bassace

To think that in the sixties I was running an 18" in a cab the size of a wardrobe - and that was for an URB (although it doubled with a Jazz). However, technology has caught up and EA now do a perfectly acceptable 10" which, in certain circumstances, is superior to a 12" for urb. I think that very soon the price of diesel may be the deciding factor. I still like to get myself to a gig so I can put everything except the kitchen sink aboard, including different speaker options if I haven't played the venue before. But we did the Abersoch Jazz Festival last weekend (five hours each way) and four of us went down in a Grand Voyager with drums, PA, saxes, trumpet, double bass and overnight luggage. There was no way I could take anything bigger than a GK combo. Not my ideal amp but compromises have to be made if we still want to make a few bob out of the gig.

Malcolm Creese and Acoustic Triangle, on tour now and a new CD out. Good reviews in the Sundays.

I do all jazz these days so when I got a chance to do covers I used to enjoy it, real cheesy stuff if necesary. All in the past tense because I don't own any BGs anymore. Is integrity really the issue though? I'm just grateful that I'm able to play bass and that others seem to want me to play with them.

I haven't got my Stagg anymore, but from memory I think it's a piezo bridge pickup with very limited controls (vol and tone). It should be relatively easy, however, to fit a mag pickup on the fingerboard. Most successful slappers seem to have additional electronics to help out.

In nearly fifty years probably never. The sad thing about basses, particularly URBs is that the guy sitting four metres away gets a better sound than the player does. Otherwise GAS would never arise.

So, who are you with, Mr B?

I played the Trustees Hall with Richard Leach 7 Stars last Sat. Packed house, enthusiastic people, we got an encore. It's a good scene. Well done Mr B for publicising the venues. PS, if the avatar scares anyone I'll take it off.

I joined a keyboards/drums/bass jazz trio backing a singer for a charity bash in Oxford last night. A few big names there. The event over-ran so instead of doing 2x45 with a break we were squeezed into 1x80. Girl singer was great, we didn't use a pad and busked all the way but by the end it was a bit hard. Then the owner of the venue came up and said 'you have my personal permission to carry on for another thirty minutes'. What a arse!

Probably stating the bleedin' obvious but make sure the drums are miked if poss. Outside they could be the quietest instrument in the band. You will definitely benefit from good PA.

Cello is an awesome instrument. Elgar by Jaqueline du Pre is so moving. There is a Ray Brown LP of him playing cello that I heard once. It was very good but I'm not sure whether, being a bassist, he had it tuned in fourths. Red Mitchell was a bassist who tuned his bass in fifths. You can still get a 'Red Mitchell' set of Spirocores in fifths so I suppose that means there are others out there doing it.

[quote name='guyl' post='192498' date='May 5 2008, 09:20 PM']Was thinking of a Fishman Full Circle next. Any comments?[/quote] Yes, I got one two weeks ago. It fitted quite easily because my bridge already had adjusters on it. (If the bridge doesn't have adjusters you'll need a luthier). So I did it in less that half-an-hour, threads down which is the recommended config. This means that the 'hot' face of the pup faces up towards strings rather than down towards the bass. Sounded promising then stopped! I got a free replacement after five days - distributors and PMT at Oxford were very helpful - but my confidence was a bit shaken. I posted on Talkbass and found a few others who had encountered reliablilty problems but of course several who hadn't. So, detune the strings, take the bridge off again and refit the new Full Circle. This time good. I have so far only gigged it twice and both times in marquees so the sound has been a bit 'dry'. But it's very promising - the clarity is fantatstic and it is the closest to a DB sound that I have had; so I'm convinced it's the way to go. I'm playing in a small cinema at the Keswick Jazz Festival on Thursday through an AI Clarus into a 12" Wizzy for backline then through the house. I am using a simple Fishman Pro-eq preamp out of habit but I think you can safely run a Full Circle without one. When I'm completely happy I'll take the Underwood off so that the bridge can have more freedom to vibrate.

You could try Peter Tyler in Maidenhead (not quite Surrey). He is a very kind chap and perhaps not quite so precious as some of the other luthiers. If you offer him an 'internet' bass to work on he'll probably cough, smile indulgently and then get on with the job.

