M-Bass-M

Of course, I'd need a bit of money first, but the dream has always been to have an Alembic Dragon Wing in my collection.

Flamed for me please. My current GAS involves a blue-stained flamed maple body with a red tortoiseshell pick guard, just like the old Fotoflame Precision I once owned. *sigh*

Inevitable really, as you say given all the apps that are appearing. Of course it assumes that those of us who use it in our set up also sing... What I'd want to see is a way to clip it directly to my strap, although the reality is that as smart as any app can be, when both hands are busy plan a foot pedal will always win out.

I sometimes get the B instead of E come up, but usually I pluck the string a second time and it's fine. It probably should be better, but I haven't found it to be an inconvenience at all. As for tuning, I find the iStroboSoft is spot on - it tunes to the same pitch as both the guitarists I play with, the tuner that is included in the Amplitube Live software, and also the Polytune iPhone app. Perhaps its worth playing with the settings? Hit the "i" in the bottom left - your concert A pitch may be something other than the 440.0 Hz, or you may inadvertenly have a key drop. I always plug direct into the tuner out on my amp, which I presume would be a pre-eq sound. There are "Noise Filter" and "Input Boost" buttons that help the tuner better isolate the frequencies - see if they help out at all. Mark

Couldn't believe this app is available for free! Downloaded it in a flash, and as with others, it worked a treat with the Strobosoft cable. I'm expecting it to be just fine with the iRig cable too, which is probably my next investment... [quote name='Musicman20' post='855909' date='Jun 3 2010, 11:40 AM']I still personally like having a pedal; I don't really want my phone on the floor [/quote] I have mine plugged into the tuner output and leave it resting on my amp. Not the greatest of plans, as it usually ends up being vibrated off Probably a better solution would be to get a belt clip or similar for the iPhone, and wear it like you would a wireless system.

[quote name='Chris2112' post='850634' date='May 28 2010, 08:33 PM']I'm quite fortunate at the moment that I've managed to get two lovely fretless basses into my collection, my fretless Alembic Epic and a fretless Musicman Sabre "special" as I call it, due to it's custom roots.[/quote] Well, that Alembic is something special! I've had the hots for an Alembic for as long as I can recall, and that one just makes me want one even more! As with my earlier post, why the move from a 4-String to a 5-String?

You know what, I did see that Warwick and was very tempted! As you say, it looks like a great price, but I think for me it's the wrong time. I'm pretty sure that there's a Squire VMJ fretless at my local music shop, and possibly a Vintage, so I may see if I can try them out with a view to seeing whether a budget fretless cuts it for me personally. I have to admit that there seems to be something special about a Ray fretless - I think I've officially fallen in love with [url="http://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/store/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=4111"]this[/url]! Bit out of my price range, but if a second hand one came available... While we're on the subject of fretless, my experience is that there seem to be more 5-string than 4-string fretless basses. Why the love for the fretless low B string? Also, what views do people have on fretboard woods? My preconception is that rosewood is better than either Maple or Graphite, on account of it having a warmer tone. Finally, many of you have recommended Jazz style basses - be they Fender, Vintage, or otherwise. Now I can't help but think that the Jazz suffers from the Jaco effect, and that other style basses are equally suited (if not more) to fretless. For those of you who have played both Jazz and non-Jazz fretless basses, what are your thoughts? Does the Jazz win out?

Oops! Well duly close this one then, those who have the power

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='849517' date='May 27 2010, 04:04 PM']i got the peterson strobosoft app for the touch , it seems very accurate but its not always working properly, though I bought the adapter. Just got the polytune stomp pedal and it works great for gigs[/quote] I too have the Strobosoft app, and I find that it works very well indeed. The only thing that I have noticed is that you need to release the tuning peg to allow the note to settle: the pressure you apply to the tuning peg slightly changes the pitch of the string. Mind you, I can't say that you notice the difference between accurate +/- 0 cents pitch and slightly inaccurate pitch! Back to the Polytune, you tune the strings individually, and as I'm plucking with my right hand I can simultaneously tune with the left, so what exactly is the advantage? Mind you, if it's not too expensive I may give the app a try.

[url="http://www.ikmultimedia.com/irig/features/"]IK Multimedia Amplitube iRig[/url] Looks interesting! I already use the StealthPlug at home and find that it works really well for quiet home practicing. The only pain of course is that you have to be near the PC! If the iRig does what I think it does, then it means that as well as quiet home practice (including altering the pitch and speed of music to play along to), you'll be able to have a pedal board with you at gigs! I'm already thinking I could rig up a pouch to attach my iPod touch to my bass strap, allowing me to control effects pedals on stage. If the price they're suggesting is correct, and it can do what I think it can do, then this represents mindblowing value for money! Thoughts?

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='850117' date='May 28 2010, 10:06 AM']There is,and the JHS Vintage fretless Jazz.[/quote] Price-wise, that looks cheaper. However I also see that there is the V940, which has a non-Fender shape that I prefer. Anybody have experiences of playing one?

