bassace

Actually this thread is worthless, full stop. I was glad when a dedicated double bass forum was set up within BC. It started off so well but has now degenerated to juvenile crap such as this. Is it possible that we can go back to some sensible DB conversation where we can all learn from each other, experts and newbies alike and improve our DB skills? Is it a coincidence that several experienced posters who offered valuable advice don't seem to be around much these days?

Anyone owning a DB, or contemplating buying a DB should have a copy of this book. And there are plenty of DB people on BC, just how many of them are bloggers is a moot point.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1344447917' post='1764748'] Les Hurdle and Clem Cattini who knew!!! (well obviously they did i know ....) [/quote] Les was at school with me and my claim to fame is that I once played washboard with him on guitar. He was on the early Donna Summer stuff, Bright Eyes, the funky bass line under the Grange Hill sigtune, Six Wives of Henry 8, and lots more. I also remember seeing him live on TV with Neil Sedaka once. Quite a guy.

It would have been thousands since 1958 ( yes, I know) but a more interesting statistic is 70 bands, 48 drummers, 75 saxes, 68 trumpets, 18 guitars and 60 keyboards. And I can remember most of their names. - Oh, and one fiddle. I'm off to get a nice cup of tea and a hobnob now.

As long as you've had practice at unzipping the bag you should be OK to start.

Is this question posed in the context of running the mic to backline? If this is the case then feedback will generally follow whatever the quality of the mic and its amplification chain. But if you run the mic to front of house and not have monitors too close it will work very well. Only trouble is the audience will enjoy the great double bass sound but you won't! You will have to run a pickup to backline to hear yourself.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1343305265' post='1748592'] Miles Davis regularly turned his back to the audience when he performed. Did not seem to bother anyone, as they were there to listen as much as see. [/quote] Well, I was around at the time and beg to differ. Lots of hostile press re Miles's stage presentation (lack of). And that was in the days when jazz was big and regularly reported in the mainstream press.

Oh dear, we're back on the pickup stuff again. The poor old Underwood seldom gets a mention but I swear by it, on all my basses. I know I've posted this before but there's still a lot of repetition in the pickups debate. The Rev speaks a lot of common sense. When you get to a gig you have to compromise on the 'my bass only louder' thing. What may sound a bit clanky at home could have the ability to cut through the rest of the band and project a very passable DB sound to the audience. An amplified DB is just that.

Welcome to the DB section and you'll not find any snobbery here because no matter how long we have had our basses there's still plenty to learn. Just a small piece of advice for you, I usually find that my string height is about right when I can slip my little finger between the G and the bottom of the fingerboard, slightly tight is about right. If you want to do a quick lower then slacken off the strings a bit (do this with the bass horizontal so the soundpost stays in place) and carefully slide the bridge about 12mm towards the tailpiece. Then tighten back up. Make sure the bridge stays upright during this process; you may have to give it a whack with the spine of a paperback book in the latter stages when the strings are getting tight. If you ever take the strings off for any reason do it two at a time to keep the soundpost in place and coat the groove in the bridge with graphite from a soft pencil. Now, there may be howls of protest re the above advice because strictly speaking the bridge should always be centered about the notches in the f-holes. But I maintain that this method gives you a good temporary idea as to how the strings will sound/play with lower action before you consider an adjustable bridge or getting the bridge modified. Good luck and enjoy your bass.

And have a good cake ready. Edit, oh bugger, that's Thwaites isn't it.

A lot of her stuff had Les Hurdle, a fellow pupil at the Forest Grammar School, Winnersh. A bit of Googling/Wikkiing will establish which tracks. As I recall, he did a lot of stuff with an EBO with a second pickup put on. He was one of the early root/octave players, this in the early seventies.

The best advice I can give is just enjoy the new experience. Pound for pound the Stagg is the best value in the EUB market and it's a very effective instrument. Try to do without the markers because the higher you go up the fingerboard the more iffy the intonation becomes. You'll get used to it very quickly.

[quote name='TPJ' timestamp='1342166604' post='1730523'] There is a chap called fdeck on Talkbass that has designed one, he is a double bass player. [url="http://personalpages.tds.net/~fdeck/bass/hpfpd.pdf"]It's this one.[/url] [/quote] And it works. I have a later one with a vol control although I never use that. It has a phase shifter - great for addressing feedback, a great control for killing any boom and of course it buffers the impedance. It slots in nicely under the amp's carry handle. Trouble is Francis Deck hasn't got a licence to export so you can't get his gizmo over here. If you are serious about getting one I suggest you subscribe to TB and put out a post asking if anyone can ship you a 'second-hand' one. Just to complicate the whole preamp thing, I also have Fishman pro eq: sometimes this works better and sometimes the fdeck according to the room. Funny old world.

Playing double bass, my requirements are more modest perhaps but I always have a GK MB200 in the car as backup. It's so small it can fit in the glove compartment

Ah, The Man Who Failed to Earth.

[quote name='steve' timestamp='1341663886' post='1722421'] Actually yes, I'd describe the neck as more triangular than square [/quote] That is interesting. I bought my bass from Peter Tyler in May 2006; he told me it was German circa 1960. It didn't have any label. Being a ply bass I use it mainly for outdoor work (not too often these days!) and it has a quite a nice growl on it with Spiro Mittels.

In a word, yes. Just expect the new strings to be a bit twangy for a few days. I generally change mine every year but with four basses to consider some have to go two years. End of financial year is a good time to buy new strings if you are heading for a profit on your musical activities.

I was wondering whether the neck is of a triangular section rather than the usual square. My German Blonde looks just like yours but has this neck on it. I don't know anything about mine either.

Rescue Me My Girl

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1341008104' post='1712921'] Joe Meek.... [/quote] Certainly!

Lists, Bilbo, lists.

[quote name='sticker' timestamp='1340964839' post='1712061'] I'm fairly certain Hank didn't play on Move it , the intro has always been credited to sessioneer Ernie Shear , with rhythm played by Ian Samwell , Hank and the other 'Drifters' as they were then didn't play on the first few Cliff records . [/quote] I stand corrected. Still an iconic sound and fair play to Ernie!

The sound that defined the early pop revolution in UK was Hank's intro to Move It. Turned a whole generation on to the electric guitar, Bert notwithstanding!