Yes, but you're talking EUB. Is this a fair comparison for groove machine who is asking about his double bass? It is possible that on an upright with the bigger body feedback might be an issue although I agree he won't need a preamp. If gm would like to pm me with his address and phone no I will be happy to send him my Realist to try. If he likes it he can buy it for a modest sum (£50) or send it back. No worries.

[quote name='MissPenguin' post='190417' date='May 2 2008, 12:22 PM']I've never seen the trolleys that convert into stools o_O They look awesome. I have tiny wheels on the bottom of my case and am becoming very aware they are going to disappear soon.[/quote] Yes, me too!

This could start a whole new discussion among the (few?) upright players on this site. You will find several differing opinions so here are mine. David Gage realist is OK at relatively low volumes but at higher ones it seems to get a bit boomy. It is not particularly fedback resistant. It is quite easy to install - slacken the strings, lift the bridge and slip it under the E foot. I've used an Underwood for many years and it is a good all-rounder. It has a good bottom and mids but is a bit weak on the highs; it can reproduce a honky sort of sound on the mids and highs. There are two pickups that slip between the bridge wings. On most bridges it is a matter of shimming to fit snugly but not too tight. On some others a bit more radical shaping is required to accept the pup. There is also a school of thought that does not recommend filling up the wing slots but letting them vibrate freely. Fishman BP-100 clips onto the bridge and is probably the easist to fit but the sound is not too everyone's taste. It can be a bit too bright and pick up fingerboard noises. However, for a first timer on a bass such as yours I'd probably recommend it. On this and the Underwood the sound would be improved by a preamp, such as a Fishman Pro-EQ, because the impedances are very high and need a bit of buffering. Plus there is the useful eq facility so you can adjust your sound to the room. There are others available but too much choice can sometimes confuse. Hope this helps you a bit.

Just a thought................. Considering the job we do aren't [i]all[/i] bassists overated anyway?

And expect to be completely knackered by the end of the day. PS - make sure you can hear what you're playing - sounds elementary but you'd be surprised how difficult this can sometimes be. Make sure your own playback/monitoring is slightly forward in the mix.

Too right!

I use IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) from good ol' Maplin. They call it Electronic Cleaning Solvent and it goes for about £10 per litre can. I use it to clean the URB strings in situ once a week.

I've just bought a Regulated 9V 400mA adaptor, model L67BQ from Maplin for £9.99. Beats the Boss at £24 and works well. You can change the polarity from centre neg to pos and there is a whole range of adaptors so it will fit anything. Or do you already know this?

I find that most guitarists use a tuner then do a reality check by ear/harmonics to fine tune. They wouldn't rubbish anyone else using a tuner. I always use one for my upright just as a BG player would.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='176041' date='Apr 14 2008, 08:55 AM']I did a dep job this weekend, possibly the strangest of my life! (Apart from the one at the nudist colony some years ago!) Played this week for the "Ancholme Riverside Jazz Band." Nothing strange there I hear you say, but then think on the lines that all the members of this excellent dixieland band were a minimum of 30 years older than me! The drummer was easily 80 & still grooving away, the trombonist & trumpet player were in their early 70's & the sax player (who was absolutely awsome!) was 85 if he was a day! The moral of the story? Keep on playing no matter what! Age doesn't matter. These guys were an inspiation![/quote] As one of the older subscribers of Basschat I find that very encouraging! We are not quite in that age bracket but still play to full houses. Tonight Rotherham, tomorrow the world!

Three legs. Ok, low price - you know what I'm trying to say.

[quote name='OldGit' post='175343' date='Apr 12 2008, 06:20 PM']Any chance of a close up picture of the stand? I've taken the left side prong off as it was stopping me from getting up teh dusty end. The little humpy thing is enough to locate the octave position.[/quote] I hope this pic comes out, although as the Stagg now belongs to Linus I suppose I should ask his permission - nah. I can't see how you can play it without the stability provided by the outrigger on the near side, although I never saw the use for the one on the other side, which is why I never passed it on to Linus when I sold it. It's a long time since a relatively low value product stirred up such a high level of interest.