Soledad

re LPJ fretless got a response within 24 hrs: so it's a no then. Missing a trick I reckon.

Funny, I really like those - very classic and go with the Gibson head shape (top bit, it'll have a name...?) really well for me. I've emailed Gibson re the poss of a fretless LPJ - no response but if I ever get one I will report. I think I would seriously consider a fretless version.

You did. I got the metallic fine doing as advised - virtually dry on contact. For a first shot I was really pleased with the metallic. It was the laquer build that stuffed it. I was aiming for a surface wetness that flows out to minimise peel, but I overdid it. I'm guessing next time I build the laquer thin as well, and accept the peel finish, then just cut flat and polish later... ? I really disliked the light tint as an aging thing - I feel sure my old '64 Lake Placid Blue Precision had faded a bit, not darkened. So next time clear only. Quite chilled about it - it may take some time but will be worth the wait.

Just ordered a pair of Custom Shop 60s pups from Thomann. Commited to getting this right now. Ironic that, cos I just messed up the laquer. The light tint (to very slightly age) didn't go on even so I can just see some shadow variation in the tinting. Worse than that, a slight run got around to the front top horn and collected there, causing the metallic to reactivate and show a streak of the pure (untinted) blue through. Basically rubbish. Third paint order into Manchester GT - can of LPBlue and one more of clear. I'm roughly at £100 on paints now (£30 of that is 3 lots of shipping). The Jazz is a keeper so it probably doesn't matter too much. Plan is: cut back to nice flat base. Re-do the blue (I've had a bit of practice) and relaquer clear only - sod the tinting, gone off the idea. CS pups due soon - they'll look good sitting in their box.

I did a few sums and worked out that this is OVER 100% correct👍 But these things are cheap so best get an assortment and see what works best for you. I'm a very firm advocate of really stiff/hard picks - if you try a fast down/up sequence with a pick with even a bit of flex in it, bad things will happen. Stands to reason - pick strikes string, flexes back an amount (which is beyond truly accurate control) then releases, note sounds. If you're down to 8th or 16th notes, tiny timing errors really show up. We should all just use the picks we get along best with, but my reasoning, playing feel and experiences make me a very firm advocate of the zero flex variant. and p.s. - the gang who look down on picks are SO missing out. Where would punk have been without a beat up P and a pick?

I really don't get that anyone would be negative about using a pick. Maybe not all the time, but when it suits and is right. As Bobby Vega says in that interview - fingers, pick and thumb. Basically I want to be good all round and a pick is a really important part of the mix. Personally I go thick / stiff. 2mm at least, I also like the injection molded ones which have no give at all - it helps develop accuracy of string attack and gives a very clean precise attack envelope to the note. I plan getting some of the Ernie Ball Prodigy 2mm - they have a grippy face and look nice https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/search/ernie-ball-picks

Cherry LPJ fretless... La Bella white nylons on and away we go 👍 No fretless eh? Missing a trick on a mid-scale which looks like it would have a really good midrange voice. What's the score re rosewood boards - can't sell from US to EU with rosewood. I'm surprised they can use it at all on current production - didn't they get into serious bother over rosewood of 'unknown' origin a while back? And on the Tbird I notice the EU store only has ebony finish, and it appears to be quite hefty (and oddly small):

I'm considering a pup upgrade on my 2010 Jazz. Was all set for the Fender Custom Shop vintage 60s (around £145) but read good things about the Lollar set (around £180😞 https://www.thomann.de/gb/lollar_j_bass_4s_reviews.htm?rating=5 Anyone using the Lollar, any comparitive experience? Please note I am after really good mids and focussed articulate bass (tight and clear I suppose) - I think any decent set would give me all the top I'd need, the current standard ones do most of that well so it's the mids I am after. Don't want active and don't want to spend 250 on Aguilar! Any user insights welcome please.

