miles'tone

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1371659997' post='2116760'] This guy's intonation is laughable. What a clown. [/quote] You can't kid a kidder, I'm having none of it! Cheers everyone else for all your suggestions, not got any further so far but I'm going to listen to everything else tomorrow now. Hats off to y'all!

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1371655687' post='2116685'] and finally, errr, here's me playng a fretless P [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v4PAaY7XU4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v4PAaY7XU4[/url] [/quote] That is a wicked tune mate! Right up my street - even Mrs.'tone liked it. She said ,"Ooo that's good, who's that?" I told her and she said,"That's much nicer than that other rubbish you've been listening too!" Needless to say the Brand X hasn't been going down too well! Cracking tone there Clarky, really smooth. What strings are you using?

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1371655279' post='2116679'] Erm, BC's very own wateroftyne? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhdDipy8MB0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhdDipy8MB0[/url] [/quote] Yep, I've seen all his fretless youtube vids and his tone on them is pretty much what's doing it for me (and giving me some GAS induced sleepless nights! ) Seriously, he's getting really close to an upright tone on there, more authentic than some EUB's I've tried. I play some upright too but I've not gigged it in ages to be honest.

I've grown up listening to Jaco and many fretless Jazz Bass players - the quintessential fretless tone? - but recently I've fallen in love with the awesome woody tones of the rarer beast that is the fretless P-bass. I know Sting with the Police, Percy Jones with Brand X, Freebo with Bonnie Rait and of course Tony Franklin have all toted one in their time but beyond that, who else? Can anybody suggest any recordings that have a fretless P to the fore (ie. noticeable)? Need some further inspiration! Cheers, Si.

Down the aisle - Just In Time (Frank Sinatra) Signing the register - Dirty Old Town (The Pogues) Walked out to - I'm gonna be (500 miles) (The Proclaimers) Awesome day

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1371558848' post='2115460'] What makes you say that? [/quote] Time is money that's what. Would you go out and gig for free every time just because you enjoy it? Me neither.

This site must cost a fair bit to run and if the owners do have day jobs as well, then I for one don't begrudge them earning some dough for the time and effort it takes to keep my favourite place on the Internet alive. If I sell a bass then what's 7 quid to cough up? I say this as somebody who has been hit very hard by the recession (one man band closing his business finally as it's costing me more to keep it open than what I make). EDIT: by this I don't mean I'm walking around town with a bass drum and hi-hats strapped to my back - I'm a tradey by day. This means I'm not in a situation to buy anything right now so that's me out of the market place in that respect. However, I have bass stuff that I can still trade so I do wish we could still do swapsies for free as there isn't money changing hands. But I know full well that the reality of that aspect of the market place will come with a "trade this for that with money my/your way half the time, so keeping tabs on that would be a nightmare. The stock fees then are the easiest way to keep things fair. Even if there were no fees I still wouldn't be buying anything right now. Things will pick up again eventually, and round and round it goes as it always has done.

Not to be presumptuous about the way you play but check out this vid. Great advice regarding left hand technique. I was playing for 20 years and it still helped me iron out some issues. Maybe it can help you too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRkSsapYYsA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Hi there. I'm in similar situation as I bought an American Special Jazz neck for my ongoing P project. On paper I thought it would be what I wanted but it is very slim front to back and it gives me cramps combined with the skinny nut width. Really wish I'd got the Am Special Precision neck as I like the front to back thinness but need a wider neck. What do you find uncomfortable about your Precision? Is it's the chunky neck front to back? (I personally find the Am standards on the chunky side - I had an Am Standard jazz) If so, the American special P may suit you better due to it's slimness front to back. Is it the width of the neck giving you probs? Try an Am Standard Jazz neck for it's thin nut width but chunky depth. Sometimes a bit of girth will stop some people from cramping up as it can help keep the hand relaxed by not pinching the thumb and fingers too close together. I'd avoid the Am Special jazz in your case as that's very much like an Ibby sr. Hand cramps are a bummer for sure. I hope you get sorted soon. Edit: Mickster is right, get professional medical/physio advice pronto, as this, more than anything will help you make the right decision here. Best of luck, Si.

Not sure about "born" for bass but I'd definitely agree with "nurtured". I was born in '72 and grew up in a household where records just weren't played. Instead, the music I was exposed to was tv shows with the American shows being most notable. So my first favourite music was probably (with hindsight) Carol Kaye riding a bass heavy mix out of our old wooly analogue telly. Add to that the fact that when I was about 8, the first band I noticed on my own and got obsessed with was The Police - I wanted to be just like Sting! Additionally, the only other instruments I have been interested in learning from a very young age (and still would like to) are the piano and trombone. Both fun sounding bassy instruments kinda.

I see alot of people are put off selling an item because of the £20 fee but if you just sell the one item it's actually only a £7 fee. Innit.

