pietruszka

Dont worry about kit! I started on a 'borrowed' bass and amp from my Dads old school. It was extremely top heavy bass which I ended up putting a 5 kilo weight on the body to balance it out and the tiniest of guitar amps, not even a bass one at that. I played loads in my room and started a garage band with a couple of friends through some friends. Play at buskers nights as itll be playing with other people. There are buskers nights out there which cater for full bands, turn up, introduce your self to the organiser. Make him aware you're a bassist and you'd like to play something, heck, even blues! Easy structures and its only one step away from reggae/ska. This is one way you'll make tonnes of contacts. Good luck and welcome to the forum! Dan

[quote name='icastle' post='1173595' date='Mar 23 2011, 05:53 PM']Just sounds like a lot of effort for no return to me. If I buy an xyz amp in the US and then falsely swap it for a UK one, why didn't I buy the UK one in the first place? Am I missing something really obvious here?[/quote] The idea is that you pay less for the same item. Eg. for easy maths, an item worth £1k, you buy it from America which works out as roughly £700. You take it to a UK shop claiming you bought it from them and they must have sold you a US one by mistake. They swap it and you've saved 30%. Its crafty but shops always ask for receipts anyway. Id aim for the work experience lad when you turn up to do the 'exchange'. Dan

The singer from the club band I play in deals with all the bookings, in my experience it helps to have one person doing the bookings, it keeps things more straight forward rather than dealing with a different person each time they ring/book you. We play a couple of clubs in town, both pay £50-£60 per member. We also play pubs which again pays about the same and for private gigs its somewhere from around £800 for a 4 piece. Im not 100% as the singer deals with it all! If we do gigs further afield which require stopping the night, we add rooms and a meal on top of that. In my experience, if you're good you can charge. If you're excellent, you can charge more and you'll be justifying it when you play. This has worked well for us and we repeatedly get asked back. Dan

[quote name='fumps' post='1172061' date='Mar 22 2011, 01:24 PM']I feel your pain brother It's like that everywhere[/quote] +1. All we have here in Newcastle is the same old Bassist needed for metal/punk/indie band. I've been lucky for my funk band, I have a drummer who was keen on the idea alone from the start, and he found a guitarist who also sings, so we had a win win lucky start. Try music colleges, practice/recording studios. Basically anywhere where muso's meet. For years now I've avoided music shops as you end up back at square one with the same problem. Good luck! Dan

Sheldon, Thank you for the input! I still don't think it's something I'll buy into, certainly not in the near future. I would still like to have a go on one! Clarity isn't something any one has ever remarked negatively about my sound, these basses clearly (as I see it) are for those who would benefit from them not getting the clarity from other basses. We all play differently and so have different requirements. I certainly have learnt more about Dingwalls at least. Dan

[quote name='Zach' post='1169718' date='Mar 20 2011, 05:29 PM']Anyway, where did i leave my fretless?[/quote] Yes!!

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1169604' date='Mar 20 2011, 03:41 PM']I think the reason there's no demand for them is because nobody's really that bothered about solving such a minor problem, especially not with such a sledgehammer solution.[/quote] Again, my thoughts exactly. I feel I must apologise, I don't want my opinion to start a heated debate! I understand and accept the theory behind it all, its brilliant in fact. But in my experience it makes little to no difference, I just get on with playing. I feel the same about string tension, if the string tension is wrong, then just play a bass which has 'correct' string tension. Fanning frets seems like an extreme solution to, as TNIT puts it, a minor problem. If the frets are out of tune then surely that comes down to build, not straight frets. And string tension, never been a problem for me. Its all rather geeky, like discussing what the quality of the gold plating is on the jacks, or the grade of lacquer used on the head stock and if that affects the tone. Dan

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1169467' date='Mar 20 2011, 01:37 PM']I won't even bother getting into this one... but I must say: Dan pointless, gimmick? I coud say the same your post which can be seen as pointless and I mean no haste nor offence to you, but before you can make a statement on something you admittedly haven't tried yet it would be advisable for you to try it first and then have at least some kind of knowledge and first hand experience to be in a justifiable position to make a valid judgement based on your opinion of it. In other words the old saying goes "don't knock it 'til you've tried it"[/quote] Haha!! No worries, Im not in the slightest bit offended. This is of course my opinion. I would love to try one, but if the tension and tuning of each individual string was soo much of an issue then surely every bass manufacturer out there would be making them like this. That's my point. I agree with the theory behind making them like this, it makes perfect sense, but has anyone ever noticed? I very much doubt it. Again this is the point I'm putting forward. I'v never felt that my 'normal' fretted basses ever had a individual note tuning problem to warrant getting a bass like the one mentioned in the OP to solve minute differences. Again just my thoughts. Dan

