PaulKing

I think I've got an old Oliv e in my string box. Always think i might give it a try but never do.. Offer / trade? I bought it lightly used years ago, had it on for a day at the most.

Jeeez. Proper. Beautiful playing, big pillowy tone, nicely mixed ... cuts through but still soft and lovely. That's just ace. Whole band ... what a treat..

Thats the way! ... check dougsplugs.com... made mine years ago never had feedback ever again and i play pretty louid, standing right nest to amp. That and a decent use of eq Also Underwood / Shadow 951, Bassmax, all less feedback-prone than a Realist (thats a boom machine) or Full Circle.

Cheers everyone ... its nice not to be the one standing quietly at the back now and then. Yes my hat does occasionally fall off, though surprisingly rarely ;o)

Well I say yes it jolly well is. Stick to the end if you can bear the bum notes. Audiences flippin' love it...

Welcome, and congratulations on getting yourself a damn fine bass. B+H Excelsiors were imported by B&H from the Czech Luby factory in the 60s (same factory/company that now makes Strunal basses). They are very well made student instruments, built to last. They have a really nice buttery tone, lacking a bit of mid range maybe, but very tolerant of a wide range of strings. Well that's my experience with mine. I have the exact same bass. Strings strings strings pick ups pick ups pick ups... .its all been said! I recommend Evah Pirazzi strings as fabulous all-rounders, good for rootsy pizz but also very good for jazz, with plenty of definition. You can also slap them if you're that way inclined. But the go-to string for all beginners (and the majority of established players) is Thomastik Spriocore weich/light. Jazz standards. Innovation Supersilver (or Silverslap if you want easier tension) are also damn good strings and so easy to play for a beginner. Can't go worng ... although as your ear tunes in you'll start to detect some odd plasticky sounds on the open srings especially. But noone else will notice. Shadow 951 or Underwood piezo pick up will work for you - but they're both well north of £100 these days. Or a K+ Bassmax, or one of the many decent budget copies you can get on ebay. I've not tried them but many people swear. In the end they are all bascally the same little bit of kit. Fitting them is the key. Take care and they sound great. Next, don't expect to just plug into your old bass guitar amp and hear a beautiful double bass sound come out. That's for the next lesson... ;0)

Ha, I was kinda joking, although what I say is true. Its certainly not a fix old Chuck Trager would recommend ... but yeh that's how my peg box is held on. It's an ugly fix, but who cares. It works. A luthier would do something similar, just neater. That website Andy linked to seems to show the way...

I'd say you're in luck ... even cheap weed-whacker synthetics give a reasonable idea of gut tone and feel on the G, and on the D to a lesser degree. They'll miss the subtle overtones and harmonics you might be hoping for if you're really soloing and jazzing, but for basic thumpy roots music they'll give you an idea. And if you're amplified, you'll barely know the difference. SBW and similar will be better approximations. Cheapish Lenzner will feel and sound better if you're really listening - but will still sound closer to SBW than to Evah Weichs.

Drill right through the fingerboard and drive a couple big ole screws in, then bodge some wood filler in and colour it in with sharpie. That's what someone did to my lovely King Mortone. Held good for decades and never held me back It's known as the Traeger method ;o)

Ooh gadget envy. Blimmin eck. I just picked up an old Underwood online. When you've had enough of that one Jack ... it's mine right?

If you have the patience, good sturdy old student basses still come up on ebay/gumtree surprisingly often. Every month or so. 1950s-60s-70s European. Czech, German, Hungarian. My personal taste I know, but an older bass is always nicer to play ... worn in, mellowed out, hard edges softened (acoustically as well as physically) ... proven longevity plus a bit of gig Mojo. If you're lucky you'll get a brand name - Boosey and Hawkes imported good basses from Czech Republic and Hungary. More often than not you won't see a label ... but the basses are often recognisable to those who are familar with them. You can get one for between £400-£1k. Otherwise Strunal (in Luby, Czech Rep) make great new basses. They used to supply Boosey & Hawkes back in communist era. But yeah, Brexit. That was a good idea. Post ebay links here, people will chime in. PM me if you want a quick opinion.