Update. Flatted back the grey primer, down to almost nothing. Applied a thin coat of white primer (from Halfords) as the white makes a useful guide coat for the blue. I'd found there was really no contrast between the grey and blus so it was difficult to see how much blue was going on. The white got cut back a little to get it smooth and flat. I dusted the Lake Placid blue on - dry coats as advised. Not easy to get a really even metallic sheen but I kept going back to it for another dust over. Basically used the entire can although a fair bit of that is carried off in the atmosphere. Pleased with the colour - from my memory of my '64 P this looks right. I think my old P was rather faded anyway so this does look a little more blue than I recall. I did a bit of masking in the neck cavity to cover the remaining black overspray but leave all dates, names and numbers clear. That was first, before the main body paint. Then several coats of clear. Then masked up the scratchplate and control plate. A thin coat of light amber to age the exposed colour a little. I need to add more as it is not visible. Just ordered 2 more cans of clear to build the laquer right up. I'll cut and flat what is on and then slowly build up the thickness. 2 cans should more than do it but the post is a tenner so may as well get too much. Pics, so far - quite orange-peel but I'll be able to add wetter coats once this sealer coat is flattened I think. Then there will be a big flatting and polishing job. Just need to decide about pups - may dive in and get a pair of the Custom Shop vintage but see how this all goes first.

re the OP, I got the RS212 from Andertons very recently - really excellent at £299. The 115 is also on deal 349 down from 596. Sadly for me, the 210 remains full price at £499. Seriously good Emminence cabs I reckon, and at close to half price an absolute bargain. Don't know why they are so heavily discounted, maybe about to be changed but who cares.

Miami Sound Machine, with or without Gloria. Somewher between hot and smokin'. Just discovered the really excellent George Casas (bass) died this past February. I think he was the first player I noticed using a Warwick - mid/late 80s maybe?

I might not be alone on this. I reckon finding the rights strings for a particular bass and the sound you want is a costly and sometimes frustrating mission.On my fretless I'm now on set no4 after about 2 months and for the first time I'm happy. Just put a set of the 750T 'white' nylon flats on my fretless. At last, a set of strings that really suit the bass and get me where I want to be sound-wise. The bass came to me with some rounds on and the sound is quite good but a bit hard, plus rounds do wear the board over time. I fitted a set of D'Addario half-rounds (45 - 100 I think) and didn't really see the point of those - might just as well go straight to decent flats I would say. Then tried a set of Fender flats - as per the reputation, too heavy and high tension so quite hard work on a fretless I felt. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to play a 3 different electro-acoustic basses owned by fellow BC members (big thanks to Paul S and Frank Blank), all of which had black nylon flats on, of unknown origin. I'd read somewhere here that the La Bella white nylons were a little brighter so I decided to try them. The problem with strings is describing them in a universally consistent way, so we all know what we are getting - it's very subjective, but I'll have a go: - feel quite chunky after lightish rounds on the fretted (at 50 - 105) but are low tension so very bendy and slidy. - lots of mid-range - which I think is the really important band for fretless - a touch of crisp top, not super-high, just a slight crunch on the top if you want it. - a clear bottom, with a rather woody sound. Rounded but well-pitched and nicely clear (compared to the Fender flats with a rather pitchless thump). - decent output - can't A/B compare with previous strings but settings suggest output levels around the same They call them 'white' but they aren't, they are a cloudy clear-ish nylon that look like dull nickels from a few feet away. Not weird looking at all. I expect they will last ages - which is good as I have invested a fair bit on strings getting to this point. I would never use these on a fretted, but I feel like my fretless is now where I want it to be so I can move on. Next, flats for my Precision. Sibob's P and Lakland both sounded the way I want with La Bellas on. The DR thread has confused me a bit. I'll probably start with La Bellas and hope I don't have to blow a hundred plus finding the right strings... again !

and another thing. Just how many slap vids do we need? Scott makes a good point on one of his vids. Just say to the guy 'this one's in C'...

