TPJ

Yeah, I think these cabs are the way forward. I'm going to be selling my Mesa Walkabout 12 to pay for a F112. I have an EAD 212 which covers everything big but is sometimes to physically big for the stages we play. The F112 will work perfectly for these sorts of spaces.

Great stuff. Serious Duke envy here I'm after a peacemaker but sadly can't begin to think about it until next year.

This might sound strange, but you should try teaching him right-handed. I'm a lefty but learned right-handed. Having your most dexterous hand on the frets might offer more ease of playing. It did with me anyhow.

I play electric and double bass through a Mesa Walkabout 12. Admittedly, I use either a MBII or an AI Focus head when playing DB instead of the Mesa head, but it does fine for me. The tone I go for isn't really "my bass but louder" it's just "louder" Maybe try BassBod's suggestion and stick with it, try other preamps etc... For what it's worth, the Full Circle is a great all around pickup IME. I have one on a DB and on a small body EUB (BSX Allegro 5) and it does a great job. Maybe the Realist doesn't suit that bass?

Yes, it can make a difference depending on the input impedance. I don't know all the ins and out of the electrical jiggery pokery, but I know that you have to load a piezo somewhat to get the best out of them. Amps like Acoustic Image have high impedance inputs so you wouldn't need a separate preamp if you use one of those. Even something like a pedal tuner can help. I use a Full Circle with either a FDeck pre or a MXR M80 which actually has a pretty high impedance input. Edit. I might have my terms wrong but the bottom line is that a preamp can help the sound when using a piezo pickup.

I bought a set of used Animas for £70 and had them on my bass for nearly 3 years! Considering they are near £300 new, it was a pretty good outcome.

I suffered elbow and shoulder problems. After some good rest and physio treatment which relieved it, I found exercise to be a big factor in keeping away injury. I do kettle bell exercise and various other things to keep a certain level of strength and that seems to be working. Like yourself, I'm getting on in years and approach playing differently now, more finesse than brute force. Ironically, I've just switched to Mittels from lower tension strings as I find I can draw more sound from them with less energy so maybe it's just a new approach that you should look at. Good luck and I hope you solve your issue.

Little revival here. I changed strings last night as curiosity was getting the best of me. The Velvet Animas were lovely and lasted over 3 years but were sounding quieter and more thumpy recently. I found a used set of Spiro mediums and figured it was time to try them. I've pretty much always had synthetic strings of one kind or another on the bass but felt I needed to try the benchmark. What's nice is the strings are used so they're not zingy and they tuned up and stayed in tune almost immediately. The action height may need some adjustment but the strings haven't really choked the bass tone/volume, which was my main worry. Now I just need to get used to the tension...lol

That looks great and and the story behind it makes it even better. Enjoy

Here's my cheapo hybrid that does the job nicely. The colour is horrid and I don't like the upper bout shape but it's all I have I'm saving for a Duke Peacemaker

Wow,that looks wonderful. I love the shape of the upper bouts. Enjoy

Shot of my BSX Allegro 5 string in Nijmegen, NL a few weekends ago. It was hot that day. [IMG]http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/bassoline/IMG_20140712_151911_zpsf81e2d32.jpg[/IMG]

You could ask him to fit adjusters to your bridge which would allow you to change the action yourself.

Just echoing what others have said, get the bass checked out by someone who knows what to look for and get some lessons to get yourself on the right direction. Most of all, welcome to the DB fold

Just learned that he passed away a few days ago. I really enjoyed his style of playing. RIP and thanks for the great music.

Since Ben has started making his lovely custom end pins, I thought there might be a niche market in custom end pin rubbers...things like chicken feet or a pigs trotter, or a Chuck Taylor. Not sure how well it would go down with orchestra leaders though when they look over and see the bass section all have polka-dot wellingtons on their endpins...

Echoing the praise for Paul. Great to deal with. I needed an item quickly and he was very helpful in making it happen. Thanks again.

Could you mock one up using the metal holder and just a dowel as the endpin? You could post the holder with several lengths of dowel that swap in and out to the customer/trial person to find the correct length. I imagine after two or three people do this, you will be able to tell the bent length in relation to a normal end pin?

[quote name='geoffbassist' timestamp='1404370205' post='2491896'] Thanks for the heads up, that's a great idea and it's awesome it's being made in the UK. [/quote] +1

Here is mine

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1403293363' post='2481649'] Oh, but they're awful, haven't you read? [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/238168-gibson-eb-bass-2014-anygood/"]http://basschat.co.u...s-2014-anygood/[/url] (FWIW I like mine, in spite of its utter wretchedness) [/quote] I like yours too, that thing sounded great

These really are nice basses. Quite a few tonal options with the pickup split/tap. Easy to play. Great looking too. Enjoy