Linus27

You shouldn't really have too much difficulty transitioning to a fretless from a fretted as long as your technique and ear are good. I'm not saying you have bad technique but a player who has weak or lazy technique will struggle moving to a fretless and a fretless will really highlight this as theres no hiding. You should approach playing a fretless no different to a fretted bass, you play them the same despite having a different voice, personality and expression but bad technique will show, be it a fretted bass or fretless bass. The other thing is it's really really important to get very familiar with a fretless fretboard. They do differ and just because you have lines, doesn't mean it's the correct spot to fret. So learn your fretboard and make sure your fretted technique is strong and the transition to fretless should be painless. Start slow and stick at it.

Looks like a shell pink Precision in the background as well.

I've played there a couple of times. To me it was just another pub gig and no different to playing a lot of the Camden venues.

I've had multiple string breaks in the early days when playing guitar punk pop with a pick. However the last few failures have been jack socket failures on at least two basses.

I've never heard of this before either but I've always used all four fingers to fret and started out with the approach of one finger per fret. Playing a lot of walking bass lines early on as well I guess helped.

Pretty good gig for us last night playing in a new pub for the first time. We kind of expected it to be a very quiet affair as it was not advertised (the pub apologised), hot and most were outside but we did have a handful of people listening. Second set was amazing though as everyone came in and just headed down to watch us and were up singing and dancing and the being a typical pub audience 😂 Got to play two encores and the landlady loved it and booked us right away for a date next year. Best for me however was someone coming up to me and asking if I'm a Pino Palladino fan which I replied "I am" which he replied, "I thought so as I could hear it in your playing and some of the lines you were playing" 😎

Thanks everyone. I did indeed buy the LM IV and I can say that I am very happy with it through my Two10 and tonight's gig was a big success. Not fully dialled in a sound I'm blown away with but out of the box with a bit of tweaking and it sounded great. So I'm a happy bunny.

Hmmm keeping an eye on this as I'd seen a few basses at Fender Fever that I'd liked the look off.

Not sure that's entirely true, I would guess that Nate Mendal of the Foo Fighters, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, Duff McKaggen of Guns n Roses, Mike Dirnt of Green Day, Adam Clayton of U2, Flea of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Geddy Lee of Rush and Jaco Pastorius have sold way more records and played way bigger gigs than Mikey Way.

Two, one as a main and one as a backup. I was doing a club gig once to a whole room of punters who were dancing all night and during the break the jack socket failed so super happy I had my spare with me.

Sure, not a problem, happy to email them over.

Oh wow, that is shocking, we thought we had it bad but what happened to you is unbelievable. You are absolutely spot on with the singer/guitarist. We were very big U2 fans so lots of reverb on the vocals and delay/echo on the guitar. Great memory you have to remember that. So here are some pictures. They are not great and I hope the mods don't mind me posting them in here.

@Steve BrowningOh wow, that's amazing, 34 years later and we meet again 😁 The name of my band was Home Again and we were in the studio for a week and recorded about 4 or 5 tracks. Sadly the experience for us was not a good one. It was all booked and paid for by the drummers uncle who worked in the offices above the studio. I think it was a firm of accountants. When it came to paying, the uncle did a runner, literally disappeared off the face of the earth. So we were left with the bill. Being a bunch of naive 18 year olds, we had no money or no idea what to do but Mark eventually went after our singer and his parents to recover costs which caused the band huge tension and we eventually split up. The recording session itself was brilliant and I remember you and I and the girl that worked there hung out most of the time in the upstairs part that looked out over the high street. You were bringing a different vintage bass in each day for me to play. I remember a white Jazz which I loved, a sunburst Precision and was there maybe a 51 Precision? You were going to sell one to me but sadly I had no money at the time. I have a whole bunch of photos from the week so I can post them up in a bit. Sadly, I never got a copy of the recording but I did hear it and it sounded awesome.

So I also have a bit of a connection to this. Around 1989, the band I was in got invited to record at a studio in Soho and I am sure there was a link to this song somewhere as it was always being talked about and even played. I think the studio was owned by a drummer, possibly called Mark (long black hair, a bit gothic looking) who may have possibly been playing for the Pretty Things or maybe the song was recorded at the studio. There was also another guy who worked at the studio who played bass and would bri g me in his vintage Fenders to play during the session. The studio was called The Basement Studio in Soho. Ring any bells?

