thisnameistaken

I was also at Galtres but only for short periods each day because I was dog sitting while my missus ran the Arts Barge tent. It was a good vibe thus year but I wasn't interested in most of the bill. Buzzcocks and Jon Gomm and Billy Bragg, of course they were all on different days...

Fair enough. I would say if you've got any pedals that were hard to come by or would be otherwise expensive to replace, think about hanging on to them. You can always leave them at home. I'm mostly playing DB at the moment but when I do play bass guitar I like having my effects available. I do still like the clean sound of my basses, but I also like my effect sounds a lot too.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1346491491' post='1789789']To my mind the Ehrlund and DPA 4099 ace it, including versus the pickup on my DB (Full Circle). Got me thinking too ...[/quote] As I was saying to Daf, I'm just sick of the sound of piezos, but I didn't think there was a practical mic for live use. I think the Ehrlund is the most realistic option, so I have to at least give it a try. I've got a Realist on my bass at the moment and while it's less nasal and more balanced sounding than the other piezos I've tried, it's completely missing the top end - it's just not there. I've heard that the Ehrlund can take a lot of trial and error to find the best place to mount it, but I would rather spend that time knowing the sound is in there somewhere than mess about endlessly with more piezos not knowing whether I'm wasting my time. I was actually thinking about getting a Full Circle fitted but I don't have an adjustable bridge on my main bass so the cost of getting one fitted plus the pickup would actually be more expensive than the Ehrlund. And if the FC has that dominant midrange hump characteristic that all piezos I've tried so far have got, I wouldn't like it anyway. I'm about to put my order in anyway so I will be sure to report back.

And now I know Daf is our local dealer - and having spoken to him about the pros and cons - I think I'll have to give the Ehrlund a punt.

You don't need to get as close with a live rig because the FoH sound won't reproduce it anything like as accurately as a recording, so don't feel like you have to buy a big tube amp and a spine-ruining cab to gig with. I actually think the tube pre in my Shuttle sounds great when it's turned up. Others may disagree but I've been genuinely impressed with it. And that weighs under 2kg.

Yeah the only bass I'd trade my '91 Thumb for is a '91 Thumb 5. And even then I'd have to give it a lot of thought.

Looks like it's worth a try but I was looking at the Ehrlund because it's supposed to have decent feedback prevention qualities and reach volumes close to a piezo. I would imagine a regular contact mic might be a bit of a gamble live.

Thanks for your help. I can't find any published prices on those two websites though?

I'd quite like to try the Ehrlund EAP because I am sick of the sound of piezos, but [url="http://www.kontrabass-atelier.de/pickups_e.html"]this[/url] is the only dealer I can see online in Europe. Wondered if anyone knows anywhere else that's selling them in the EU? I'd rather not order from the USA.

So can you get similar volume with the mic to what you got with the realist?

[quote name='Sparkl' timestamp='1345959317' post='1783511']From what I hear, Sandbergs really do their job in this section, they always sound so mean. And their bridge tone also seems to be amazing (I'm from slovenia and noone sells sands here so I have to rely on YT vids), but what bothers me, that their JBass, the California TT4 version does not include a dotted neck. Which I find disturbing since I am very used to have those dots on.[/quote] They still have dot markers on the top edge of the fingerboard, so you can still see them. [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1346177680' post='1786189'] Wait a minute! You're telling me there's a Sandberg MarloweDK signature bass? What is the world coming to???? [/quote] Makes sense - he's a very influential guy.

I don't know why people gripe about MEC electronics, I've always thought they suited the basses very well. I guess because they aren't as high profile as some brand names people think they should replace them with something more famous. Humans. Honestly...

For me the Thumb is only uncomfortable if playing ostinato patterns around the first or second fret, but to be honest most 34" scale basses get uncomfortable doing that after a while. I do agree though the strap button is in the wrong place - it would be easier to play low down if the top horn was 2" longer.

I always thought Zender could use pretty much anything and sound the same because he squashed everything so harshly. The Streamers did look cool though.

Looks knackered mate. I think they still sell that model so you should be able to replace it no worries.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1346135806' post='1785573']Sorry, my bad. You wont get that sound with an effects pedal. After having another listen, the best thing for you to get that sound at 3:30 is an American Bloke. [/quote] +1. Find an american who can say the word 'Is' for you. That should get you most of the way there.

Certainly could be rubbish with a bit of work. Sorry, couldn't resist. Looks a bit like an old B&H but in surprisingly good nick.

If you want to hear what a Thumb bass sounds like, listen to The Reality Of My Surroundings, or Give A Monkey A Brain And He'll Swear He's The Centre Of The Universe by Fishbone. Thumb 5s were used on everything and Reality has a lot of fretless on it. There's a range of tones in use too - some dubby deep stuff, the odd bit of slap, etc.

I tried one in a local shop (Banks on Lendal in York) a couple of weeks ago and it did nothing for me, and I like Jazzes. The necks are a little on the chunky side and it felt a bit cheap generally. Sound wise it was OK - sounded like a Jazz, can't go far wrong with that after 50 years of practise I suppose. And I liked the look of the blocks although the binding wasn't finished very well.

All tape echo simulators will alter your sound as the repeats decay, it's the nature of that sound. Don't worry about losing bass, it's often a good thing - too much bass in the repeats can cause a muddy sound.

I was playing at a local festival this weekend, they had a container to store instruments and when I turned up to store my bass there were already five others in there! Seems all the cool kids are playing upright these days. :-)

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1345920291' post='1783214']If you want Chancellor's tone on a budget, a G&L L2000 Tribute with a Sansamp BDDI into a clear sounding amp like a Hartke or Gallien Kruger would do it[/quote] Yeah that's a good idea. L2000s are so versatile there's very little they can't do. Wish they didn't look so plain though.

The sound of my Thumb is a big middy burp sound. With the actives it can do more, and switched passive it sounds different again, but flat it's a burpy, proddy sort of sound. I like it a lot.