u ever hear of this bass, and another ? on pickups

bassmaned · Post by **bassmaned** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:04 am

Hello everyone. Ok here goes. I been playin for about 15 years. First bass was a 4 string, then eventually i got a 6 string about a year ago. Now i just got myself a 6 string fretless. I gotta say, what a beautiful instrument fretless. Anyway i got a cheap of the cheap makeshift bass i believe. I got it from a company called BERKLEY. Anyone hear of it? It has no name, and pickups do not have a name. VERY WEIRD! If anyone wants to check them out , they are being sold on ebay, i got mine fir 180.00. Anyway it is a nice instrument. Finish could be alot better and headstock is pretty boring. OK now i been playing for 15 yrs, but if you ask me something technical about the mechanics, i probably wouldnt know.

1st ?. I am getting a buzz from my g string. If i put my hand on the string buzz goes away?

2nd? I love playing the bass more unplugged than plugged in.

Something is not right hoh? I just dont really like the sound. I am guessing it would be the pickups. Its very bassy. So my ? is if i do need pickups how do i know which one i will like? I listen to steve bailey alot and i heard he uses seymour duncan. Anyone recomend them. Otherwise any other input? I will try and put my bass here.

Thanks.

P.S. It is a privaledge to be a part of Fretlessbass.com. I am a newbie so here is my greetings.

FunkDaFied · Post by **FunkDaFied** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 3:34 pm

Hi bassmaned,

Welcome on FB.com

You should bring your bass to a "luthier" in order to make a check up.
For the buzz, maybe it's a problem of mass.

For the sound, don't expect to have a good sound for this price. You own what you pay.

If you can put some pictures and the link of the web site where you purchase your bass.

If you've just receive the bass, you'd rather bring it back. Because for an instrument new you have a warranty. So do it before you make something on it. The warranty may void, if you meke change on the bass.

If you asked on the forum, we could give you some advice.

A Squier vintage modified fretless, A Cort fretless or why not an old (or new) fretted bass modified...

Hope it could help you.

FretLessSince68 · Post by **FretLessSince68** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:34 am

Welcome to Fretless Bass dot com. Your questions are welcome here. Nothing about fretless is too simple to discuss.

If the G string buzz goes away when you play an Ab note at the first position it may be that your G string slot in the nut is cut too low. Another possibility is that the G string slot is too wide or otherwise poorly fitted to the string. If this is the problem put a layer of card stock (business card) in the slot and set the string over it, then tune, cut away excess paper. If this fixes the problem the slot is either too low or a sloppy fit.

Play all of the notes from open to the top of the fingerboard, if more problems show up let us hear about it.

This kind of buzz sometimes comes from loose screws or set-screws in the bridge, check to see if everything is seated properly. Another member here said that loose screws on the machine heads (tuners) may cause buzzing or rattle. Check it out.

Actually, a loose screw anywhere on your bass can cause a noise. Put your ear down close to the instrument and see if you can zero in on the source of the sound.

Regarding P/U's:

True, P/U's in inexpensive instruments don't have the fidelity of the higher priced units but you should still be able to get decent tone, just not much in the way of crispy highs. I played a Brice 6 string fretless and thought is was fantastic for the price, AND it's tone was very good considering the value.

Regarding tone:
Assuming your axe has a passive tone circuit.

Check your tone pot to make sure it is operating properly. Turn it fully counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise in England), the tone should be devoid of treble (bassy) in this position.

Now turn it fully clockwise. You should hear more mids and treble now.

If you don't get much (or any) tone change then you may have a problem with the capacitor, the pot, or the wiring. Most likely a grounded cap draining your tone.

Assuming that you have two P/U's. Most fretless players prefer the sound of the bridge P/U.

Once you have determined that the tone control is working properly. Put the tone pot on full clockwise, play with the pickup selector to see if your tone varies. What you should hear with this test is the difference in timbre between the two P/U's. If the timbre does not vary, or you get a radical difference in tone, you may have a problem with the wiring.

bassmaned · Post by **bassmaned** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:02 am

Thank you everyone for your advice, i will use it. Instrument is nice and all. If anything it is a good fretless to learn from i think. Can someone check it out? Search berkeleywindmusicalinstruments.com, or go to ebay and put in berkeleywind. look up their 6 string fretless basses, and it is the red one. So if it seems descent, should i put some good p/u in it?
And strings? would it be worth it? Should i try flats?

thank u all for your help. I just got steve baileys instructional video, i think it is good and will help with the transfer. thank u all!!

FretLessSince68 · Post by **FretLessSince68** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 10:03 pm

I wouldn't invest too much money in upgrades on such an inexpensive axe, not while you are still getting acquainted. Good P/Us will run $200+ USD, and even then there is no guarantee that you will have a good sounding instrument.

What type of wood is your body? Does the bass sound good unamplified?

By all means improve the strings, you will probably notice a substantial improvement. This is a personal preference issue.

I took a look at the instrument on ebay and am surprised it has an ebony fingerboard. This is usually found on more expensive instruments. looks like a good axe considering the very low price. I like the fairly wide nut.

I would not put roundwounds on an ebony fingerboard due to accelerated wear (rutting), rather consider groundwounds, tapewounds, pressurewounds, or flatwounds.

For wood fingerboards I like RotoSound RS77s, D'Addario Half Round, GHS Brite Flats, and some others. If you are like most of us, you will end up spending a lot of money on strings before you find a set that has what you want.

Make sure you know your scale length before you buy strings. Most electric basses are 34" but some are 35" and the two lengths require different string sets.

NickBass · Post by **NickBass** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 4:30 pm

If you want a cheap but good fretless bass you should try Squier, Cort or Dean basses, quality instruments for a low price.....
I have a Dean fretless 5 strings (don't know the model, there's nothing written on it) and it's a really good instrument, with singing high notes and "fat" low basses...I paid around 250 euros for it!!
180 dollars for an instrument makes me a little bit perplexed...