Thanks Lozz, that really good to know 👍

Hi all, I'm thinking of trying a new amp head and considering a MarkBass Little Mark VI. It will be fun through my Barefaced Two10 and my tone is clean, warm, rounded and played on either a fretless Precision with flats or fretless Jazz with black nylon tapewounds. Think Motown but on a fretless with a bit more clarity and a little less thump. Would the Little Mark VI be a good choice?

He's the bassist of My Chemical Romance (I only know as it says in the advert as I'd never heard of him either) and it does seem like Fender are scrapping the barrel a bit of this one.

I've only just seen this but I'm going to have to agree that this statement is correct and the answer to all your bass problems, for now and forever. As @lownote says, everyone should play unlined fretless, there are no other options 😁

I pretty much exclusively only play fretless, all Fender's, Jazz and Precision's and they all have dead spots around the D on the G String (7th fret). Some are more severe than others and some are closer to the C# (6th fret) but it's an absolute pain to live with. You just lose all sustain on that note and it sounds like it's being squashed.

1978 to 1989 Start with The Police releasing Outlandos d'Amour in 1978 and then moving through into the 80's with early U2, Simple Minds, Madonna, Tears For Fears, New Order, Duran Duran, Talk Talk and finishing with New Order Technique. Highlights being, 1978 - The Police Outlandos d'Amour 1979 - The Police Reggatta de Blanc, Supertramp Breakfast in America, The Clash London Calling, Joy Division Unknown Pleasures 1980 - U2 Boy, The Police Zenyatta Mondatta, 1981 - Duran Duran Duran Duran, The Police Ghost In The Machine, U2 October, OMD Architecture & Morality 1982 - Simple Minds New Gold Dream, Duran Duran Rio, Michael Jackson Thriller, Prince 1999 and 1983 - Madonna Madonna, Tears For Fears The Hurting, The Police Synchronicity, U2 War, Heaven 17 The Luxury Gap 1984 - Simple Minds Sparkle in the Rain, Sade Diamond Life, U2 Unforgettable Fire, Madonna Like a Virgin, Thompson Twins Into the Gap, Howard Jones Human's Lib, INXS The Swing, Bryan Adams Reckless, Talking Heads Stop Making Sense, Prince Purple Rain, Frankie Goes To Hollywood Welcome To The Pleasure Dome. 1985 - Inxs Listen Like Thieves, Simple Minds Once Upon A Time, Talking Heads Little Creatures, Sade Promise, Sting Dream of the Blue Turtles, Aha Hunting High and Low, Tears For Fears Songs From The Big Chair, Dire Straits Brothers in Arms 1986 - Talk Talk The Colour of Spring, Peter Gabriel So, Queen Its a Kind Of Magic, Janet Jackson Control, Paul Simon Graceland, New Order Brotherhood, Pet Shop Boys Please, Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet, The The Infected 1987 - U2 Joshua Tree, GmR Appetite For Destruction, Pet Shop Boys Actually, John Mellencamp The Lonesome Jubilee, The Smiths Strangeways Here We Come, The Cult Electric, Inxs Kick, Marillion Clutching At Straws 1988 - The Sugarcubes Life's Too Good, U2 Rattle and Hum, Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman, Talk Talk Spirit of Eden 1989 - New Order Technique,

I think it's pretty common, it the current Fender 2023 Collection Traditional 60s Precision Bass in Sherwood Green Metallic so available to buy new now and advertised in Japan and Ebay Japan over here. https://www.ishibashi.co.jp/ec/product/0717669905088 They also do a Jazz as the same spec.

If there was a Fender bass I wanted that was only available in Japan, what's the best way forward? Speak to one of the impoters, order through Ebay, contact someone like Fender Fever?

I have a 70's Reissue Fender Precision that has a fretless maple neck strung with Rotosound 77 Flats that sounds incredible recorded so it's my go to recording bass. I tried my other basses but the 70's Precision just sounds epic. I don't however play it live as it just feels a bit clumsy and not as comfortable to play. For live I use my fretless Japanese 62 Reissue Fender Precision which is strung with LaBella Low Tension flats or my fretless 62 Reissue Fender Jazz strung with LaBella Black Nylon Flats. Both are amazing to play live but don't sound as good recorded.

How about Lord Dave of the Gates of Hell in the 10th Kingdom of the Minds of Angels Who Dance with the Leaders of Men??? Just makes Dave a Lord now 🤣