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Hey, thanks for posting! 🙌 ... this is the first in a series of this format and we had ZERO idea whether peeps would dig it or not. Thankfully, it's looking like they do We've actually already filmed another one w/ Henrik Linder, and also one w/ Rob Mullarkey and Richard Spaven... those will be released over the next few weeks over on the YouTube channel. Cheers, Scott

My first gig with a new band and my first gig since an outdoor, Covid restricted, livestream gig in the summer of 2020. It was at a social club and was OK. Not as tight as I'm used to, but it was a bit of a rush as I only joined the band mid last month and we had to add more numbers at short notice. A new genre for me too, a Mod band. Given that I'm not a massive fan of '60s music (despite growing up at that time) and positively dislike a lot of that ilk, this was an odd choice for me. However, it's the first opportunity I've had to get back into a band, so I didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Played my first gig on a short scale and it was a lot of fun, my JMJ Mustang certainly rising to the occasion and being bang on sonically and visually. Another gig at a Mod bash next month, part of a 4 band line up. We'll see how that goes. Great to out playing again.

Was looking forward to this one for a while - We got a new guitarist just before christmas and we have been rehearsing with him all of january to see if we could get enough songs for a gig. Well, he has done very well so we thought we could do it. The venue was a place we have never been that just contacted us through facebook, in a town we have never played. Walking in it could go either way, its a social club like many others, can be grim, can be friendly. Setup in a corner and got going (earlier start than usual). The new guitarist did fantastically, the sound which I had been fiddling around with was perfect, and the crowd responded to every song. In the end, we got to the 'we have run out of songs' with 2 in the pocket to go, they begged us to do 4 more songs, including 2 we had already done, for extra money, so basically ended up doing Mustang Sally and Park life for £40 extra All the drinks were free and snacks afterwards. Great night.

Don't do it. Fretless is awful. There, I tried

Lots of things to ponder over to make your move to fretless. The first is what do you predominantly play? If you are mostly a 5 string player then get a 5 string fretless. The transition will be more natural and you won't be so limited in playing what you are already playing on your fretted 5 string bass. The biggest decision is do you go for lined or unlined? There is no right or wrong choice here, it is purely down to what you prefer to play or more comfortable playing. I play unlined as I personally find lines are a huge distraction, it's easier to play but equally a bigger challenge to be more accurate so hugely rewarding and it improves your ear and technique. Players who play lined fretless basses will have their own preferences and as I say, there is no right or wrong, but your own individual preference. For information purposes, a lined fretless you play on the lines and an unlined, you play on the dots or the gaps between them. There are more lined fretless basses available so your choices will be bigger. Fender make a range of lined fretless Jazz basses and a very very good lined fretless bass is the Ibanez SRF705. Beautiful bass and if it was unlined then I'd have one. Ibanez have also just released a headless 5 string lined fretless which is quite funky looking. Just remember, even if it doesn't have lines on the board, it still has lines on the side of the neck like the Ibanez fretless basses making it lined so don't get caught out thinking its unlined. As for unlined then your best bet will be second hand and a good start will be a Japanese Fender Jazz or Precision. As I say, it's hard to find an unlined fretless bass these days but not impossible and I think Warwick make an unlined Streamer Rockbass which looks nice. As for playing then if you have good technique and a good ear then they are no different than playing a fretted bass. It's all about playing accurately, listening to what you are playing and making micro adjustments on the fly. It's not difficult and it's not all about slides, vibrato and Jacoesque runs, you can make it as none fretless sounding as you want. Try playing your 5 string in the dark and low light and see how you get on. If you are ok and can hear when you are out and can adjust then you'll be fine. One thing I found though is my fretted bass was a '75 Fender Jazz with blocks and binding but because I'm so used to playing a clean fretless fretboard, the blocks and binding on my fretted bass was so distracting, I had to sell it as it was so distracting to play. As for the benefits, personally I prefer the tone of a fretless and the freedom that it brings. It's so expressive and musical and if you get a good one, they can so sing. Also, you'll find your technique will adjust and you'll slide up to notes and there's no step that you get with frets, it's one smooth transition from note to note. Also, chords are fabulous, for example, play an open A and fret C# (11th fret on the D string) at the same time and add a bit of vibrato, it sounds wonderful. Any singular note with a bit of vibrato sounds wonderful and expressive but you don't have to and that's the beauty, you can make it sound nothing like a fretless bass if you want. Harmonics are also another lovely, rich feature that come alive on a fretless, especially with a bit of chorus and reverb. With regards to strings, roundwounds will cause wear to a fretless board but never be afraid to use them. They sound great and the wear is minimal unless you are playing hundreds of gigs a year. A 5 minute rub down with 0000 Steel Wool and applying Beeswax Orange Oil after will bring the neck back to a glass like finish. I've used roundwounds for years and never ever had an issue, however I would never use them on my maple fretless board. Personally though, I use either LaBella Black Tapewounds which sound fabulous and are designed for fretless or LaBella Low Tension Flats on my fretless Precision's which give a very full, rich, warm, rounded tone. Good luck with your search and don't be afraid to make the switch. These are my fretless basses and if you have any questions then just ask.

