JimBobTTD

PM on way!

I currently own three 5-string basses:

Ibanez SR1205 (from the 90s, not the new version of the model
This is my favourite bass of all time. Lightweight, thin neck, neck-through, perfectly balanced. I changed the electronics for EMGs and have it strung with roundwounds. This is my go-to metal bass and I used it extensively in a metal band. I bought it in 2009 after a fiddling with another 5-er. There were not all that many made, so they are not easy to find. Mine is black, mahogany/maple body and maple/wenge neck. The B string is perfect.

Warmoth/Firecreek PJ
Warmoth neck, Firecreek PJ body. Resonant, great and tight B string. Strung with flats (D'Addario Chromes) and is my go-to bass for everything that is not metal (although I also played it when stepping in for a grindcore band).

Warmoth Deluxe J (fretless)
Warmoth neck, Warmoth J body. Good B string - tight, balanced (like the others). An excellent bass.



These are not all that easy to find - the Ibanez is very rarely seen, especially this side of the Atlantic, and especially in this wood combination. It is, though, the best bass I have ever had. It was this bass that decided the specifications of my Warmoth basses - the nut width, string spacing at the bridge.

Warmoth do great stuff, but the prices are eye-watering. I saw them as investments and have absolutely no regrets!

Nope. Instrument out to the DI.

In short, I used it as a standard dirt pedal.

[quote name='MGBrown' timestamp='1483006706' post='3204014']
Oops! User error there...
Could you not pad the signal at the desk? How do you get around the issue? Ta.
[/quote]

All likely possible, but not with the desk/tech at the time.

The tech there had a Boss DI that he preferred. Bass > LeBass > that DI > Desk

[quote name='MGBrown' timestamp='1482965637' post='3203858']
This is a nice sounding unit with an excellent clean sound plus some really useable grit, but does anyone else wish there was a master volume? As it is you have to adjust the gain on the two channels when increasing stage volume.
This also affects the DI level too: Has anyone had feedback from a sound engineer on the DI quality and level of output?
[/quote]

I found the DI extremely hot...too hot to use at the gigs for which I purchased the LeBass!

It is all fair and well telling about how you, as a newbie, were fortunate enough to be taken in by a more experienced group and then you flourished; this is not the case I am facing. I would argue to accept a newbie who showed determination and promise to join. I am in the opposite version of this. One experienced person and four inexperienced.

Nonetheless, posts about whether it is fun or not have more of a ring to them.

Since starting the thread, the drummer has left and been replaced by one much better. The lead guitarist has improved a lot. The singer still has not learnt the songs. The rhythm guitarist is still hammering out chords, mostly correctly. As a band, we are improving greatly, but...

It is fun and I am not exactly putting myself in a world of trouble by taking two hours of my Sunday to play fretless with them. I'll stick it out until something better comes along.

Yep, I hear what you are saying. But it is one thing to have one inexperienced member in the band and for everyone to help him come along; I have four inexperienced members in this band.

Anyway, I shall stick it out for a bit longer before making my decision. The lead guitarist has come along a decent bit, but the others seem not to have done much practice.

The old drummer, sadly, has disappeared. After he resigned from the band, he has not answered his phone from any of the four remaining members. I don't even know if he knows I have left. I don't know if he is still living here or if he moved back home.

Hmm. A third practice session - this time with a different drummer, as the usual one is away for a fortnight - was a lot more enjoyable. Perhaps it is the drummer that is making me question whether this is a good band for me? The lead guitarist seems to have improved a lot in the last week, although the singer seems not to have done any work at all.

It is all a bit mixed. I shall take my fretless to the next rehearsal and see how it goes. I may as well hang around for a bit and (try to) hone my fretless chops.

Thanks for letting me bounce some ideas around, good people of BC!

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1478463086' post='3169229']
There is a certain age, beyond which, it is embarrassing to play, in public, in a dodgy band.
[/quote]

I have experienced this and it was horrendous; we had a drummer who could not really play. The worst part was that the next band - who were all beginners - sounded so much better than us because they had a drummer who could play.

