uk_lefty

I've had a few compressors that actually affected my tone, most notable being the Line 6 constrictor which could really squash the sound on its max setting. I now have a Boss Limiter Enhancer which only gets used on the enhance setting when playing my fretless because I want it to bring out the little string slides leading in to a note, which it does. I don't use it as a limiter though. I tend to have the compressor on my Ashdown amp permanently on at its mid point. It doesn't add to the tone or anything but it evens things out, so when it's off the bass can be a little uncontrolled in terms of volume peaks etc. And it definitely sounds better with the subtle compression on. If I didn't have the amp compression I'd probably need to really improve my technique or I'd look to get a spectracomp and choose one of the toneprint settings that suits me best. It's not something I want to invest time in messing about with like I do my chorus and drive effects.

How is everyone finding this so far and what settings are you using? I have found it sits really nicely in the band mix and I use it when playing on songs where the original had a keys part (new shoes, Paolo nutini, mama told me not to come) but i'm yet to get a decent sound for my fretless with it. I'm going to experiment with trying to get that Duff McKagan chorus sound on it with my p bass tonight, I think I'm close with most controls dialled low, bass tone wide open and then a smidge of drive either before or after the chorus. Anyone else getting a good McKagan chorus tone from their Eden already?

It's cheaper than changing bass and can have the same result.

I started a tribute act: Billy Idle, but nobody could be bothered to learn the material...

I used to use Warwick reds and then blacks when I had a Warwick bass. I figured that Warwick would develop strings to suit their own basses, and I found them very good on my old streamer LX, lasted well too. The reds are excellent value. Haven't ever tried them on a non-Warwick bass though.

Yes, I think it makes a small difference. My jazz bass arrived to me with a Badass ii from the previous owner. I changed this after three years to a Wilkinson BBOT with brass saddles and the sound now has less zing, like Lozz says the badass makes the strings sound newer. I now have that Badass on my precision and I don't like it on that bass, preferred it on the jazz. Unless I decide to put flats on the jazz and go for an all round more mellow sound on it I'd prefer the badass on that bass, BBOT on the precision. But that's just Mez I want those two basses to be "opposites" in as much as possible.

I had no idea they did these in left handed... https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F283048931851 Somebody please buy this so that it's in the UK for you to sell to me in the future when I can justify the cost???! Or just so I may one day see it and play it?

That's probably your best bet. In case you get bored or need to move it on quickly in future you may have something hard to shift or that needs breaking in to parts and selling piecemeal over time.

I sold my soul aged seventeen. I think I got a warm pint in return. Great bass. I guess I'll be trading a kidney if I go for a YOB.

True. But these days it is easier. In my youth I was handing out cassettes of "my band" but it was actually a pro recording of a previous incarnation of the band. Different bassist and most importantly a different and far superior singer. That cassette could have been any band, and most of those cassettes will never have been listened to. Now you can hold out your smartphone, click a link and have a good quality video showing your band, email or message that link to the bar. It's so much easier than it used to be, but someone still needs to get off their backside and do it.

Pearl Jam, Ten. Revealed to me you can play rock with a fretless. So that decided what I got for my eighteenth birthday ( with me chipping in my entire savings!!). Still gigging that bass now... Also Heijira, all of Jaco's work, and No Parlez.

I don't understand how a new band can't get gigs. Knock up five or six songs, record them in a basic way, and get round open mic, jam nights, charity festival things. You won't get paid for them but you build up a network and pretty soon other bands are asking you to do dates they can't, your band Facebook page is getting requests to do parties and things... I know it's a lot of effort and I'm making it sound easy but with Facebook, YouTube, Twitter etc gone are the days of walking round pubs handing cassettes to bar managers. If people can't or won't create a Facebook page and fill out the odd application for open mic/ charity festival things then there is no hope.

Plenty of good bands need a good and dedicated bass player. Sure you won't be on the shelf for long. And without the "band" you can resume friendships without the smouldering resentment at each others differing priorities with the band.