Arn't all those creams meant to be Anti-Ageing... to make an old set sound like new...

Measuring happened instead of drawing around things. I marked two places on the neck and body, measured the neck and pocket at those points, took the big number from the small number, got confused and did it the other way around. Split the difference and marked the body accordingly. Savaged it with a chisel, fifty penced the curve with the smallest chisel I have and blended the result with a small gouge and sandpaper. Lacking a straight edge of appropriate length, a nut or a fixed bridge, a length of dowel was recruited and alignment looks pretty good to me. I put a rule against each side of the neck and marked off two points on each side which I then referenced against the centre line. It seems to be bob on between the pickups and 0.5mm out at the bridge.

@devinebass Mick Quinn - Supergrass. proper sleeper - he’s a phenomenal bassist

Oh... should have mentioned... if you'd like to see someone specific in this series, just pop their name in this thread or add a comment under the video over on YouTube. We're gonna go through all the comments this week and try and make a bunch of requested ones happen. Flea, Pino and Geddy are at the top of my list of peeps we're trying to get on... but any other requests are totally welcome!

Should be ready within 4 weeks in time for my birthday…

Absolutely Pino and please include his fretless and not just his fretted and Precision stuff.

Higham Ferrers WMC.. 1st set: pop songs from 1958 to 1966 that influenced us to form a band! great crowd & feedback

Played at a local music venue last night, first gig in about 6 weeks. It went well and I really enjoyed it. Brought my new (old) bass with me. It's made from the maple neck of my first ever proper bass ( a P/J Mighty Mite bass from the late 70s) attached to a maple Squire, vintage modified, 70's reissue, Jazz bass body. I'd fitted it with a set of Fender 75 vintage pickups. The neck on the bass has been with me for decades and I must have played a thousand gigs with it attached to some bass or other. It sounded great through the house amp and although the bass is now all maple it didn't sound particularly toppy, in fact I had to turn the bass down on the amp.

I ventured down to Sheffield to try out and likely buy a 2nd hand American professional II P bass for £1500 which I thought was a great deal with the hardcase. But I saw one of these squires while I was there and thought I'd give it a try and compare the 2. I ended up walking away with the squire! I can't believe how good these basses are, they sound and feel phenomenal, the rolled edges on the frets make it so comfortable. I now don't see the need for spending the £1500+ on an American one. New%20bass.heic

Go for it. Fretless bass sounds great. I'd stick with 5 string. Face one change and one learning curve at a time.

