Jerry_B

Aha - very interesting...!

I like D'Addario Chromes as they sound quite zingy and with a bit of a metallic ring, but that doesn't really suit my Jazz fretless. They're also a bit noisy. The best ones I've found are Pyramid Golds, but they're not cheap. They're also very very smooth compared to D'Addarios and Rotosounds. At the end of the day you really just have to try as much as you can afford and see what suits you in terms of what tone you're after.

I used to think 'Mirror In The Bathroom' by The English Beat was tricky until I had a go at learning it, at which point it turned out to be surprisingly easy.

It's worth a try. Luckily a roll of the stuff is cheap! It can wear out pretty quickly, especially if your hands get wet, but it really depends on what you're doing. The trick is to wrap one layer for your skin and a second layer for the first layer - just not too tightly

How many different brands of flats have you tried? Sounds can vary from one to another brand.

It depends whereabouts you get the split skin. I used to get this alot when working outside, especially with the skin around my thumbnails. One trick it to wrap up areas you know will be a problem with some good wrapping plaster, as a pre-emptive measure, and carry a batch with you. Or duct or insulating tape if you're going the hardcore route!

[quote name='chaypup' post='1018713' date='Nov 10 2010, 01:09 PM']A [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-I-A-Fretless-Active-Bass-Guitar-BLACK-/320615266639?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4aa628b94f"]couple[/url] of [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1A-Bass-Red-1986-/120645500862?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c17083fbe"]beauties[/url] (to my eyes anyway!)[/quote] Very tasty. I used to own a fretted one, for a short time, back in 1988/89. The red one almost looks brand new.

[quote name='bartelby' post='1019206' date='Nov 10 2010, 07:16 PM']I LOVE NoMeansNo!![/quote] They're touring at the moment - I'm seeing them in London on the 25th of this month.

I always use [url="http://www.couchguitarstraps.com/products_all.html?zenid=1sat6s422qu4k65kvmqfgphuk5"]Couch straps[/url] - they're very well made and come in some interesting styles. I have a b&w 'Racer X' strap with my T-40, and it takes the weight of that with no problems. That strap is also quite chunky, so pads out the weight nicely.

[quote name='paul h' post='1017471' date='Nov 9 2010, 01:23 PM']So am I the only one then? Am I the only one whose "feel" is greatly affected by the instrument?[/quote] Maybe. You have to deprogram yourself, I'd say. You can get most sounds out of most basses if you get the hang of any given style. For example, play punk rock-style stuff with a plectrum on a jazz fretless

[quote name='DanOwens' post='1016571' date='Nov 8 2010, 05:00 PM']To me, snobbery can be taken at face value, but it is the implied social hierarchy that really interests me. What does it take for you to firstly construct a form of hierarchy at a gig, then to insert yourself somewhere within that hierarchy? Also, do you find you want to be higher up even if you assume you're not? [...][/quote] This seems a really odd outlook to me, which is probably why the whole snobbery thing always seems completely daft. First of all, why should one care about a hierarchy and where one fits into that? Does it mean that one is desperate to be part of some imagined pecking order? If so, count me out And the end of the day I still think it boils down to how things sound, and what you're after in terms of sound. Being bothered by what one may perceive as a pecking order, musos, etc. seems to be counter-productive to what you're doing - i.e. playing bass, enjoying it and entertaining people.

[quote name='phil.i.stein' post='1016534' date='Nov 8 2010, 04:28 PM']i would not ever consider trying to be best at one thing. i would lose.[/quote] And someone would always say 'Well, he's not as good as...' despite what one thinks of oneself

At the end of the day I tend to think that gear doesn't really matter - what sound you want and get from whatever you have matters most. Let's face it, very few people in an audience will give a monkey's about what kit you're using unless it sounds crappy (unless crappy is what you're aiming for). People will enthuse of what kit they prefer, but that's just the nature of having an interest in the stuff we like as individuals and what we like the sound of.

I do find it amusing that some of us poor people have to make do with knackered old basses, whereas some rich people are prepared to spend alot of money getting the same effect faked

[quote name='MB1' post='1014595' date='Nov 6 2010, 06:21 PM']MB1. From your pic it doesnt look as if hes replaced it Straight ,might need repositioning an easy fix!.[/quote] The strip shouldn't be straight.

I see. I asked as I don't like the idea of any lines on a fretless, even along the top of the neck. I just go by the dots, if need be

Aha - great, thanks for the info. So the fret lines shown on yours (along the top of the neck) were standard, Happy Jack? And did you have to trim down the nut?

Oh, I prefer the look of it myself!

One reason I don't play a lined freteless I guess you could just put them at relevant fret points instead - i.e. put dots where the frets are either side of the side dots.

Yep, it's fine. Have a look closely at a variety of MIJ Fenders [url="http://www.fenderjapan.co.jp/fender/2008fender/jazzbass.htm"]here...[/url]

It's the grounding strip. My MIJ Jazz also has one. Quite common to see them on MIJ Fenders of a certain age.

You can just put small white or day-glo circular stickers on the side dots. No-one can really see them apart from you. Art shops sell such things - WH Smiths too.

Aha - so there's no mad amounts of duty to pay on them? Did you get yours direct from MM or somewhere else?