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Play lined or unlined fretless, play looking at every note or some or none, do vibrato and slides to your heart’s content or don’t, do whatever you like, but most importantly don’t ever be put off playing because you find any of the things people have said above difficult. I play lined fretless, I do vibrato and slides (not too much but I like it so why not?), I look at the notes but am beginning to look less but so what? It doesn’t improve the quality of the songs I play. Play whichever bass you want in the manner you fancy and feel comfortable with, one person’s method or technique is not another’s, and there is no definitive ‘right’ way to play or learn, do your own thing. I’m not having a pop at anyone or their advice, I’m just trying to stress that it’s easy to be put off by an apparent ‘orthodoxy’ but then I would say that, I’m an old punk who was told as a child and young teenager that I would never be able to play an instrument, let alone be in a band, for a multitude of reasons, all of which vanished when punk came along and suddenly I was in bands playing instruments. There is no right or wrong way with something creative, or maybe there is, just don’t ever think you are doing anything wrong if you are playing your instrument, by all means seek advice and try it but never worry about doing stuff your own way.

I too can vouch for the Sims Super Quads being utterly amazing. Such a cool design and it seems Martin Sims has recently released a few more versions with different housings and pole piece options. For example he has now got a version in standard MM shaped housing. I could fit a set into my MTD Super 5 very easily now. Having met Martin, I can confirm he’s a really nice guy and Nick Smith (the resident bassist in the pit at my local theatre - I literally grew up hearing him play on all the shows I did in the Youth Theatre group) now uses Sims pickups exclusively. That speaks volumes to me as he is a pro player who’s owned almost every bass under the sun!

I voted in the "other" category. If, God forbid, I could only have one bass I'd make sure I could have the widest variation in my tonal palette that I could get. The SimS system gives me this. In fact, it would give everybody this so I'd encourage everybody to try them. Yes, they are a premium item but if you don't deserve that premium item, who does???

Really? Woody Guthrie, Dead Kennedy's, NWA? Depends where you look.

I do harbour a lot of love for the 60s Thunderbird clones on my Lulls, so (not wanting to be pedantic) it's a T/T from me. Just on a personal note, I've never really felt at home on a single pickup bass...my second choice would be a P/J combination; I play with everything fully open - including my legs - and the addition of a J pickup in the bridge position just seems to bring the bass alive in a way that a J/J doesn't.

Need I say more? 🤔🤔

I only play Precisions so voted as such. In my mind I like the versatility of P/J but in reality I just fiddle and twiddle too much, simplicity rules for me.

I have a Fender Precision deluxe with the J pick up and i find it a little limited. If i move the blend either way from centre i get one or the other pick up and its not what i would call an even balance plus the EQ is a bit extreme for me too. Oddly enough i find the Fender PJ has no real character compared to my Geddy Jazz. Its just ok and does a reasonable job as a working bass. I just want a better quality working bass that will give me options to use in any style of band i'm playing with. Having tried a VM4 2 years ago when i was buying the Fender PJ i was very impressed with it both tonally and build quality but at the time i wasn't prepared to spend £1400 on the Sandberg and they only had relic'd basses in stock at Guitar Guitar. On hindsight i wish i had gone that bit more and just ordered one in. I've gone for the Sandberg in all white with black chrome and white Scratchplate with Rosewood neck. I was offered the bass at a fantastic price and will hopefully get delivery this week. I've only read positive reviews on the Sandbergs guys and this is first time i've heard anyone getting rid of them for any particular reason. Dave

Whilst I’m loving the status Soapbars (MM/MM) at the minute, I adore the lanepoor (MM) in another bass and I still play the Jazz. If I could only pick one set of PUPs then I’d have to look at the SiMs super quads and be able to select All of your options above. I’ve never played a set, I hear good things and I’m GASing a bit! 😂

What? Read the manual? And risk this?

That's a bit unfair. There's clearly a continuum between dabblers and virtuosos. I guess most people who have played a bit are like me, they can cope eyes off while playing in a position, but need a look when shifting it. I don't pretend to be anything more than a basic fretless player, and really don't want to put in the vast amount of practice to build up the muscle detailed muscle memory but that doesn't mean I shouldn't play the thing.

Is a sale thread the place for a discussion? I don't think so. Negative or controversial opinions are not really relevant. The guy just wants to sell the gear and should be left in peace to do just that. I'm all for questions. I don't believe how obtuse some threads are!! Positive comments are good like, "He's a good guy to do business with", or" I've got one of those and they are great instruments". But anything that undermines the sale, like "I owned this and I hated it", should not be posted.

