Delberthot

The headless stick bass type style does look very appealing. Probably not much heavier than my Warmoth, in fact might be lighter as the Warmoth is a heavy mahogany beast. I'm going on holiday next week so I'll have a think about it.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='538217' date='Jul 12 2009, 12:13 AM']Out of pure interest, how many songs would you use the fretless on?[/quote] At the minute I'm using it on everything. I feel equally as comfortable playing fretless or fretted on any song that we do. It would purely be for my own self -indulgence - that and I'm a show-off. Why else would I have a sparkly gold bass?

If I ever get round to finishing a bass in the Daphne blue nitro I have, I'll be doing it outside and I have something that resembles a 21st century version of a WWII gas mask, rubber gloves and overalls. A booth with extractor is always better but if you are only going to be doing the one bass then get yourself outside. You can make yourself a simple booth against the corner of a fence with plastic sheeting. I don't want to kill any more brain cells than I already do with beer.

Recently I bought myself a really nice Squier VM Jazz fretless and did a few gigs with it. I liked it so much that I decided to get a fretless neck for my Warmoth gold bass. I'm really loving the fretless sound but missing the frets as well In my wedding band, too often I simply don't have the time to change basses depending on the song we are playing so I have to play the song(s) using whatever bass I have on at the time. My solution is simple but different - I have thought about building a double neck with a switch between to quickly change the output between fretless and fretted. The difference between what I have in mind and a regular double neck are that I have never seen the point of having such a great space between necks. Since bulding a body from scratch is beyond what I can be bothered doing, I have thought about buying a couple of bodies, cutting them down and gluing them together. Possibly using a left hand neck on the bottom so that I can get them closer together. I only see the need to have maybe 3 inches between necks to allow for quick changes. My only concern is that using 2 necks will mean that the bass will be be neck heavy. I could use lightweight tuners or a heavier body wood but want to try and keep the overall weight down. Has anyone else here come across a way to avoid the inevitable neck heaviness and would anyone here be able to build me a simple body to take 2 necks to avoid having to chop up 2 perfectly good ones cos I've got a shower suite to fit, hall to decorate, back garden to flatten, etc when I come back my hols? This is all theoretical of course. If it turns out to be too much of a PITA to do then I'll probably fire the wenge neck back on the gold bass and keep a hold of the Jazz instead of the present plan to sell it.

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='536278' date='Jul 9 2009, 10:57 AM']Didn't Status come up with the original Buzzard design with J.E.? Witness the original "beaky" headstock which has recently reverted to the usual paddle type.[/quote] Wasn't it JE's design, hence Status no longer being able to make them after Warwick did?

I modded a tired bolt-on Rick copy into a 5 string and added an EMG 35DC pickup. I had it tuned EADGC initially until I realised that I don't use the C. It did take me another 3 6 strings for it to filter through to my brain though. Practically impossible to slap but nice, tight spacing for fast maneuveres

Refinished by a french polisher - so is he half French and half Polish? Is that my taxi?

Why not - if it makes it north of the border, I'd like a shot as well. I'm in Camelon, Central Scotland

I was playing so hard that I managed to get the E string stuck under the rim around the top of the pickup again on Saturday :blush:

[quote name='BigRedX' post='535080' date='Jul 7 2009, 08:16 PM']So where are you getting yours from then?[/quote] I got mine from Stringbusters a year or 2 ago. I play about 3 songs a gig with one so they should last me until I retire!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='535061' date='Jul 7 2009, 07:53 PM']Interesting the difference that availability makes. 42 posts and only two votes for Herco picks. There was a similar thread on TalkBass a while back and from what I recall it seemed as though about a quarter of the posters said they were using Hercos - normally Flex 75s. I'm sure if they were easily available in the UK once again a lot of the people here saying that they use Dunlop Nylon heavies would be using the Hercos instead. They used to be easily available because that's how I came to start using them. I wonder why they aren't anymore?[/quote] When I was going through my Chris Squire phase playing Rick 4003s I decided to give the picks that the great man himself uses a try. Herco Heavies - after years of trying every pick I could get my hands on, it takes a bit of hero worship to find my perfect pick. Perfect thickness and they never slip out of my fingers.

