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In the dark, on fretless...


Bob Gollihur

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I've played on dim stages but never outside in the dark. Turned out the pier bar restaurant had no lighting other than flickering candles on tables, and when the sun went down...

 

Anyway, I had chosen to play my fretless, which I hadn't played much lately, and while I'm fine in the lower positions relative to the nut, leaps were not as comfortable. After the second song I quickly stuck two tiny patches of gaffer's tape on the edge of the neck -- which positions would you choose?

 

We brought lights the next gig at that venue.

 

 

1000 Upright Bass Links, Luthier Directory, Teacher Directory - http://www.gollihurmusic.com/links.cfm

 

[highlight] - Life is too short for bad tone - [/highlight]

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I'm currently having a fretless fingerboard put on one of my basses. I've supplied the luthier with side-dot rod that glows in the dark when exposed to UV. I have a tiny pocket torch with a UV LED, a multi-coloured LED & a red laser. Running the UV up the edge of the neck ought to provide enough glow for a couple of numbers & keep the audience intrigued....

 

The cats & kittens love chasing the red spot from the laser too....

 

G.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the World will know Peace": Jimi Hendrix

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=738517&content=music

The Geoff - blame Caevan!!!

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I put glow in the dark dots on my bass and bought a UV flashlight (that's what we call a torch here in the US).

 

The charge doesn't even get me through one song.

 

Then I got a tine clip on flashlight that I put on the peghead, aiming down at the side of the neck. That sort of worked.

Next time, I'm just going to bring a floor lamp and put it behind me. That will work for the bass and the music as well.

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So where to put the tape? I'd do five, seven, and nine. But I've a five string with a high C so I don't need to move up the neck as often...... unless I'm showing off. My music stand light keeps things visible enough for me.

Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse.

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5, 7, 12. I was fortunate that I was in a band when I started playing fretless, I had to practice a lot and got to where I seldom had to look at the position within a few months, and my ear got better.

 

I like the glow-in the-dark idea, though.

"Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, yet you cannot play upon me.'-Hamlet

 

Guitar solos last 30 seconds, the bass line lasts for the whole song.

 

 

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I put glow in the dark dots on my bass and bought a UV flashlight (that's what we call a torch here in the US).

 

The charge doesn't even get me through one song.

 

Then I got a tine clip on flashlight that I put on the peghead, aiming down at the side of the neck. That sort of worked.

Next time, I'm just going to bring a floor lamp and put it behind me. That will work for the bass and the music as well.

 

I'm expecting Harold to finish my neck by next weekend. When I get it back & re-assemble the bass, I'll lock myself in a dark room & play it via the glowing side-dots & give you a report on how long they last etc & if it's worth doing.

 

Harold advised me the rosewood used on the BBG5 was pretty open-pored & unsuitable for fretless, so he's found me a nice piece of ebony in a local wood merchant's. I'm really looking forward to playing it, with the side-dots in the correct fretless positions.

 

That was the only thing I had against the TRB1005 - the side-dots were at the fretted positions to go with the lined board. I learned on an unmarked ebony board with the dots at the correct points, so found the Yammy difficult - also the 35" scale didn't help. My muscle memory is for 34".

 

G.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the World will know Peace": Jimi Hendrix

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=738517&content=music

The Geoff - blame Caevan!!!

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I was shopping this morning & found a baseball cap with a strip of LEDs in the front edge of the skip. Like this:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ADJUSTABLE-BASEBALL-CAP-5-LED-FISHING-HAT-CAMPING-HEAD-TORCH-LAMP-Camouflage-/261256183861?pt=UK_Sporting_Goods_Sports_Clothing_LE&var=&hash=item3cd4150035

 

http://www.oliverbrown.org.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/e/mens-caps-light-brown.jpg

 

Might help in the dark, although it doesn't fit in with my 'look' - a cream linen suit, cream fedora, black shirt & white tie.

 

G.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the World will know Peace": Jimi Hendrix

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=738517&content=music

The Geoff - blame Caevan!!!

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My guitar player threatened to wear his at the last gig, but a couple small LED floods got him to switch to his fedora as well. Meanwhile, I remembered getting some stick on glow in the dark fret markers on ebay a while back and stuck them on the bass.

1000 Upright Bass Links, Luthier Directory, Teacher Directory - http://www.gollihurmusic.com/links.cfm

 

[highlight] - Life is too short for bad tone - [/highlight]

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Meanwhile, when looking for inlay dots for a ho fretless I'm working on I found this: Guitar Side Dot Position Markers-GLOW IN THE DARK-Black

 

Will letcha know if they are a good solution. I like the idea of their otherwise ordinary appearance.

1000 Upright Bass Links, Luthier Directory, Teacher Directory - http://www.gollihurmusic.com/links.cfm

 

[highlight] - Life is too short for bad tone - [/highlight]

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That's the stuff I'm getting laid into my new ebony fretless fingerboard, except mine has a white outer shell. Glows green as in the photo.

 

As I mention above, I got one of those little UV pocket flashlites so I can run it up & down the side of the neck to recharge the glow between numbers - ought to intrugue any audience we attract....probably moths......

 

:)

 

G.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the World will know Peace": Jimi Hendrix

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=738517&content=music

The Geoff - blame Caevan!!!

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