Frank Blank

I have had stickers and tried markers, I just want something permanent and it’s such a shame to sully this beautiful instrument with such things.

My fault entirely, I’ve included a close up now so you can see how small the fret line ends are. If it were marked (dots wise) like an unlined fretless with the edge dots marking the fret positions I’d be fine.

The dots are not the problem they are fine, it’s the ends of the fret lines I need to see.

I was lucky enough this year to acquire a fretless Rob Allen Mouse, until I played one I didn’t realise it was my dream bass fulfilling instrument. It is almost perfect apart from the fret marker lines are difficult to see from the top edge of the neck and do not extend down to the bottom of the fingerboard. Before... ...before the play in the dark, don’t look, have an unmarked fretboard contingent get on my case, yes, perhaps in the future when I’m a far better player but for now I need all the visual help I can get from the markings on the neck, actually feel free to persuade me otherwise, I never underestimate the wisdom of the BC community. I digress, so my bass is going to the luthier tomorrow to have some kind of fret line extensions put in that will extend down the width of the fingerboard. Much as I have complete faith in my luthier (it only took me thirty years to find one who actually produced excellent results) the thought of a saw cutting through the neck of a bass that I love more than 99% of the people I know* is rather nausea inducing! I will do an ‘after’ pic once the work is done and you are all welcome to come try it out at the South East Bass Bash. *this is actually not too difficult as I am an equal opportunities misanthrope.

I dough my peasants cap in deference to your magisterial cape of burpanunciaton Sir.

Strength - the ability to burp reasonably long words although I have not yet attained my sorely missed good friend Paul Raven’s (RIP) eructation goal of burping the word archbishop, however I shall continue to seek this holy grail. Weakness - I cannot stop buying clip-on tuners.

I always think the rest of the band I’d dong, if they were ding I’d have to rethink my position.

A great, inventive and economical (one of the greatest skills a musician, especially a drummer imho) drummer in one of my all time favourite bands.

Amen.

Yes, I have a feeling I’ll be working my way up the Ibanez ladder!

Heh, which is exactly what I was alluding to.

No Laindon isn't Basildon, but it is Essex! From another corner of Essex, welcome.

You are right, I see the RA Mouse got a pass though...

Just remembered I didn’t get the entire team in, my poor Fender Modern Player fretless didn’t get a look in...

If your thoughts aren’t like Bowman’s journey through the Star Gate near the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey then you are doing something wrong... ...or don’t you all take acid whilst playing these days?

It is far more shiny than I thought it would be compared with the SRC6, which is quite matte in comparison but then there appears (in my experience) to be quite a variation in the finish of the SRC6s so it doesn’t surprise me.

Oh go on, you know you want to.

This is a big part of why I chose this bass, that clean precise sound is exactly what I’m after in some of our music. It’s a combination of the playability of the neck and those pickups.

Feeling a bit agricultural. That’s a phrase I’ll be using from now on...

I listen out for new stuff all the time, I’m fifty-five. I don’t hear much anymore that particularly dings my dong but I (think) I understand that, it seems to me to be a combination of things. Firstly most people have ‘their era’ so to speak, usually the music they were into as a teenager, luckily for me this was Punk. I was introduced to music by my brother who is seven years my senior, he played me (or rather I listened to whilst he did) lots of prog and later Steely Dan and Eagles. Then the Punk thing happened and overnight I turned into a spiky haired vandal who lived in a squat. This was ‘my’ music, ‘my’ time, I stopped listening to the stuff my brother played and set out on my own musical adventure in ‘my’ scene. So now I hear music and I realise that very little gives me that visceral thrill that music did back then, but that’s because I’m older and have heard more things. Now I appreciate the utter brilliance of Steely Dan and I still listen to Yes and Pink Floyd alongside the Punk and particularly Post-Punk stuff of ‘my’ time. I realise I’ll never hear anything that will affect me as deeply as the first time I heard Metal Box by PIL or the first time I saw Bjork perform in a squat in Vauxhall fronting an amazing band called K.U.K.L. So when I listen out for new stuff I try to take into account the fact that nothing is going to top that or be so invigorating. Bearing this in mind I still enjoy some new stuff, my tastes have changed, I listen to a lot of Gillian Walsh, I like Jane Weaver, Laura Marling, I’ve finally caved in to Jazz. Mind you, the first time I heard Sleaford Mods on Jools Holland I was really digging it so the Punk thing has (thank Bog) left it’s indelible Mark on me but I have got to temper that with the fact that I’m not getting a second go at being that teenager wide open to the new world...

Ah yes, with dots higher up... God I’ve got to stop looking at that bass, where’s the day gone?