Steve_M

Thanks for all the input fellas - I went to my local Warhammer today and got some white base coat (it's got more pigment apparently 🤷‍♂️ - who knew!?). Taped it up with frog tape and slapped it on! It's run into the grain in a couple of places but that will clean up ok once it's fully dried. Does the job and now I can see where to put my sausages on a darkened stage 🙂 Only bought it for 2 songs - Boys Of Summer and New York Minute - they didn't sound right on a fretted bass IMO. Glad it's only 2 songs though as it's feckin' heavy compared to my other basses! Still, I'm really rather impressed with it for the money - dare I say it sounds & plays better than the Fender Jaco Artist series I had a while back and that cost me over a grand.

Hi BC'ers Little quandary that I'd like to probe the hive mind about 🙂 Bought a cheapo Harley Benton fretless jazz from Thomann that turned up today. First impression is that it's really not a bad bass for £150, although a tad heavy (4.8kg) and needed a bit of a setup straight from the box. The issue I have with it is the side fret-line markers are nigh-on impossible to see in any dim/subdued lighting! Any of you lovely souls have an easy & elegant solution, before I go to the model shop for a fine brush and some white enamel paint? Cheers all Steve

Idly perusing and came across this - yes, running mine into my V4B and it sounds lush. I mean, it's more lush (cos a P Bass into a V4B is pretty sublime already). I have the DI at the end of my pedalboard chain sent to FoH, the V4B is just for me on stage. Tend to keep it pretty clean normally and jump on a pedal if I need a bit of dirt.

Not full time - I do have a day job but, as a freelancer in Broadcasting, I get a fair bit of downtime. It does seem like a lot when it's written down like this but it's what I do to relax and as yet I've not felt overwhelmed (👈 kiss of death right there)!

Hadn't thought about it until reading this thread made me think about it.... On top of the usual rehearsal schedule to keep 'em fresh - (Pop Orchestra - around 35 tunes, function band - around 120 tunes, 3 originals bands - around 50 tunes total) at the mo it's: 27 Eagles songs for a potential seat in a touring tribute - TBC 25 Kylie tunes for a dep seat in a touring tribute Writing 10 basslines for a Singer/Songwriter project about to go on the road Had to learn Stratus, Behind The Veil & Savannah Woman for an impromptu party gig last week with about 48hrs notice. Always in the shed 🙂

Welcome Matt Good luck on the Noble hunt - you won't regret it. Love mine.

My main is a NYC Satin Deluxe 5-21 from 2019, bought new from Mark at Bass Direct. It had something all my other basses didn't. Can't explain it - feels right, balances well, cuts through, makes me sound good. Never have to fight to get a good sound. It sounds amazing before you plug it in too! Probably something to do with the chambering and the tonewoods - it's more acoustic than any other basses I've owned. Liked it so much I eventually sold my Fodera & my USA Jazz as they just weren't getting played. Sure it's expensive and yes, there's plenty of other Marques out there that offer a similar/same experience. Playing a bass is a personal thing though, right? What's great to me, you might hate and vice versa. My advice - track one down and have a play and try as many others as you can for comparison. If you don't love it immediately, it's probably not for you. Having said all that, I am interested and curious to try the Vincent Akkurat 5 and the Metropol 5 - they look like they could give a Sadowsky a run for its' money. Anyone got any experience here?

I use headphones a lot as I'm a sound recordist by trade. The trouble with headphone recommending is it's so subjective. What I like, you might hate. You need to try a few to get a sense of what sounds good to you. Having said that though, I usually mix professionally using HD25's (I still have a couple of pairs of the Irish built ones, before the factory burned down) on location which are great for speech, etc and great for music listening as they do hype the bass by default. Not the best for mixing in my opinion. Have tried many over the years (DT48/HD25/HD26/DT250/DT100/Ultrasones, etc) and they all have their pros and cons. I have been using Sony HDR7506 for mixing and music at home, after a recommendation by Andrew Scheps, and think they are just amazing for £90! Also like rehearsing/listening on my Shure 535, which are also my IEM's for stage use currently, although these are quite expensive at around £350. As has been said above, check the impedance of the headphones you're buying. Higher impedance cans don't function well unless they are being driven by a good headphone amp. As a general rule, look for a set under 100 Ohms if you want to use on electronic devices, media players, etc. Good luck on your journey! Hope you don't have to spend as much as I have over the years 😉