BottomE

not my most popular thread ...

Hi, last night the new keys player in my band came round with his keys and a fretless Fender Precision Lyte fitted with flats! We wanted to have a bit of a jam. I have 3 fretted basses but spent the whole night 5 hours jamming on the fretless (well we did have the Real books out) and must say what a joy it was. The first hour was strange getting used to being a bit more precise with my left hand and trying to utilise the features that a fretless presents. So i am now looking to get a fretless. I am chatting to someone in the For Sale section about one but hoped you guys might have some info, things to look out for etc etc. I really liked the Precision - not what i expected - its active, has a jazz like neck and has a P/J pUp config. The tonal variety is quite impressive. It has a nice wood finish like a Warwick and plays beautifully. And for a Fender the neck pocket is fantastic! Its japanese and looks in pretty good nick. Questions are: is this a good example of a fretless bass? What is it worth? And what alternative should i consider? Thanks

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='1246806' date='May 27 2011, 11:02 AM']I won't lie to to you, Gavin and Stacey is tidy.[/quote] First series was good. Then the suits realised they had a hit and ruined it. The guy (James) has got carried away with it all and believes his own hype. He's an average actor at best.

We do covers and originals but treat them as two bands. Same members - completetly different markets. Covers band finances the other. Also makes the originals tighter as we are used to working with each other. I'd play for free anyway as i love gigging and don't rely on the money though it does come in handy when persuading Mrs BottomE that i need a new bit of kit.

Apologies to Chaka Khan and Rufus

I've done poos that could upstage James Corden

Superb. You look like a match made in heaven. Does the strap position work for you? And do you play with the headstock pointing in a northerly direction? Can i ask if it is down to a back problem that you have re-poistioned the strap buttons and removed the top cutaway on the bass body? Funny but it is really difficult to remember what it looked like before the project. Could you post a before and after when you get a mo? btw - It's my birthday tomorrow and the kids have secretly informed me about the soldering gear i,ll be getting and the other bass related stuff meaning i'll be starting the Ibanez rebuild soon.

I'd go for The Average White Band.

The StingRay is like a raw and simple American sportscar. Loud and aggressive. The Jazz is like a Japanese Sports Car - reliable, solid performance. The Hamer is like an Italian sports car. Great angles, finesse and grunt in all the right places. Clarkson, eat my shorts

A shout for Franki Valli and the Four Seasons - The Night. Not complicated intro but just sets the tone for the whole song and a very good song it is too. Even includes hiss on the tape from the studio. Nice.

Cubase - does everything and a hell of a lot more than i will ever need. Magic.

[quote name='Heathy' post='1240028' date='May 22 2011, 09:36 AM']The Holy trinity? I quite like that idea.[/quote] Nearly there. Got 2 out of 3 and the one that gets the most playing is the Hamer Seriously though, after buying and experimenting with a few exotic basses - 5 string Laklands and such there was almost a collective sigh of relief in the band when i started using a US Fender. Very strange. Its the worst built bass i have but by far the most popular with studio guys and in a live situation. It just sits in the mix very well and is nice and easy to play. I'd balance that by saying its the least exciting but most versatile. The StingRay is great live but harder to get right in the studio. By far the best bass is the Hamer but it doesn't have the Kudos/cool factor of the other basses.

Quick update. Been doing the regular exercises according to the doc couple of times a day. Getting up and moving around a lot more at work. Did my first Pilates session Friday Must say there is impreovement already. The Pilates was amazing. Felt much better than a long time today.

[quote name='Finbar' post='1211835' date='Apr 26 2011, 05:25 PM']Also looks like a good shout on paper![/quote] +1 had mine for ages now. Got all the spec you asked for and decent quality pre-amps given the price bracket. Solid as a rock and virtually no latency on a pretty old and low spec Windows 7 laptop. I love it cos i am clumsy and its made of metal. I have dropped it onto a hard wood floor twice and so far its been fine.

