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NBD! Fender Tony Franklin Fretless

#21
Inara said:
You're welcome ... thanks and happy Valentine's to you as well :)

I wish I had the chance to see Tony Franklin live ... He's just amazing.

And yes, bikes and bass! There's a thread we have going here if you're interested in checking it out: Bassists who ride Motorcycles
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Very cool! Thanks again Inara! I'm new to TB so I'll definitely check that out. My bike is sleeping right now (Michigan) but if your still riding where your at, be reckless safely & watch for rolling screen zombies trying to mess up your bliss!
 
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#22
bmac314 said:
View attachment 3707459 View attachment 3707457 I've been wanting a TF fretless for a long time. All the talk about the new LPB model inspired me to go for it. I love the LPB but black is my color.
It was a demo model and came strung with LaBella DTF. I like the tone but may try Nickel rounds at some point. Here's a few pics. So far...I'm really enjoying this bass!
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I've owned one for three or four years now, great basses, if you're thinking of putting RW's on it, I would try DR Sunbeams, they're OE on those basses. I've switched to light (.096) La Bella DTF's they sound great on these basses and are light enough to be supple.
 
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#25
bobyoung53 said:
I've owned one for three or four years now, great basses, if you're thinking of putting RW's on it, I would try DR Sunbeams, they're OE on those basses. I've switched to light (.096) La Bella DTF's they sound great on these basses and are light enough to be supple.
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I was thinking about trying the Sunbeams....but, the more I play with these LaBella DTF's, the more I'm liking it as is!
 
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#27
bmac314 said:
I was thinking about trying the Sunbeams....but, the more I play with these LaBella DTF's, the more I'm liking it as is!
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LaBella has very nice tapewounds also. Use them on my fretless jazz. They can sound organic/woody yet clear (hard to describe sounds) with the Lakland pickups.

Almost forgot: Gorgeous bass! How is the weight?
 
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#28
bmac314 said:
The more I've been playing it this afternoon.....the more I'm liking the flats also..They would not have been my first pick, but since they were already on the bass, I'm thinking I'll leave them on for awhile and see how I feel about it in a few weeks.
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Congrats on a very cool bass!

Loved TI jazz flats on my '71 P-bass fretless. Now use Ken Smith Slick-wounds on my Valenti 5 "stealth" fretless.
 
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#31
bmac314 said:
Thanks! I have a set of TI flats sitting around. Those are also in the running to try out on this bass. Are you liking the Ken Smith's?
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Very much. The instrument is strung EADGC, so it is a special order situation, lol. Lots of mwah.

Might be rude to post a pic on a NBD thread, though...
 
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#33
bmac314 said:
Feel free to post! Appreciate the input.
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Well, this was my main axe for several years, but upright and a bunch of Jazz basses are now what I bring. That said, I loved playing my long sold fretless P-bass. When I picked up a Franklin for a try out at a music store in Austin, I remembered how great a fretless P-bass can be.

Here is my EADGC Valenti Fretless:

stealth_valenti_017.jpg
 
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#35
Congrats on the new TF fretless. Great bass, and you sound great playing it.

I used to have one, and I replaced the stock tuners with hipshot ultralights. That removed (literally) half a pound from the neck, bringing the weight down to 8.5 lbs with great balance. Had to drill some holes, but worth it IMO. I heartily recommend that mod.

I miss that bass, but I eventually sold it and had Mike Lull (RIP :() make me an awesome passive V4 fretless. No looking back, though I still think about that awesome TF. One of the finest Fenders made, CS-level quality.
 
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#38
bmac314 said:
Here's a quick video. I'm still learning fretless and have a lot of opportunities to fine tune my intonation. It's a fun journey.
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Very nice playing!
IMHO Fender's best looking production bass, that one, specifically that black finish with the ebony fingerboard.
Looks like a Stealth Bomber or something, just a wicked profile. Almost bought one but unfortunately my ear remains really good but no so my intonation, which is a bad combo, as the % I can hear that I am out starts making me seasick as I play, LOL. And rolling to finger "into" intonation only works with certain fair.

Love what you're playing in your demo, from 0:45 to 1:02 my foot starting tapping on its own to your groove in part because you're getting THAT sound, don't you dare change those DTF for rounds, you're there. All you need is to record with a better interface to get the p bass booming and pumping, but your playing and your strings sound great, you're doing that beast justice, I'm envious. Congrats and enjoy!
 
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