chrkelly

Hi guys,

I've just put up my full circle pickup in the for sale section if anyone's interested
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=24460"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=24460[/url]

Cheers,
Chris

[b]Fishman Full Circle pickup [/b] - SOLD
Brilliant natural sounding pickup, a lot cleaner, more focused and more feedback resistant than the Gage Realist. It's the 6 x 1mm version so if you already have bridge adjusters of that size, just can just swap them out to install the pickup. Alternatively, a good luthier will install it for about £30. I've just ordered a Schertler pickup for my new bass so the Fishman won't be getting any use. Further info can be found on the Fishman website [url="http://www.fishman.com/products/details.asp?id=17"]http://www.fishman.com/products/details.asp?id=17[/url]

[b]Dtar Equinox preamp[/b] - SOLD
Preamp with a 3.9m ohm input, 3 band parametric eq and 2 notch filters for getting rid of feedback. Great unit but it's just not getting used.

[b]LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI preamp[/b] - SOLD
Preamp with a 10m ohm input, notch filter and phase switch. Can be run on 9v battery or phantom. Rugged metal stompbox format.

[b]Old strings[/b]
Spirocore weich full set - SOLD
Pirastro Obligato full set - SOLD
Spirocore mittel E - SOLD
Corelli 370TX full set - SOLD
Pirastro Obligato G D A - £15 - well used
Pirastro Permanent C ext - £30 - as new
Pirastro Original Flat chrome E - £30 - as new

[b]A. Schroetter French bow - £250[/b]
Nice quite light pernambucco stick, nickel mounted ebony frog. It's a good student bow which I used when learning right up to my first year at college. Need to get a better spare bow so this is up for grabs.

Pics will be up soon

The Bergantino is now gone (cheers Toasted) and I've now joined the Aguilar club!

These are brilliant cabs. When on tour, my hire rig of choice is nearly always a SWR SM-900 and Goliath 410. Very good price too.

I'm going through a complete change of gear at the mo, moving down to something a lot more portable for every day use. I'll be in possession of an Aguilar AG500 tomorrow and I'm looking for a 12 cab (well two 12s) to go with it. Current contenders are Bergantino AE112, HT112er/EX112, Epifani UL112, Aguilar DB112. Any thoughts on these cabs? Basically, the cab has to have a great deep smooth sound but still with enough detail as I'll be using it with an old flat strung precision and a double bass. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Bergantino - trade pending
SWR - on ebay [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SWR-Henry-the-8x8-bass-cabinet_W0QQitemZ230274332900QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item230274332900&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SWR-Henry-the-8x8-ba...p3286.m14.l1318[/url]
EA - on ebay [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Euphonic-Audio-iAMP-600-bass-amplifier_W0QQitemZ230274369924QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item230274369924&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Euphonic-Audio-iAMP-...p3286.m14.l1318[/url]

Good basses these are, have a bump.

There is something quite satisfying though about practising on the sofa with eight speakers firing sound at you. It's a good job the guy in the flat below me is a bit deaf!

on hold

SWR on the bay

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SWR-Henry-the-8x8-bass-cabinet_W0QQitemZ230274332900QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item230274332900&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SWR-Henry-the-8x8-ba...p3286.m14.l1318[/url]

Bought 2 sets of these recently but not really into them. I'll hold onto the used set but the other brand new one can go. The gauges are 49, 69, 89, 109

NOW SOLD

Still here guys. Final bump before ebay.

+1

£30 inc travel is a bargain for someone of Steve's calibre. Professional musicians don't spend their entire lives studying an instrument to come away with hardly anything at the end of it. Factor in how long it takes to travel to yours and back home again and the cost of that travel. The teacher is looking at just over £10 per hr taking those into consideration. Charge £15 per lesson as Valentine said, well, that's slave labour!

Berg back up for sale. Why did I move into a top floor flat????

Hi Graham,

What type of music do play, what volume, what's your bass sound like generally, what pickup do you use and how do you want to sound? Sorry for all the questions but there are so many different strings out there, all with very different characteristics. 5 strings sets are more difficult to choose because there's so much pressure on the belly of the instrument and that chokes the sound. Look into getting solo gauge strings and tune them down a tone, a lot of players do this and it gets rid of a lot of the tension.

