Delberthot

This - is a wide neck

We're currently auditioning for a new drummer and chose this song as a test to see how they got on with the bit where it speeds up and every single drummer plays if completely differently. I've found that as long as the band can follow the drums then it doesn't really matter where the drummer speeds it up as long as the tempo is right at the point before it goes back to the chorus

Pick a bass you like the sound of and comfortable to play for long periods. Then pick an amp & cab / combo that you like the sound of. That's really it. I've played in wedding/function bands for 23 years and in that time I've had 100+ basses, all of which I've gigged in those kind of bands. 4, 5, 6 & 8 strings, fretted, fretless & semi acoustic - ranging from ones I got for free to £3,000+ Examples would be - Epiphone Thunderbird, Yamaha TRB6 fretless, Modulus Flea, Warwick Thumb NT5, Shine 8 string, Squier VM Jazz fretted & fretless & Fender '51 reissue Precision as completely polar examples. I'm using the most compact rig I have ever used. At one time I was running Trace 2x15" and 4x12" V-type cabs, 2 Ashdown MAG 4x10"s with Gallien Krueger, Hartke, Trace etc amps. In a function band the audience are generally (but not always) not there to see you, they are there to be at a wedding, get drunk, dance around, catch up with old friends and so on so as long as you like what you are playing and it fits in with the rest of the band then pick whatever you like the most. There's a lot of choice out there - have fun

I would try Ebay

I find anything simple and repetititve difficult as I get bored and zone out and start thinking about having coffee and wedding cake at the break

What I see is the headstock from a Peavey Grind, top horn from a precision, lower horn from a Stingray, cut down scratchplate from a Gibson Grabber, bridge from an Ibanez ATK and a single jazz pickup mounted there for some reason but it has the one thing that I always wanted - access to the 25th fret. That one detail makes up for it looking like the picture was taken using a fisheye lens and a bad perspective Sometimes the whole is not even close to being greater than the sum of its parts

I was going to say the Sterling as well if you can find one cheap enough. The Geddy Lee Jazz has the slimmest neck I've ever played - I had an FSR Precision Special and rumour had it that it had the same neck dimensions and granted it was mighty slim.

Fantastic - I've been proven wrong regarding the punchiness thing so it it down to the actual bass then? Is a Stingray with a naturally more in your face tone than a Fender the way to go if you want a punchy fretless sound? Off the top of my head some of the fretless basses I've owned over the years have been: Bass Collection passive Yamaha TRB6 - converted to fretless Musicman Stingray Fender Jazz Squier VM Jazz Harmony - Gibson Grabber copy maple fretless Ibanez SR370 EF 70s Fernandes Jazz with EMGs Antoria PJ Aria ZZB Trace Elliott T-Bass 5 string Out of all of them I always thought the Stingray was the best but at the time I couldn't put my finger on what made it better than the rest

Do you have a list of which songs he played fretless on in the studio? i was under the impression that he only played '39 live with a maple fretless

Hmm - maybe I have a different definition of punchiness in my head - to me that isn't punchy in the slightest

This is what I keep my Sterling in. The original problem being that the Musicman case is so big I couldn't fit it into my last car (even less chance in my current car) Mine will be 2 years old at the end of the month and looks as good as new and is really comfy when worn on your back

It's funny you should mention Whitesnake as for years I was convinced Fool For Your Loving was a fretless. I never understood the draw to Jaco myself either but that's for another thread. My main problem with fretless is that it just does not have the same punch and attack that a fretted bass has. I've listened to loads of live recordings of Pino and Tony Franklin and great players as they are there's just no punchiness to the sound. I know that's not the point of a fretless, it's more of a soft swell rather than a hard attacking sound.

I was just thinking that perhaps less than 0.1% of the music I own has a fretless bass in the recording yet I've had maybe 20 of them over the years. My main inflences and bands I listen to are Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Yes, Motorhead, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith but there are loads of others - how many have featured a fretless? I can only think of Hey You by Pink Floyd out of those So is there a reason that most of us on the forum have or have had a thing for fretless basses?

Have you had a bad experience with them?

I always use UPS through Interparcel. I wouldn't use anyone else

Or an extra £60 gets you a sunburst one now https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Greg-Bennett-Royale-RLB-3-Bass-Guitar-Sunburst/1IC7 I've been contemplating a semi acoustic for some time but havent come across these before

now that makes sense

really? You were working at home because of the weather but complained because the delivery driver couldn't get to you because of the weather?

I tried those but found them too thin. I normally use Herco Heavy ones which are the silver/grey coloured plectrums Apparently Chris Squire used them and so does Jimmy Page so I tried them and haven't used anything else since. I have tried hundreds over the years from the smallest thinnest ones to the big thick triangular Gibson ones but the problem was the grip. The Hercos are textured so you can concentrate on playing rather than holding it and ending up with cramp mid song.

I had a PF500 and, shutting down from time to time aside, it felt a lot quieter to me than the stated 500w. I've had my GK MB500 for a couple of years now and love it. I'm only just tickling the volume controls to be heard in the band and it has the same boost control as the RB series heads but doesn't get quite as gnarly as the 700RB. That being said I enjoy having my bass rig stored in a cajon bag and a one handed carry. If I was to change amps tomorrow then I'd probably buy another one as there's nothing that can touch it for me. The Fender Rumbles do come a close second though

I know someone that's selling ones of these

Before I sold my SR5 to get my Sterling, I had to make sure that I could play everything on a 4 string. The way to do it was to get a Hipshot doublestop that can drop the E down to 2 lower tunings. I have mine set to D & B and regularly switch it during songs. I did play 6s for a few years but in the end I could see no point in having a C as I never used it - I only had a 6 for the sake of having a 6

I say live and let live - If you're happy with your playing ( I know I am ) clap your hands. If you feel the need to change or a condition forces you to change styles then go for it - it's always good to learn new skills if you feel the need to. At the end of the day it's a hobby for most of us, not a competition. If I get a blister one gig out of a thousand then it's something at that gig that caused it, not necessarily my playing style.