I've not experienced that but I go from a Hartke VXL with the mids ramped up in to the enhance pedal so maybe it balances out? Anyways, I think the answer is to sell the Eden chorus and replace it with a Chowny Bassmosphere reverb and chorus pedal. See what that does...

I've already got Fender P and J basses. I like them both so a PJ makes sense. But I don't have a (fretted) double soap bar pickup bass so that's tempting too...

You and me both! But I can't decide between the Vintage V7 five string, the V9 in either four or five, the M7 and the PJ both in fiver... Oh yeah, the fretless has a coated board so I want that too.

I'm getting quite miffed with buying old albums I used to have on cassette or vinyl to find they've been "digitally remastered". I seem to always end up with something where the bass drums are brought too far forward or little unnecessary guitar twiddles are brought forward, weird backing vocals, or whatever. From my experience of these it seems one person from the band has taken control of the mix, the drummer or the "second guitarist" and they just ram themselves to the front of the mix at the expense of the rest of the band, often taking away from the original not adding to it. Anyone else find this? Are remasters a good or bad idea? Can anyone tell me a remaster that enhanced their enjoyment of a song or album? I'm yet to find one!

Call me age-ist but I don't think you are going to make it big in alt-rock in your forties. I'm mid 30's and I wouldn't be able to put up with the lack of sleep from touring. It just seems like one of those ads from a complete dreamer who doesn't understand what they're saying. Wouldn't be surprised if he's never taken his guitar out of his bedroom.

Give it to charity. You don't know how to spend it so it give it to someone who does. Only joking, get on the phone to the Fender Custom Shop and make them build you something like a Gibson Thunderbird.

I would have thought that in most of these they want some actual experienced talent rather than just kids who'll pee themselves when given an actual microphone, audience and backing band. It is difficult to sing live just to get cues right etc. So I bet they do loads of scouting. The Voice seems to position itself as less of a "laugh at the mentally ill person who thinks they're good" and more a second-chance saloon for veteran performers to get on telly and show what they can do, IMO having only dipped in and out of each. I have no idea if anyone off the Voice ever made anything out of it though?

My view is that if you have had the space to keep it for so long you may try holding on to it in case there's a surge in demand for the inimitable trace sound in future. It's a gamble but may be worth it.

I'm sure there would be some healthy interest in this if you were to put it up for sale. Just depends where you live as it's something someone would need to collect due to size and weight. I'd try selling it on here or somewhere else for "specialists". It would be a shame to split it when there are so many good value trace head units about and an enthusiast may want it all in one piece.

Thankfully England made that very easy to drive to the gig at half time then play to an enthusiastic and very happy crowd. I was terrified that there would be nobody at the event at all. While it seemed quieter than last year we still got good numbers in and we got them singing along and dancing. A bit fraught when the guys running the stage said we'd overrun and made the next band late... We weren't aware we were over time and we aren't selfish enough to carry on regardless... But they were just stressed and disheveled in the heat and were cool about it later. Also, not related to football. This was my first gig with my daughter watching. She couldn't watch the last one because there wasn't enough space for her to be far away enough from the huge noise. She's only 18months. She was pointing at me on stage and generally enjoying herself and dancing with her mum on and off through the set, a great experience for me seeing my daughter enjoy it. For five minutes, then she saw a balloon.

I think the title says it all! I want to add a reverb to my board to help me get to that classic 80s fretless sound. I've got the Eden chorus, I use my Ashdown amp built in sub effect for octave, for fretless I use the enhance setting on my Boss Limiter/ Enhancer and I use rounds on my fretless... I just feel I need some reverb to finish it off. I don't want to spend a lot, so have seen the Biyang going at low prices, but don't know if it's any good or not? Ideally want a smaller footprint on the board too. Happy to look at more budget brands like Harley Benton, NUX, Chord etc. Or things that go cheap second hand like the Marshall guitar pedals. Just want to make sure I can get that fullness and warmth to the mwaaaah. Recommendations gratefully received.

Excellent review. I had seen the shiny fretboard but didn't know they had been epoxy coated. And they do it in lefty... So tempting.