bassace

A great day. Lots of thanks to Skywalker for setting the whole thing up and Nick for his hospitality. Some amazing gear. Sorry I had to bottle out late afternoon to go back to let my dogs out. Mrs Bassace came back from the Three Counties Show with eight rosettes - from one horse? I don't get it.

I'm going to have a clear out of a lot of my stuff. I've got far too much gear and I want to raise some cash for a new bass. I'll get round to putting some for sales out next week when I can get Mrs Bassace's camera to work. In the meantime, here is a heads up:- German Blonde Lami Double Bass, circa sixties. Gallien Krueger 150MBS combi amp Gallien Krueger 150 MBX 12" extension speaker SWR 12"/tweeter bass monitor/backline speaker cab Henricksen 12" JazzAmp Roland 12" 60W basscube combo If anything interests you pl give me a PM but I will be away at the Abersoch Jazz Festival most of Sat/Sun.

I had a weak E string on one of my basses and considered putting a Spiro Stark on. However, I was advised to try a Evah Pirazzi. Very impressive, so I'm now 1/4 qualified to express an opinion. I understand that Pirazzi Weichs are now available in US are are getting a lot of converts among the jazzers.

[quote name='NickPini' post='509252' date='Jun 9 2009, 04:59 PM']It's a never ending problem isn't it? I'm currently going through the mill of finding a new pickup. Had a lot of advice from sound engineers, bass players and producers. Also some jazz guitarists who've had similar issues with hollow body guitars and feedback etc. Reached a conclusion for my own circumstance, might not be suitable to anyone else.. I do a lot of loud volume gigs, as well as quieter ones. Personally, I need to amplify my acoustic sound as accurately as possible. For pizz, and for bowing. I can't see the point in spending a moderate amount of money on something which you need to effect afterwards in order to re-create an acoustic sound. If you're really after it, you're probably going to have to pay up... A lot of the really top bassists out there seem to blend 2 signals -one mic, one pickup. check out Dave Holland, john pattituci, ron carter, charlie haden, christian mcbride and so on.. A common choice seems to be the realist, blended with and mic by AMT -SP25B (http://www.gollihurmusic.com/product/1472-AMT_UPRIGHT_BASS_MICROPHONE_SYSTEMS_SP25B_S25B.html) or something similar. You send the mic straight to the PA, then the pickup to your amp which then also goes to the PA. That way, you can get all your clarity from the pickup, and your wood/umph from the mic. Unfortunately, that really is a big bill to pay, and you need a sound guy who actually knows what he's doing. What I'm going to try is getting this Schertler stat select pickup, which seems to be rated pretty well, and put it through an EQ pedal -I've found a list of the frequencies you should boost/cut out for double bass when you're recording, and for live to avoid feedback. Another big influence in feedback is the fact that the bass is effectively it's own amplifier anyway -it's that big body that's causing the frequencies to behave like that, so I'm looking into doing what guitarists do, and buying to plugs for the F-holes for those really loud gigs. That [i]should[/i] sort it out. I'll let you know what happens.. xx[/quote] I can't argue with your theory. Trouble is, as I've said before, not all gigs-especially the jazz ones- have the benefit of a good PA or an intelligent sound man. You'll need this to put any mic through or you'll get feedback through your backline. If you're doing a big gig the sound you'll get will be a good approximation but nothing like the genuine acoustic sound, so why worry. If you're doing a small intimate gig then that's the time to really work on your sound. I've no expereince of the Schertler but I'm told it's a bit fussy to set up. The one all the guys in US are talking about is the Vektor by a guy called Toby Timber. You might care to Google him. Good luck with the never ending quest.

After a will-I-won't-I moment I have bumped my CR4M in the For Sale section. I just don't use it enough. It's the one with the mag and piez pickups and £900 is a good saving on the list price which I think is around £1900 today.