Look for a 'Chubby Jackson' Kay. You can pick up them now again from second hand sales / junk shops for pretty decent price. ;o)

Like, totally. On a boomy fingerboard I sometimes used to fix the slap pickup onto the underside of the heel. Those high frequencies that you want carry through to the whole neck and heel. It could also be a sign you're working a bit hard slapping strings that are bit high tension, or a high action, so you're thumping the board with your whole arm strength, rather than just getting the tight percussion of your hand and string hitting it. Possibly.'

PS Feedback? Nah. F-hole plugs.

Hey good news overall! That line really puzzles me though ... I can't say I've noticed them being weak and floppy and quiet at all. I wonder if that is when they are under-tensioned? Which explains why they settled in and bloomed once you cranked them up. I routinely give new strings some pretty serious stretching to bring up to tension, as very few strings open up until they've been stretched. Until then, too much energy gets absorbed in stretching the string every time you pluck it I guess. I give them a good old yank and circle them round until theystop dropping pitch. Cant be arsed with all this leaving them for a few days!! Another thought, Silver Slaps are so darn easy to play, I wonder if you're noticing the need to dig in a little more on these? Could be. All very interesting anyway. Will be interested to see how you get on over time.

Small correction - I mixed up Superior Bass Works (US) strings with Slap-Strings.de/Duke Bass 'Gut-A-Likes'. They kinda do the same thing as far as I can see... both worth exploring for serious slapping.

Yeh there are only two opinions that matter round here. 🤩

PS you'll find the tension of the EPs a fraction higher than Silver Slaps, but really only a bit. Same ball park really. Slappity slap.

Ah here we go! My favourite topic for like the last ten years. My current simple answer: Evah Pirazzi Slap (or Weich, if you want a gnat's more tension and growl). For years I loved Innovation SilverSlaps, but also disliked the twangy A (and E). I found the Solo jazz set were a great match with gut D and G though. Actually I still rate that combination - that'd work well for you. Then I went with Cordes Lambert GT47 for a long time, and still find the E and A are about the best substitute for plain gut. But, they're quite an acquired taste, very thick and thumpy. Perfect for roots slapping, but less good if you want the option of playing something more defined and articlated ... jazzy, in a word. And impossible to get hold of. (Superior Bass Works do various Gut-A-Likes which many people recommend - I tried a set once and wasn't wholly convinced - but they are definitely a very good choice for many slappers). More recently, I wanted to get a bit more articulation so I could cut through the mix better, without losing that gut thump. I really play much less slap these days, but I do play hard and thumpy. So I've moved onto Evah Pirazzi - and actually gone for EAD in the end, keeping just the gut G. But gut D would fit nice too. And I've realised the tone is really very similar to the bumped Innovation Solos I liked years ago - and which really never caught on ... don't think I've heard of ANYONE else who tried that combo. On my Kay and King basses, the tension and tone and slap sound is so consistent between EP EAD and gut G - its just perfect. But of course it doesnt disappear into mud like a plain gut E and A. Depending how much slap you play (if any), I'd recommend the slap set for slapping (who'd have thought), and the Weich set for more pizz ... slightly higher tension, but almost identical tone overall. There you go, many years experimenting wrapped up in a few sentences.

Anyone know if he's in action at the moment? I mailed but got no reply....

Sorry, focus fail,

Actually, look carefully and you can all the cable i use... all of 6” from pickup to belt pack, which is tucked behind tailpiece, held by elastic velcro strap. Total freedom from cables is one of the main reasons i stick with this set up. I even use it in rehearsals. Acts as impedance buffer too, receiver straight into amp. At gigs, turn on amp, turn on transmitter, start playing.

Ace pic Silvia! You caught my adoring family to left too. After 6 months in lockdown we all hate each other now.