Soledad

Was over your way yesterday meeting a guitar and drums for a looksee - quite local. The acoustic & banjo sounds v interesting. I've been trying to put a rootsy folk/blues/country gang together. Might be worth a chat !

Very excellent, yes. You get the slight damping of finger direct to board, also works very well with a pick (something I think is maybe overlooked) - get really close to the classic Carol Kaye sound. (For me that's a Jazz fretless with EB flats on, back p'up full, tone mostly off). A thing about fretless I think is just because you can slide around doesn't mean you have to.

Refin on the way. My '97 USA P is due back to me next week from David Wilson who stripped the original black and repainted LPB. Here's some WIP shots from David - interesting that under the very tough poly black (factory original as I know the bass's history from new) it was sunburst - so even in the 90's Fender were still repainting bodies when they had their colour stocks wrong. I did find the original black amazingly resilient. I'd given it some fairly serious knocks over time and never broke through the black surface. Anyway, it's now nitro LPB so much less tough, a lot less paint on it so it might be a little more alive and rather more delicate. More pics later.

Quite right too. I'd never heard of the maker but that is quite something - checked his site, some nice stuff there, that Jazz for Zafer Sanli is neat. They'd suit a Ray I reckon. A bit hardcore for my styles but really tasty.

not bloody surprised 👍

What strings please? I'm a fan of EB Cobalts but always keen to know what else is out there on the bright flat side. And regarding lines, agree with most here, silly things, can't see 'em anyway when you're playing and they get in the way of what really matters - ears and muscle memory. Why Fender USA seem to always put lines on beats me. Maybe a hangover of Jaco's Jazz, and the fact the makers aren't fretless players. PLUS, and let's be honest here - unlined looks very cool indeed. Lined looks a bit pony.

I have the rectangular one which I mainly got to ship a bass to me. I reckon they are very good - light and really effective protection (for personal use, I wouldn't expect to take one on tour with a road crew of course). I think they beat padded bags for protection, equal them on weight and are a bit more bulky. At 35 quid I'd recommend. I'd probably go rectangular as it takes the same space and might give more protection, depends on bass and fit though. Mine fits a std Jazz perfectly.

My update on this. Got the CE5 as mentioned above and just find it a bit toppy no matter what settings I have tried. Or you filter the top and lose most of the effect. Sitting in its box at the moment. Then very recently got a TC 550 head with 2 toneprint channels. Loaded the TC Classic chorus which I had known from a BH250 I had a while ago. That works brilliantly I reckon - I don't really go beyond about 11 oclock on the toneprint knob, plus it has the switch pedal. I've put a phaser on the second print channel. So my vote to myself right now is TC - either a BH head with toneprint slots or their toneprint capable pedal (because there are some really good pre-set prints available and it saves a lot of knob twiddling).

I passed on the pjb head @Dan Dare, an M300 it was. I'm very happy with the 6B cab, was a bargain too 👍 Currently using a TC 550 with the PJB - I'm liking the TC and the toneprints are great with the fretless. I'm in no rush to try other heads at the moment - the PJB cab is so 'analytical', I mean precise and responsive to slight changes of signal shape. So it takes me back to the actual bass, the strings and right-hand technique to finesse the sound. PJB 6C is also nice with the Genz - warmer and slightly valvy as we would expect. So, working on sound now without the need to change any more gear. Is that allowed?

SORTED - Happy Christmas all Well Christmas morning, what else is there to do? Found and downloaded the Toneprint Editor onto my Mac, synch'd the head and Mac via USB... hey presto (like what you put on prasta). So I'm currently running one of the Chorus and a Zen phaser, which happens to complement a pick sound really well, quite 90s but so what. Having loads of fun with the fretless through this head now - has a really good flat sound and the EQ is 'substantial', liking the split mids (hi and lo). Touch of chorus and we are off. It's a very good chorus for bass, I have a Boss (CEB5?) but don't need it with this. The phaser is a bit mad but handy for upper-register fretless mullarky. So, thanks for all the help above... back to it 👍👍👍

spotted that @lemmywinks - took a bit of finding but the prints for amps list was what I chose from (Chorus). I'm going to link the amp to my Mac and see how I get on. Does anyone know a page URL where the amp toneprints sit on the TC site?

Thanks @grandad and @jimmy23cricket. The manual I have is downloaded from the TC site. It's a 23 pager for the 550 and 800. It has some info about toneprint but nothing I can find about downloading via USB. (see pic) On P20 there is a link to 'toneprint-bass' but (as usual on this site) it goes to a failed page, the site doesn't recognise the URL. I'll try this link on a tablet running Chrome, cos my mac runs Safari and it has been known for sites to not be optimised or de-bugged for Safari... 👎 Did have phone volume up high, back pup on a Jazz on full, toneprint channel 1 selected LED lit. Happy to try again but would like to work out how to do them via USB anyway. Re the app, I downloaded it about 6 months ago (when I had the 250) but this is the first attempt to use it. I'll try and check version or just delete and re-load from App Store. I only probably want to do this once - just put Chorus on and maybe delay or flange (fretless nonsense). Great amp jimmy23 - very happy and will get the sound, just like to get all the toys out

Had a 250 a while ago and rated the onboard Chorus toneprint quite highly. Just got a 550 with 2 toneprint slots, pedal etc so all good n promising. Basically - can't load toneprints (so far). Got the App on an iPhone, Toneprint 1 selected (LED lit) on amp, bass volumes up full, select print, beam.... nada. Also irritatingly I can't quit the beaming - it just keeps trying and there's no quit or back on the app screen. The app is trying to beam but the amp isn't getting the package (that's how it seems). Next I'll try USB amp to Mac and check firmware/software updates. The TC site seems a bit rickety - there are links around the site taking you to tutorial on Toneprints and the link goes to an error page (this happens on all the various in-site links I have tried so far). All the community user tips etc seem to relate to toneprinting onto one of their pedals, not an actual amp head. I'd be happy to synch head to Mac and do the 2 prints I want via USB from site (assuming that works) but can't find where on the site to do that. HELP - anyone got this toneprint to amp head thing working??

Not sure I'm after vintage with this cab - I think the GB head kind of does that with its valve pre, and really good input gain / volume controls. I am considering a PJB head... some blurb about set the PJB amp flat through a PJB cab, that's what your bass sounds like (and strings, R/H technique etc). Need to hear that - may not like it mind

Interesting - so far I've used the 6b at low levels only, and with a GB Streamliner 900. Now the thing with the Streamliner is I cut the bass and boost mids a bit. There's a very old thread here about that GB head and several users did the same. Live I use it through a GB 8812, but I do need to cut bass through the 6b as well. I'm beginning the think the GB is bass heavy - I'd like to try the 6b with a kind of technical / flat / uncoloured head. Any ideas on that welcome. (not entirely welcome as I'm out of gear credits). Hey-ho

I do like the Shuttle Max - so many knobs n lights. There was a nice one on here, but that'll be for later

My main live rig is the GB 900 with a GB 8812 cab (a 12, 2 x 8s and a horn) - and I like it. But I wanted a smaller more 'hi-fi' option for 'unplugged' / lower levels, and fretless mainly. Looked at BareFaced a while and I know they are much loved, but just got a PJB 6b Neo. Wow, this is good. Happy now. I have a smaller head coming for the PJB but even before it arrives I think it was a mistake - the 900 sounds so good all-flat, and I can turn it down. The PJB is rated 300 @6 Ohm, I'll prob never show it more than around a hundred anyway.