The earthworm tone is regarding the humbucker on the Early 70s Telecaster bass. The '51 is a growly beast. If it wasn't for hum of the single coil pickup and the amps at the time not being able to handle the pickup, we probably wouldn't have the standard split P pickup that we have today. The lack of contouring is an issue - the reason that I also cannot play Rickenbackers. The whole reason why I went with the later '54 contoured body which the Sting bass has. Its identical in every other way. I've had a mustard yellow one and the sunburst one. I was really lucky and managed to find myself a brand new sunburst in Japan and had it shipped here for £340 including taxes etc. I nearly had the body down to Martin Sims to contour it and repaint it but in the end decided to sell mine and go with the Warmoth. Personally, they are the ultimate bass for me - simple, look good and sound unbelievable. They are very well made and the shiny maple fretboard looks so cool as well.

I remember having a couple of Ashdown ABM115s in a room behind the living room so that they were on the other side of the wall where the TV was. Because they were directly behind, the picture starting slowly rotating over the space of a couple of days. I have my Schroeder cab in the same place and have a media center PC and an external had drive below my current TV and have never noticed anything. Maybe if you had one of those huge speakers that Marty used a the start of Back to the Future you may have some issues.

I've never had a fretless ebony fretboard, only the fretted one I have on my gold warmoth. Ebonol gives a really punchy sound, even with flats which is what I'm using at present. It will tear up with roundwounds after a while, so flats or half/ground wound strings are best for preserving it. Visually it is smooth and has a consistent colour and comes up great after a good clean with WD40

I have to disagree about TI flats being all about warmth and smooth tone. I can get mine to be pretty aggressive and punchy. I can still get the Rick tone when playing fingerstyle when we do 'Town Called Malice"

If you've ever wondered why Geezer Butler plays right up at the neck its cos he had an old Precision and didn't realise that the covers came off! I've just bought a gold bridge one for a certain bass of mine but doubt it will fit over the Gotoh 201. I do have a spare bridge if needs must.

Soul = Flats Rock = flats Funk = flats Pop = Flats With fretless, I've found a lot of it has to do with the setup of the bass. I can get mine to more or less do everything i want it to do and with flats, it doesn't chew up the board

I need to get along to the post office as they have a Mighty Mite neck fretless neck waiting for me. I'm going to be putting it on my Warmoth SCPB. I will be using this as my sole bass and then probably selling the squier VM fretless Jazz that I have been using solely for the last couple of gigs - and will be using tonight They are good necks - I've had one before. If I finally decide to go permanently fretless I may get a Warmoth one made but the Warmoth ones are pretty chunky

I've been using a Warwick cross walker with the detachable rucksack for about 3 years now for every gig. I never have the rucksack attached to the gig bag as its too heavy but its been very reliable. I don't even think its a deluxe one but I think its one of the water resistant ones. One of these: [url="http://roselanemusic.com/epages/eshop111508.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/eshop111508/Products/%22Cross%20Walker%22"]http://roselanemusic.com/epages/eshop11150...oss%20Walker%22[/url]

That is exactly what I would love. I've got one of the Squiers and personally I have never bought into the 'its good as a first bass' mentality. I've played mine 2 gigs on the trot and never once picked up the Warmoth which is my pride and joy. Its a phenomenal bass and really easy to play. I have TI flats on mine and its such a punchy bass sound. I love fretless so much that I ordered a fretless neck for the Warmoth which should be here in the next couple of days.

Problem solved. After a good set up at the weekend and a gig. The problem has vanished Must've been too much of the string touching the fretboard at the same time, producing multiple notes or something.

When I was learning, it wasn't about how good I was, it was more about what I could learn next I was always going for the next unplayable song until I could nail it. I always remember being in a music shop as a spotty teenager really wishing I could play Sussudio. I completely forgot about it untit a couple of years later I came across a Phil Collins album and tried it again and found I could play it You're as good as you are - pretty unspectacular response but there ain't no figures you can put on 'goodness' like you can measure a car's 0-60. There's always going to be someone you think is better than you, no matter how long or hard you play.

I'm having my wife dump my ashes over Filey Brigg and then smash my gold Warmoth against the rocks a la the London Calling album cover

I've been told that I look like a god Budha is a god? I'm told I have go to bed eyes. The girls take one look at me and tell me to go to bed cos I look knackered I did manage to pull one night - the thing was that i was playing at the time but the keyboard player offered to fill in for a couple of songs while I danced with the girl in question. I need to add that we were playing at a wedding!