Soledad

Is this maybe a Safari issue I wonder. Was mostly fine til couple of days ago - now most pics don't load and I get a blank with a question mark (unrecognised file I suppose that means). Just looked at the Rickie thread, a few for sales etc - most pics not loading. Checked across on Guitarchat, same. I assume most pics uploaded are plain old jpgs so what's the problem. So I check Chrome and still issues but a bit different. EG this post lists images (jpg files) but I can't open them (black screen with small 'unknown image file' icon. this one is just an example:

Didn't Bill Wyman play the first several Stones singles etc on his defretted bass? I personally think it's a non-thing. Is it just bc people expect you to slide around a lot? I did a rehearsal with my Jazz fretless a while back and no-one noticed at all - dunno if that's a good or bad thing🤣 But the Jazz with flats gave a really good low-mid punch sound, we were doing a mix of rock-ish and soul stuff. I think it works really well if you avoid the fretless cliches and get the intonation solid. My current Sandberg with chrome flats at bridge under strings makes a really excellent soul/funk bass.

Paul Reed Smith's core target market ...

👍 pm me an address. They're off a 34" Sandberg not thru body.

Had a set on a Sandberg recently and replaced them fairly quick. A, D & G pretty good but the E was really dead alongside the other strings - a serious mismatch in sound. These were the 45 -100 flats. Anyone want to try them (free, just post) pm me. I appreciate they are inexpensive but the one big thing about flats is they last a long time. Personally I think cheap flats are a false economy, and decent ones are an investment. My own choice is 'bright' flats (D'Add chromes; EB Cobalts) but regardless the sound you want a basic starter is that all 4 strings sound like they belong together. That's what 'set' means.

3 times recently I used ParcelForce - for UK , but one was to @Fionn on Lewis (a bit SE of Iceland😂). Seriously good - a 20kg cab to Stockton, under 24 hrs, a bass to midlands, noon next day, and a pedal to Lewis next day! ('course it was a pedal, it was Fionn). A while back I'd have said DPD but right now Parcelforce are my go-to. I'll add all were sans insurance!! We all know the risks but the exclusions and caveats make it an expensive and questionable expense. My trick is add ALL the extras: tracked, signed for, txt on delivery, guaranteed next day or a refund... all the stuff that flags your package in their comp systems. I can't prove it helps but for a couple of quid my suspicion is it gets better attention through the systems.

>toy cupboard< - as in a single store of a lot of fun things to play with. Just an expression!

I'll try one, big fan of 'em, have a few different widths for more/less damping (used on a P/J with D'Add chrome flats). **TRICK** do we all do this? Put a slight taper on the foam so wider at 4th/E and less so at 1st/G. Otherwise you get way more damping as the string gauge goes down. It's just an approximate thing - treble side of foam around 3/4 the width of bass side. Based on the amount of energy in the vibrating string, a lot more as you move from the G towards the E so for even damping effect you need more foam progressively towards the E.

Very good thread and thanks to @Al Krow - I asked about this exact thing a few months ago, not knowing this thread existed. Amusing that one of the features of the B1-four is easier user interface 😂 Following some advice I found laptop editing is near-essential to get what is in these things out - I mean there's loads of good effects there but the pre-loaded patches are *** not my cup of tea*** and editing on the pedal is a dark art. Super-cheap used - a huge toy cupboard for no money... every home should have one.

Yep, it's mine now and it's a really good one. Had the Boss a while and was just sort of OK about it. Used to rate the Corona even though some talk it down. I'd say try the MXR before you commit on any other. It has the flange too but I just use chorus. Agree with @Fionn - it's very 'controllable', always really musical (some sound brittle and rather digital I have found).

I recently helped a friend find a Squier Affinity. A few around S/H but people asking £200 (some even more) and often some dinks etc. Bought a new one from PMT £240 I recall - next day free shipping so no running around dealing with a mixed bag of sellers. And you get to choose colour. The new one was excellent - did a set-up but it was really good out of the box. Absolutely amazing how good these basses are for the money.

A quick btw re the Indian Laurel - found a fellow BCer using this on a fretless board ( a Dean restoration). I got some and tested it, promising. I'm not up for slapping it on my '98 P but I'm pretty sure it would do a lot to darken age a a new Indian Laurel board. Monty's make some excellent gear - looms etc. And their artists list is quite something. https://www.montysguitars.com/collections/department-of-component/products/montys-montypresso-relic-wax?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=search&utm_content=montypresso&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwr_CnBhA0EiwAci5siivqE1NukcYXh635_8HkjQbRLFiVMI_j0-Kx3zOl8BszV0jcZti7lxoCI6oQAvD_BwE

Interesting and prob agree. Had a friend's brand new Squier Affinity round for a set-up a few weeks ago. I liked the look of the Indian Laurel board - it's fairly dark (dark enough for a new board) but has a hint of greyness to it so I think it will play in well and age quite nicely. I mean it will benefit from a good few hot sweaty gigs. Some of the last of the rosewood I've seen was rather pale, quite open grain and generally low grade.

Agree re the LaBella white nylons. Re tension I have found that equivalent nylon tapes are lower tension than the same gauge flats - obviously there are a lot of variables but it's generally true in all my experience. I think there's some physics behind this - the nylon tape wrap is lower mass than the metal wrap of flats, hence for the given tuned pitch the tension will be lower. Again, variables like the core gauge which is where the tension comes from. Anyways, LaBella white nylons seem to have been made for a fretless!

MXR Chorus from Lewis to Kent in 24 hours! Beginning to think if you need a pedal just ask Ed 😃 Top service, excellent product and packing. All super-smooth.👍

(Surely already in a list above but worth singling out I think) Julia on @ThomannsGuitarsBasses is well worth a look - she's a great player, has a rapidly growing following and I'm sure she could have her own channel easily. Also has access to loads of fine basses, is quite a Sandberg advocate (may well be an endorsee). Her main thing is picking a player / band and getting deep inside the basslines (Abba, Police, Verdine White / EWF; etc). I'd call her a player's player - doesn't talk gear and basses much, gets down to playing... and she's pretty good!

Got my set a couple of years ago (they last well and tbh weren't played loads). I'm certain they were rounds under a semi-clear tape wrap. Fairly lowish tension, great mid-voicing and a nice crisp top. Sold that bass on recently but these ones with red silks:

@pn_day - thing I like about seperate pedals is you acquire them one by one and can swap along the way. Also a strong used market, quite library-like, I mean buy one, try it and sell on for almost the same if it isn't quite right. I've got an MXR chorus on the way so that's a start. Next up is maybe comp - I think the Darkglass SS I sold was about the best compact pedal comp I'd owned. And if I collect say 10 pedals I could sell the lot and be halfway to another Sandberg - pedals are like loyalty stamps all very 'minimalist'.

Yes, there was one - sold now I think...😂 I'll report back.

Good rundown of some options there. On my previous (Mayones BE4) I settled on LaBella 'white nylon' (that's what they call them and they aren't white). I'm currently using D'Add chrome flats on the Sandberg - they are working very well on that bass so happy. Have EB Cobalt flats on my fretted P/J - can be v good but I agree quality issues. The D'Addario chromes are very consistent and have nice blue silks (mauve on the EBs) - yep, that stuff bothers me!! What gauge LaBellas are you using?