mcnach

Same here. The Kala U-bas sounds nice, and the Ashbory I had was cool too, but I didn't like their size. These, at 23 or 25" scale lengths are a better compromise for my liking. I think I'll end up getting one soon, probably the 23" version. They make a solid body one too which is very attractive in terms of being less 'fragile' when on the move, and I don't think the acoustic output of the standard ones are sufficient to warrant getting one with an acoustic box... but I can see myself playing it a lot at home unplugged... hmm, decisions.

[ crickets ]

I recently came across these basses. I am not a fan of acoustic basses generally as to me they seem to be too much of a compromise with their relatively small bodies, they just don't get loud enough without amplification and their sound is not something I like much. I do like the sound of those small uke-type basses, like the Kala, especially with those silicone strings, but not their small form. However this one caught my attention. The 23" scale (they also make it in 25") makes it feel more like a bass guitar, while keeping it still reasonably small. The fretless version in particular with those rubbery strings sounds really cool (there are some other more standard strings one can use for a more typical acoustic bass sound if desired, not for me though). Has anybody got personal experience/own one? I would get the fretless one. It would fake that upright type of sound much better than my fretless Precision with nylon tapewounds and it would also 'look' better on those 'acoustic' sessions although that's less of a selling point for me. Here's the beast in action: Overview (fretless) The fretted version on some funky ride: They seem to cost around £4-500, which is not terrible at all. I'm interested in hearing people's experiences with these. What's not so nice about them? What do you dislike about them? What's the build quality? If I decided to go for it, it's very likely I would not be able to try before I buy so I'm trying to get a sense for what to expect. I used to own an Ashbory years ago, so I'm familiar with the feel of the strings and how long that kind of string takes to settle before the tuning is stable. The built-in tuner would come quite handy on this bass.

Yup, same thing as the Joyo American Sound. I love it for bass and guitar and it records nicely direct to a USB interface.

Still use mine! It's my only fretless now, I ended up preferring it to the other more expensive fretless basses (let's face it...ANYTHING would have been more expensive ). Model P pickup, 'though, original was kind of microphonic and not very good. Decal stays, I'm not that insecure

A bad singer makes any band sound bad. On that point alone, I'd keep looking. Couples in a band are not necessarily a problem, it depends largely on whether they've been together solidly for 20 years or it's a relatively new situation, but the possibility for drama is increased. It's not something that would make me pass, but if you say the singer is not good then it really looks like you'd be stuck with her. Pass.

Probably the same as always... they'll have a decent PA, right? Or maybe even less, as the monitors will probably be decent, so my pedalboard and bass is all I need.

Multiple preamps are ok, and a lot of us use them (onboard, in the amplifier, some on pedals...). Just be sensible. You can boost the hell out of each of them, but you probably won't like the result.

Thank you thank you thank you all for all the various bits of information The shaft issue, as long as they're not too long, is ok, I can always find suitable knobs for them... in fact I probably have a bunch of every kind in my box of parts.

I have this 5-string Harley Benton Stingray style bass which is passive, with 3 controls wired Volume Volume Tone, like a Jazz bass. I'm not a fan of the VVT controls in general, and in this case I find I only use both coils full, or only the neck-facing coil which adds a subtle but nice variation. I'm thinking about rewiring it with a single volume and single tone control, and substitute the last potentiometer with a switch for series/parallel/single-coil(neck facing one). I'd like to keep the same appearance by using a rotary switch... trouble is I have no idea what to look for. There are a lot of switches out there. Has anybody done this or otherwise know what would be a suitable switch to use?

PM'd. And this is his site with his details: https://www.mcintyreguitars.com/

Thank you @jezzaboy I did that to my Matt Freeman Squier Precision. Twice. First configured like a Jazz: I took it to Chris McIntyre here in Edinburgh to route the bridge pickup, get a new pickguard made, and move the jack to the side although you could easily just add another hole to the front and keep the jack socket on the front too. Then I installed a pair of DiMarzio Area J, which I prefer to the Nordstrands I had originally. Later I decided to move the neck pickup closer to the bridge. I just had a new pickguard made and did the additional routing under the pickguard myself with a couple of chisels and care: As a fan of the Jazz bass sound but not of the larger body and skinny neck, I also ordered a Maruszczyk Jake like that: But I ended up preferring the modified Matt Freeman, which cost me very little to transform. Start with a nice Precision, and just modify it to taste.

Well, I love his tone. But I couldn't finish watching that video (I didn't find it funny) and I don't get the whole knob/no-knob thing either... :shrug:

I'll file it under 'M': More things I will never understand.

Yup, it's the others' fault. Of course. edit: 😉 (it reads very differently if I don't add this, sorry)

Fantastic video, thank you for posting it!

Like this: (my menacing face? I'm pretty sure someone was saying my bass was not low enough )

Generally about the same as if I were sitting down, maybe a tiny bit lower. If I wear it low I have to bend my left wrist in ways that make playing harder for me. I could probably play root 8ths all night long, but it's a handicap. Looks good, but I want to be comfortable.

This is what you give to someone who approaches you 10 minutes before their set "mate, is it ok if I use your amp, I didn't bring mine because I was too busy having tea across the road while you were setting up".

Just don't touch the red button

Sounds like a lot of BS. Ignore and move on, don't engage, they'll trap you.

I used a battered but effective Peavey 410 cab for years. Cheap and ugly. I still don't appreciate people treating it like a garbage bin or spilling beer on it or resting their muddy feet on it. It's me who has to take it back home, it's me who has to clean it, and smell it. The cost of gear is not a factor. Lack of consideration, however...

In my old RHCP tribute band we coordinated socks... 😛

Ok, so you agree that there's something about the sound of your SR300 that is not quite what you want. That's ok, check other basses around, but I'm positive you don't need £2000/2500 to get something that will sound the way you're after. No need to go 5-string either if you don't need a G string.

Probably with laughter Then more laughter when pointing out the price. But there must be a story somewhere. Why does the guitarist think you need another bass? (I assume it's the guitarist, I can't imagine anybody else ever caring ) Many years ago I was in a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band. I started with my Ibanez SR400 (P/J) and a Warwick Corvette $$ (dual MM style humbuckers). Guitarist commented a few times that it would be cool if I used a Stingray. Singer (who is also a bass player, agreed). No pressure, no telling, just good nature comments. I hated the look of Stingrays so I dismissed it entirely. A few months later I happened to find a very reasonably priced OLP clone, and I bought it just because. To my surprise, I fell in love. A few months later I bought my 2002 Stingray and it's been my #1 ever since (I left the RHCP band in 2014). Sometimes it's good to have an open mind and try things... the issue I'd have a problem with would be 1) being 'told', 2) possibly the reasons behind being told, and 3) being expected to spend a large sum of money.