Beedster

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='638793' date='Oct 28 2009, 09:20 AM']It'll make it worse

After 23 years of pretty much dedicated fretless playing, when I play fretted I get what for me is an inordinate amount of fret buzz and the whole thing, to my ears, sounds dead. This may be a subjective thing and a reflection of my preferences but I guess that, if you continue to play the fretted bass regularly, this woudl be avoided. I agree with Doddy, tho'. It should improve your ears.[/quote]

Exactly my experience, dead notes and fret buzz

[quote name='philwood' post='638006' date='Oct 27 2009, 03:10 PM']From about the ages of 15 to 22 i probably listened to nothing else (almost) than Victor, Stanley, Marcus, Jaco, Alain Caron, Adam Nitti etc etc etc and anything made by a bass player be it video, dvd, cd.[/quote]

Surprised you're not in therapy (apologies if you are). Like all art, balance is key.

C

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='638449' date='Oct 27 2009, 08:34 PM']I'm thinking I need to join you Chris [/quote]

You're with me in spirit dude!


[quote name='silddx' post='638451' date='Oct 27 2009, 08:36 PM']Waiting for Alex to set this straight, I've had the same debate a few times, especially with myself.[/quote]

The best debates are never resolved

No doubt that a shallow angle at the headstock can have a negative impact on playability and tone so perhaps it's a similar phenomenon? Alternatively, it might be an incorrect extrapolation of the headstock effect to the bridge, where due to the steeper angles it makes no difference (i.e., a 15 degree change from 165 to 150 degrees might make a big difference at the neck whilst a 35 degree change from 135 to 100 at the bridge might make none)?

I've bEen drinking by the way

C

[quote name='Paul_C' post='638149' date='Oct 27 2009, 04:48 PM']no, a 4HS is all you ever need

[/quote]

No, a 5HS

Homer, pardon me, but when I first joined the old forum you had the two nicent examples I've seen?

[quote name='WonderHorse' post='638039' date='Oct 27 2009, 03:33 PM']Ahh ok, Each to their own I guess then. Would you say it was worth getting a fretless?[/quote]

Yes

I have to be honest and say that an almost exclusive focus on fretless means that I have become pretty (or even more) incompetent at fretted, the frets really do seem to get in the way at times It will depend on the style of music being played and the bass in question, but I doubt playing fretless will automatically make you a better fretted player (that is had you spent the same amount of time playing a fretted bass as you spent on the fretless, good practice on either will improve your technique on either to an extent).

Perhaps counter intuitively, occasionally platying fretted seems to improve my fretless playing.

[quote name='King Tut' post='636563' date='Oct 25 2009, 10:37 PM']Very tempted Chris!![/quote]

Think it would sit nicely with your collection Col

[quote name='mike257' post='636753' date='Oct 26 2009, 10:04 AM']I really quite fancy this, but I'd have to offer up things that I had earmarked as 'Barefaced fundraising sales' [/quote]

Go on, try me........

[quote name='SteveO' post='636793' date='Oct 26 2009, 11:24 AM']Of course, if this is just a thinly veiled excuse to extend the beedster fold to one more bass then stop messing around and buy it, you don't need to justify it to us, we're not married or anything [/quote]

LOL, that was probably my subconscious mind trying to justify it to my conscious mind!

[quote name='KevB' post='636735' date='Oct 26 2009, 09:42 AM']I might be being a bit stupid here but if I've understood the original post correctly you have an unlined neck which you like and which has the dots in the right place but would prefer the extra security of having lines on the neck. Can't someone just put some lines on the unlined neck for you?[/quote]


[quote name='Davo-London' post='636740' date='Oct 26 2009, 09:45 AM']Surely if it is lined, then the dots are performing anoher function, which is where the notes are i.e. on a 4-string bass, they highlight the G, A, B, C# and E. Just like a fretted bass. Can't see the problem at all.

However an unlined neck with dot markers where they would be on a fretted bass. Well yes that's worth a rant and should stop any potential buyer from getting such a bass.

Davo[/quote]

I need a lined neck for a recording project, we're recording live and as it's going to be a one-take session, I want the fretless tone but with a little more certaintly of hitting the note first time, especially on the D and G strings. I don't want to line any of my unlined necks as they're mostly vintage, and I normally prefer unlined anyway. The problem I have is that having become used to playing to the side dots on unlined necks (which are all in line with the correct fretting position), it's very hard to play a lined neck with dots between the correct fretting positions. To my mind the ldots on such necks are distracting as opposed to helpful (although to someone who plays mostly fretted perhaps that's not an issue). Having had a good look around however it seems that most lined necks have dots between the lines, hence my rant! (Davo, remember that the dots on a fretted bass indicate the gap between the frets, that is the normal fretting position, not the note itself, so these dots serve no useful function on a fretless).

Chris

[quote name='BigAlonBass' post='636525' date='Oct 25 2009, 09:39 PM']If your neck has a 'shiny' finish where the dots are, might I recommend you try lines drawn on in Tipp-ex. (or some similar product) After the recording, it rubs off easily, leaving no trace. (Done it myself, with a Bass I used regularly for some Club work, where it was nearly impossible to see the dots or even the frets, due to lousy lighting.)
Disclaimer - I said on the side of the neck where it's shiny--NOT the fretboard! [/quote]

I'll give it a go, cheers


[quote name='barneyg42' post='636594' date='Oct 25 2009, 11:23 PM']See where you're coming from here, we were both looking at the same Squire Jazz for sale on the site and this bass has exactly this problem. Now my old JD had no lines but dots on the side ON the fret and that worked for me so like you I'm wondering if one with lines and dots off the frets will work. Obviously a JD is a custom build so maybe that's the way to go, whether by ordering something or looking for something like a JD. Hopefully I'm getting a few bob next month and will be gassing for something, I suppose the best thing to do is try out as much as possible to see if you can cope with the odd dot marking.[/quote]

Unlined with dots on the fretting position is nice (my three are in that configuration), it's when you start looking at lined mecks that the dot markers seem to start moving backwards down the neck a bit, probably for the economic reasons alluded to above. It's not so much that it's impossible to play with dots between the lines, if all my basses had the same config it would be fine, it's swapping between basses with different configs that's the problem, OK, on a lined neck I should be working to the line, but somehow the brain seems to see the dots first!

