#12

I’m a junkie for the old Eden stuff. I hear he’s back in business again or has an amplifier or something out.

#13

The National Acrobat! They always reminded me of the early stuff 90s stuff like National of Ulysses or Heroin. Screamo is one of those genres with lots of old hidden gems and a really active scene right now.

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#14

Yeah, we aren’t really in that sort of zone, but Louisville has a bit of a heritage for that sound for sure between them and the Kodan Armada and we sort of played shows with bands like that with pals in Breather Resist/Young Widows/Black God/Coliseum/Lords (who the guitarists were in for awhile) blah blah.

I’m very excited at the prospect of making noisy rock music again :slight_smile:

I think the fact that HUM issued a new album without any warning was an omen and perfect timing to get me jazzed.

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#15

I was going to post this in the guitar thread but I suppose this is a better place:

I’ve been considering getting a fretless bass to accompany my steel guitar and ribbon controller playing and since I’m not taking it so seriously, I’m wondering what the cheapest I can get a playable instrument for is.

Is there anything I need to think about when purchasing a budget fretless? Whether the fretboard is uniform? Does the combination of fretless and short scale work fine or does it lead to a poorly playing instrument?

#16

Anyone use the Phil Jones amps?

At 60 I’m looking to downsize!

Thanks!

#17

Getting older but still like ampeg sv8x10 and Fender Pres. classic punchy sound

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#18

Talkbass classifieds are great if you’re looking used. If you’re looking for more modern light weight gear then Darkglass and Bergantino are worth a look. For heavy tube stuff check out Verellen.

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#19

Bass was the first instrument I really got into, but I haven’t played regularly for a long time. Impulsively broke it out a little while ago, and was pleasantly surprised at the sounds I could get out of Logic’s built in bass amp sim:

#20

Just couldn’t resist the lure of an Acoustic 470 head. Doh! It might’ve been the one I had back in the day that I really loved.

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#21

I highly recommend Wishbass. I have one; it’s amazing. I had to ground the strings myself, but it plays and sounds fabulous. $200 + shipping, straight from Steve himself.

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#22

Down in our unused practice space is a Phil Jones Session 77, their budget model. Sounds good, and it’s light. Not loud though. I’ve used it a couple times for low-volume gigs with upright bass. It’s adequate for practice. I’d like to hear their high end amps some time.

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#23

Any ol’ fretless will do. They’re easier to make than a fretted instrument. Get one with lines and it will be easier to play if you like pitches etc. I do unlined but honestly with lines is easier to play and makes no difference in the sound.

Get the cheapest one you can find. If you like it then save up for a nice one. The all time cheapest bass is made by a guy named Gamma and he assembles them himself from Chinese-made kits and they’re a blast. If you change the pickups for nice ones then the Gamma basses sound great.

Or maybe a factory cheapo for like $150 or something. But definitely start cheap so you know whether you like it.

Oh and short scale is fine. Hell go all the way and get a fretless bass uke! :slight_smile:

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#24

My fretless is an old Fender musicmaster short scale that I had the frets removed from and filled with woodpaste or whatever the filler stuff is called…

It’s got a nice lurking sound, short scale fits my hands better…

It’s great fun, and you will pick it up quickly if you’re already used to the unfretted lifestyle!

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#25

Ive had a series of Ashdown amps and they have been great. Not sure if you get them in the US though.
Pretty classic sound with a Fender Precision into it!
I’ve had an Ashdown 6x10 for years and it’s been great. Went for that as it’s a bit easier to get about than the 8x10.

#26

I had an Ashdown bass amp for a bit (US based). Good, powerful solid state head but too clean for what I needed at the time.

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#27

I’ve always rolled some of the high end off and used overdrive, so it’s worked for me. Solid and reliable.

#28

I’ve been using my MusicMan HD130 for bass for about a decade now and I never want to use anything else. Underrated amp. But not a lot of headroom depending on venue/room size/PA setup.

Use it through a custom built 2x15. Round and articulate.

Also never liked Ampeg bass heads. Not sure how they and the 8x10 became industry standard and always frustrated by that backline when playing festivals n such.

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#29

Yeah, MusicMans are great. Always wanted a 212 combo for guitar back in the day, but it’s nuts how heavy those are. I assume the heads are the same kind of HEAVY, but always astounded by the tone.

As for cabs, I just keep coming back to the Emperor cabinet. It isn’t that pricey compared to getting two separate ‘big company’ sort of cabs if I just drive up and grab it, or have the likely drummer (now residing in Chicago) bring it down when we practice. It’s heavy, but I’d get it with casters, and I don’t imagine we’ll really play live all that much so the weight feels like less of a dealbreaker the more I think about it. Maybe the fact that they’re beautiful, have always sounded good in my experience, and would mean backing a smaller company also appeals.

!

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#30

The gear that makes you happy to play it is the right gear. Get them Emperor cabs and if you smile when you play 'em you know they’re right.

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#31

I play bass as an amateur and I only use software modelers, but for analog gear I’d definitely be looking into the Darkglass product range. For low weight, Darkglass offers everything from an analog preamp pedal with a digital cabinet simulator, all the way up to 8x10 cabs.