Chris2112

Having got into the whole fretless Musicman thing myself, I can honestly say that its now my favourite configuration for a fretless bass!

Everything Jonas Hellborg plays on just had the most incredible bass tone. This is a prime example of his tone these days, although I have to say I preferred it when he was playing Status Graphite basses...shame about Mattias Eklund murdering Shawn Lane's guitar part though... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf9hAL4b3e4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf9hAL4b3e4[/url]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='785837' date='Mar 25 2010, 02:00 PM']The Americans used to call it 'thumpin'[/quote] I have a copy of Jonas Hellborg's "Thumb Bassics" book from the 1980's. In there he refers to it as the "Thumb style", and the word "slap" isn't mentioned once!

[quote name='steve-soar' post='780710' date='Mar 20 2010, 12:42 PM']He didn't play on St Anger.[/quote] I know, hence me saying "although the lines on the album are amazingly played too". Albeit it by Bob Rock and James. On a Spector owned by the bassist from Loverboy, no less!

[quote name='alanbass1' post='785466' date='Mar 25 2010, 08:08 AM']Wasn't he playing he playing Alembics at the time[/quote] IIRC, he was playing Jaydee and Pangborn basses then, he hadn't quite seen the light of Alembic and Status!

80's shred solos rock. The death of the 80's was the death of mainstream rock music that rocked, and bands that sucked took over wholesale! Furthermore, Mark King is the boy. Some of the best slap tones ever, he played the 70's crowd under the table with ease all the while writing better songs!

I think the funny thing is, when Stanley Clarke was getting an amazing slap tone in the 70's, Larry Graham was still struggling away with that "rubber bands on an ice cream tub" sound!

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='784219' date='Mar 24 2010, 12:06 AM']And you're a thick c***. Sorry is name-calling only allowed as part of a pun?[/quote] Woah, you may have dug yourself a hole and made yourself look a fool, but it's nothing an apology can't sort out. You're well out of order here. FWIW, I love the Ed Friedland slap dvd, I got that years ago! Classic stuff! And as for slap tones, it never got better than Stuart Hamm with a Kubicki Ex-Factor IMO! But then all the "old" slappers like Larry Graham have dire tones that sound like they're being amplified by cardboard cereal boxes!

Sounds like this Eddie Gomez is a real asswipe, you just don't treat your employer like that.

The Sabre neck is the one for me!

Wow, you've wrote some really great music! Very powerful!

I don't think he's a bad player, and he was great for the aggressive tunes of the St. Anger stuff (although the lines on the album are amazingly played too), but I just can't help thinking "Jason would be better in this situation".

[quote name='BigRedX' post='776520' date='Mar 16 2010, 06:20 PM']No they were all open grained wooden necks. Maybe they'd all been waxed on but had had sufficient waxing off to make them playable.[/quote] Strange, the necks shouldn't be waxed at all, they open grain is kept in shape by the oils from the player's hand!

I can imagine the tuning being a bit of a faff on at first, given how many of us are used to BEADGC on our 6 strings!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='776114' date='Mar 16 2010, 11:30 AM']The only fretless Warwicks I've played that I didn't find completely nasty to play (sticky feeling necks and not at all conducive to sliding fretless playing) had either a good number of years worth of use already[/quote] I presume you've been playing warwicks with a solid finish? As the ones with open grained wooden necks are some of the smoothest and easiest to play I've ever found.

There is definitely a problem there. I had a BTB405QM with Ibanez pickups in it and it had a very hot output - and sounded absolutely brilliant too!

[quote name='Jigster' post='775684' date='Mar 15 2010, 09:01 PM']hey thanks for that, really kind offer - but i think referencing Jerry B's reply I think I should start with a lined fretless - i'm sure it's going to be a huge leap in my abilities so will need as much help as poss!!! cheers re. the Warwicks dmz, I'll have a look[/quote] It has to be said, I started with an unlined fretless after about 3 years of playing and I got on just fine with it. I prefer lined but I'm happy with either. Don't be scared to give unlined a go - every primary school level violinist did it without a second thought!

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='775668' date='Mar 15 2010, 08:47 PM']TBH I don't think Stingrays make good fretless basses. Too prone to dead spots, which are more problematic on fretless.[/quote] This is indeed a valid point. However, I have been lucky to have avoid that with my Sabre special. It has a solid bubinga body with a thuja top and an african Kingwood fingerboard, as well as brass hardware. It weighs a ton, by far the heaviest bass I've ever played, but it also has the most incredible sustain, and strong, punchy notes. There isn't a dead spot on it, it resonates like a bloody piano! Though I accept this is not the case with "true" Stingrays and Sabres. But then I've found pretty much everthing along those lines - Musicman, Precision and Jazz - all seem to suffer from dead spots! It is the things that are made of dense or heavy materials (or graphite) that all ring true, like my Sabre, my Warwick, my Status graphite basses...maybe I have a subconcious attraction to things like that!

Yeah, those Vintage Icon basses are very cool. The relicing looks slightly tatty but they sound and feel great, and are a solid alternative to the much praised Squier Vintage Modified. As for fretless P basses, I've never been a fan and I would really struggle to recommend one, they just don't do that honk that I like, and I don't think they're very good.

I feel that proper Warwick basses represent serious value for money. The Thumbs, Streamers and Dolphins etc etc... Dolphins don't get hit too badly because they are relatively rare, but Thumbs and Streamers that aren't all that uncommon tend to sell for silly prices! I got my 1999 Thumb BO for £590, in literally as new condition - it didn't even look like it had been played! Given that they don't even make them with wenge necks now, you'll still pay three times that price for a new one! And given how bloody good Warwick basses are, you can get them for reasonable prices used and you have a bass as good as any you can buy! On that note, I bought a beautiful white Pre-Fender (changeover) Kubicki Ex-Factor from Bassworld for £600. Traded it for a Status Stealth 6 string. The bloke who bought it off me had it on sale for something like £500! Crazy good value for a classic, rare instrument! It was #1777, made in 1989 - just incase you ever see it!

Very cool. Not a new idea, but I guess the tuning is. I like the look of the pickups too. But this will be pricey, no doubt Japanese made and very rare too...I don't see it being too popular. I'm sure in 20 years we'll look back and talk about how cool but underrated it was! Not sure about the Jatoba in the neck though, reminds me of...Wishnevsky!

FWIW, I'd recommend some kind of fretless Musicman! I'm not one to rave about Musicman basses that are fretted, although they are damn good, but fretless, they are fantastic! I have a Sabre necked custom bass that is just fantastic. It has made fretless my main instrument! I think that pickup placement is great for fretless, you can have loads of Jaco style honk at the same time as loads of strong fundamental! I was very lucky to find it!

I love the video in the OP. Probably my favourite video of Billy and Paul. Beautiful melody, fearsome chops, wonderful feel, awesome tone. Billy and Paul have always been a winning combination, but their experience here is really showing. To be honest, it's better than 99% of the stuff I hear today. I absolutely love the part where Paul's solo ends and the unison line comes in together. It's also a fair clever way of doing things, with Paul ascending and Billy descending. Of course, this is to be expected from elite musicians. I've had the pleasure of seeing both Paul and Billy live on numerous occasions and they always entertain. Also, having been front row in these shows, I can confirm that they're both gentleman, and Billy shook my hand and was really cool despite the fact I was whooping and cheering for him all night.