Wecome to Basschat. I was born in Woodley and then lived in Earley. I went to Forest Grammar School where les Hurdle was one year behind me. Who Les? Well he went on to become a good session player on bass. He was on Art Garfunkel's Brighteyes and did Donna Summer's first Disco LP for Giorgio Moroder. I was one of Reading's first bass guitarists, in 1960. I played an instrument my young brother made for me. Because he didn't have the skills to fret it I played it fretless, so it was certainly the first fretless for miles. Then I got an EBO. I remember seeing Jerry Lee Lewis at Olympia Ballroom, The Stones at the Town Hall and a very young Rod Stewart at the Uni. Those were the days. Enjoy your bass, you've a whole life in front of you - lucky chap!

I've sorted it now. Thanks to everyone who responded, double bassists didn't let me down.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='505437' date='Jun 4 2009, 01:10 PM']Hi Bassace, if you find a Fishman to buy ratherthan swap, I will buy the realist from you. I haven't tried one yet and I could get it from you at Upton if it works out... let me know how you get on. Jake[/quote] Jake I've sorted the Fishman. Not sure I want to part with the Realist just yet but will happily let you have it on long loan. I'll bring it to Upton. I'm playing Friday with Dave Moorwood and Sunday with Richard Leach. It'll be good to meet up for a chat.

I need a BP-100 pickup. I have a Rev Solo or a Realist to exchange or I'll pay cash. Sorry it's not posted in the 'Wanted' area but I feel I'll get more prominence in the DB bit.

[quote name='skywalker' post='504099' date='Jun 2 2009, 07:01 PM']Just a bumpy to make sure this hasn't been forgotten. I will check on numbers tomorrow to and work out what to do about food, if anyone has suggestions please shout up.[/quote] Can we each bring some stuff and have a picnic - weather permitting. Not very rock and roll perhaps but could be FUN.

Yes, you are certainly going to need a cover to stop your bass getting scratched and knocked about. What you get depends upon how you are going to transport the bass. 99% of my transport is in my own car so I use quite a simple soft case wth about 20mm padding. I don't want pockets and straps and stuff to get caught in the bits of the car while I'm loading it, although strategically placed handles do help with loading in and carrying. So in that respect my requirements are modest and £300 should easily do the trick. If your bass is going in a band van, then I'd recommend the best soft case you could afford, and even a lower end hard case at about £1k. The cheaper hard cases can be quite heavy, that is why the high end ones are lighter, made of Kevlar or carbon fibre and bloody expensive - up to £4k. There is a compromise which I haven't tried , a canvas covered styrofoam case at 10kilos and £650. One of the bass players will surely come up with a post recommending a specific case, but in the meantime you might like to look up www.jpbmusic.com who I've found to be very helpful and give me good service.

Like many of you guys I don't get the jitters and can't remember the last time I did. Is it because we have the relatively easy job of being at the back? Even the drummer, IMO, has to watch his cues more carefully that we do. Different for JT, right out at the front, nowhere to hide.

[quote name='subaudio' post='494034' date='May 21 2009, 10:56 AM']Good fun this double bass playing lark isnt it [/quote] Bloody frustrating sometimes!

I use a Steinberger for rehearsals and 'tight' gigs. It's convenient to stand it on its tripod and I can make it sound quite close to a DB. But I'd love to have an Azola Bug. It is quite expensive, though.

Sorry, but a half decent jazzer could do that as well on double bass. It's competent but nothing amazing. ..............runs for cover.........

[quote name='liamcapleton' post='492837' date='May 20 2009, 12:00 AM']And on the third day, the Lord said; 'thou shalt not argue with Marcus Miller!!' [/quote] My apologies. Charlie Parker sold his usual alto just befor a concert to buy drugs. Dizzy and some other band members scoured the neigbourhood to buy him a new new sax. The only one they could find was a Grafton plastic sax. He played the concert and Ornette Coleman followed later.

Er, I don't think it was Charlie Parker but Ornette Coleman who played a plastic sax. But that was a 'proper' plastic sax - as opposed to a toy.

We did a very nice wedding on Saturday. My double bass and amp sounded fantastic, so did the band. But it always sounds good in a marquee. No room coloration.