rikodriko

Hi 2 questions in 1 !! anyone had any experience with these strings ? The Gut-a-like are not too expensive, so was thinking of buying some just to try out at the same time i am going to buy some more 'traditional strings'. I have been using spirocores for about 6 years, and i think its time for some new ones - my old bass teacher recommended the 'jazzer' from Pirastro - any experience with these also? Would love to hear some comments !! thanks Richard.

Cool Cool what about loosening the strings ? humidifiers etc?

I am moving to oz at the end of the year. Really happy about that! I have a nice fully carved bass (worth £3K), and its going in the container. So i have a few questions regarding transportation and what to do. firstly, my main man 4stringfortress sorted me out a decent hard case. Next ... its going to be 2-3 months in the case and in the container. Should i get a humidifier for the inside of the bass? Or should i me more worried about damp and mould? Should i loosen the strings ? Last - im moving from the depths of winter here to the heights of summer there. I have heard stories of people saying 'dont take the bass out the case for a bit' as the change in temperature will cause warping and cracking of the table, back or ribs .. Is this true or just an old wives tale? Any advice here from people who have done this on here? Thanks Richard

Everyone is saying what a nice chap this ben is... I think i have to agree. The guy sorted me a nice double bass hard case and shipped it immediately. If he was a hot leggy blonde then i might have considered getting divorced. No seriously - great transaction. thanks mate. All in good order and my bass fits in the case like a glove!!

markers on side of neck are a short term way of maintaining intonation. it works for a while, but you become dependant on them and when you pleay someone elses bass you will be lost. I tried using small stickers on the neck for ages, and thought i was ace, but when they moved i had major problems. You really have yo use your ears. Using a bow will bring out any intonation issues as has been mentioned. use your reference points - open strings, and thimb stop on neck as mentioned. you might struggle for a while but eventually it will come. you will just sh1t yourself everytime you have to play something in Ab or Db !

tender sides of thumbs go hard after a few days of thumb position ... give it time and itll all come together. Will be pain free once the callousses start growing over.. My ring finger still collapses after 7 years of playing. Books sound great - i also might buy them!

Hi fellow DB players. Ill probably get in trouble for posting this in here, but whatugonnado ? I need a double bass hard case, quick and cheap !! Can anyone help ? I preparing to move to australia before the end of the year, and dont trust my soft case in the container. Therefore looking for a hard case for my bass. Dont care if its trashed - its just to get it to OZ in one piece. Anyone got one to sell in the south east (I'm in Hove)? Need a 3/4 size. Perhaps i could visit and see if my bass fits in it ... Thanks Richard

Thanks All, now a proud owner of a P bass...

Hi, I normally hang around the double bass forums thats thats what i play. I know absolutely nothing about bass guitars other than they also have 4 strings and occasionally 5. sometimes 6. Slightly smaller than a DB. im in the market for getting more into bass guitar, and have been looking around on ebay and other places. I have found a good condition bass - Fender deluxe active P bass special... at a good price - £350 - or at least i think thats a good price. but my lack of knowledge is holding me back. Can anyone recommend this kind of bass at this price? are these basses generally better than regular P Basses (more knobs to twiddle)? Is this too much for what it is? Any comments appreciated.

my pleasure Your wife and wallet wont forgive you, but who cares..

loads and loads via the schertler preamp added in... and a more 'real' tone as well... V happy with it... To be clear i only ever have used the contact mic with the pre amp. so cant say whether there is more if you connect the contact mic directly in to your normal amp... Sold my realist ages ago and have not looked back since. I dont think its particularly crap - just that my new set up is much better, louder and truer - but i had to pay for it !!

Hi, not sure if this has been covered already, as i havent read all the posts, but just to say that the schertler dyn-B contact mic and the PRE AI III matched pre amp is absolutely ACE. Still get feedback, but thats normal - the resonance of the bass body will always cause this at higher volumes. Need to position yourself so that you are not facing your amp. I had a Realist for AGES, thinking it was the best on the market, but i was never really happy with the sound. Most doubles bassists are after that 'pure' acoustic tone when amplified, and the realist to me was too middy and nasal, and the output from it was far too low. I investigated the schertler stuff and managed to get the Dyb-B and preamp all in for less than £500 on ebay. Its expensive stuff !! Im loving the tone of it, and also the portability - it just sticks on the bass with green bluetack so moves between multiple basses with ease. It also has a phase switch to switch out the feedback if you in a cramped rehearsal space for example. Would defo recommend. but its expensive !! my 2c...

Thanks all. After boiling the strings they all came up like new - sound like new - I was also told that meths is a good and cheap option for the strings, as well as being a nice tipple after a hard days work ! I went and bought lemon oil and some 'proper' instrument polish from my local string shop in hove, and it all went OK - until i loosened all the strings to get to the fingerboard, and the soundpost fell into the bass. Oops... got my old bass teacher in to reset it for a tenner though. Phew !! His first comment was 'put the bass on its back before you do any of this stuff' - so this might be good advice for any of you that wants to try it. Also only do two strings at a time so the bridge doesnt move... now onto that meths ... its almost 10 AM !

Hi all i have a really nice carved DB. I have recently taken it upon myself to clen it up a bit. for the first time ever, i have removed the strings (5 year old thomastiks) and boiled them for about 90 mins. They sound great. Just like new. If you havent tried it then i would recommend it !! As for the body, im going to use Lemon oil to clean it up, including beer stains on the bridge, oops... dont tell malcolm healy as that who i bought it off. Can anyone recommend an alternative to lemon oil? or is that the standard for nice tonewoods? Should i use it for thefingerboard as well? what are your DB cleaning secrets ??? Richard

Hi All I have had a set of Thomastik spirocore strings on my DB since i bought it new about 5 years back. Never changed them. The bottom E string seems to lack any 'definition/projection' of late (hard to find the correct word), and just has become more of a dull thud and more quiet than the other strings. I dont remember it being like that in the past thpugh, but i guess its a gradual thing and your ears don't really pick it up. Any comments appreciated, my old bass teacher used to tell me to boil the strings and they come up like new, anyone done this and its made a difference? Second - ive never really had experience with other types of string - can anyone recommend some nice jazz strings i could look at - good tone and projection - and woody sound (guess thats more a reflection of the bass itself though ! Hope to hear some expert opinions ! thanks for reading Richard.