bassace

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1380740650' post='2229927'] Thats what Excesses in the Policy are designed to do ! [/quote] To a point.

Thing is, what risk(s) are you insuring against. If I take my bass to a gig the most likely event will be damage of some kind and from some source. OK, I know of a bass that had an upright piano fall on it, so a total write off. But £2,000 will easily cover quite a serious amount of damage. Now, digging deeper on this, to a student for example a DB may well be his principal asset and he would do well to cover his instrument for total loss, eg theft, or in a house fire. My house is equal to an awful lot of basses so it makes sense to get that well-covered and in the event of that getting destroyed I might be less concerned at losing a bass. We can go through life insuring everything against every risk - and spend an awful lot of money doing so. Or we could cover ourselves against the biggest risks and take the lesser events on the chin. (Commenting on Rabbie's post - quote missed off, sorry)

That's very brave, Ben. All power to you.

I write as one who's never set eyes on a KK let alone played one but the emphasis on its salsa suitability makes me worry that it may be a bit too thumpy for my taste. I like a bass with a good legato sound and sustain. How have others found this particular aspect?

Musicians Union membership gives me £2,000 non specified insurance. OK, it doesn't cover everything but enough to pay for a DB repair following gig damage (I've claimed once for a split in the table after a sax player knocked my bass over) or my Clarus head getting nicked. Stuff at home is only partially covered but I've always taken the more unlikely risks on the chin.

That's fair enough for your intended use. I made the point in an adjacent topic that a strong E on an amplified bass can have an adverse effect on the sound palette. A case of horses for courses - or basses for places perhaps.

No way is a DB anything like 3M3.

[quote name='TheG' timestamp='1380533325' post='2226545'] Thwaites were fine and down to earth. One thing I noticed with practically all the shops, was when I said "This bass is Great but the E string seems dead", etc nobody really offered any explanation or opinion as to why or what could be done. It didn't really seem like it was a dead string either to me. I could only assume that they purposefully have no opinion as it will sound different with each player????? I don't know! Maybe my finger was dead or something? [/quote] You'll find many basses with a disappointing E but don't be too concerned about this. The bass will most likely amp up very well. A really strong E could amp up too well and you'll have to apply an HPF or eq it out somehow. More important is to find a bass with a strong G that stays well right up to thumb position. Mr Boring alert, I may just tell you an E string story if you tempt me.

That is amazing and will be valued by all of us who have struggled, eg, with Waltz for Debby. Just to go into Mr Boring mode, if I may, a pianist friend of mine wrote to Bill Evans while he was at Scotts and asked for guidance on the chords for WfD which was brand new then and not as familiar to us as it is now. Bill replied with the chords which he had jotted down on a scrap of paper during the interval.

That's just great!

I just clean the strings with industrial alcohol and give the body and neck a dust, but have never polished a bass.

Don't think so, it's a bit downmarket compared to Cornbury which he usually goes to with his chum Mr Clarkson. I queued up with Mr C at the chippy recently: he looked scruffy and miserable. Sorry, this isn't much about basses is it. I'm playing with a gypsy jazz/folk four piece. If we get asked to do 'something Irish' we tarmac the car park in the interval.

I'm just confused. I'm taking my German blonde ply to the Chipping Norton Festival (ChippyJazz) tomorrow.

The EB really came into its own in the mid sixties - because it was there and the DB was difficult to amp with the kit available. The only near-acceptable piece of gear was the Di Armond contact mic and that was pretty mushy. So people were leaving the double bass in droves - a good time to buy in retrospect. The EB couldn't really get close to the sound of the DB and always seemed to be to forward in the mix; just listen to the bass on the previous clip. At that time fusion was starting to make itself heard so the EB fitted in; I remember reading an article that asserted that the EB was probably the most significant instrument to have entered the jazz world over the past few decades. I remember I left the DB behind and played EB for quite a while. It was great to be heard easily. Trouble was I naturally played DB just in front of the beat to be decent but when I played EB it got a bit too much and some of my fellow musos reckoned I was a bit rubbish. So it was a happy day when I went up to Footes and bought my double bass for the second time.