I'm using a full set of Pirastro original flat-chromes on my Tarrantino for orchestral playing, they're heavy gauge, very dark sounding strings. I wouldn't recommend them for 5 string though, you'd have tendonitus in a week. I've got some Pirastro obligatos on my other bass for pizz playing. They're light gauge, lot's of sustain but too bright for my liking on that bass.


Chris

Back to the top

I've been playing a lot lately with the berg and it sounds so good that I just can't bring myself to sell it. Apologies to all those who were interested.

I would never say the EA sounded wooly, what cab did you try it with, may have been a bad pairing. I've always found mine extremely clear and articulate. It doesn't add or take anything away from your sound. I always find the measure of a good clean amp is how well it amplifies double bass. Certain amps with frequency bumps that may be tasteful for bass guitar will give a horrible double bass sound. The EA has none (you can dial them in via the presets or eq though) and retains crystal clear highs that I find are missing from a lot of amps. Warmth and punch wise, that mainly depends on the instrument and how you play it, though you can get a nice thick mid present sound with the contour preset on.

back to the top

A few pics added to the original post

That pic's great.

Most 5 door hatchbacks will let you have the bass in and 2 passenger seats free. Estates are better because of the flat load in and the extra roof clearance at the back means the bass can travel on its side leaving loads of room for everything else. Best though are those big old Volvos. I've had a full size Stevenson flight case in one with ease.

Pics will be up as soon as I've found the box with the camera in it.

back to the top

Now I've finally moved into my new place, the clearout can commence!

First up is a Bergantino HS410 4ohm in perfect condition. This IS THE BEST CAB I'VE EVER PLAYED THROUGH but unfortunately when I bought from Mark at Bass Direct in Nov last year I thought I'd be moving into a ground floor flat. Well, that one fell through and I'm now on the 2nd floor with a narrow staircase. Also, my new double bass is a lot bigger than my last one and my car isn't big enough for the two. It's much narrower in depth than most 410s and will fit in the back seat of the car comfortably. It will really hurt seeing this go but as soon as it's gone I'll be straight out to Bass Direct to replace it with a pair of Berg 12's. Also comes with padded cover and removable castors.
SOLD!

Next is my SWR Henry the 8x8. Pre Fender model in used but definitely not abused condition. There was a lot of interest in this after I'd put it into storage during the move so hopefully it gets the same this time round. Amazing punch and depth from the 8s and much smaller and lighter than an 810. Awesome cab but a bit OTT for my current needs.
SOLD!

Finally, my trusty EA iAmp 600. Amazing hifi powerhouse. With a Thon 3u rack.
SOLD!

All available for collection from Catford, S London or I can deliver myself depending on time and distance.

Best bet is to hold out for something that has been played in. Those gear4music ones you talk about are nice and cheap but I'd personally stay well clear of anything that comes with a hard case for that kind of money. If you've tried it and liked it, fine, but as jake said you can usually source a well used one off ebay or gumtree for the same money. My advice is reserve a bit of money for a decent setup by a good luthier. It's all good and well doing a bit of sanding yourself but it will in no way will it compare to what the likes of Roger Dawson and Malcolm Healey can do. It doesn't matter what the quality of the bass is, if its setup is rubbish, the bass is rubbish.

Was having a look through Chuck Traeger's bass repair book and one of the first things he talks about are old school wooden endpins. They're meant to vibrate more freely than mordern day steel ones and therefore improve your sound. I've got a 5/8inch diameter spike on my new Tarrantino which according to the book, will fit a 2B hickory drumstick perfectly. A pair of sticks costs only about £7 so I give it a try. It actually works. My bass has a pretty big resonant sound anyway but now it sounds even more open, especially in the higher register. I wouldn't say it's louder, just a more free sound. Better still, the instrument vibrates a lot more with the low C shaking every bone in your body. This is with arco, I found the effect is less pronounced for pizz. Looks a bit weird though setting up with a drumstick in your bass, I'll see how many funny looks I get at the gig tomorrow.