Thanks for sharing your opinions, people, and please continue to do so.

I am in a pickle.

After my blues band collapsed in style in January, it took me months before I felt able to go through the rigmarole of playing with others again. I was playing with exceptionally talented musicians, but the two guitarists and the keys/vocals had terrible egos. The drummer and I realised that we had been relegated to being a backing track so the other three could solo. Each practice was a nightmare and I dreaded them. The drummer had a mental breakdown and left. I left too. The others continued, and now play with a backing track generated on the keyboard. It actually sounds ok, but enough about that.

I joined a newly started band. We have now had two practice sessions and I am not sure this is a good idea.

The bad:
- They are all inexperienced - [i]really[/i] inexperienced. I am head and shoulders above the others, talent-wise. The ages of the others range from early 20s to mid 40s, so not teenagers, but they are all relatively new to their instruments.

The good:
- It is fun to play with them, although some of the songs are not to my liking
- The practice time suits me and it means that I do not need to do all that much homework (which is good, as I have very little spare time)

The thing is that I am not a particularly gifted musician. I have always been, I feel, the weakest member of every band. This has meant that I have had to learn an awful lot and I have developed tremendously as a player with each band I have been in. With this band, I feel that I am not going to be developing much. Of course, I could use this as an opportunity to take my fretless out and work on that.

What do the good people of this parish think? Look for another band which is a bit more skilled, or stay in this one and see how it develops?

I used to subscribe but found the magazine to be poor, both in content and in quality, and stopped subscribing years ago. Each time I see the magazine in a shop, I pick it up and flick through it. I still think my decision to cancel my subscription was a good idea.

Leuk...I was on my way to the Hogeschool there. I've been to Leiden a few times now; it's a nice place. The people are very friendly.

I was in Leiden a while back and walked past what looked like a large workshop in the basement of the hospital. They should let you loose there!

I've not seen let alone tried a Godin 5th Avenue, but I was impressed by the Ibanez Artcore when I had a go on one once. It seemed well made and was reasonably priced, if I remember correctly.

I have used a Marshall Power Brake and it was great - I used it with a 50W JCM900 head and 2x12 cab, although it was still rather loud. They come up on eBay every now and then; I have seen them go for peanuts but also listed for rather high amounts so it pays to be patient if you decide to go for one.

I used to run a second speaker cabinet on a Blues Junior as they were able to handle a 4 ohm load without any problems - it was kind of cool to have a Marshall 2x12 under it.

Perhaps a Deluxe Reverb can also handle 4 ohms?

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1472718973' post='3123536']
A while ago there was a thread about ideal cars for bass players. I mentioned that the Ford Ka seemed to have been designed on the basis of being able to get an Ampeg fridge in it. A few people expressed surprise that it was possible to get an Ampeg 8x10, two Acoustic amps, a guitar amp, a couple of basses and assorted other kit in such a small car. So here's the proof!


[/quote]
Doesn't your missus mind that you are borrowing her car and filling it with bass gear?

I think it is tuned

F# - B - E - A - D - G - C - F#

...but down a whole step, so

E - A - D (etc)

Thanks for that. I had not heard of MJT before. The body looks tasty.

Where are all the parts from?

How could you play it? The 13th and 14th strings seem to be touching from the nut to at least the 5th fret. Whilst the seller admits that the noise down there is "barely audible rumblings", surely this is not ok from a playing aspect, especially if you were to put it through a few octave up pedals.

I have a hunch that whoever sold it to him must have felt like he won the lottery...how else would you explain finding the only person in the world willing to buy such a monster? I understand the price...it has about £1,600 in it just in tuners!

My first bass was this model...and I still have it! I can understand the roadworn condition - these things are workhorses.

Not a bad idea for folks who are away on business a lot. I have often thought about a fiver from the 5th fret upwards - so E-C - to make a shorter bass.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1468738745' post='3092917']
I very rarely adjust tone or volume on the bass or the amp during a gig. Add or roll off bass & middle on the amp as required to suit the acoustics of the venue, any tone changes after that are due to where I attack the strings with my right hand.
[/quote]

Exactly this for me, too.