Yep, awesome vid. love David Margen's basswork on the studio bit of Moonflower. His P-bass tone is great - hot and spanky here on the track Zulu. The part at around 1.40 is so rude. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBHqYRnqm8o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1371331825' post='2112742'] What's your point then? It's good because Guy got something for free? He got his bass built? I like how it looks, and it's not a bad idea, really, and it sounds pretty good too, I just don't think that's what a signature bass should be about. [/quote] Sorry there, my point is that yes with all the research and development that would have gone into his bass, Guy could have tried out many many different pickup positions and come up with a final fixed pickup model to be released to the public. But (and of course I'm assuming here) he probably has a large bass collection so he would have most things covered, so why make a bass that does what he already has? Anyway Guy Pratt is a known player that, in his work, is not known for playing a particular bass ( like Jaco or Roger Waters are for example..), he is rather a chameleon of bass as he is a session guy. Makes Perfect sense to build a chameleon of a bass for his signature when you think about it.

I'm sure Guy Pratt being a proper working bassist has a bass of every kind for every occasion in collection. So what do you give to the bassist who has everything? Warwick gave him the opportunity to design a bass so he went for it. Who can blame him? It's not like he'll have paid for it. Do I like it? Yes, it's a great idea I reckon. Would I buy one if I could afford it? No, I'd give the money to a decent luthier to build MY signature bass.

Ten off the top of my head that made me say, "I want to do that!!" Mani - Stone Roses Cait O'Riordan - The Pogues Scott Thunes - Frank Zappa Norman Watt-Roy - The Blockheads Flea J.J. Burnell Brian Ritchie - Violent Femmes Carol Kaye Jerry Scheff - The Doors' L.A.Woman Family Man But the way alot of the BC threads have been going, I'm finding 10 new favourites every week!

It's because all the bright, trebley frequencies get absorbed into walls and people whereas the bass keeps on travelling "through" everything. Therefore, the further back you are, the more bass heavy the mix is. Or something.

I once asked Jeff Berlin at the old Wapping Bass Centre how to play fast fingerstyle lines without cramping up. He said get the action down on your bass and play with a light touch, always focusing on keeping both hands relaxed and let the amp do the work. That's what it's for. Common sense but very helpful all the same. I was young at the time and quite terrified of how he would be (reputation and all), but he was really approachable and nice actually.

Bet it would be fantastic in the studio though.

I found BC at a gig my band did and the soundguy was a bassist. My modded jazz caught his eye so we had a good chat and he recommended your good selves. He said it was much friendlier than talkbass as 'everyone on there are moody buggers aren't they?' He was right. Mostly

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1371062668' post='2109419'] Didn't get them at the time, still don't now. I suppose if you're into catchy guitar riffs being spoilt by someone whining over the top of them.... [/quote] Sorry mate I think you've come to the wrong place, 'The Smiths' live a few doors down from here.

Speaking of BAD (as in good), here's Paul Jackson giving it some with Herbie's Headhunters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMcQfyuHVk8&feature=youtube_gdata_player As for the best tone I'VE ever had well that was using someone else's Ampeg rig at a gig I played at the old Barfly in Cardiff. Awesome amp, brilliant house PA with a cracking band mix through the monitors from a great sound engineer. I felt famous for the evening!

[quote name='kennyrodg' timestamp='1370981659' post='2108338'] Ever heard...... This https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDsHJW5E1zk [/quote] Nope, but thanks alot as that is BAD (as in good).

Today is my first real opportunity to get back into some focused shedding since our baby no.2 arrived and I have mostly been learning that the super skinny Am jazz special neck that I bought for my custom P project is far too super skinny for my shovel-like hands and it's giving me hand cramps . Geddy Lee I am not! (in many many ways ) Beyond this I've been learning Jerry Scheff's kickin' bassline to L.A. Woman.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1370869701' post='2106574'] According to older musos who were around at the time , Clive Charman ( along with Alan Spenner ) was considered by many to be the best bass player on the scene in London in the early 1970's . After he was in the Jeff Beck Group he ended up playing in a band called Hummingbird , with the truly great Bernard Purdie on drums and Bobby Tench on guitar : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8yxyYor-w8 Pretty sure this track features Clive on bass . , too : [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BY4i9ZTm0s&list=PL15CC90C3001C47E3[/media] Clive Charman was also a kind of mentor to Neil Murray ( Whitesnake ect .) when Neil first became a pro player in the early 70's . He used to dep for Clive in Cozy Powell's Hammer , and I think he replaced him in a band called Hanson . Last I heard , Clive was living a quiet life in Florida . [/quote] Hey thanks for the heads up there regarding Hummingbird dingus. I love Bernard 'pretty' Purdie, one of my fave drummers! Chaman and Purdie sound fantastic together on that track. That's another three albums on the shopping list! As is 'Blow By Blow'. I've heard of that album forever so about time I gave it a whirl. (So many albums, so little time) Cheers everyone.