I too want to know who the bald American is. Walter White? Notice the guy in vid is playing a 6er and has 3 guitars on the wall, and a left-hand technique to match. So I'm thinking this bass mullarky is not his main thing in life.

In their defence I had same day responses when I asked them several things about my bass. Was impressed. I also think they make really good basses. But I do like mine full size.

Yes. Maybe doesn't always get the recognition he deserves. There's a rich musicality in his playing, which is somewhat uncommon... IMHO re over-playing, Guy Pratt is allowed to add a few notes within, because he makes them worthwhile. It's the 'loads of notes' within the chord, note-count sh*t that I have an issue with. GP is way above that. He payed quite full lines on 'Like a Prayer' but it was balanced and right for the arrangements / production... IMHO(2)

Indeed @TheGreek - if you trace the line back a little it's part of the same genus as the maples. I've found Uk sycamore quite hard to come by and of varying quality. Timberline have some instrument grade stuff but it's expensive. I do have a board of well flamed sycamore in store, wide enough to face a bass but only about 25mm thick. I'll get pics if any maker interested. It would bookmatch beautifully. @Jabba_the_gut - I'm guessing this baord is too wide for most planer/thicknessers, and for most band saws? If I was flatting / facing that I would happily resort to a scrub plane followed by finer hand planes. Years ago I made a scrub from an old beech block plane and it rips high spots off very fast. Follow by a jack and down to a fine smoother. Far quicker than it sounds! Re ripping to thickness I'd be off in search of a mill/yard that would do it for me - someone with an old massive Wadkin sitting around. It can be done with a big rip frame saw - but you'd probably have to make the saw first I'll try and get some pics of my flamed board - almost forgot I had it. Picked it out at Mac Timbers years ago and has air dried down to around 10 percent, would drop to 6 or less easily now I reckon.

I've heard very good things about the SWR Workingmans 10. There's a 12 as well but the 10 seems more highly rated. Don't come up often - I think I saw a 12 on here a little while ago.

Stripped the satin black celly off. Steve at Manchester GT told me there was a clear sealer under on the Hi1s - makes life a lot easier I think. I got down to almost clear with various abrasives, then used clean cellulose thinner to wash the last of it off, taking care not to disturb the base coat. It then got flattened (was flat anyway) and finish-keyed with Abranet 400 (actually an old well-used bit so way finer than 400 anyway). I've put a very thin grey prime coat on - I used it as practice to dry-spray, taking the advice of the more experienced regarding the application of the metallic later. Couldn't resist a dust along one side with the lake p-lacid blue, just to see the colour tone and metallic effect. Problem is there is very little contrast between the grey primer and the dusting of LPB. I may cut it all back smooth and put a white primer down. I fashioned a 'neck' to hold the body at various angles. Later I intend to do some soft-edge masking in the neck cavity to get the overspray as per - need to p[rotect the date stamp etc. The pup and control cavites were fully sprayed black so they will become LPB. Happy so far, the LPB metallic dust coat seemed to work and the metallic is nice and even (I think). It may be that you really see how good your metallic is when you put the laquer on top. AND, being patient - plenty of time to harden between stages. I may be in with a shot, but must not tempt fate. more later

This says Hi-Beams for me then (on my Jazz) - IIRC Guy Pratt played on Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' (was it that one)? Loved his bass work there. Cracking player, and importantly doesn't overplay. Great sound in the mix.

Stunning. Very well shot too. Bit concerned about the fence shots !

For Sale - 2010 Highway One U.S. Jazz complete with Badass II bridge... hence £14.60 o.n.o (call it 20 bucks then). @ezbass - I should recognise yours but I don't, sorry - tell us more. It has a very refined tort plate so it's something special.

Don't want to cause bother but the Precisions thread is up to Page 64, the Jazz thread is on 24. Just sayin'. I have one of each, both U.S. Fender, so I 'm qualified to referee. @marleaux62 - had a good life, that one. Nice !