PaulKing

Looking healthier this afternoon.

And so to bed.

Todays bit

Home straight… Bottom block fixed, bass bar reinforced, top going on. Slowly one step at a time. Leave it like this for 24hrs. Finish off tomorrow.

Home straight… Bottom block fixed, bass bar reinforced, top going on. Slowly one step at a time. Leave it like this for 24hrs. Finish off tomorrow.

Ha ha! Dr King is ready for you now… (evil cackle, snap of latex gloves etc)

Hey hello! Nah a whole load have been and gone since that one, I think it was an old flat back czech thing, part carved. 21st b’day pressie from my mum, first bass!

Tra la laa. Skipping forward through the tulips.

Yup this gap, and that front face of the block which was detached from the front. Also explains the angled end pin. Exactly as I deduced must be the case. You can all laugh at me when I'm head in hands with an expired bass and a top that wont glue back on straight... Or you can applaud as I proudly play it back to life! (fingers crossed)

In for a penny etc. Annoying creaking noise, source identified, trip to luthier, frightening estimate for diagnosis and repair, DIY aesthetic engaged. DB friends over the pond advise and encourage. What could go wrong? Its just wood and glue. And a £2k vintage collectors bass... Tools out, nerve held. Top off. Cat impressed. A little bit of splintering. Oops. Chance to clean up the inside, label was almost invisible under 80 years of grime. 1114 = 1937 The problem. Bottom block partially detached from ribs (and from front, removed). Bass bar reinforced (precautionary) with hot-hide-soaked calico. Hot hide liberally applied. Ribs heated and clamped. Broom handle is strut holding rib 'garland' open to avoid creep. Homemade spool clamps ready to go. 20 of them for under £30! (cf £180 at Allparts...) I like a challenge. The advice and encouragement I'm getting from caring pros has been amazing, essential and comforting. Wish me luck ... top refit next weekend probably. I want to leave that block clamped for a good week, with occasional heating to coax the ribs back into line. CAVEAT: IF YOU CAN AFFORD A LUTHIER, JUST PAY THEM!

There ain't nothin new... Hoppy Jones, the Ink Spots

Ooh I know that experience. Ramirez these are all such helpful comments. Room acoustics is tough, I have a small box room as my studio, no sound treatment, and ... hang on let me count: 2 double basses, 3 acoustic guitars, 6 hollow body basses, 3 solid basses and a Jaguar all hanging on the wall within a few feet of the mics. Not exactly ideal. 😁 Foam under all their strings is about the only damping. Sometimes I clip a quilt up against the door behind the mics

Prompted by @Duckyincarnate and @Beedster and @Ramirez over in another thread, who can share experiences with mic placement and mic choice for recording? I've settled on a set-up that seems to work for me, though I still use some processing in the DAW. 2 mics and a piezo. A shitty old sE condenser at bridge height, about 12" from bridge, straight in front. Its nothing special but just seems to cope with the bass well. A nice AKG P420 just above right hand height, about 12" from fingerboard, pointing down towards hand. Underwood piezo thru Schatten Min-Pre. Then I use a wee bit of EQ and maybe some AO 'Re-Life' (it's magic!) and SD 'Fresh Air' plug-in to soften the mids and add presence. Sometimes have to phase shift one of them. I bought a lovely GAP R1 ribbon specifically for bass, but I never got quite so nice a tone as with the combo above. Might try it again though, now I've settle on positions. I went through so many alternative positions and distances, watched all the videos, Herve Jeanne's StringMatrix especially. What works for you?

I used gunstock oil recently. I really like the finish. It HAS darkened the colour a bit, but in a good way (it looks more vintaged). I'm happy.

This is sufficiently interesting to warrant its own post. There's probably been one before, but I'm gonna raise the issue again, without hi-jacking this thread.