bassace

Mr Bassman has sent me a Bassmax and a Planet. I'm reminded that I had a Planet once and now having put it on my bass I'm reminded why I sold it! The Bassmax I liked a lot, surprisingly good for an inexpensive pickup so now I'm putting out a wanted ad for one (Mr B's was attached to a mic). So thanks a lot Keith for your kindness.

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='1208274' date='Apr 22 2011, 01:41 PM']I love my Euphonic Audio m line 12" cab. It works great with upright. I also have a AI head and don't use the pre much. Both great bits of kit for upright.[/quote] I've never used an M Line but hear nothing but good about them. FWIW, when I'm not using my mic set up I have a Fishman Pro eq on the front to give some impedance buffering (also phase switching if req) into an AI Clarus. I just like the relative simplicity of this amp. It's clean, has only a three way eq but seems to do the job well and has a high pass filter to take some of the boom off. Never use the notch. Speakers, depends on the size of the gig. Sometimes a 10" Wizzy, sometimes a 12" and sometimes a 10" on a 12". That's for a bigger room but the funny thing is when I do this I get a lot more bottom from the 12" than when I use it by itself.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1208151' date='Apr 22 2011, 11:46 AM']I think you're overreacting a bit.[/quote] No, just reacting a bit.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1208098' date='Apr 22 2011, 11:17 AM']I wouldn't recommend moving the bridge - its position has a massive effect on the tone of the bass.[/quote] And when you run your finger up the board the note changes. Please read my post. I simply advocated moving the bridge to get an idea of which string height would suit the playng. I recommended it as a short term fix. If weed wackers are being considered I wouldn't think tone would be very high on the priorities anyway. I got the idea of moving the bridge from a respected luthier so it can't be all bad. I knew I'd get hung.

I'll probably be hung for this, but if you want a short term appraisal of what a small alteration in string height will achieve, lay the bass on its back and slacken the strings a bit - this should ensure that the soundpost won't fall out. Then you can slide the bridge towards the fingerboard by up to 6mm - this will raise the strings - or up to 6mm away from the fingerboard - this will lower the strings. I stress that this isn't a long term fix but will enable you to do a 'what-if' without going to a luthier.

Dave First of all, the Stentor should be OK as it is an 'unremarkable' bass. By that I don't mean to diss the bass but to point out that it has a neutral, not too bright acoustic. Sorry to spoil your party but the Realist is not a particularly good pickup if you want to crank the volume up. I have no experience of mags but an Underwood or Bassmax should do the job. Then a preamp will help a lot; a Fishman Platinum Pro or just a Fishman Pro which is the one I've used for ten years. The preamp will do a better job of matching the pickup impedance to the amplifier, has a good four-way eq and a phase reversal switch which, on a good day, will go a long way to killing the feeback. Sometimes simply cutting the treble does it. I haven't tried the foam plugs but they seem like a good idea. Good luck, in time you'll get the right gear and experience and will be a DB guru.

The Major is spot on with his analysis. As he says, most of the notes are OK but the feel is wrong and there is no drive. The tempo at which it is played should be just right for a nice driving, pulsing bass part. So when it gets to the piano solo there's not much to underpin the instrument and it all comes to a mess. The VM recording of Moondance is probably one of the shoddiest recordings going and would be bad even for a demo. That said, although it's a while since I've played the tune, I wouldn't have a problem if it was called and with the right lineup I'd rather enjoy it - as I would most tunes. Playing music is a most enjoyable pastime and I don't get too precious about what I play. I just consider myself a lucky guy. I certainly don't big myself up by dissing other styles - other contributors please note.

I'd been happier if they'd asked him what strings/pickup he uses and what his string heights are. Also whether he prefers Gamba or Violin corners.

