nickmew

come on, then, which one did you fail to not buy?

I'm over 50, and a couple of weeks ago got an Eastwood Warren Ellis Mandocello. No idea what I'm doing but making some new interesting noises and shapes - and that's what it's about 😁

to be honest after playing normal fretless for a 5-6 years at the same time as playing multi scale fretted for over a decade shifting to multi scale fretless a couple of years ago just made it easier. I find multi-scale, your hand follows the fretline angles, and for fretless this means going from string to string you're more likely to be in the right place without having your fingers tangling with themselves. Of course everyone is different, but I'm far happier picking up a fretted standard scale and playing than a fretless standard scale now. That would actually make me way more out of tune 😁

a very worthy opponent 😁

I'm so glad you didn't! A week or two and a gig or two, and it's both a tone beast and sweet and silky to play. Really enjoying it and am incredibly impressed with the low B - it really stands up to the Dingwall, which given the 37 inch to 34 inch scale is amazing. Plus Lake Placid Blue is always a winner. Matches my custom shop telecaster

I did precisely that on Saturday. Though I may have been a little bit off piste as I normally gig a Dingwall multiscale fretless, and took a Ken Smith 34" scale fretted after only playing it for half an hour.

Well that's a mouthfull. I've been playing Dingwalls for over a decade, starting with a Combustion and working up via an Afterburner 1 through to a Z3, and more recently have pretty much exclusively been gigging a ABII fretless, a mind blowing machine, but that's another story. Sometimes, you just hanker for something different, and I'm a sucker for anything in Lake Placid Blue. So I wandered over to Bassdirect, the dangerously close shop in my home town knowing this beast was there, with an idea I might have a bit of a noodle. Kind of flirting with a friends wife. I don't want to stretch the analogy too much, but she's absolutely a go-er. I can't say this bass is better than my Z3 or ABII Fretless, they are different beasts, but it absolutely is at the same level, and as with all these things on some aspects better. It has a fundamental mid grind and push that the Dingwalls don't do, or at least don't without fiddling, and just doesn't get in the way of your playing. And is very pretty. The shop was busy and I didn't even play through an amp - just a headphone amp - but was fairly obvious what it did. I "accidentally" tripped over a stand and the credit card I was holding fell into the card machine. Took it home and, after maybe half an hour actual playing time, took it out to gig at the festival we were playing that evening. A headline set, moving from the 37" multi-scale fretless I'd been playing the last 18 months to the 34" fretted Ken Smith. Ballsy (read dumb) move. But actually, there were a couple of hairy moments of adjustment, but man this thing kills in terms of sound

My first Dingwall was an early Combustion. After I got it I sold my MTD Kingston Heir and USA Jazz as I never played them, thought well that's me sorted for good. Of course later on I came across a 2nd hand AB1 for a stoopid price but that's a different story. The new ones are a bit more refined cosmetically maybe, but they aren't at a different level. And that is a good price.

Thanks, it really is something special. Of course I'm a bit short on kidneys now...... When I got the Z3 a big chunk of the payment was covered by a trade of an AB1, a Zon Sonus and a Rob Allen Mouse (still regret the last one), but it only took about 10 minutes to decide. For the ABII fretless I had a Sandberg TM2 fretless to trade so it was a much bigger chunk of change, but that took about 3 notes to decide.

How's about my new fretless ABII? And the Z3 that it lives with...

It's one of those things that actually isn't - with a few caveats. I know the whole fan-fret thing is largely predicated on balancing out string tension between low Bs - better with more length than girth (oo-er missus) - and G string on a fiver, but the hidden benefit is in ergonomics. Hold your hand as if you were fretting a bass, and move it up and down the fretboard. If you don't move your wrist left and right your fingers move in exactly a fanned way. I found it took very little time to adjust to a fretted Dingwall. Now a fretless does have a whole bunch of fun going with it - it is a different beast and requires a whole lot more technique - but as someone who plays maybe 75% fan-fretted Dingwall to 25% fretless previously on a 'straight' fingerboard, moving to the fretless Dingwall just felt 'right'. I'm sure if you had never played a fanned fret before - or for that matter a fretless - it would do your head in. But with that as a caveat, I think it's remarkably straightforward. Though I'm not even going to think about the 6 string unlined fretless Dingwall that's lurking out there, aptly named 'Godmode'.

A fanned fret fretless??! Kinda thought I would either love it or think, meh, not for me. I've had a number of Dingwalls - started on a Combustion and upgraded through to a Z3, but always have been intrigued by the idea of a fretless one. Obviously they are as rare as hen's teeth, so when this came in to Bassdirect I knew I''d have a try, but put it off for a few weeks as I also knew it might cost me a pretty penny. I'll try to record a clip or two at the weekend, but suffice to say it didn't take long to decide. Previously before I got my Z3, I'd been prevaricating about 3 months over whether to get a Roscoe Custom LG to add to my Dingwall ABI, but couldn't really justify the cost. The Z3 came into the shop unreserved (pretty unheard off at that time a few years ago) at a price way above the Roscoe's price. Took about 10 minutes to decide I needed the Z3, and traded 3 other basses and a wodge of cash to get it. This one, it probably took about 2 minutes. Buttery action, I find it easier to intonate than my Sandberg fretless, and the tone. Man, depending on how you play, can go from smooth mwah to growling and biting like a fretted. Just amazing. Lined Fretless, but no lines where the strings are - didn't notice that until I got home. How cool is that? Must be harder to do, but such a clever detail, like so many other things about this bass.

Though if anyone is interested in any of my basses, @Richard R has permission to borrow

I'm afraid I'm doing the hokey cokey on this one. Turns out this is the only weekend we can go see the brother-in-law we haven't seen for a v long time (for the same reasons as everyone has had over the last 18 months), so unfortunately I'm now out. Was really looking forward to it.

So back in the ice age @Richard R invited me along, but I wasn't sure due to a commitment to play as a festival. Well that got cancelled last week, so now I can come to the ball - with as much certainty as you can have at the moment, having just been Test and Traced into 10 days isolation this morning. So add me in: @nickmew Dingwall Z3, Sandberg California II TM5 Fretless, Hofner Club, Roscoe Century+ 5 and probably a Phil Jones Double 4 as I'm not dragging along my big rig