thisnameistaken

This is another thing that the Octavius Squeezer can do. Up to 16 steps IIRC with tap tempo, it can also do random with set step sizes through a set range. Not that it would be wise to buy an Octavius Squeezer just for this!

Cheers guys. Stuck the two spiro weichs on and it's improved things. Still a bit weird with the two remaining twangy strings on there so I'm trying to source a decent used D and G within driving distance rather than having to order a pair (anybody?), but failing that I'll get a order in tomorrow I guess. My other bass is closer to an Eb neck and is much heavier, this one moves around a lot when I play and it's a bit of a gamble in the higher registers but at least the scale is the same on both basses. Just noticed re-stringing that all the nut slots are cut the same - V-shapes big enough to fit an E string. Bit weird. Might see about getting the nut replaced if it's an issue but it doesn't seem to be causing problems. Also the slots in the tailpiece are a bit narrow so I might have to file those out a bit. Seems to have potential though, and was certainly playable out of the box, much better set up than the G4M basses. Would recommend gedo-musik to beginners.

Yeah he's massive. My mum's cat caught sight of him one day and slowly backed out of the room and never came back in!

[quote name='27 frets' timestamp='1336719572' post='1649841'] The solid models are Made in Czech and improved by our workshop. They are delivered with German fingerboards." [/quote] Thanks man that's saved me an email. I've got a spiro E and A in the attic I'm going to stick on it tonight (the current low-tension E and A buzz a bit) and then think about what D and G to stick on if they work out OK. The neck and board currently feel a little bit sticky too but I think that might just be because it's new. Nothing to record it with at the moment except the Bass Max on my laminate bass but will try to bring sounds soon.

[attachment=107581:db.jpg] Delivery feller finally arrived around 6:30pm and I had a rehearsal at 7:30pm so I barely had time to get the strings on this thing and give it a quick bash before I had to go out. :/ The bass is one of [url="http://www.gedo-musik.de/shop/product.php?id_product=630"]these[/url], but I got it at a discount because of a few imperfections in the finish (which have turned out to be barely noticable). The label inside only mentions their name and no origin, so I'm assuming it's Chinese. Spruce top, maple back and sides, the ribs have a decent flame to them, and the maple parts are a little darker than the spruce top (although the top doesn't look a bright as the photo - it was taken during the 30 seconds of sunshine we had today). I'd say the photos on their website are pretty accurate. It's got a 105cm scale and a D neck. The back has what looks like a repaired crack from the inside - about 6" long from the bottom of the bass, with three patches on it - but there's no issues with the finish on the back so I guess the wood had a natural split that they patched before they built the bass. Maybe this is part of the reason for the discount it was listed at. The strings don't suit it but I was intending to replace them anyway. They're quite low-tension and a bit twangy, the E and A buzz a bit but I think a proper set of strings won't, although I'm planning to replace the bridge with an adjustable one anyway so even if this is cut a little too low it won't be an issue. Normally this bass ships with evah pirazzi mediums, my cheapo version didn't. I don't mind because I've had a set of those before and gave them to Beedster last week, they didn't work for me. Sound: I haven't had a whole lot of time to play it yet. It's a bit twangy but it needs a better set of strings before I can judge. It certainly seems quite to be resonant because it was amplifying my body brushing against it while I was playing it which my other bass doesn't do, so I will have to be a bit more disciplined! Lots of sustain across the whole range of the bass, quite a balanced sound, under the bow it's quite woody and open sounding, I really think it's going to be a very good bass when I've got it how I want it. The only thing I'm worried about is it being too sensitive to amplify easily, but we'll see. Overall I'm really happy with what I've seen so far. It's obviously got the characteristics that I wanted from a second bass and with it being new I imagine it's only going to improve from here. Didn't think I would like the violin corners but actually they're quite sweet. And it's attractive enough that the Mrs is happy with it in the dining room (she was happy with my other bass which now looks very bland and basic by comparison!). I would welcome the opinion of other players if anyone's near central York and fancies nipping round to give it a bash. Just need a few days to re-string it first.

Yarr. What bass is that?

Our drummer plays bodhran amongst other things, he's really very good at it. I don't know if what he's doing is traditional but he certainly gets a large variety of sounds and some surprisingly complicated rhythms.

