Chris2112

I regularly go to shops and leave feeling a bit disappointed. Take Guitar Guitar Newcastle, for instance. They've got loads of basses, most middle of the road Fender and Lakland. I'd rarely bother playing a Fender and having tried some of their Lakland stock, I found that very bland too. The most fun I've had there was testing out amps with my old Kubicki, #1659! It's just down to what you're into, I suppose. I like high end, boutique stuff. Something thats a bit interesting. I'd much rather have one or two nice basses than a larger collection of less interesting instruments. I think the care the instrument has received also plays a part too. When I got my Zon from Retroman, he had set it up very well for me, and it was a pleasure getting a bass from someone with a real passion for them, as opposed to getting one 'off the rack' and thinking "yeah, I suppose this is good enough, I'll take it". Similarly, when I went to see Warwickhunt to get my Streamer, we chatted on for ages about the basses and that sort of thing. I think you can be quite inspired by someone elses passion for a bass, whereas going into a shop and looking at a rack of bland P and J clones can be fatiguing through their banality. I expect if I went to Bass Direct or something like that, that caters for tastes like mine, I'd leave thinking "what a great shop!".

My new laptop wallpaper... [IMG]http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv52/Baryonyx2112/bass.jpg[/IMG]

I find that I really enjoy Bartolini pickups. They're not super bright, hi-fi pickups so if you're looking for a slap machine they wouldn't be much first choice. But they have such a musical voicing, especially in the midrange. Very enjoyable indeed. I also really like EMG's too, but again they are a very different sound.

Went back and re-learned 'Bling (confessions of a king)' by The Killers properly. What an awesome bassline.

I love playing over the bridge and getting bright, burpy sounds. Most of my fingerstlye playing is done exclusively over the bridge pickup.

If the band is an equal partnership, do what you want. It's your part, after all. If it's a paid gig or something, then use a pick. Always answer to the boss, unless you are the boss.

I played for about 7 years without a pick, having started out with one and then shunned it a couple of years later. It was a revelation to go back to it. I still only use the pick around 10% of the time, but it's a skill and a sound well worth having. I'd advise getting good at both styles, it will make some songs a lot easier/sound a lot better.

I still think after all these years of playing loads of great fretless basses, the one that stands out that I've never owned is a Pentabuzz with Bartolini P/J pickups. It just growled and sang in equal measure over every note. It really was a dream. As much as I love a fretless Wal, I'd say the Pedulla was the more entertaining fretless bass. It was just spectacular...and the EA rig I was playing it through was pretty awesome too (I also played a 5 string Spector Euro NT through it, which sounded great).

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1321381230' post='1438530'] Some superglue in the gaps would probably sort that out I'd imagine. Then buff residue flat. [/quote] the previous owner of the bass got the neck refinished in 2006 and it's happened again since. I suppose some superglue may work.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1321349169' post='1437972'] Can be risky. Traditoinally thick coats are needed for durability and the thicker the coat the more brittle the coating gets. So if put on a neck that flexes a lot, there's a risk of cracking. Can't comment specifically on Wal necks and I'm aware that HG Thor has treated one piece maple necks without issues. Maybe the epoxy is a little thinner or a little more flexible these days...? [/quote] This is an issue. My Zoot fretless had a cracked finish along the side of the neck. It was a graphite neck with an ebony fingerboard, and over the past 13 years the ebony has obviously expanded or shrunk slightly, causing the finish on the side of the neck to crack. It was imperceptible to the fingers when you were playing, though it looked a little bit tatty. Not a huge problem to fix (which I looked into) but I thought it would only happen again. So yes, this sort of thing has to be looked at carefully. I can recall playing a couple of fretless jazz basses with epoxied boards that were badly chipped and cracked.

Ebony indeed! The tone is so, so good. Can't wait to get it recorded!

Here is my new Warwick, traded from Warwickhunt just a couple of days ago. It's an absolute beauty. It plays brilliantly, it looks fantastic but the real joy is the tone. I plan to get some new photos taken of it tomorrow. I've never been so excited about a bass since I got my ACG, which bodes well! [IMG]http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv52/Baryonyx2112/Streamer1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv52/Baryonyx2112/Streamer2.jpg[/IMG]

I knew you'd have to have something pretty special tucked away to sell the Zon! If I'm ever down your way I'll let you know, maybe pop in for a chat about old Escorts (the cars, not bedraggled ladies of the night) and a look at this beautiful Alembic.

I change where I keep my basses during the winter. I bring them in from the landing where I keep them stacked up, and put them in my cupboard, Makes them harder to access, but I suspect the temperature will fluctuate less in there.

Wow, are these guys still going?

I'd definitely recommend ear plugs for any loud live music situation. It could be that your ears are getting fatigued, and as has been mentioned, you're losing some of that high frequency perception making you think you need to turn down a bit to balance out the more prominent bass frequencies.

I have to say, as much as I like this bass I do find acoustic/semi-acoustic basses a bit of a useless item. As much fun as they might be for five minutes, I've always found an electric bass sounds better in the same scenarios as you'll invariably need an amp anyway, unless you're playing to an audience of doormice.

For a Rickenbacker, that is very nice. Shame about the massive, useless big of metal draped over the back pickup though!

[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1320956831' post='1433823'] James Lomenzo's Yamaha is pretty nice - you could move a lot of air with that, I reckon. [/quote] I thought his sound was better when he was using Warwicks!