NickA

Conversation off line with another bass chatter..... I tried powering my pjb rig from a jackery 240. The 150W flight case only draws around 25W and even the 250W pb300 only draws another 25W. I could play through the flight case all day. These class d based amps draw next to nothing. The 1kWh jackery is seriously heavy and expensive mind ... then again, so is a petrol generator. No need for a busking amp, buy a lithium battery pack and use your usual rig ( unless it's a 4x10 powered by a valve amp ).

Plus 1 on that Sandberg. Before I folded and bought my fretted Wal 5 string I tried a load of 5 string basses and tbe Sandberg vm was the best all rounder; heck, they even got the p pickup the right way round! A super flexible quality bass. The Wal's bottom B is better and it's a lovely thing to have etc, but the Sandberg is £1800 available immediately ( could have had one for £1400 from Wunjo) whereas the Wal is a saga of hunting, waiting, bidding, loosing out to someone else and then £5000+ to pay.

Superb bits of kit. We use them for work, powering up test kit when there's no mains or the mains goes on and off. They do all different sizes ( and prices) too. Had one confiscated trying to get it on a flight tho ... Battery too big :-(

"Every Jack shall find his Jill and every Jill her Jack" 😉 (..which I thought was shakespeare, but isn't.)

My thoughts exactly. It shouldn't be an issue, but it is rather ick.

I am extremely happy with my fretless wal custom. Though it would be nice if it were walnut or Wenge not maple faced ... and though the sound is great, the ergonomics have room for improvement. I wonder what a through neck Wal would be like ..it would have to be Ken Smith style complicated in construction to avoid maple and hornbeam going right through it..and a longer finger board would be good to have. A fretless 4 string mk3 Wal might do it. Someones earlier suggestion of an Alembic with Wal innards might be spot on. Though my own attempts to make something with all the merits of a fender jazz, a Warwick dolphin and a Wal custom did not create something better than any of those (well, maybe better than the fender).

I have some history with viols.. " early music" was a "thing" when I was at primary school and we got to play recorders along with a viol consort. My next school had a cupboard full of cornetti and crum horns, a recorder consort ( praetorius, holborn, Byrd etc) and a chamber orchestra for Bach and Vivaldi. Since I inherited my dad's bass de viol (a student six string) I've been chatting with the doyenne of UK viol playing, Alison Crum, who turns out to know some people I know and several my brother has played with. I have all the background and none of the ability! 😂. Roll on retirement and I'll spend a morning a week on viol (a day on cello, a day on classical double bass, a day on jazz double bass and a day on electric..half on fretted, half on fretless) and get back to grips with the old alto block flute... not enough days in the week sadly. Neither cello nor viol have been played in weeks.

Add two strings, strip the frets above the 7th one. ...... and no I can't play it; too many instruments, not enough time. And the tuning is weird...and the clef even weirder.

I'm over 60 and already have a Viola da Gamba lined up to learn😂😂

Not me. Not sure what it's for tbh. My amp has a di output if there's a pa to connect up.

Truth is, if you can play a fretted bass without buzzing the frets, then you can play fretless in tune. I suppose once you know where the notes are on a multi scale having frets or not makes no odds. I'm still struggling a bit with 5 strings...having only played 4 stringed instruments for 50 years. Old dogs new tricks etc. multi scale's a step too far for me I think. 🙂

Daddario hybrids...I used a set for 18 years. Easier to bow than my set of spiros. Various people told me they're the worst of both worlds tho, poor for bowing and pizz! Swapped to Eva pirazzi ( advised to get the full tension sort though as...apparently...they bow better ). Then yesterday watched a video of Yuri Goloubev, who says he really likes helicore hybrids! Spiro weichs are nice; had them on a loan bass while mine was being mended. I prefer the Eva's if there's any bowing to do tho.

Fair do's. Mine came from bass bags ..and was badged as a Keyboard stool. Included a not very useful back rest. Maybe not quite the same. The vinyl didn't last long and the padding went soft. Upgrade on the IKEA bar stool I used before tho.

I recently swapped from this very stool design to the k&m. Much prefer the k&m. It has a height adjustable foot rest, memory foam padding and an ergonomic seat that tilts fore /aft. Most importantly it doesn't squeak like the old one.... which is now confined to the garage for when I've some soldering to do at my workbench. Glad you like it, but IMO the price was the only really good thing.

How in heavens name do you play that in tune????

In the east midlands too. Every town has a jazz jam session now with some people going to all of them. It's the new blues! Despite helping to organise a couple of them, I've gone from being in demand to being in a queue. But we're mostly rank amateurs. I think "proper" jazz musos have mostly moved on to bass playing that's contrapuntal without following the restrictions of walking.

Bought my one and only double bass from Peter in 1988. He seemed pretty old then ( to my much younger self). Is he still in business? The website is still there... I'm having a similar problem with Andrew McGill who has one of my bows but won't reply to my messages.

I have that or something very like it: https://ecmrecords.com/product/nuove-musiche-rolf-lislevand/ Sprang, I think, off the success of the "officium" recording of Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard ensemble. Kind of jazz / early music fusion resting on the thoughts that some parts of early music were improvised. There's another called "in darkness let me dwell" with the wonderful Barry Guy on bass ( not a man to do a walking bass line!). "Corruscating" by John Surman in a similar sort of vein, featuring classical string players who also do jazz, with Chris Lawrence on bass. Back in the land of straight jazz; I thought it was only old fogies like me, playing 50s mainstream ( "modern" ) jazz who still did walking bass lines. You don't hear Dan Berglund, Yuri Goloubev or Liran Donan doing it much. Personally, I love playing a good swinging walking bass through a load of changes ...old fart me tho😁

Bass bags do custom cases. They'll get anything made up. Give them a call and talk to David ( NB: you might be on the phone a while 🙂 ).

Amazing looking bass! Never heard of the make so looked it up. Your man Antonio doesn't get a good rap! http://www.chionline.com/Antoniotsai/ Hope yours is a good one.

My problem is owning a Wal custom fretless. I just look at my bass wall, on which also hang a fretted 4 string Warwick dolphin and a fretted 5 string Wal MK2 and think ...I'll just take the fretless Wal, it's just so £_&-ing lovely. Now and then I do need frets or a low B, then the MK2 comes out. The dolphin is nice at home, for playing classical music on... and when I come over all 80s and need to slap something. Nice problem to have I admit.

Didn't realise alembic were such a big outfit. I've been to the electric wood workshop.... but as its a small converted cowshed, there isn't much of a "tour" to be had. Fraction of the size.

Well its an improvement on the original anyway. Upper fret access on bolt on necks is often an issue.

😂😂 That's the spirit! Sure the great makers of the 18th century would have done exactly that!

My fretless is 86, two string guides, black knobs. Guess it's whatever was in the parts bin. Unlike today,they used to knock them out apace. These days, the exact colour of the knobs and kind of string guide is probably what people specify, along with the special stained finishes, custom finger board inlays gold hardwear etc etc ...no wonder it takes so long to make one now. 🤔