Rabbie

Oh no, Ken's retired! Not good news. I wish him well too. I know a great guy in Forfar but I don't know if he's happy to go public, so I'll ask him first and get back to you.

[quote name='Owencf' timestamp='1394561736' post='2392768'] as your in a more civilised area compared to North East Scotland [/quote] Not sure that's the case... However, I agree with the above: you should get that ply as it's great for the money.

I'd say use a book to get the rules under your belt. It is important that you can justify your choices. After that you can start doing what sounds good to you. There are some excellent players whose over-indulgence make things almost unlistenable, so bear in mind you are still playing an instrument that is supposed to be the foundation of the music. You can show off all over the bass and choose unusual notes to create tension, but be mindful you still need to swing and let the rest of the band know where the tune is at. Listen to Autumn leaves in the cannonball album "something else": Sam Jones rarely strays away from chord tones and passing notes and also repeats a lot of patterns, yet he swings so haaaaard that the tune is glorious. Just saying it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.

Completely agree with dad. Take time off: it'll do you good, you'll be fresher and keener on your return and your family will really thank you for it.

Not so far sir, likely not till later this year or next year if at all. Have turned into a bit of a house cat after having wee baby and gigs afar are not as appealing as they once were. Lots of great music on offer in London as you know, so venues are not great at paying enough to cover expenses...thank you for asking though. Like you, I love Carlos Henriquez, Dennis Irwin (RIP) and the likes... Unfortunately I sound nothing like them...not at all.

Rockabilly slap is less than half of my job and I can assure you that the Duke with gut strings and high action covers the sounds you mention above very well indeed. Of course, as I always tell myself and other, let's remember that the vast majority of "your" sound on double bass is due to your fingers, technique, personality etc...The sound that Carlos Henriquez and all the other guys get is 70% due to their being themselves, but yes, an American Standard or a Duke, with gut strings and high action, would help towards that goal IMO. As for the longer sustain, it is a blend of good guts as opposed to nylon, high action, good pull and possibly a wee bit by the extra cm length but I'm not too sure about that one.

Mine's a 3/4 size modelled on the 1937 Kay whatever size that was, sorry I'm not a precision guy I wouldn't measure it right and might do you more damage than good. R

Sure thing my friend. New band, good fun, we literally just put preview tracks [url="http://www.robertocassani.co.uk"]here[/url] - this is with an all-gut set up, which is the normal for me. I also played on only one modern folky album with steels on the Duke [url="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/kilmarnock-edition/id569064175"]here[/url] and it sounded great; real decent sound for a plywood IMO, shame about the fingers playing it.

Again, importing from US is extortionate, look at DUKE double basses and you will get all the plusses of the American standards sound wise with the added bonus of the option of customisation from Thomas. If you are sold on the American Standards however, they are amazing sounding basses, but I have never played or seen one in person. The new ones are aupposed to be excellent. The old ones had a notoriously badly designed neck joint I am told from good source.

Hi guys, sorry about my lateness in this thread. As a proud Duke owner and player of it everywhere from studio to clubs to theatres to big open air festivals please allow me to say with all sincerity: DUKE RULES!! And Thomas is the best guy in the world to deal with. Honestly fella, if you play roots music and live in Europe, look no further. Even if you play jazz and just want to swing hard a la be-bop way old style bass playing, again look no further. Ask me any questions you want I am passionate about how great my Duke sounds. New album will be released soon with Duke very prominent in the mix.

Steel strings are preferred by people who really like a harsh click sound and lower action, as well as people who require a magnetic pickup. Lee Rocker early Stray Cats fitted the sound perfectly. Psychobilly is also an example where they fit. I have seen Al Gare play them beautifully with Imelda May. One can "man up" and pass the blister stage if that's the sound you are looking for. Personally, I much prefer the organic and bassy sound of guts (or good nylons at a push). It's not just because of the gentler, less intrusive, more musical "click" of their slap, but especially because of the note produced. Basically, a gut G string, even when slapped will go BOOM, whilst a steel G string will go DIIIIINGGG..... Personally I like to go Boom! Finally, the diameter of steel strings is way to little for me, but all if this is personal preference, so I would listen to your ears, not me. Hope this helps.

Ben Wolfe is a great player. His stance, right & left hands and his superb string pull epitomise gut string playing. On steels and with lower action, such an aggressive pull might cause a lot of harsh clicking on the fingerboard. I personally prefer high action and guts. I know that that means having to pull hard with one finger often supported by the whole hand and the weight if the arm. I also know that I sacrifice dexterity. So, there is a definite place for 2 fingers playing for those who prefer a more modern sound and quicker articulation. Each to their own and all that jazz: there are many ways to play a bass well.

Ben Wolfe is a great player. His stance, right & left hands and his superb string pull epitomise gut string playing. On steels and with lower action, such an aggressive pull might cause a lot of harsh clicking on the fingerboard. I personally prefer high action and guts. I know that that means having to pull hard with one finger often supported by the whole hand and the weight if the arm. I also know that I sacrifice dexterity. So, there is a definite place for 2 fingers playing for those who prefer a more modern sound and quicker articulation. Each to their own and all that jazz: there are many ways to play a bass well.

Good on ya sir, nice to know it works.

Excellent lesson on chords Geoff, very high standard of teaching mate, you have launched a fantastic resource for learning and consolidating jazz playing on double bass. Very enjoyable indeed.

Nope but I would be very interested in your thoughts about it in case it's a good thing to buy.

Not at all go for it mate

Now that a while has passed since I got my walnut pin from Ben, I can honestly say it has made a great difference to me. Going in the studio tomorrow so the sound will be there for posterity. However, for me, the most tangible difference has been in physical terms. The pull-out endpin always felt a bit of a foreign object to me as well as a pain in the bum to get the lenght exactly right. The wooden end pin feels like part of the bass and is always at the right lenght, so that's brilliant.