OK I've looked into trying to convert this or getting a fretless neck and neither will work. £250 ono posted or interesting trades?

Um......, bump

[quote name='Beedster' post='636053' date='Oct 25 2009, 12:27 PM']LOL, not as confusing as my Ric FL which has side dots AT the fretline whilst the dots on the board are BETWEEN the fretlines. WHY ON EARTH DID THEY DO THAT????? Trust me, it's so visually confusing - especially at the 8ve - that my intonation's better when I'm playing eyes closed [/quote]

And I should add that my use of the word 'fretline' is entirely incorrect as it is an unlined neck, what I meant was 'where the fretlines would be'

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='636049' date='Oct 25 2009, 12:24 PM']I recently sold my Ricky 4001 FL (unlined) which - very unusually - had red dots marking the position where the frets would have been, and no other side dots.

I found it very confusing to play and could only really manage by not looking at the neck as I played.

I think odub (who bought it from me) likes it more than I did.[/quote]

LOL, not as confusing as my Ric FL which has side dots AT the fretline whilst the dots on the board are BETWEEN the fretlines. WHY ON EARTH DID THEY DO THAT????? Trust me, it's so visually confusing - especially at the 8ve - that my intonation's better when I'm playing eyes closed

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='636045' date='Oct 25 2009, 12:21 PM']This is the best one I have, from The Beatles Bass by Wolf Marshall (Hal Leonard publ.):

[attachment=35122:Taxman_p.1_001.jpg]

[attachment=35123:Taxman_p.2_001.jpg]

[attachment=35124:Taxman_p.3_001.jpg][/quote]

Lovely, thanks so much Jack

Chris

[quote name='silddx' post='636034' date='Oct 25 2009, 12:08 PM']I always found that really daft too. But I like an unlined neck so it's not a big issue for me.[/quote]

Hey mate, agreed, I have three unlined necks which I love but need a lined neck to cut down the potential cock ups in an upcoming recording project - we're recording live so I don't want to be the guy who messes up an otherwise great performance. I some respects I'm wimping out but I think it's the safest bet

Hi James, hope all's well mate

I owned a Brunswick acoustic bass a few years back. It was OK but nothing special and vey big. IIRC it cost me about £250 new. I bought an Ovation for about £150 more and the diifference was chalk and cheese in every respect.

Chris

[quote name='BigAlonBass' post='635934' date='Oct 25 2009, 10:14 AM']Money! That's what everything comes down to these days, isn't it? Just set up a production line, making the same generic necks, with the dots in the same generic place, and leave the frets out. That way, they don't have to re-jig to offer a 'dots-on-the-fret-line' option. [/quote]

You know what, I hadn't thought of that! I assumed that, as most players play both fretted and fretless, keeping the dots in the same place kept things consistent from the perspective of the player. This never made sense to me as the dots indicate where to place the finger, i.e., between the frets on fretted but on the 'frets' (i.e., fretlines) on a fretless. I can see why the copies/signature models keep the dots between the lines for 'authenticity', but really should have reaslied that, at the end of the day, on the majority of the rest, it's simply a money issue


[quote name='fretmeister' post='635939' date='Oct 25 2009, 10:17 AM']Order a neck from Status - they give you the option.

My replacement neck has the dots where the frets should be. It's much easier!![/quote]

Thanks for the advice fretmeister, I was really hoping to pick on up relatively cheaply and quickly

Trying to buy a lined fretless neck and every neck I've been offered on here has the side dots between the fretlines, which I find extremely confusing having got used to playing unlined fretless necks which have dots at the fretting position.

Arghhhhh. Why do they do this?

OK, I'm not really asking the question, it's more of a rant

Chris

[quote name='Beedster' post='635737' date='Oct 24 2009, 10:31 PM']Hello mate, I'll gladly pay you the asking price for the neck & tuners. Can you PM me payment details?
Chris[/quote]

Ummm, with apologies I've jjust realised that, onnce again, the lined fretless neck that I think will do the job I need it for has the dots in the wrong place (i.e., between the fretlines) so I'll have to opt out of this, which is a shame as I'm sure it's a great neck.

Chris

Exactly the same as mine which was a stunning bass. Enjoy it

[attachment=35090:Image0087.jpg]

Recently completed 2007 fretless Ric that I built from parts. Pure retro thump and power. Fattest neck I've ever played but somehow really fast and comfortable. Original Ric strings are a revelation. There's a thread here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63678&hl="]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63678&hl=[/url]

Chris

Hello mate, I'll gladly pay you the asking price for the neck & tuners. Can you PM me payment details?
Chris

[quote name='iamthewalrus' post='635333' date='Oct 24 2009, 03:06 PM']...he was very much an American equivalent of Paul McCartney.[/quote]

Very good point

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='635336' date='Oct 24 2009, 03:15 PM']... it's hard to look at Robbie Robertson the same again.[/quote]

That's true of all great band biogs reallY?

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='635357' date='Oct 24 2009, 03:42 PM']Oh - have I ever mentioned the time I spent a wonderful couple of hours in a club in San Francisco, chewing the fat with this guy?

[/quote]

Nice one