Stub Mandrel

Intonation on a fretless. The average joe can hear a difference of 5-10 cents. In a musical piece you don't hear most notes long enough to detect (or correct) small pitch errors. Being within 10 cents is ample. For a 30" short scale that's about 1.5mm at the 19th fret. So a two string saddle splitting the difference between two strings where the ideal positions are 3mm apart should be fine. That's many basses. For playing fretless this would suggest aiming to get your fingers within 2mm of the ideal (or in a 4mm wide band) around the 12th fret. Now think about those kids having violin lessons who have to be twice as accurate!

I think it perfectly encapsulates the discussion 😁

I have three five strings. They have their uses, but why use a Stanley knife for jobs you can do easier with a scalpel?

Some people can get away with it... Didn't know what time it was The lights were low I leaned back on my radio Some cat was layin' down Some rock 'n' roll 'Lotta soul', he said Then the loud sound did seem to fade Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase That weren't no D.J. that was hazy cosmic jive There's a starman waiting in the sky He'd like to come and meet us But he thinks he'd blow our minds There's a starman waiting in the sky He's told us not to blow it 'Cause he knows it's all worthwhile He told me: Let the children lose it Let the children use it Let all the children boogie

An instrumental can't be a ditty! ditty /ˈdɪti/ noun a short, simple song. "a lovely little music-hall ditty"

I feel it makes a difference, I made my own hpf so it wasn't expensive and has no impact on anything above a low B so it's worth it as an insurance policy. It does reduce cone flap when I put the bass down or put my had across the strings. I don't know if I get the promised extra headroom as my kit is usually just ticking over anyway.

If you can hear it, it's not an hpf solvable issue. It's when you see the cone making big movements without much sound. I've seen big cone excursions from surprisingly gentle handling. Also, I want to be able to play an open E or even a low B without worrying when I have an octaver in circuit. So I just have an hpf on my pedal board and am reasonably sensible when playing without effects.

Finally sanded by Xavier Armenta.

I agree, that makes it worse but it isn't the root cause.

My view of bass teaching is jaundiced by my experience several years ago. "I've been playing for decades but I want to tidy up my technique." "Lets focus on learning the fretboard." 🙄

That means it was working. A good hpf gets rid of handling noise and thumps but doesn't touch your actual bass tone at all.

For those who find flats too dull and unpleasant to handle, I have a jazz with the old 1960s style mutes. With rounds it gives a really great thumpy sound but doesn't kill the tone as much as flats. I find it fits those early 60s pop/mowtown songs.

His issue is not fretting the notes, it's releasing them too slowly.

You are lifting off far too slowly. You need to be more positive. The finger position makes it worse. Any bass would buzz lifting the string slowly like that. I just tried three different basses - roundwounds, flatwounds and nylon tapewounds. I could get all three to buzz far worse than that by lifting slowly, and to sound cleanly with a positive lift. So sorry, it's 100% technique - keep practicing.

Nice, lucky lad!

My Phil Jones Bass C4. It sounds great but even driven by a TE Elf it really isn't good for anything other than 'unplugged' gigs. So it's my home practice rig and fantastic for that.

I agree with this one... my fingers don't enjoy the feel of flats.

It's worth just noodling at first and getting used to playing scales across the full width of the neck. Also try playing songs you know with less movement along the neck. It's quite easy to get lost at first, and muting becomes a fair bit harder. You'll start by incorporating the odd low notes. The more you switch the less you will get 'stuck' in one mindset so don't abandon the 4.

Welcome to Basschat. You'll know this stretch of road then...

Yoga mat or a karrimat. You can cut a strip off the end and still use it for its intended purpose.

I suggest fretting slightly behind the frets not on them, and trying to lift your fingers off more swiftly and cleanly. The slow release right over the fret is the cause and I can duplicate it here. It's easy to address fretting position, a little further behind the fret will do. Learning a clean release will take a little more effort. A good exercise is to play a series of staccato notes, not too fast, lifting your fretting finger between them but leaving it very gently in contact so it mutes the string. Keep practicing until you can get a series of clearly defined and separate notes. This will help you learn a clean, fast release and also start to develop the prized skill of muting. Good luck!

Hmmm.... https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/lead-bass-guitar-why-does-it-feel-like-rock-bass-has-gotten-boring-relative-to-the-genres-earliest-days-180832

Useful to know, thanks.

Don't forget American headline prices don’t include state purchase tax.