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='850049' date='May 28 2010, 07:51 AM']Also are you so sure about wanting to play fretless that you'd get you nice familiar jazz de-fretted? I'd think about getting a cheap fretless to see how I got on.[/quote] Thanks for all the replies. The idea of a replacement neck is something that I just hadn't even considered, but does represent a good, cheap compromise. However, I'd probably want experience at replacing necks on a cheaper bass first before moving on to the Jazz. However, the above comment probably nails it on the head for me. If I got the Jazz defretted, then I would look for a cheap back-up fretted bass. But given that the Jazz is a more than capable back-up bass, it probably makes far more sense to get a cheap fretless instead to see if fretless is for me. Let's face it, the idea of buying a more expensive fretless has more to do with satisfying some GAS than with taking a sensible approach...what's new, eh? On this basis then... Am I right in thinking there's a lot of love for the Squire Vintage Modified Jazz fretless? Cheers Mark

Like many here, I love the sound of a fretless. I had one years ago, but was nowhere good enough to play it properly and so soon got rid. Years later, I'm up for the challenge again, combined with a good old dose of GAS. The "cheap" option would be to have my MIA Jazz defretted at the local luthier. However, this doesn't address any of my GAS, so the other option is to get rid of the Jazz and buy a true fretless. Generally speaking then, who would opt to have the Jazz defretted, and who would ditch the Jazz and buy a fretless? If the latter, then which fretless would you go for and why? If I were to go for a fretless, then I guess my budget would be around £800 or so. Thanks in advance! Mark

Thanks for the kind comments! I'm really pleased with how she has turned out, made all 4 months worth the wait! The facing is highly figured walnut - Rob's done a cracking job in finding me such a stunning piece! The satin finish took me by surprise, but really adds to the effect.

I'd like to seek membership to the Status-Graphite club with the following offering:

I have to say that if I think consciously about this, I'd claim that both myself and our drummer have a very good sense of time and so between us we can keep the band together with me not having to worry too much about seeking a cue from the drummer as to what beat to keep. Of course, I will match my rhythm to that of the drums, but will be guided by what he is doing with the whole kit, and not just the kick or HH. So for example I'll place emphasis on particular notes to coordinate with an open HH / crash, or I'll play fewer notes during a tom fill to reinforce the underlying rhythm. The other thing I believe is that keeping time shouldn't just be the remit of the drummer, but also of the bassist too. In some songs, when it's time for a flashy drum fill, I'll deliberately play simple notes so as to provide to the band a time anchor - given that the drummer is off doing his thing! If I don't do this, then it's really easy for the whole band to lose time and overall tightness.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='818882' date='Apr 26 2010, 08:54 AM']30 Bass of which I still have 27.[/quote] Seriously, how do you store such a collection? That's a stupid number of basses!

My current count is 7, of which only one is still with me: 1 Encore 2 Fenders 3 Statii 1 Bass Collection I'm hoping to take it to 9 with the imminent addition of another Status, and perhaps a Lightwave. I'll probably have to lose my Fender if that's the case though...

To any BC'er who would happen to be in Liverpool tomorrow night, I warmly invite you to the debut gig of DeathDefyingSpying! We're playing at the established Zanzibar club on Seel Street, and are scheduled to play from 9pm. If you do come along, then please introduce yourself to me - it would be great to meet some local BC'ers! Check out some of our songs [url="http://www.myspace.com/deathdefyingspying"]here[/url]. Thanks! Mark

[quote name='BigRedX' post='813675' date='Apr 21 2010, 12:37 PM']I believe that Bass Direct has a couple of Lightwave basses in stock so anyone wanting to try for themselves should get in touch.[/quote] I was in contact with Mark just last week about this, as I was wondering whether to defret my USA Jazz, or ship it on and buy a Lightwave. I believe he has got some more stock on order, for which the ETA was about 2 weeks. Currently I think he only has a 4-string fretted in stock. What is painful mind is that the USD/GBP exchange rate has pushed the prices up by some £300...

Given all the above comments on getting your EQ correct, how then can you as a bassist ensure that you're loud enough on stage? It's easy to do in a practice room, firstly because you're in direct control of the eq and volume, and seconly because you can directly hear the mix. On stage, however, you're not only at the mercy of the sound guy, but also your monitoring zone on stage is completely different to what the audience hear. Does anybody have any good tips on ensuring you get a good sound mix? Mark

[quote name='The Funk' post='812167' date='Apr 20 2010, 06:58 AM']They don't know how to EQ properly. That's all it is.[/quote] This? When I started practicing with my band some 6 months ago, I started off with my Shuttle volume cranked up to 3/4. And still found myself struggling to be heard. Now, after reading a bit more here about eq's, I'm now happily breaking through the mix with the volume now less than 1/2. So I would suggest that the difference at the gig was the better eq setup on your Hartke amp - you said you DI'd post eq? Mark

Thanks for the replies. Well whaddya know, you learn something new every day! Just checked out the price and specs on the Intarweb, looks very nice indeed...albeit for a cool £1,300 new! Think my GAS levels have just increased significantly. I'll be sure to watch the FS section for a likely future addition!

I was just browsing through the Fender colour chart - as you do - and came across the following: Now that ain't like no Fender I've ever seen! With the double humbucker it's more like a G&L, the pickup switch is much like a HH Stingray, and I'll be damned if I know what the two little switches are by the jack! Anybody got an idea of what this is? Have one? Know where to get one? Cheers Mark