bassace

No, I returned it - a bit sheepishly.

Certainly a great experience to go and try all those wonderful basses. I spent the best part of a day there and Tony made me lunch. Didn't buy anything although I took one away on appro. Still on my conscience as a bit of a timewaster.

I suppose I could talk about the richness, complexity and dynamics of the sound produced, all of which are valid. But in truth when I started out the 'bottom' instrument was the DB and BGs hadn't really come into the country. Jazz was the popular music of choice for anyone with a brain and the first rockers, Elvis, Bill Haley etc all used uprights. I had a Fender Jazz in the early sixties - wish I still had it now - and apart from a few short periods with covers bands it's the DB that is 'my' instrument. It is heartwarming to read on this forum how many people enjoy playing the DB and to hear of those whose love affair is just starting.

On the other side of the coin I heard last weekend from an insider that a top 'name' pays his backing musicians a pittance.

No. Two good reasons - 1. I'm not going to share any info that, even by implication, would take the piss out of the B&G's choice of music. and 2. the thread is all about the Bass Bash so please let's get back on topic and concentrate our minds on a great event.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1369908283' post='2094209'] Go on tell, us .. give us all a laugh! S [/quote] Nooooooooo

At first things were a bit difficult because I had weekend gigs and that meant we couldn't socialise much with all our friends. So I saw the writing on the wall and gave the whole thing up - for fifteen years. Now 46 years down the line we're very happily still together, I do lots of gigs and have lots of gear all with Mrs B's approval. So I suppose the moral is get your investment in early and it'll pay off later.

Sorry folks, having said that I'll bring a DB I've now got a wedding gig come up at the last minute. So while you're all having a good time I'll be gritting my teeth playing (well, I'm too embarrassed to tell you what the bride wants us to play). Have a great day; from past experience a Bass Bash never disappoints.

Andrew, you'd be very welcome to come up and play my Bryant if you can't find anyone closer. I'm your side of Banbury. Thanks for the mention, Bilbo. BTW, it's a very nice bass and I got a lot of compliments when I took it to the Cheltenham Jazz Jam (house rhythm section) last Sunday.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1369252217' post='2086989'] GK MB150S - people use them be ause they are light. They sound sh** but at least you can take them on Ryanair as hand luggage. [/quote] Mine's just fine with DB. I can play Moondance all night on it.

It's good.

I'll bring my Upton double bass if anyone would like a go.

That underneath an MB200 would be a tidy little starter rig at around £400 the two. BTW I use a piezo with a 10" Wizzy which is regarded as quite midrangy. You can eq any honks out quite easily. Ah, just noticed it's a 15" which may be a bit 'slow' for a DB.

Fell asleep.

You'll probably have a better chance smuggling in a curvaceous eighteen-year-old but good luck anyway. Enjoy your bass. I've never owned a hybrid but somehow it seems a very good idea.

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1368526624' post='2077941'] As he intended to be. It's satire. [/quote] Of course it is! Doh.

I've just lifted this from the other forum. I do hope I don't get into trouble but I found it quite amusing. [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Yogi Berra on Jazz[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]An interview with the Master of Malapropisms[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Interviewer: Can you explain Jazz?[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Yogi: I can't, but I will. 90% of all Jazz is half improvisation. The other half is the part people play while others are playing something they never played with anyone who played that part. So if you play the wrong part, its right. If you play the right part, it might be right if you play it wrong enough. But if you play it too right, it's wrong.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Interviewer: I don't understand.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Yogi: Anyone who understands Jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Interviewer: Do you understand it?[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Yogi: No. That's why I can explain it. If I understood it, I wouldn't know anything about it.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Interviewer: Are there any great Jazz player alive today?[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Yogi: No. All the great Jazz players alive today are dead. Except for the ones that are still alive. But so many of them are dead, that the ones that are still alive are dying to be like the ones that are dead.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Interviewer: What is syncopation?[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Yogi: That's when the note that you should hear now happens either before or after you hear it. In Jazz, you don't hear notes when they happen because that would be some other type of music. Other types of music can be Jazz, but only if they're the same as something different from those other kinds.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Interviewer: Now I really don't understand.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Yogi: I haven't taught you enough for you to not understand Jazz that well.[/font][/color]

You could do well to get a ply with a carved top - a hybrid. That way you could get a very good compromise and, assuming you are going to amplify (who doesn't?), a very good sound that you could have difficulty getting if you bought the 'wrong' carved. I started with a ply many years ago - paid £45 brand new - and had lots of great adventures with it, including several gigs with 'names'. If only they knew!

Powerwise you can run a piezo straight into an amp no problem. Trouble is that the impedance of a pickup is considerably higher than that 'expected' by most amps. So although you may get a passable sound you will certainly get a much better one if you use an outboard pre as a buffer. Something to do with infrasonics which I don't really understand: but I would never do a gig without a Fishman Pro or FDeck-HPF.

Just to hijack this thread (a little) I've received my May copy of Sandy Brown Jazz. Sandy was one of the very best acoustic engineers and also a great clarinet player, leading a very good mainsteam band when all about him were cashing in on the 'Trad boom' in the sixties. This is a useful online magazine that gives a good flavour of the British jazz scene today and could be particularly helpful to any aspiring jazzers who may like to know what's going on. Hope you enjoy. [url="http://www.sandybrownjazz.co.uk/whatsnew.html"]http://www.sandybrownjazz.co.uk/whatsnew.html[/url]