bassace

They are 'hat peg' tuners that you find on old basses. The original spindles were made of wood and so had to be of larger diameter than the later/stronger metal ones. Also the larger diameter produced less pressure on the sides of the tuning box (or whatever it's called).

I saw him at Cornbury - with Staxx - this year. He was amazing. Followed by Wilko and Norm W-R. Quite a day.

No doubt about it: B on the A string because when the band does its final flag waver we finish with a Bb number, there is an eight bar drum break and we finish up on a strong Bb. Except, except............I play a B, the band members turn round and glare at me and I slide down to Bb with a smile. They hate me for it but I like being a bit subversive and I've never really grown up.

The Jazz Bass Book by John Goldsby is great. It's not wall to wall theory/technique, although there is plenty for a beginner/improver here. It also has short biogs of all the great bassists and rhythm sections and their place in jazz history. It also includes a CD. Well worth the $24.99.

I don't usually post on this one because I do a lot of gigs (3-4 a week) and who's really interested in what I do? But this may interest some of you. We did a five-piece jazzer in a church just outside Burford in the Cotswolds yesterday afternoon. The church was very old but well cared for without being all ponced up. The acoustics were to die for and my amplified DB sounded as good as I've heard it. About 100 people attended and we got some very positive comments. The food was brought in by the ladies of the village and was just fantastic. After the gig I chatted to a guy who was friends with George Shearing when he was alive, until recently. George had a holiday home nearby and often used to visit this man's home for dinner. He had his chair at the table and he could swivel it round to the piano and play some stuff between courses. What a guest to have! It goes on, one evening an additional guest was the well known composer, John Rutter. Of course he had never met George before but he was surprised when during the course of the evening George turned to the piano and played one of John's compositions complete with jazz embellishments. Not too boring I hope.

[quote name='simon1964' post='1350665' date='Aug 24 2011, 08:05 PM']You couldn't afford me [/quote] Actually you shouldn't make that assumption, you obviously don't know much about me.

[quote name='simon1964' post='1350651' date='Aug 24 2011, 07:46 PM']You could end up liable for potentially huge amounts of money. I'm an insurance lawyer by day - and would dream of gigging without PL insurance.[/quote] Not very well draughted - I'm glad you're not my lawyer.

I'm in it for the PL and Instruments insurance. When I started out as a youngster still at school we were ready to do our first support of a 'top' band and looking forward to it like you wouldn't know. The MU tried their best to have the concert closed down because we were not members (never heard of them). I got all my savings out of my post office account so all the band could join up - that's how disappointed I would have been. So it all left a nasty taste and I have mixed feelings.

Well, Paul's post says it all really and there's nothing to disagree with there. He mentioned a preamp - this would be an outboard piece of kit that goes a long way to buffering the mismatch of the pickup (high impedance) and the amp (lower impedance). Typically this would be a Fishman Platinum Pro eq and you should look out for one of these on the secondhand forum; they come up from time to time. Your £150 will be well spent there and whatever kit you upgrade to in the future you will always find it useful. The K&K Bassmax is a good wing pickup to start with, not only is it easily removable from the bridge wing, the jack socket can be refitted in seconds. Welcome aboard and good luck.

Photos, photos!

Very impressive, and if that's what floats your boat not at all anal. With four double basses in use and six amp/cabs that gives me 24 combinations. I mark up which I've used at each gig but really there is a sort of pattern to their use based on the gig, the venue and its acoustics. Haven't a clue when I changed strings tho'; the invoices might just give a clue.

If you find a bass, any bass, that gives you a buzz when you play it, you feel that your playing's so much better on that instrument, you get the sound you like and it makes you smile every time you play it - [i]that's[/i] an investment.

[quote name='Oscar South' post='1328713' date='Aug 5 2011, 01:50 PM']What's the difference between a Jazz musician and a Blues musician? A Blues musician plays three chords to a thousand people, a Jazz musician plays a thousand chords to three people.[/quote] Oh dear.

[quote name='NickTann' post='1319911' date='Jul 28 2011, 11:59 PM']I can't find that section...[/quote] Scroll down to:- Basschat Market Place For sale: Double Basses / EUB's & paraphernalia sorry, can't do links.

Interesting. I've never come across that pickup before and as it's specific to a guitar it may not be able to get down to the bass frequencies - or perhaps if you're lucky it may and you'll start a whole new trend. The vid is interesting in pointing up the difference in tone obtained by tightening up the piezo - an object lesson for those who wedge a bass bridge wing slot pickup too tightly. I'd certainly go ahead a give it a go if you already own one. I'd suggest that you blue-tack the pickups to the face of the bridge in various positions until you get a decent sound. As a second chance you could also try fixing the pickups to the front of the bass near the bridge feet. Or you could use the mic foam-wedged in the tail piece or between the bridge feet. BTW, if you're interested I have a brand new Bassmax for sale in the DB for sale section. You'll need a 5mm gap in the E string side bridge wing slot. I'll bump it.