Yeah but a good sticker is a good sticker. I wouldn't plaster a bass in them but if it's a good sticker why not. Everybody likes good stickers.

TBH I've been looking for over a year for a second bass in my firmly-decided price bracket and it was only a chance reply to a thread I started here that led me to a cut-price scratched bass at Gedo Musik. I still don't know if it's any good, delivery guy is due before 3pm. It had better fit the bill because I am well bored of scouring Gumtree and eBay now.

I don't think the differences are that subtle between £600 and £6k basses. A friend of mine who I've gigged together with on DB has a bass he paid £10k for that was built for Jon Thorne, and he's got a Full Circle fitted to it. I came along with my £500 laminate with a Bass Max on it. Chalk and cheese, just as obvious amplified. His has great sustain and a purring jazz tone, mine thumps and booms. Put them through piezos and you get pretty much the same characteristics only louder. Of course there's a difference between different pickups and it's no doubt worthwhile trying to find the best pickup to reproduce the sound of your particular bass. And sure there are amplified gigs where I'd rather have my thumpy old ply bass thanks (I'm keeping it), but I've also had gigs where I would've much preferred to have a nice jazzy-sounding bass rather than my brute! Also yes you're right I think I will benefit from practising on a bass with a more open sound and more sustain because I will be able to hear my intonation more clearly. It was another big reason I was looking for a second bass.

I suppose it comes down to the difference between used and abused. If you take reasonable care it's easy to move most things without knocking the corners off, but if a cab occasionally meets with a door jamb I'm not going to be bothered about it. I doubt any of us unloads a van by standing inside it and pushing stuff out of the back.

In my ignorant mind I always thought laminate necks were used because they are stiffer and require less adjustment / provide better tuning stability. I didn't think 'tone' was a factor. Good point above about laminates not being used on acoustic instruments.

I suppose it depends what you're using to reproduce it. There are certainly some very expensive mics available.

Yeah I can't justify £3k on a bass. I can understand why good acoustic instruments are worth a lot of money but for a non-professional like me I can't justify that expense on something that isn't going to give me any return. If by some weird circumstance I do end up making a lot of money playing the bass then I'll no doubt think again, but for now about £1500 is about the upper limit of what I would spend on what is essentially just a toy.

I've had a '91 Thumb for about ten years now and it's just a sweet bass. Flat it has its own sound which I really like, but small boosts with the 2-band EQ can give it more typical modern active bass sounds. It doesn't hurt that it looks really cool.

I've been looking for a while to get a less boxy-sounding instrument than the one I've been learning on, but I found there's a big gap in the market spanning my price range. I'm talking about the used market really; it seems there's good mid 20th century ply basses for £5-800, and there's flatbacks from Germany from circa 1900 for £3-4k. Nothing seems to hit the £1-2k range really. I don't know if this situation is unique to the UK or Europe, but it's annoying. I ended up buying a new bass from Gedo Musik in the end, which the postie is due to deliver today, so we'll see how well my budget buying has worked out this afternoon...

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1336512418' post='1646855']The spell checker on my computer just highlighted "Honkytonk". When I right clicked for the correct spelling it changed it to "Phytoplankton" [/quote] I like your computer's no-nonsense attitude.

There's a decent selection of 4-string Warwicks in your price range. They do a nice line in understated natural finishes rather than coffee-table tops.

It's not unheard of for stuff sent from the USA to spend two or three weeks in UK customs - I've had the same thing a few times with boutique pedals I've ordered in the past. I honestly would not be surprised if this delay is entirely down to HMRC.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1336487623' post='1646291']The day I hear an effect that improves the sound of a double bass, I will applaud it. Until then..... :bleuuuch:[/quote] I suppose you could bin all effects on all instruments if that's your justification.

I like what Miles Mosley's doing up there. I've got a lot of effects that I use on BG but I've never run my DB through them, I think because I like the sound of DB plenty already, but those clips above are really nice.

I agree with Bilbo. You've got a few slow months of tiring practise to get through, might as well do it sooner.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1336463103' post='1645813'] I'm kind of the same way. Main bass cost six hundred quid but my other basses vary between 1800 and 6000 quid in value. [/quote] Hmm. My most expensive bass cost £670...