This may spark a bit of annoyance in some people, but!! I think the fanned fret thing is a gimmick, its pointless. If the tonal differences were that noticeable then why doesn't every one make there basses like this? Its never been a problem before so why all of a sudden is it a problem now? How many people listen to a record and think "Hang on, that Eb on the A string is 1.354 Hz out from the Eb on the D string." Still, I'd like to try one! Dan

Stingray!! Can't go wrong really, I love mine to bits. Ultimately it's whats going to work best for you. I and certainly a lot of people here will verify that, if you get a Ray, you won't be disappointed! +1 on the Sandbergs to. I love my basic 4 fretless. Dan

Excuse me if I'm being really slow, but I had no idea Jimmy Carl Black had died in 2008! I knew he was suffering cancer but had no idea it sadly got the better of him. A great drummer and saw him play in Trillians in Newcastle some years back with the Muffin Men and it was outstanding! Heres to the Indian of the group! Dan

I agree with Doddy, seeing a mint player makes me want to pick my bass up and play! Especially Watt-Roy! Reading this topic is making me want tonights gig to hurry up and happen!! Dan

Yeah man!! Sounds good! Bit like Sunlight Square. Dan

[quote name='dbass' post='1168076' date='Mar 19 2011, 11:31 AM']I agree to a certain extent Admiral. [b]I think at lower volumes cheap gear can sound brilliant but I've also found it's when you push it at higher volumes it tends to start sounding it's value.[/b] Also - the custom bass probably helped![/quote] My thoughts precisely. That sounds like an amazing gig you went to! But my money is on him having expensive gear for the larger gigs. The bottom line is we all know why we spend sometimes insane amounts on gear, because when they're cranked they sound better than cheaper gear. Dan

Hey, They're pretty decent for what they are. Iv gigged one in Birmingham at a well known venue. It was the house gear there and it had a pretty good sound, again for what it is which is a basic combo. They have that classic Trace sound you'd expect so I took a liking to it! In comparison to other amps Iv played/owned, it has a more 'aggressive' sound to the Hartke B90, or B900 I think it is now. They're both pretty much the same kind of thing. Hope this of some use! Dan

Yeah but if you buy now, he'll throw in some nickel coated screws worth $800. Bargain! Totally not worth it. But there are some daft people out there with more money than sense. Still each to their own. Dan

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1159641' date='Mar 12 2011, 06:04 PM']A gentleman is a man who can play slap bass. And doesn't. Jon.[/quote] +1. I dont mind it, I prefer to hear some nicely phrased finger stuff. I play it sometimes, but only when needed. Like any style, there's a time and a place. The club band I work in plays Ashes To Ashes and Brick House, thats about as slap as we and I go. Dan

Ive just been listening to some Floyd with fretless playing on. Hey You it was from The Wall, not quite the era you're talking about. Still a great fretless track. Dan

Sad news. Im listening to those links now, I know on FB you mentioned him. I love the laid back kinda rapping, a lot like GZA. All that shouty Eminem stuff is just attention seeking nonsense to me. Thanks for putting those links up, Im really enjoying them! Dan

Personally I would do that to a Fender. I don't like them. However! If I was rich enough to chuck stuff like that as part of a show in a rock band, then why not!! On a serious note (no pun intended), I wouldn't throw an instrument. Dan

I agree with everyone here. Tell them, let them hear the recordings and make them aware of what could be done better. Iv had a similar scenario with a good friend. I'm playing a close friends wedding and asked said friend to play kit on it. Now, I'v been playing with another drummer with pretty much the same material and the singer suggested that we use him on kit instead for that reason. I told the former drummer this and said that 'it's business'. It makes it easier for me to, especially as there'd only be one practice which he wasn't completely comfortable with. He understood as this is how things work. Separate the friend from work thing and its not so bad. I'd appreciate some one telling me I could have played better, its constructive criticism if anything else. Dan

Fretless is fantastic! I love mine, I took to it quicker that I thought. I found it helps to be able to play your fretted blind, improve your muscle memory on that then it shouldn't take too much adjusting. Hopefully! Get one, you'll love it! Dan.

Ill be interested to read more comments on this. It's something I'm looking into as well. I would think you'd need to know what it is you want to teach and can teach first. Dan

Exactly!! If only more guitarists were this honest and understanding to what a bassist does. Is it me, or has any one else noticed how much guitarists are getting slated here lately? I personally don't mind, theres alot of crap out there and some of them need to be knocked down a peg or two. I also wonder if we're getting the same treatment on a guitarists forum. I'd like to read that! Dan

Its not that bad, I don't often have the need to play them much any way. I learnt to just play faster with the 2 that do reach! Though Primus' Toy Go Winding Down does become a little testing! Dan