what they were doing with fretless basses but when I tried it again all the mwah had vanished!! I took it back and asked them to split the difference. Still no mwah! Ive tried lowering the action a little myself which has helped on the higher strings a little but I dont know how to get the mwah back!
They said it will settle... and its a compromise between buzz and sustain.
Any advice?

bassist - just watched that top clip. nice. You need to get out of the shadows and into the light

[quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1394631636' post='2393497']
No, but it looks VERY like a Tangelwood Rebel - very light okayish basses. I have a trans purple 5-string which is just about good enough to gig with, the pickups are quite weak. I mainly like it because it's a nice trans purple and it's light.
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purple nice! I have a Tanglewood acoustic and very happy with it

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1394635443' post='2393564']
I have a black and maple fretless P I am thinking of moving on at some point, I defretted it myself a few years ago, and would shift it for peanuts if it went.
It does weight roughly the same as a small island however, since it's an old Hondo, and made of plywood (possibly ply-lead) used to get a fairly decent Pino-esque noise with it in an 80s trib band I was in for a bit.

Point being, defretting is very easy, and cheap basses are very cheap.
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Are you based in London? any pics of the bass?

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1394631522' post='2393495']
The funny thing about basses and weight, Sara, is that, like I already said, half a pound either way can make all the difference. For most people, up to eight pounds feels very light, eight to nine pounds feels O.K, nine to nine and a half pounds feels noticeably heavier and anything above nine and a half pounds will feel heavy after a prolonged period. If you are shopping round for a new bass it could be worth investing in a little luggage scale to take round the shops with you to weigh individual examples of basses to get an accurate picture of their true weight. If any bass is much over nine pounds then the chances are you will still have a problem with it standing up for a long time at gigs. It's worth mentioning, however, that using a very wide padded strap will help reduce the fatigue of wearing a weighty bass ( or indeed any bass) round your neck. Try and find a strap that is about four inches (or more) wide and it will really help spread the weight across your back and shoulder/ neck more effectively that a narrower strap.
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Straps - I spent £29 on a wide padded strap. About 4 inches wide at the shoulder. Its useless. Jutts out beyond my narrow shoulders by an inch and this falls off all the time. Had to go back to my old strap. These straps only work for men/women with broad shoulders.

I found this blue one for £76. Mixed reviews. Its light Is it a waste of money? I cant find a local one to try right now - Anyone tried this brand?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/rogue-lx200bf-fretless-series-iii-electric-bass-guitar#productDetail

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1394287831' post='2389918']
I just want to point out , Sara, that on just about every model of bass on the market there is a pretty big disparity in the weight between individual examples. Your Mike Dirnt Precision Bass might be a heavy one, but you could well find another identical one that was a pound or even more lighter, and when it comes to bass weights, half a pound either way can make all the difference to whether it feels comfortable or painful to wear for extended periods of time.

The density and therefore weight of wood varies a great deal , and so bass manufacturers cannot really control the final weight of mass produced basses very closely, and two basses made from different parts of the same tree can have very different final weights. That applies to basses in every price range, including very expensive custom-made ones. If there is particular style or model of bass you like, it can be worth shopping around to see if you can find one at a lighter weight, if that is an issue. Some models are inherently heavy and vary between heavy and even heavier, but most have heavier and lighter examples.
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Thats interesting about even the same models of one bass may weigh differently. And someone else said there is a new Mike Dirnt model that may even be lighter than mine. When I say "heavy", its only after 3yrs of playing the thing have I started getting neck pain. I think thats a combination of things including getting old lol! But the more hours I spend with it slung around my neck the more it worsens. Not really the fault of the bass. I know if I sit down or don't wear it so long the pain reduces. If Im not singing its no problem. I think its not so much weight of the models but the shape sometime - the balance of them. I have narrow shoulders so not much to brace it. Wide straps slip off my shoulders. I have a 30 inch chest and I think most basses are designed for a 40inch chest person! And don't go suggesting shortscale or girl basses anyone.....
Every single drummer I know moans about backpain so I cant complain of the odd niggle. My next bass will be "lighter" though

[quote name='Jigster' timestamp='1393920786' post='2385722']
Yep, just got one of these from this parish - plays lovely and I suspect, when I get into rehearsals, will have plenty of presence.
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is Parish a shop?

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1394303603' post='2390146']
<p></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I don&#39;t know enough about fretless basses to make &#39;recommendations&#39;, but if you&#39;re thinking of defretting a cheap bass, assumedly to try out fretless without spending much, then would a [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_40fl_sb.htm?sid=c64b88d4cb91adff89330645b9ee045a"]Harley Benton fretless bass[/url] be an option?&nbsp;</p>
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That looks a great one! Cheap and comes in black !! Thanks you so much. Has gone to top of my list

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1394624906' post='2393378']
Would a fretless acoustic be of interest?

I'm looking to sell mine in the near future for a low price, certainly sub £100. It's a cheap instrument, but very good, with a set of flats and the four band pre-amp makes for a variety of acoustic and electric sounds. I'll need to sign up for selling on the forum, even if I don't post an ad for it, but it is one of these, with gig bag...

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbb30ntfl_fretless_akustikbass.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...akustikbass.htm[/url]
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Thank you but I am not looking for a fretless electro-acoustic just yet . Might add one to the collection in a year or so at next birthday!

[quote name='matski' timestamp='1394294963' post='2389998']
As long as it's not a Thunder 1 - had one, was bloody diabolical: awful tone, more neck dive than a Stuka, and was harder to keep in tune than a club singer at chucking out time.

However my first fretless was a Thunder 2A - which was great.

I would buy this if you wanted a Pinoesque type of sound:
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/221220-usa-ebmm-sterling-fretless-ebony-early-bass-with-mutes-reduced/page__p__2385696__hl__fretless__fromsearch__1#entry2385696"]http://basschat.co.u..._1#entry2385696[/url]
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Thanks for that advice , I was actually looking at some second hand Thunders.

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1394041611' post='2387305']
Cheap P-bass copy that you like the neck profile and weight and tear the frets out yourself - I have a friend who has a fetish for experimental modifications and he feeds his habit with whatever Marlin/Encore etc he can haggle the cash converters staff down to £20-£30 for happy in the knowledge that if it all goes pear shaped it has cost less than an evening in the pub and he can take it down to the park if he fancies a game of cricket or use it for self defense in the event of an unexpected zombie apocalypse.

RE your heavy P cramping your style, theSquier Mike Dirnt Precision is well worth checking out IMHO, very light for a P-bass and the satin finish neck is really easy to get on with, I went to check out the classic vibe range in the music shops in Leeds recently, and although I dislike signature guitars, I picked it up out of curiosity, and felt it was nicer to wear and play than the classic vibe Ps, although finish wasn't as good and the sound was a bit more aggressive(which I kinda liked but YMMV).
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Thanks for all your answers. I will spend an evening checking and googling all those models. Will defo consider de-fretting a cheap bass. Dear Subsonic Simpleton - My regular bass IS the Squier Mike Dirnt Precision - its the one in my profile photo here. I have been playing it for 3yrs about 10 gigs a year, on most of my recordings too. I love it. It is heavy though! I have an Epiphone hollow bodied bass which of course is much lighter but not so robust for rock gigs. Wearing the Mike Dirnt bass for hours , low slung, (never sitting down!) does give me back pain, particularly because I have a microphone to negotiaite. But hey - no pain , no gain! Just next bass is unlikely to be a Precision! Any new shape puts different pressure points than the the Mike Dirnt has left. Was really impressed by some small light basses I tried on the Cort stand at the Bass Show. No attractive fretless though