TheLowDown

It's a toss up between that and the recently released gold foil Fender jazz.

Nice looking bass, he's done a good job. Given what you've mentioned about the strings, it's unlikely you will be wanting to restring it with a high C string rather than a low B, eh. A high C string always sounds more lyrical to me on a fretless, the low B string I find considerably less useful compared to on a fretted.

I've heard of this before. Ideally, it is said, the hand should be an open position as if you're gently holding a tennis ball which allows for the hand muscles to be at their most relaxed. With shallow necks, this allegedly puts some strain on the muscles of the palm over time. Necks that have some depth being less likely to result in strain because they retain the open hand position more. Sounds plausible, maybe a physiotherapist has more insight.

All the best, Telebass. Just take things in baby steps 👍

Apart from custom made, I would doubt that there is any better QC on £2000 compared to £200. I think people naturally assume that the more expensive, the better the QC and the more the human touch. We like to believe that if we pay more, then it has better quality. With CNCs and the shift in manufacturing centres to the East, I don't think that philosophy applies any more, but companies still need ways to differentiate their products to be able to charge more for different ranges. In the past it was always China that was saddled with making the lower end(hence the previously bad rep of "made in China"), but that is no longer the case. As Kev above quite rightly says, the quality of the product is dependent upon what the big company pays - if they pay for a top product, then they get a top quality product. Because of the shift in manufacturing centres and expertise and large scale automation, I would far rather have a bass made in Indonesia or China than the USA or Europe, both for quality and value.

It's why I avoid Fender(and Squier, their budget range of overpriced products). It's how a lot of named brands work in different sectors. They get lazy, push their prices to the max and think their brand name will do their job for them. Lesser known or uncoming brands try much harder.

While we don't know how to reverse arthritis, we can make it more manageable such as with our diet. Because arthritis is an inflammatory disease, avoid inflammatory foods and increase intake of anti-inflammatory foods.

Hi Steve, genres such as rhythm n blues and soul and related genres have easily discernible basslines that stand out in the mix. Some artists you could try are Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, D'Angelo, Ezra Collective, Brand New Heavies, Incognito.

I do all my practice on 6 string bass. My reasoning is that it makes for flexibility and prepares me for being able to play whatever I want to play on 4 string, 5 string or 6 string. A bass is just a tool for a job, so I don't think there's any superiority about them, because all have pros and cons which makes each better for specific scenarios and not so good in others. Using a 6 string rather than a 4 string or vice versa is like choosing between a hammer and a screwdriver.

I think there's plenty of excellent modern music, such as in the modern jazz scene.

For a good B string, I've always thought that it's more about the strings and the setup than the bass including neck construction. Others may disagree. Personally, I would go with the last expensive, especially if I wasn't trying out all 3 in person. Given that you've said that it was comfy to play(you don't know for sure if the others are, at this point), then you may have a winner.

An alternative to an audio interface is a headphone amp like the VOX amPlug2 if he just wants to keep things simple for jamming along to rhythms. https://www.amazon.co.uk/amPlug2-AP2-BS-Headphone-Amplifier-Rhythms/dp/B00NAUKJTY/ref=sr_1_6

I suppose it depends on what you're wanting to achieve.

I would always place the pickup much nearer the neck than the bridge. The Jaco tone does nothing for me I'm afraid, fretless or not. On all my basses the bridge pickup is always muted.

I prefer rap when it's fused with other genres such as jazz. Because I'm not much of a rap or lyrics guy, I need some extra spice added to the instrumentals to make it more interesting for me. Artists that may be seen as rap that I enjoy include: Gang Starr(as mentioned by OP), Guru(particulary his Jazzmattazz albums), US3, Jazz Liberatorz, Fun Lovin' criminals. I love this one by FLC, the sax gives it a very jazzy and mellow vibe

The HB B45FL is decent. There may well be better or equivalent ones for more money or around that price point, but I don't think you can go wrong with it for the price. I would also go along with the unlined because the only visual clue that is important are the side dots rather than craning his neck over the fretboard. If anything, my lined fretless requires extra and unnecessary mental processing when I look down at the side dots because I then have to do some spatial calculations to work out where the actual fret should be, whereas on the unlined this isn't the case. The only practical advantage(IMO) of the lined is that there is far more choice, so if he wants to go the 5 string route the lined may be the better option.

I went to a few Blues Brother's dos in my uni days, walking around dark nightclubs in the provided dark glasses. Great fun!

I think it's still available at a few places. Seems to get decent reviews.

The Bigg Market is always entertaining.

In my teens and 20s it was all about rock, indie rock, and a very brief teenage fling with new wave. Now I rarely listen to rock, because it's like no longer having an appetite for Mars bars whatsoever after eating 10,000 of them. In my teens and 20s I hated hiphop for the lyrics, was indifferent to jazz because I didn't understand it or even try to, and was even more indifferent to country just because. When you're young you're much more influenced by image, but when you're older it's irrelevant. I listen mostly to music that feeds my bassy cravings like RnB, funk, jazz, pop(gotta love the likes of hallucinate by Dua Lipa) now and again, some hiphop and even some country for its wonderful simplicity. None of which I would have ever considered in my earlier years.

Queen Naija and Ari Lennox - Set him up. Via Generation Soul radio

I would suggest the Sire before the Squier. I've been really impressed with the value and quality of the former.

Good Ibanez without any doubt.

Most of my basses are HB. Happy customer.