New bass Porn

[targa911S]

I really like this not smoking. I bought this baby with the money I have saved in the last 25 days @$15.00 per day. I'll have quite a collection if this keeps up.

This is a MIM fretless Jazz bass. Plays like it has grease on it. Awesome sound.





I think I will sell my Charles Daly .223 remington and pick up a fender Aerodyne bass next.

[nostatic]

It's about time you got rid of the speed bumps

That Aerodyne will make your back happy. After another year of smoking I'll have a couple of custom build guys phone numbers for you

[rouxroux]

Glad to see you coming over to the dark side. I was thnking of you while playing the Pentabuzz last night.
I'll have to take a pick of one of my old J-basses with the Novatone fingerboards one of these days. You'd like it. (an old 3-bolter).

[targa911S]

Well it's a LOT easier to play than the doghouse for sure. I feel guilty because the "cheater lines" on the fretboard just make it too easy. I just may retire the Thunderbirds.
"The Dark Side" that's good.

[rouxroux]

yeah, I know what you mean. My Pentabuzz has the lines, but that's the way it was built. The Novatones, on the other hand....I have 1 fretted, 1 fretless w/ lines, 1 fretless w/o lines, and 1 fretless (all metal), so easy to change. I get lots of work on that one, keeps me from having to lug 2 basses to a session/gig. On & off in less than 10 seconds.

[targa911S]

This was built with lines. I made sure of that before I bough it. So it's factory. Actually while I have time on my hands I think I'm going to go back to a standard tuning, EADG. For years I have tuned BEAD using a 5 string set on a four string bass. Now that I have the stand up bass, and both my new basses that are all tuned EADG, I think I will go back to that tuning on one of the birds too. That way it's all the same to me no matter what bass I use. The only alternative to that is to string them all BEAD and I think that's silly at this time, especially the stand up.

[nostatic]

Or you could buy a 5-string

[targa911S]

Yeah... but everything I own is a 4. I owned a G&L 5 for a while and just did not like anything about it except the low B. That is why I started tuning BEAD in the first place. I mean I LIKE being able to go that low. I don't know, I'll try EADG for a while. It sure feels a lot faster to me for sure.

[rouxroux]

Why try to compete with the synth players? String it like a REAL bassist, EADGC.

[targa911S]

I like rattling the roof. That low B on an old Thunderbird through an Ampeg SVT410 HLF and PF-500 is about as close to that "brown note" as you are going to get. Almost like getting a massage when you are in front of it.

[Rapewta]

I am a long time four stringer. Nice Bass. I have a fretless P-bass with the cheater lines. Play it a lot but have never had the balls to play it on a gig.
My intonation is far from Jaco's.
Someday I might get the 5th big "B" string but for now, what I got works.

The guitar player in our band also plays bass for another group. His No. 1 for those
venues is a narrow necked fretless five string. I don't know how he does it but it sounds so good.
Glad you quit smoking!

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by rouxroux

Why try to compete with the synth players? String it like a REAL bassist, EADGC.

well, 4/5 of real

I'd rather compete with synths than guitards. I've never really dug 6-string or though too seriously about stringing a 5 E-C as I have decades on guitars with a B instead of a C and I think that would make my brain melt.

I've been really happy playing 4 the last months and am looking forward to my new Deep 4 fretless (will be done in Jan). But I've got a pair of 5s on the way, hopefully ship next week, and it will be interesting to see if I dig 5 as much as I used to. The biggest advantage to having the B-string for me is being able to grab more notes in any one position rather than the über low tones. That said, playing tunes in Eb or D on a 5-er certainly give you a bit more flexibility.

[targa911S]

Totally agree. With the low B I find myself playing on the 5 a lot but yeah you can reach a lot of notes from there ...up or down nice to have a choice.

[nostatic]

wrt fretlines that is a whole religious argument. I'm in the "no lines" camp as I think that it makes it easier to get your intonation right as you are forced to use less visual cues. The side dots are (or should be) lined up with the "fret" positions so that is your visual but after that it is ears and muscle memory. But plenty of guys tear it up with fretlines so it just depends on what you prefer - no right or wrong answer. I'm a sucker for clean though...

This is the board on my upcoming Skjold:

[rouxroux]

Learned w/ no lines (classically trained here), and I make my students start on fretless at least through 5th position to develop good pitch and proper finger positioning even if they own a fretted bass.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by rouxroux

(classically trained here).

You mean like Cream, Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, right? That's my training too

[azasadny]

Beautiful bass! Congrats on the smoking!!!

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by targa911S

Sunburst is far and away my favorite Fender-style bass finish.

How is the hum when the pups are solo'd? The MIM basses tend to be really nice instruments but I'm not sure that they do much shielding. Nice DIY project though - pop the pickguard and controls off and line it with shielding tape. Then you can go full Jaco (or more importantly, at least to my typical gigs, full neck pup for a big fat tone) with no buzz/hum.

[Rapewta]

I don't pay a lot of attention to the lines on the fretless because my ears grow twice there normal size while I am running around on the board. I can tell in a millisecond that I am a few cents off and correct (the other musicians can hear it too) so that is not so good.
The sixteenth notes, it's to late by then.
The irony of the invention of the precision bass by Leo was to offer bassists playing fretless doghouses the oppertunity to be precise (aka precision with frets).

And I end up getting a Precision without frets.
I have flats on it and get a real creamy warm sounds with a little P growl.
I love playing fretless but just wasn't born with great pitch.

[rouxroux]

Originally Posted by Rapewta

I
I love playing fretless but just wasn't born with great pitch.

The ears are a HUGE part of fretless technique, but I find it harder to transition folks who have depended on frets too long. That's the reason I start my students on fretless to develop proper hand/finger positioning. That way the frets do not become a "crutch" as they progress. Force yourself to concentrate on positioning....your "fretted" playing will improve greatly as well (as will your ears).