I did buy a fender jazz once that was very sticky, but judging by the flat it was down to Chinese take away’s, kebabs, pizza and KFC, it did need a good clean 😁

So after a crap start to the day with the pickup sale saga, I had a change in my positive mental attitude and went ahead and bought a hofner 500:1 contemporary series bass….(second hand) with a case…. I’ve wanted one for ages. My 76 jazz bass is insanely good but as a few of you know my bones are goosed and the weight isn’t ideal. And so the hofner itch has been scratched! i think I got a great deal On it, although had to travel a fair trot to get it but what the heck! it sounds fantastic but is strung with rounds, I’m a flats man and I use Ernie ball cobalt flats but guess I need short scale for this hofner so I’m not sure eb cb flats come in short scale….? any suggestions guys for a nice set of flats short scale? Not something I’ve ever looked for before….and as this bass is “lightweight” should I not be using my normal 100-45’s and maybe go a touch lighter? I don’t want to snap the thing in half ! 😝 set up isn’t too bad, but could possibley be squeezed a little More lower action ….. the bridge adjusters are pretty much bottomed out though so I guess it’s a “sand the bottom of bridge feet” job like I’ve done on new double bass bridges in the past…. Also, I can’t work out what size truss rod key is? Cant even see down the flippin hole! Any one know that off hand? playing, well it’s small… very small….playing with a puck seems the likely solution …. I’m a fingers guy, anyone else play a hof with fingers ?

I was lucky enough to get my hands on this little beauty from Facebook sales about 3 years ago for £50! For both! Having been a massive Jesus Lizard and Shellac fan (Bob Weston is the boss) for many many years, I couldn't believe my luck! Both dated 1980, the original 120watt speaker was blown when I bought it but I still have it get reconed, I enquired at the time and it was stupidly expensive, so ive shelved that project for another time. I used it a number of times in the studio and practice but I don't really feel comfortable taking it out live given how much of a rare beast it is. I've seen a fair few Traynor TS-50B's but ive never seen another TS-120B, has anyone else had any experience with one? From my understanding, and that of Essex Amp Repairs, its the same preamp as the TS-50B but has more power and an EQ. The lads at Essex Amp Repairs absolutely loved it and asked if I could leave it with them!

I wouldn't want to smear anything oily/greasy over my strings but if you must then surely eating chips while playing is the best way. Two birds with one stone, dead strings full chippy belly.

Thoroughly enjoyed that. I've heard a few of the stories before, but so what? I've heard a few of the songs before too. Still made me laugh.

Can be used to split the signal, too.

No, it’s a bona fide pedal, the lesser known @martthebass banana boost, starts driven and tapers away to clean or vice versa, dependent on the ‘bend’ control.

John Deacon!?!

Progress from last weekend and this weekend. Sanded up through the grades all over. Drilled for the controls and tested in place. And then got started on the first coats of varnish. The neck will be oiled once the varnishing is all finished. Not sure whether to do a finish on the fretboard to give it some protection?

First gig of 2023 saw us return to a localish social club last night. Was a fairly good turn out and we seemed to go down well. We are back there again in September.

Buy 4 fretless basses…lined 4, unlined 4, lined 5, unlined 5 give me the ones you don’t want….

Shot from the wings of Gig at a nice club in the centre of Barton-Upon-Humber last night. This one was an uphill battle, I’m still struggling with a dog inflicted injury (tripped on said dog and fell downstairs landing on a big toe - not broken but it’s not happy) and the singist’s voice was buggered from this persistent viral jobby that’s still doing the rounds. We got through it and the audience was appreciative but it definitely felt like a double shift. Hopefully we’ll all be in better nick next week for a return to a particularly nice club in Dronfield. Rock n roll eh? Only just spotted I’d left my mid spot banana energy booster on top of my minimalist pedal set up.

Duh, this is BC.