I find that white tack with an orange or blue smartie on top provides the best visual and tactile dysfunction whilst also providing well neeeded snacks

It’s the best page

Here’s my old modded Roadworn P.

I never actually noticed the headstock looking like a can opener but that's handy. Cheers Cuzzie i know you are a big fan and your PM's certainly had a helping hand in what i was looking for. Much appreciated sir. Having already tried them i know i'm gonna love it. Dave

First gig with a new band tonight. Looking forward to meeting them. The only things they know about me are in the bio I sent for their web site. I have one important mantra to repeat all the way to the venue: I do not own any PA equipment. I do not own any lights. I cannot fit anything else in my car. I don't know how to soundcheck a band. I do not own any PA equipment. I do not own any lights. I cannot fit anything else in my car. I don't know how to soundcheck a band. I do not own any PA equipment. I do not own any lights. I cannot fit anything else in my car. I don't know how to soundcheck a band. I do not own any PA equipment. I do not own any lights. I cannot fit anything else in my car. I don't know how to soundcheck a band. I do not own any PA equipment. I do not own any lights. I cannot fit anything else in my car. I don't know how to soundcheck a band. I do not own any PA equipment. I do not own any lights. I cannot fit anything else in my etc etc Hopefully if they never find out the truth I can be in at least one band where I'm just the bass player.

This is the shop pic. Should be delivered next week tho.

80+ at the last count I believe..😂😂

As you know, any advice Andyjr1515 gives has to be treated with a certain amount of caution However, happy to outline how I personally go about it nowadays. I run a triangular file very lightly along the slots just enough to take the sharp edge off each side - not to widen the slot itself Nowadays I use a tang nipper to de-tang the ends, but that isn't essential. I cut the fretwire 3-4mm oversize. By the way, I buy coiled wire so it already has a radius on it, usually at a radius a touch tighter than the fretboard. I run a scalpel blade or similar along the slot to check it's clear of sandings and to double check that the slot is deeper than the tang across its whole length I run a tiny bead of titebond along the tang and then place the fret carefully in position in the slot, making sure that it is upright. I press the fret gently to ensure it is properly seated in the slot I then hammer firmly one side, then the other side, then the middle. This has the effect of first pushing the barbs in vertically at the sides, leaving a hump in the middle. When you hammer in the middle, the sides splay, moving the barbs sideways and locking the fret in place. I wipe any titebond squeeze-out off the fretboard with a dampened cloth. I then clamp my fretboard radius block over the fret to ensure it is fully seated and to radius while the titebond does its initial grab. I do the next fret the same way, first releasing the radius block and wiping any remaining titebond squeeze-out from the previous fret. Once the new fret is in, I then move the radius block up a fret and clamp them both. I repeat this, moving the radius block a fret at a time until all frets are in I leave overnight before cutting the fret overhangs flush with the fretboard edge using some decent long-handled fret end clippers Let me know if you need me to expand on any of the points. I may have some photos somewhere if needs be.

Well how spooky is that. Congratulations! As @bassfan might say in another universe, it seems to be missing one string...🤣

Loved the gig. Only defence I have is the singer and drummer (who usually does the PA) went to the wrong venue so it was either leave it until they arrived late or set it up myself. I did make the guitarist do some too

I would probably have to say the States for me because I prefer the music that has come from those shores. If we are talking 50s/60s then Motown, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard etc. is more my cup of tea. Grunge is probably one of my favourite forms of music with groups like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against The Machine and I will also include Linkin Park. Where Brit music for me was the best was 80's pop like Talk Talk, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, Depeche Mode. Nothing could beat 80's Brit pop.

Bl**dy hell! Crack a whip why don't you. Heeheehee. I would've got around to it eventually but I had to think about the question. It's not as easy as it looks.

When? The pendulum has swung back and forth so many times. TheGreek has already listed many of the high points. There was Rock and Roll, Blues and R&B, all high points in US music. The 60's and 70's studio bands in the US are my favourites. OK they may not be bands in the strictest sense but any road band that went out and gigged these songs is the top of my list. Any genre of music that could have been picked by the Blues Brothers is right up there. British bands in the 60's were world leaders in popular music. Then there was Cream and Jeff Beck who started Heavy Rock. Then Sly and James Brown who started Funk. I can't pin-point one style or location. The US and UK have inspired each other.

It depends which bands you allow into your canon....

Buy a dishwasher!

Ok so I lasted one gig. Ended up setting up the whole PA last night and fixing the singers 'adjustments' as the gig went on. I did refuse to carry any of it though. Does that count?

Perhaps.

