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Fretless jazz tune (video)


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Hey guys and gals

I just made another attempt at recording my favourite Bill Evans standard 'Very Early' - on fretless - it's a tricky on to solo over but I love the changes - as they are mostly major chords, anyway hope you enjoy some of it:



Cheers

Mike

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[quote name='Chris2112' post='1338613' date='Aug 13 2011, 11:55 AM']Who made that fretless bass again?[/quote]

It's this guy in Brighton called Jeff Chapman - no relation to the Chapman Stick fella - it's based on a Tobias Classic owned by Frank O'Shea and it really is a great bass - the tone (even without the effects I used here, which were a smidge of reverb and chorus) is stunning. The wood came from an old shelf in a school - Jeff spotted it and realised it was a prime piece of African mahogany - he saved it for the right commission and that just happened to be this bass.

I've owned this bass for around 8 years now and it's the oldest of my current basses, and as it's a custom it's interesting to see how it's aged and it's aged well but the fretboard needed some work on it. I took it to Martin Petersen and he 're-shot' it i.e. plained it off again and it now just feels amazing, it's so responsive it's made me fall back in love with this bass. It's great down the low end as well and I really want to use it more, I really caned the fretless when I first got it and I'm pleased my intonation hasn't suffered too much from not playing it much in recent years - but since it's had a little TLC it's now diverting me from my Sei basses big time!

I've lost touch with Jeff and would love to see how he's doing - he's a great luthier who makes classical guitars, and acoustic guitars and a few basses - he's a real craftsman and he's a very unique person - if anyone has seen or heard from him recently I'd love to know how he is, I hope he's alright - he doesn't have a website or email so it's hard to get in touch.

Cheers for all the positive cooments - I'm hoping to record and play more with this bass - I'll keep you posted.

Mike

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[quote name='funkypenguin' post='1340995' date='Aug 15 2011, 06:56 PM']Beautiful playing Mike :) im not usually much of a fretless fan but that sounds lovely[/quote]

Thanks fella - I'm pleased how this came out - first take and all, recorded in a bit of a rush on a hectic Thursday afternoon last week - thanks for listening

Cheers

Mike

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