[quote name='AndrewRichards' timestamp='1379699354' post='2215936'] Well hmm theres different ways to look at this, I will be flying over to America to the Bass Violin Shop and staying with relatives. If someone else buys the bass, gives me a double bass or whatever then technically I wouldn't know the value of the instrument and could transport the bass in a flightcase no questions asked through customs. Surely? I'm carrying the instrument myself, it isn't being transported by a currier? If the worse comes to the worse and I still have to Pay VAT surely i'd still be miles better off in terms of bass and general pricing of the instrument? [url="http://bassviolinshop.com/catalog/index.php/pcategory/carved/"]http://bassviolinsho...ategory/carved/[/url] I could buy any of the basses up to $8,000 ^ [/quote] I have known of a new bass brought over as personal property.

I was more than happy with my Bryant - still am - and couldn't find fault with the finish and certainly no cracks/seams. Yes, when I get round to it I'll have the fingerboard re-shot but other than a slight buzz in one position on the A (sometimes) the bass is well playable. Importing my bass from Upton was straightforward. As a rule of thumb the dollar price is about what you'd pay in pounds to include shipping and duty. Probably a little bit more now that vat has increased to 20%. I contacted some shipping agents over here and they arranged the import and I collected the bass from the airport. Presumably the shippers will do it all door-to-door. And Tom and George Martin are 15 miles up the road. Happy days. BTW, sometime back we mooted the idea of a double bass get-together. This could be useful not only to the more established players but also those wanting to get into all things DB - whose numbers are growing. We've got some nice stuff between us which could point the way. It's going to be geographically difficult - maybe two locations at different times - but we ought to have a go next year.

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1379335783' post='2211364'] "Outdoor bass". Excellent concept, leading to all instruments in any given collection being duplicated. One for indoors, one for outdoors. GAS ahoy! [/quote] Sorry, that did sound a bit precious didn't it. I do a few gigs each year that are supposed to be undercover but often aren't, or there's cover on top but nothing to stop the wet blowing in from the sides. Or has anyone here played on a river boat when the Thames mists come up and engulf the band after nine o'clock? For these gigs I've got a ply bass that in spite of its cheapness plays quite well but doesn't cause me the concern that a nice carved bass would in the wet. Then there's the amps to consider; does anyone have an 'outdoor amp/cab?

And it's free!

Ply is fine although my outdoor bass has got a walking stick rubber tip on its spike. That always works.

Sounds good advice to me. I carry a 6B pencil with spare strings and a winder to gigs.

Just follow this link and look at the 8 Sept advert. Whenever I hear a bass described as bright and clear my interest is aroused. At £800 could be a very good buy with that pedigree. Worth a phone call. [url="https://www.musicalchairs.info/double-bass/sales"]https://www.musicalchairs.info/double-bass/sales[/url]

[quote name='FLoydElgar' timestamp='1378732643' post='2203831'] Bryant will be ready for you to play instantly! Will last you for a lot longer. Bryantbasses.co.uk Contact him there... They are fantastic for everything... Also it's an English bass at half the price of what they should be Bryants are under 4k handmade - but don't quote me on that... But price mainly depends on hardware and strings... A good bass will make your sound improve dramatically and you won't have to pay for any major set ups... Go home on trial and play it You can get everything else later... I think a good bass is more important than gear... But that's my pennies worth.. -F [/quote] I agree with all of that, but is he still making basses? I played in the house rhythm section a while ago and lent my Bryant to a player for a couple of tunes. She (because it was) just couldn't believe the sound and playability. There are two kinds of DB player; those that frown and those that smile. My Bryant does that to me.

You turn up for a December gig with the seven piece and there on the stage in the DB position is a bloody Christmas tree.

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