Rabbie

Hot playing Bilbo, very impressive indeed.

May I add, the setup calls for high action and stamina if you you want to be heard acoustically. Even with the amp, the tone is in the fingers of course. If you prefer low action I wouldn't bother: too floppy.

Guts

I currently use the A and E and really love them for all of your purposes (but I do hardly any bowing). Don't know about the D and G.

I believe the performance of some classical stuff require a 'con sordino' approach, in which case you'd nee a mute preferably made of ebony. I have never seen it really. The thing is: performance mutes soften the sound of the bass, but they are not designed to reduce the volume by too much. In the real world of gigging in every style there ain't a lot if use for a mute, even if dont play with animal the drummer. You may want a rubber one for home practice if you live in a flat, but for all the rest I prefer teaching my fingers some dynamics. That's my take on it anyway.

I Agree with Geoff. Not that I post often enough to have any say, but I play every style (bar classical), so I find that separate sections would be a bit hard work to keep up with. I agree with the special section for luthier work, that would be handy. Everything else I think it's better together as it is quite easy to follow as it is.

Get guts

+1 for the "depends on the strings and the style" school of thought. I am a gut string player and my action currently is 10-11mm G, up to 13mm E. High it may be for most...probably still low for Willie Dixon.

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1370985012' post='2108392'] Have you thought about leaving it and just practicing until you build up strength? You are still very fresh to DB. [/quote] This is great advice in my opinion. The lower the action, the weaker the sound you produce. A lot of people think it doesn't matter because nowadays you play with an amp, but I always found that if you go down that route you may as well play an electric bass. Then again all opinions are perfectly valid if they suit you.

How big are these coffee shops? I prefer to pull hard and play them acoustically... Anyway I agree with the Genz Benz 3-10. I use it everywhere, even for theatre gigs! (With line to House PA of course). It is very uncomplicated indeed and with minimal eq'ing give out the sound of your bass. Disclaimer: I don't normally play with loud drummers, in which case the above does not apply. Anyhow good luck in your search Clarky!

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1368480468' post='2077676'] Personally I have spent about 80 quid on a set of Silver Slaps, and 160EUR on a set of 7 Lambert Gut Twins. I've also just spent £100 on a G and D gut, and I'll judge them when they arrive this week. So overall I haven't spent a lot, and while I don't currently have any real guts to compare them to, I am impressed with the overall performance of the Lamberts. The G in particular seems to be good at everything. The D may be the weakest of the set but it's improving (and I've heard that gut Ds are usually pretty weak too), and the wound A and E I'd imagine perform better than guts. I doubt you can buy a good set of guts cheaper than a set of Lamberts. [/quote] Good for you: don't let the bug get you! I have spent a lot more than that through the years: Innovations, gut-a-likes, solo strings, weich strings, presto/eurosonics, velvets of all kinds, not to mention the mixed sets...and all of this thinking that surely modern technologies have found a way to reproduce the gut sound without the maintenance: well they really have not (in my opinion). Of course, like anything to do with music, each ear will have a different opinion. In my opinion, gut is best (with wound or low tension E and A). Anyway, the Lambert price seems a bit stiff for nylon slap strings, BUT they do seem to have a lot of good reviews, so you never know.. And you are absolutely right, guts are expensive, sometimes too bloomin' expensive...

I have never tried Lamberts, but I think I tried every gut-like string out there and I came to the conclusion that if you want a gut sound, you just have to play guts! It's not a nightmare at all: just give them time to stretch to pitch, oil them every week or so or if they feel dry, use nail clippers to snip the loose hair and there you go, bob's your uncle! You do need to raise your action and pull hard, but thats part if the fun. you wont play superfast, but thats for electric bass chaps. They are dearer... Or are they? How much cash have we all spent trying to find a gut substitute?

Roots, rockabilly, blues, folk, Latin, world, jazz - no arco. Pro level. Nice guy.

I found that my slap technique really got going after I understood 2 things: 1) you gotta be loose: even if slapping is an ungentle art, stiffening up makes you slow, sloppy and tired. 2) everyone's hand is a wee bit different. Milt did it with the side of his fingers, the rockabilly guys more with the palm of their hands, Willie Dixon mainly used his fingertips. I have long hands and I use the area between my thumb and my wrist a lot. As per number 1, I can only do the Dixon quadruple slap when I am really relaxed and don't give a hoot, which ain't probably gonna happen on a gig... Sorry I hope this was of at least a little relevance to the thread. Got no magic advice, you seem to be very informed on all the technique already. All the best.

[quote name='PaulKing' timestamp='1364914274' post='2032536'] If you're amplifying, any acoustic difference in the bass itself starts to make much less difference than your technique, strings, pick up and amplifiers used. For anything other than orchestral / concert performance that Czech laminate should give you awesome amplified tone ... though I'd recommend Underwood / Bassmax / Shadow / TM / Schatten over Realist. Markbass gives accurate transparent sound. If your set up is good, it'll sound great thru Markbass. Alternatively, if it sounds crappy, Markbass won't fix it. [/quote] + 1 for this and Zero9. Great advice, straight to the point. This is how it is.

And according to things written about him, he was an exceptionally nice guy too. But then again, it shines through in his playing: just sublime.