Jerry_B

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ZVbw74OhU[/media]

Pub rock rather than punk rock, surely...?

Hmm - 'grunge' never really existed, IMHO. Nevermind actually killed Nirvana's sound, as it was horribly over-produced.

I say go for it. As for sounding like Mick Karn, you could chase that for ages and never get there. And you may be more likely to find your own sound and grow to appreciate that. Trying to sound just like any given player in IMHO a bit of an uphill task, as there's too many factors to consider. I'd say have a go, see if you like it, then noodle around alot to get used to it. Fingerstyle, playing with a plectrum, etc - all part of the fun!

Perhaps [url="http://www.allparts.uk.com/online-shop/guitar-bass-parts/tuning-keys/bass/bass-tuning-keys/gotoh-gb1-bass-key-4-in-line-with-press-fit-bushings-p-2027.html"]these...?[/url]

Aren't they standard smallish Fender ones?

A somewhat pricey [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Columbus-2-Jazz-Bass-Fretless-/250879041462?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a698e5fb6"]Columbus 2 Jazz Bass Fretless[/url]...

Heh - well, when I found it, it was covered in nasty crud, dents and dust. Now it just has the dents, but that's part of the charm

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1373066' date='Sep 14 2011, 12:00 PM']The only downside is it can be harder to get a gig, depending on the sort of music you play. I was lucky in that the years I spent exclusively playing fretless I came across a lot of very open-minded musicians to play with, but most guitarists either think it's a poser's instrument or they want to hear that clack and clang rock sound that you only get from frets. It's a versatile instrument though and it can work well in any music, really. It can get tiring on the ear if you're always pushing up the midrange 'honk' though so go easy on people. [/quote] Yep, some people can get a bit silly about you can or can't do - or aren't 'supposed to do' - with a fretless. When I've tried to join several punk bands over the years, they said no to the fretless - this despite the fact that I prefer to play with a plectrum, and know that I can colour things with compression, overdrive, etc. Bigger fools them really - and it tends to ignore certain players who have done similar things in established bands over the years.

[quote name='fatback' post='1373236' date='Sep 14 2011, 02:03 PM']This is hugely important imo. If the dots on the edge of the neck are not on the 'fret' positions, get stick on paper dots and put them there. You could use a marker to dull down the original misplaced dots.[/quote] Then again, you get used to the dots being on the 'fret' with unlined necks. It doesn't interfere with things - you just have to remember what you need to do, which just takes a bit of practice.

[quote name='FlatEric' post='1372777' date='Sep 14 2011, 08:04 AM']The only bit he missed was that when only the bridge pick-up is on, in single coil the phase switch is a coil select. He also describes things made of steel - they are not, it's Zinc Die Cast. His is 12lbs!! I do have [i]one[/i] at around that weight but most average 10.5lbs[/quote] Yep, the best review so far. He even uses a plectrum a few times (seems to be a rarity in bass demo videos). Shame he wasn't a fan of the phase switch, but I guess he hasn't noodled around with it enough to see how much it can do. My favourite setting is is still with the phase switch in the down position, bridge pickup only with the tone rolled off to 8 or so - and played with a plectrum, of course

This all sounds good! Fretless just takes a bit more care - that said, you'd be suprised at how you don't have to be super-accurate with your playing for people not to notice any mistakes I started playing one not long after I first started to play bass and actually think that helped a bit with getting my head around the whole concept of the fretless. One thing you might notice when going from a marked fretless to an unlined one will be the dot markers on the top of the neck. Some are on the fret, some are where they are on fretted basses (i.e. in the middle of the fret). It's something to watch for should you ever make the transition from lined to unlined.

Maybe a Squier VM Jaguar might suit you? They get good reviews here, are Jazzish in shape and have the pup combination you're after. One may possibly come up for sale here, or on Ebay, etc..

Fender Japan do make Jazzes with a Pbass pup, and they aren't Aerodynes. A re-route would be hidden under the scratchplate and so wouldn't do all that much to the cosmetic value of the bass. I guess it depends on how intact and pristine someone wants to keep the Jazz body. The one I have has various knocks and scrapes (but looks fine from over 5 feet or so away), and so I've been thinking of getting it routed to fit a Pbass pickup. The trick then would be finsing a Jazz scratchplate with a Pbass pup hole - altho I guess one from an Aerodyne may suffice.

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GHS-M3075-Bass-Brite-Flats-4-Str-Bass-strings-49-108-/300589027450?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item45fc80907a"]UK Ebay seller for GHS Brite Flats[/url]...

I bought another wiring kit from John (this time for a Pbass project). He very kindly sent it along in the post within hours of my order - how's that for service!

My T-40's about 10lb, if not a bit more. I actually prefer heavier basses to lighter ones - the latter tend to make me stoop a bit.

I like the matt black look One thing that's better at cleaning hardware than coke is a bath of vinegar with bicarb of soda added to it. It'll fizz up, then calm down after a while, mind you. Leave the hardware in that for 5-8 hours, then clean it all off with an old toothbrush.

Peavey T-40s have pretty chunky necks, which is one of the things I like about them. Not especially wide in terms of profile, but wide across the fingerboard (and nowe everything I type sounds like double entendres...).

Having tried various brands, I've settled on LaBellas ('Deep Talkin Bass').

Here's a Maya fretless I bought here from Rapscallion earlier this week. I swapped out the tort scrathplate for a black one and gave the whole bass an overhaul today on my day off All it's waiting for now is a wiring kit from KiOgon and it'll be done.

Various spares for the T-40 come up for sale on [url="http://www.belongingsbroker.com/category/peavey-t-parts"]this website[/url] once in a while...

[quote name='FlatEric' post='1326841' date='Aug 4 2011, 12:58 PM']Hi. In reply. This is what Chip actually said. "Cutting the coil-tap red wire allows much more desirable treble overtones, so I'd not use the coil tap" Effectively, the single coil/humbucker sound that we are used to would be transformed into a "brighter" humbucker. I do like the single coil sound as well, so my "Toddification" should allow both.[/quote] So I guess that 'cutting' could involve the wire being unsoldered from one point? [quote]Chip also said that the controls confused a lot of players when they first picked u a "T". I can understand what he said but in reality, two minutes of fiddling around and it becomes clear what is going on. The only thing that a lot of owners miss, is the fact that in "Single Coil" Bridge only, the Phase switch becomes a "Coil Select", so with the switch pushed back, the coil nearer the neck becomes active and the other one is cut. Try it, you'll see what I mean.[/quote] This is the control setting I tend to prefer in terms of overall tone.

That way madness lies But even then,the Yamaha is a great piece of kit!