Conan

I donate all my old strings to my school's music department. The kids are always breaking strings and I have no use for dull, dead strings*. Everyone's happy! *When I say "dull and dead", that's by my standards. For some people on here they would just about be starting to be "played in"!!

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1372268' date='Sep 13 2011, 06:31 PM']What do these people base their opinions on? A couple of YouTube vids? Something they heard in the pub?[/quote] Probably. Or a general dislike of slap. Or toppy bass tones. Or someone who can play better than them...

[quote name='gothpugs' post='1372050' date='Sep 13 2011, 04:13 PM']its not fully fretless but has markers[/quote] If it has no frets, it's fully fretless - markers or no! Some people find that the fret markers make the transition easier... others find the opposite. I find that as long as there are fret-accurate markers on the top of the neck it makes getting used to fretless easier. After a while you might stop using them though. Fretless bass guitar is still bass guitar. There are things you can do easily on a fretless that are harder on a fretted and vice versa. Try one and see! Unless you're Les Claypool (which I assume you are not), you need to be more accurate with your "fretting" hand on fretless. Get it slightly out and the note will be out of tune. Do this on a fretted and it makes little difference except maybe a bit of buzz...

Smallest - 2 people who left at half time. It was a rather isolated pub (The Beamish Mary for those in the North East) in the middle of winter. It had been snowing all night and when the audience pissed off after the first set we spoke to the manager who agreed that we could pack up and head home so as not to be snowed in! Largest - around 1000 people in the Mayfair Ballroom in Newcastle. Different band. Power went off half way through the first number. The singer, fortunately, had a brilliant sense of humour and always fancied himself as a bit of a stand-up - so he managed to entertain the crowd (that's a word I don't get to use very often in describing the number of people watching us!) for about ten minutes until the electrical supply was sorted out! A great night in a sadly missed venue...

[quote name='JTUK' post='1369329' date='Sep 11 2011, 12:43 PM']What is it with rockabilly bands...???? [/quote] That's a whole different question of course...

[quote name='JTUK' post='1369329' date='Sep 11 2011, 12:43 PM']Know the player and the circumstances... In your shoes, the very least is the borrower should be told to call you and have the chat..!![/quote] This! He's the one on the cadge so it's just polite to ask in person rather than get some third party to ask on your behalf. Where's his own gear? There may be a perfectly logical reason why he would rather use yours, but surely it's better for him to explain this to you in person? Bad manners in all forms irritates me - so for that reason in these circumstances I might well say no... but if he asked nicely and promised to take care, I could be persuaded to accept. Problem is, I never see myself in the position of needing to use anyone else's gear - so unless there is a sound reason I don't see why I should be expected to lend mine out.

[quote name='Monckyman' post='1349916' date='Aug 24 2011, 09:12 AM']Morrissey said in court that he and Joyce were as "replaceable as lawnmower parts".[/quote] Yeah right. Tracks like "This Charming Man" and "William..." really owed nothing at all to the bass parts... Just goes to show that all singers are tossers.

Strings? They make a massive difference to overall "tone". What do you currently use? As others have said, use of effects is not going to give you a tone you like if the starting tone is not there.

[quote name='SS73' post='1355971' date='Aug 30 2011, 09:30 AM']Have used the very same set up and it does go very very loud, not sure if it's Reading volume though. On the other hand it does mean you can bring your cab and amp to the gig in one go single handed.[/quote] You can carry an 8x10 in one hand?!?!

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1342687' date='Aug 17 2011, 08:15 AM']mine was the very bass used on[i] Too Shy [/i]by Kajagoogoo. [/quote] Really? I always though that was played on a Stingray?

[quote name='chris_b' post='1352645' date='Aug 26 2011, 03:55 PM']I take a different view. If you want to chop and change a bass I'd go for modding a non vintage instrument. After a certain point in time the main purpose of a 60's Fender bass is to appear on the Antiques Road show in as original condition as they can.[/quote] Replacing the frets on a fretted bass so that it can be played is hardly what I'd call "chopping and changing"! But yes, it does depend on what you see as the medium to long-term future of this bass. If you want to keep it for another 10+ years and play it regularly, I'd say go for a quality re-fret. If you just wanna keep it long enough to sell on at a tidy profit - then obviously keep it as "original" as possible until that time. Which probably means that you shouldn't be playing it! Not sure I understand the mentality of keeping good quality musical instruments in the loft as an investment though...

[quote name='GT40Graham' post='1347168' date='Aug 21 2011, 02:37 PM']Hi All, I know that this might sound a bit sacrilegious to some of you but I've never "got" the Fender Precision. I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to basses...[/quote] A slight contradiction perhaps? Know what you mean though. I've played bass for 30 years and only got my first P (well, Squier version) this year! I love it!

Back in the eighties and early nineties I played the Superwound Funkmaster sets - 30-90. Great at the time (or so I thought) but very little tone or volume. For the last fifteen years or so I have used predominantly 40-100s, which seemed the ideal compromise between the playability of the light strings and the booming tone of the mooring cables. Recently, I have found myself moving towards slightly heavier gauges. My most recent sets are 45-105s but next purchase may well be 50s!

You may also need to get the nut cut a little wider and deeper...

[quote name='Delberthot' post='1340382' date='Aug 15 2011, 10:24 AM']The Peavey Tim Landers TL-5 & 6 basses were about in the 80s[/quote] Yes. In fact Tim was the first player I ever saw using a five, at the London Bass Weekend in October 1987. Joe Hubbard was a close second, as he was next on the bill! This was at a time when everyone else wanted to be Mark King and the Goodfellow stand sounded like a typing pool.... But that's another story!