When I do 4 or 5 gigs a week these days I'm too knackered to do the washing up. 😅

Personally I see this as an improvement on the addition of another "bump" just to lift the post to the top. If I have something positive to say, I will,...even if it's just a drool imoji. If I think an item is a bit special but needs some help, again, I'll comment. I've owned a lot of gear, much of it I didn't get on with. I rarely comment when these items are for sale...others still might.

Spoonerism?? What's a "plinger"??

Interesting thread.. Got to say, I'm with @Mykesbass on this one. IMO, there used to be a healthy amount of interaction on For Sale threads that was, more often than not, pretty helpful. Especially if the person selling was someone relatively new to the forum or someone I hadn't had any dealings with before on Basschat, then I always found the way they interacted with and managed posts on their threads a good indication of how they might be if you decided to do a deal with them. Not an exact science I know, but it has worked for me over the years. One thing I think that's contributed to the decline in conversation on For Sale threads has been the introduction of the facility to bump your post without having to say anything new when you do it. You see some stuff that's for sale on here being endlessly bumped without any new comments or info added to the thread by the seller, which I always find quite disappointing and boring and ultimately, a bit of a turn off. For example, imagine going into a shop a few times to look at a a piece of gear you're interested in and mulling over, but everytime you go into the shop the staff don't speak to you. Eventually, you'd just decide to go somewhere else, wouldn't you..

If you really want to be able to see them in the dark, Luminlay do some!

Well that's a good thing and @Sibob will no doubt want to welcome you as a hair shirt member of his bass-monk abstinence brigade.

Well if that's the sound you're rocking on your EQ, maybe this bass isn't for you 😂 you've definitely got to feel for the sound than worry about it being on a precise number or rotation. So glad to be rocking passive basses 🙌🏻

I don't comment on much in the For Sale sections. Most recent was a Roli Rise, only because I have one & the seller was letting it go at a bargain price. I like reading comments on things for sale, especially if it's from someone with experience of the item.

I just look at the combined total, if it's what I want to pay then I'll buy it. I've just bought an item that was £17 with £13 postage, the postage was far too much for the item sent, but the next cheapest, which happened to include free delivery, was £45. To me the split is irrelevant.

I think this thread has run it's course now and given Scott has responded I think we can put it to bed.

I'm a SBL member, I really need to use it more though. I should spend more time with it, particularly when I'm traveling for work. This thread has really left a sour taste in my mouth, this is an embarrassment to Basschat. Is his YouTube stuff clickbaity? Undoubtedly, yes. However, I consume most of my video content via YouTube and have seen this happen to a lot of the channels I watch over the past few years - the algorithms and culture of YouTube means a lot of channels have to do this stuff, it's all driven by the way data is interpreted and used to boost or hide channels depending on how users interact with it. I do think that Scott's free stuff on YouTube is great though, once you get past the "6 reasons six string basses suck" title and thumbnail and you realise that actually the video is 6 ways to better utilise a 6 string and avoid some common pitfalls, as one example. It's good and useful info packaged in a way that helps generate interest on an extremely crowded platform. He is a great player and a great teacher, but if you don't like his content on Youtube, then don't watch it - it's free and didn't cost you anything. I think the stuff on SBL is great for the price and I don't begrudge him the opportunity to charge extra for certain courses - he is running a business and if he thinks some elements should be monetised outside of the normal academy stuff, then I suppose he is better positioned than any of us to weigh up the cost and risk to his business.If I had guessed the production costs, I'd have guessed low and that doesn't even factor in editing. I do think though, love him or hate him, that going through companies house to see how much the business earns is a touch crass, even if it is info available to the public. However, bringing his wife, the state of his marriage and the division of shares between himself and his wife really is appallingly crass. Pretending it's not a veiled criticism or jibe doesn't cut it, there is no reason to bring that into the discussion except for making backhanded remarks and insinuations. Really, really poor form and I don't blame Scott for making a video in response. It's embarrassing to read. Personally I think he is owed an apology.

Hey dudes, it finally uploaded... So, word of warning... this ended up a little (understatement) longer than I though it was gonna be, but I wanted to cover a few things. Things I hit upon that may be of interest: The reason why we're experimenting with longer form dripped courses outside of the SBL Academy What's actually included within the SBL Academy (for those of you who have no idea) The reason why my YouTube content has changed over the years (this will probably be of most interest to you, as it's likely not what you think) Am I the same in "real life"... or is it a show for the camera? And a bunch or other morning ramblings Ezzzzz

Here's the semi hollow bass I'm completing at the moment sprayed with rattle cans of satin nitro. The finish is really nice.

Somebody asked about this bass so bumping it again... A horror story start with a happy ending..