+1 to the Monty Alexander. Another artist my dad introduced me to. Nice one, i had forgotten about him.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1236861' date='May 19 2011, 12:51 PM']Oh heck, glad you got rid then. I DO think Markbass in general are expensive. The LM2/3, I can understand thats a fair price. But the rest? No. Markbass have been market leaders in lightweight amps for a while now, but it seems like their position is slipping, especially in the USA with Genz. I dont understand why Markbass is so much cheaper in the USA, when the come from Italy?! Surely the UK should be able to sell them a little cheaper.[/quote] Cabs are overpriced but i think the LMII will be a classic when peeps in the future look back . My back and I cannot praise it enough. Never not had enough power and wonderful clarity.

[quote name='bassfunk' post='1236169' date='May 18 2011, 07:26 PM']Cheers Bottom E, I'm always worried about leaving cards lying around at weddings in case the couple doesn't like it (might upset the way the tables are decorated) but I guess I could always ask. Thanks[/quote] Oops sorry to mislead you but we leave our cards at pub/club venues which then brings in enquiries for weddings/corporate stuff. I wouldn't leave cards at a wedding but might slip some to the hotel function organiser person

[quote name='bassfunk' post='1235632' date='May 18 2011, 01:09 PM']- Do any of the function bands out there play bars/pubs for not a lot of money (I've read through the gigs vs money thread and there are some interesting points raised there) in the hope that it will raise their profile, and treat it a bit like free advertising? - Do you advertise with any of the pay to advertise sites? I'm on most of the free ones, but I was wondering if anybody had particular success with any paid ones? - Do you get gigs mainly through agents, website, word of mouth or is it a mixture of all three? - How much do you generally charge per member for wedding functions etc? (I don't want to start the age old pro vs amateur debate again!) Thanks Pete[/quote] We are at the core a 4 piece band and play the majority of our gigs as such. So playing pubs/bars etc can still be quite profitable. Really the size of band has a lot of influence on possible venues and money per member. We settle for less dosh at pubs/bars per man and probably get at least double per man for function gigs. Marketing now is all word of mouth. After 4 years this is our sole way of getting gigs. Some gigs are repeat, 6 times a year or something like that, some weddings, corporate stuff, partys for the idol rich etc we just have a load of business cards we leave lying around at venues or peeps ask for them after or even during gigs. After reading your post i realise how lazy we are! We always put money in a band kitty and own our own PA which has paid for itself upmteen times. We don't advertise on any sites but maybe would have considered this when starting up if we'd known about it. Good luck

[quote name='kevin_lindsay' post='1236060' date='May 18 2011, 06:02 PM']I wanted a tobacco sunburst unlined 4 string with z black plate and 2 band EQ. Couldn't locate one anywhere so ordered one from Ernie Ball in their next production run, Nice, isn't she??? [url="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/kevin_lindsay/?action=view&current=c06eeddc.jpg&evt=user_media_share"]http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/kevi...ser_media_share[/url][/quote] Looks lovely

Thank you all. Got home and had a chat with Mrs BottomE. The plan is to: [list] [*]do the exercises given to me by the doc on a few sheets of A4 [*]book myself into the Pilates class that they run at my work on a Friday afternoon - result! [*]see the Physio when the appointment finally filters through [*]tap up my m8 for the occassional Jamaican Woodbine - really works wonders! [*]do my music study at home standing up [/list] Do all this for a 8 weeks and see if there is a noticeable improvement.

[quote name='fatboyslimfast' post='1234422' date='May 17 2011, 03:20 PM']I actually find this hurts my back more than playing standing up with a strap, as I end up hunched over more. I can also move about a bit more (even if I do get strange looks from the neighbours) which means I'm not in the same position for too long at once.[/quote] Yes - i think you are bang on. I am gonna start to worry the neighbours as from now on and loon about in the dining room when playing. I wonder though: Are there any chairs that are good for playing - that provide great back support and access to the instrument?

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='1234332' date='May 17 2011, 02:25 PM']My physio recommends going for lots of walks. Seems to help.[/quote] Do one very day with my old dog. She don't go far these days though