Currently residing with @Machines until I can sort collecting… (thanks mate) looking forward to getting my hands on it…

I'm out - just get @KiOgon to do it

Double-walled corrugated cardboard + duct tape = new cover for my Barefaced One10! 😁 Pros: - Cheap (£0, since I already had the bits) - Looks crap, to discourage theft 😆 - Rigid enough to work as a stand too: I I haven't tested whether there's any resonance or similar sonic weirdness from the enclosed empty space, but if so, I'm guessing that stuffing a coat inside might help. Cons: - Splash-proof, but probably wouldn't survive having a pint spilled on it, or sitting on a wet/muddy stage. I couldn't be bothered to fully tape the inside walls. - Gives as much bump protection as a cloth+foam cover, but the cardboard will crush rather than springing back into shape - it'll gradually give less protection the more abuse it takes. I may yet slap a load of stickers on it 🎨

Obviously, if you use hoisin sauce as polish, it's going to be sticky - no amount of my freaky built in countermeasures can deal with that!

Ahh, another old trope thrown around like confetti. SOME people find gloss finished necks (regardless of colour) sticky. They're probably sweaty so-and-sos, so is it really the bass's fault? I have dry skin (that needs to be actively looked after, but not to the level of psoraisis or suchlike conditions) and it's like built in talcum powder. As a result, neck finish never bothered me, regardless of what it is.

On the whole I find BC a pretty laid back place, and that's what makes it disappointing. I had opinions to share on the matter but by the time I got here, there was far too much weight being thrown around so I couldn't be bothered. That was also a disappointing angle. EDIT: the OP appears to have effed off, so I think I'll share some of my thoughts now.

Managed to snag a very clean pewter 614, I’ve been waiting for one to come up. now I need to flog the fender I have up for sale and get back to my BB playing

Private party last night. In my home town though so that was easy. An impromptu set as our own support, then I stood in for a band comprising the birthday boy and his son's for a few tunes and then a full blown Bandeoke which descended into good natured drunken chaos. Great fun.

Fantastic sold out gig at Sudbury Quay Theatre last night with Leather & Lace! Crowd were well up for it and we had a great sound. 👍 I was especially pleased when the Sound guy told me that mine was the best bass tone he's ever been presented with!😲 Had a few more compliments on my sound from punters after too.... 🎸🎶😎

Combine the 4 into one kick donkey mega idea like the big Power Ranger

Thanks everyone. Loads of great stuff to think through. Top marks to neepheid for actually trying to talk me out of it, the rest of you are pure enablers! 😁 Off to the marketplace I go...

If the bass goes through the PA then it really doesn't matter what cabs you use, as they will make zero contribution to what the audience hears; and depending on the size of the stage and what the rest of the band have in the foldback, their effectiveness as personal monitors may not be that great either. Pick something that fits the image of the band and/or genre of the music and be done with it. If you rig is 100% responsible for what the audience hears then the choice of cabs is more important. It's a fact that identical cabs should give you a more consistent sound throughout the venue. It's essential to remember that if you do mix different cabs, what sounds great to you on stage may have turned your tone into something entirely different in various parts of the venue.

Here's my new 50s Precision. It's got a slightly slimmer neck than the natural one. These are not subtle instruments - with a bit of overdrive they just roar. I'm very, very impressed. I am a man of my word but I'm not sure I can bring myself to carve this one up...

Well! I am back bringing some goodies - being the instagramslut™ I can be at times I took advantage of a post from Jad Freer's insta on 'DM us with any questions!' I have to say they were super nice and answered my questions... Mattia was happy for me to post this here: So in essence, yes it can do pretty high gain, not sure it gets to the level of Darkglass but still... It could well replace my current gain stage (Blackstone devices mosfet OD, woolly mammoth, lil fella) to purchase a Capo for similar sale value of those... and leave space in my mini board for a C4 synth to put on the effects loop. That and a compressor and you'd have a pretty mighty mini board eh? The links Mattia referred to: Not maxed out And this is 2:08, with gain at about 1-2pm on both A and B sides, potentially could work out for me squeezing it a bit more:

Enjoyed this. Big fan of Guy Pratt - he's played some killer lines over the years - I really like that today bass line too. Was a bit surprised he had zoom b3 on his board though

tell the guitarist to turn the f@ck down...