[quote name='Mr Bassman' post='1198889' date='Apr 13 2011, 11:11 PM']Hi Roger, I've not got a realist but could lend you a K&K Golden Trinity bassmax + mic if you haven't already got one. I'm impressed with the bassmax, darker than Underwood, I can plug direct into amp with no pre and get a happy sound. As for the mic, nice for home recording or into pa Apart from that I've got a couple Rev solo, (which I got one from you iirc,) and sounds amazing atached to my Ampeg Baby Bass, a Planet single paddle which came with the Kolstien, (probably too bright for you) but you can try if you like, and a full circle atached to my Kolstien which I couldn't detatch. Best Keith[/quote] Hi Keith Your post has reminded me just how many pickups have gone through my hands. Perhaps I should have kept them on the basis that we are never really happy with our rigs and things constantly change. I wonder whether you could trust me for a while with the bass max - which I have never tried - and possibly a planet as long as it isn't fatter than 5mm because I don't want to enlarge my wing slots unneccessarily. I'll PM you with my details. R

My new bass is a bit 'bright' for my preferred Underwood. Sounds great with a mic but I need to find a pickup that will give me plug-in-and-play convenience when required. I don't want to go through the PU merrygoround again so was wondering if any kind BCer would lend me a Realist for a week. I'll pay all postage of course.

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1194922' date='Apr 10 2011, 07:03 PM']When I dep (or when I get a dep in) its almost always 'turn up and read the gig' (chord charts or dots). An originals band is going to struggle because your replacement will not know the tunes so, without charts, you would need rehearsals and that is unlikely to happen fwithout payment for rehearsal time. As for costs, you could get someone to do it for nothing or it may cost you £50 minimum (gig only, another £50 for the rehearsal?). If you have dots, you haven't got a problem. Without them, you are likely to struggle.[/quote] Exactly.

I started playing jazz when it was the 'default' music - rock'n'roll had only just been coined in UK- so there wasn't an aaaaaah moment, except when I started to come off the simple trad stuff and it was Milestones, also almost as a pop song there was Miles's 'There's a Boat that's Leaving for New York' from Porgy and Bess. We used to go round singing it, solos and all. Strangely I played Milestones in a pub on Sunday, haven't played that for decades.

I've had two double bases come in from USA, one accompanied and one freight. I've also taken one out to the Canaries and back for a gig. No problems.

Good stuff Hector. You in Oxford? Be good to meet and chat some time.

Reminds me of the couple who hadn't spoken to each other for years, they went to the marriage guidance consellor and explained their predicament. So he went to his cupboard, got out a double bass and played a solo.

[quote name='27 frets' post='1188039' date='Apr 4 2011, 05:54 PM']Interesting looking bass, but a few things I've spotted on the pics Angle of neck to body seems quite steep Odd looking endpin wire arrangement Bridge is leaning/even curving somewhat - (a sign that it needs replacing?) It may just be the camera angles, or are these things normal on a bass of this type?[/quote] Could it be that the bass is being sold by a general antique shop rather than a specialist shop? It probably needs some TLC/setting up. The tail wire looks like the old stuff they used to put on before the multistrand cable was used. I had some that looked like bent welding rod and it let go on me in the middle of a gig. Bridge is definitely askew; you can see its feet kicked up at the tailpiece end. Could be that its been restrung to sell, without much care being taken. That said, it looks a very interesting bass and in these hard times could go at a bargain price for what it is.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1186599' date='Apr 3 2011, 11:24 AM']I think that's a cool thing though. Jennifer prefers soloing over ballads and I prefer soloing over mid-up tempo tunes. It's just a different way of approaching things.[/quote] It also depends very much on the bass player's tecnique. A ballad is a very satisfying thing to solo on, especially if you have a bass with a nice sustain. Mid tempo stuff is also quite do-able, in fact that's often my preference. The problem is with the up-tempo stuff. I find no satisfation in playing or listening to an extension of what you've been playing under the choruses - ie an up-tempo walk. Better to play 'horn phrasing' but you need [i]very[/i] good technique to pull that off.

When I'm out with the seven piece I get maybe one chorus per gig. I'm happy with that; my job is to drive the band along. But when I play with a trio I get quite a few solos because the other two players need me to take some of the solo load off them. Also there's more interplay in a trio format. You'll hear this reflected in CDs. The guy who broke the mould was James Blanton who died tragically young in his twenties. He broke away from simple four to the bar in his playing and Duke Ellington, recognising his talent, made sure he was forward in the mix. Just one bass player did a lot for a whole orchestra - probably the foremost of its time - and we as bass players should celebrate that.

I've done quite a lot of this. I always use a thin metal file. The advantage is that it's a rigid piece of steel that gives you a good chance of getting a nice parallel slot. Put the bass on its back and cover the top with a towel.