sarah thomas

Hi Marc - the KK appeals because it has the same scale neck as an upright, although there would undoubtedly be small differences in finger placement - a bit like driving a different car, or sleeping in a different bed. I miss a weekend's practice every month when I visit family and thought if I took a baby bass I could practice quietly and also play along with a friend's daughter who is learning the piano. I also thought it would sound good on latin numbers. And it's supposed to be great build quality. And I miss having two uprights. I tell myself it would be good to have a back up bass if Geraldine was at the menders. The jazzbass blacktop was bought in a wild rush of exuberant enthusiasm which has not been sustained. I thought it would help me learn scales and I like motown stuff and that's why I bought it. Plus the giddy excitement. It's nice to have but a far cheaper one would have done the job. I don't want to make the same mistake with the baby bass. Thankyou everyone for your input. The only thing left to do now is actually try one out - I think the element of dance may be the crucial factor here so many thanks to Happy Jack for pointing out how different it would feel.

Allianz look great and have just quoted me £6.83 a month for a £3000 value, worldwide, all risks, including the bass being left in an unattended vehicle. The small print says the instrument must be concealed from view. Greg, how did you get along with that? Would a blanket thrown over the behemoth in the back do the job?

I see from Bluejay's great blog that several people tried out the KK baby bass at the recent south east bass bash. What do you think of it? Happy Jack, are you chuffed with your KB1 or are you yearning for a classic? Clarky, how does the KK clone compare with the original? (Aside from the smell.) If you tried the KK out, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Part of me feels there's only enough time to play one bass, but then again ... I have funds burning a hole in my bank account.

Brilliant Owen! My very own rubber bung had started to shred, so I took it to the local shoe menders (cobblers to you). They resoled it for me, like they would a walking stick ferrule, and I'm sure it will last a lot longer than I will. It cost £4. I love these sort of fixes. Not so much luthiery as loofery.

In the ukulele world, Expert Village became synonymous with Bad Advice.

Your bass had a set of golden slaps on previously, which is why they fit! I widened the nut slot to take the slaps, but didn't widen it all the way down to the bottom of the groove. That way, a narrower slot was available to fit other strings when needed. I think they're great strings for starting off on. Anyway, I just wanted to say that you should be able to dig in and play them hard without fear of them popping out. Go for it Marc!

I too had a couple of lessons with a tutor before buying. Not only did I get to realise I had to have an upright of my own, get advice on posture and all that, but my tutor came with me to give potential basses the once over. It's well worth it.

I would guess that whichever you start with is what you get used to. I was given a quiver for Christmas, so that's what I use. It's much better than dropping the bow on the floor or resting it on the music stand ...

Mr Bassman said 'Have a word with John Patitucci' Okay:- Hi Sarah, I think the reason why they mentioned me with regard to Busetto corners on a Bass is because the Pollmann bass that i have played for many years has those type of corners on it. you will also notice these on Prescott basses as well. I don't know how much it really affects the sound, but it does look nice, i think. john P.

What BetaFunk says. Stentor 50 is good, best bet is an oldish Eastern European 3/4 double bass. Budget up to £1,000 to include a decent set of strings and a set up, although you can get lucky. A Zeller with a solid neck repair went for about 300 on ebay. Play before you pay. Post it in the DB section. We'll yatter on ad nauseum about uprights. See you there!

Fantastic - there's nothing like the buzz of playing for an audience. Do you have the KK baby bass? I'm thinking of getting one and would be keen to hear your thoughts.

I believe that you need to move about when playing the upright, shifting your weight, shifting your position, moving your feet and letting the bass move with you. Not wild movement, but movement all the same. It would be difficult to achieve this synthesis of player and instrument if you were playing with a bass fixed into one position and you would probably strain some muscles over time. There is an element of dance to playing the double bass and while one partner may be wooden, she needn't be static. Just my two penn'orth - and I find that by the time I've put the bass down and got to the phone that it's stopped ringing anyway. Hey ho!

I'm glad she's going to be played and enjoyed. It was a pleasure meeting Marc and I couldn't have wished for a finer new custodian for the old girl.

... and another South Wales welcome.

Pmed. I have an Eastern European ply you might like a look at ...

... you get to the open mic night in the vast unknown, shove your phone in your pocket, call your tune, get on the stage and your satnav says 'turn left at the next junction'.

I tried out the first lesson on harmonics - great, clear lesson - I've been pinging away happily on the intro to Blue Bossa. It's also made finding the fifth a lot more . interesting than just doing target practice. Many thanks Geoff . I've subscribed as well.

Nice job! Much more satisfying than shop bought.

Oh, it's desperate! I used to have a perfectly decent sized house. Now it's way too small. It's not so much the books and the CDs as the keyboard, spare upright, amp and drum kit. We bought the house four years ago having decided to downsize. Pah!

I've recently had a set of Spirocore Weich fitted and the action lowered. Playing is easier now. It's difficult to say about depth and volume because I find that the way I stand, how I support the bass and how relaxed I am all have an impact on the sound. I'm very pleased with the new strings. Why not let a luthier have a look at it? The advice I received from two different people was invaluable and freely given. Strings fitted, action lowered, bridge reshaped, emergent cracks filled, (hot hide glue), buzzes eliminated and fingerboard given a new coat of something black - £70.

Transcribe also slows down music without changing pitch, costs about 35 quid and you can try it free for 30 days: http://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/overview.html

My Czech Artia has that sunburst staining and I paid around three times as much! You have a real bargain there. I found Innovation Honeys to be great sounding strings, but of course it depends what kind of music you want to play. The bridge does need to be adjusted and you may find the soundpost needs to be moved too. But given what you paid for it, it's well worth spending a bit more. If it's set up for orchestral work then the action could be lowered, making it easier to play pizzicato. But whatthehell, just enjoy it!