Silvia Bluejay

That's part of my own whing... I mean feedback, too. As I said, several points are valid and being fed back to the organisers. Others are just whingeing for the sake of it.

A whingefest is not customer feedback, it's a whingefest. See @Romeo2, @Chownybass and @ezbass for how it should be done.

Thank you @Romeo2 for giving this thread some balance and breaking up the almost uninterrupted whingefest. Some complaints are valid, and are making their way to the organisers, but clearly it's mostly the whingers who like to report how horrible the show was, as opposed to the veritable throngs who seemed to thoroughly enjoy it but aren't saying much.

Keep it coming, guys, I will point the powers-that-be in this direction at the correct time. I went there (from Sudbury Hill, Harrow, NW London - 40 minutes, mostly on the Piccadilly, so an easy ride both ways) without expectations, just with my mind open. So here goes: On the plus side, and without the need for a press pass, as a normal punter I met and talked to several bassists I had hitherto admired from a distance, from John Patitucci to Ariane Cap, to Tony Butler, as well as seeing and chatting to many others I already knew in person. I also had the opportunity to speak to designers, engineers and luthiers (Mark Gooday of Ashdown, Dave Boonshoft of Aguilar, Alex Claber wearing his guitar cab maker hat, Tomm Stanley of Stonefield, etc.). I managed to play a couple of lefty basses that had been brought to the show 'especially for me', after I banged on about their absence at previous years' shows. I saw and chatted with a lot of friends I only tend to see in person at shows like this. It was good to catch up. On the minus side, It took me quite a while to find my way around the venue yesterday, and even longer to find the bass-centric stands I was interested in. It would have helped if bass booths had all been gathered together, perhaps surrounded by the companies who sell both guitar and bass stuff, with the guitar-only companies occupying the rest of the room. The noise, mainly from guitar players but also from the usual bass slappers, was a nuisance. Also, there was spillage between the auditorium and the seminar rooms, despite the wall insulation. This didn't used to happen at Olympia. The noise also ruined most of the interviews and seminars being held in the Luthier's corner, which really should have its own room with, you know, walls and stuff. Several exhibitors who had been at all previous LBGSs decided to give it a miss this year, which was a pity.

If you've got one power supply for the whole chain of pedals, then yes, I think any mismatch in polarity would affect all the pedals. Which unfortunately leaves you where you started, as I have no other suggestions to offer.

Have you checked the polarity? Some power supplies can be switched from providing negative in the centre to negative in the sleeve, and vice versa, and that may have happened by mistake in this case?

Orange had a nice vintage area, as well as the normal stand.

Bass stands are actually spread around the hall, but there's a also a small enclave, so to speak, in the left-hand corner of the mezzanine (as seen from the entrance): Chowny, Anaconda, OliverLang, Marleaux and a couple of others seem to have squeezed out the guitar stands! (Power to their elbows.) I think the idea of two separate areas had to be shot down due to the number of stands selling instruments, gear or accessories for both bass and guitar. For those companies, having two separate booths would have been a daunting and expensive task. Couple of shots HERE.

There were more exhibitors and more visitors. The noise was slightly less harsh than it would have been in a smaller, flat-ceilinged hall, but it was still tiring to the ears, with distorted guitar soloing and loud bass slapping. The place, however, is beautiful.

I've posted this on our Twitter and Facebook, and yes, if the location could be added to the original post, that would be very helpful.

OK, lock applied, so this thread can slip back into well-deserved oblivion. Thanks all.

Looks like having to hire lights etc. on top of agency fees is a bit of a rip-off, and to avoid like the plague. We have our own lights too, and we have our own PA and sound engineer (me). I am actually taking this pretty seriously now, and reading books and learning from every gig.

I'll post this on Basschat's social media tomorrow, when more people will be reading than there are now. I hope your gear is found and recovered and the thieves arrested.

Yes and the lock has come out already. I'm playing with one as we speak.

Incidentally, we have gigs booked for December 2020, as well as the rest of 2020.

And while we're on the subject of agents/agencies, Jack and I very recently laughed out loud at one website that stated that they will take between 15 and 20% of your fee for any gig they get you, but strongly recommend not to increase your prices to cover the agency's cut, or you will price yourself out of the market. You couldn't make it up.

Should have stayed among the dead where it belongs!

In fact, it was a low-stress, good fun gig! But I seem to have a knack for taking photos of bands right at the moment when someone is shooting a dirty look at someone else, or someone is having a bassface, guitarface or drumface... 😮😛😎

While I understand the sentiment, I thought British Rail disappeared decades ago?

In the meantime, I understand that this is also going to happen at the LBGS.

Welcome, @basmagnus! @Happy Jack and I spent quite a long time at your booth at NAMM in 2018. It will be a pleasure to see you, and your beautiful instruments, again.

Yes - my post assumed my intonation had already been sorted (to a certain extent). Following Simandl to get the visual and muscle memory reference points on the neck is a good start, so your fingertips are never too far away from the correct pitch. I do find muscle memory useful now, rather than visual clues. However, I'm not an upright player who goes all over the fingerboard - I tend to groove rather than solo, and I think that makes it easier for me to not need Simandl all the time.

I must say I agree with the above. With modern double basses, nice strings, low action, etc., and even more with smaller hollowbody or electric uprights, there is no need to use Simandl, unless your hands are small and/or weak - as mine were when I started. As soon as I built up some stamina, I stopped fingering notes by using my ring and little finger together, and instead started applying a sort of 'expanded' version of my fretless bass guitar technique. It seems to work. I still use the correct plucking movement, though - that's very important!

Or indeed the other way round! I sometimes can't touch an electric bass, but can play upright with no pain whatsoever.

Learn how to pluck a double bass properly. DON'T pluck it the way you pluck an electric - your wrist will eventually get b*ggered. The fingering is also different. Hence the need to have at least one initial one-to-one lesson, so someone can actually grab your hands and place them in the correct position on the fingerboard and by the bridge, and show you the movements. The simple fact that you are interested in starting on double bass justifies the £40-50 you will spend, and will save you more than money in the long run.