chrkelly

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

Wheel all the way. I use an Onyx wheel, very easy to get around London with. Takes about 90% of the weight of the bass off your back so you can actually play when you get to a gig. It's very easy to control once you get used to it. The stool buggy thing is a complete waste of money. The stool doesn't have enough area to sit on making it very uncomfortable during long rehearsals and is too short. I'd imagine it would become a bit squeaky after a while too due to the moving parts. It's a good idea but has too many flaws to be worth that kind of money. The best light stool I've used so far is the Amadeus [url="http://www.amadeus-equipment.co.uk/estore/erol.html#3002x0&&http%3A%252F%252Fwww.amadeus-equipment.co.uk%252Fopus_chairs.htm"]http://www.amadeus-equipment.co.uk/estore/...opus_chairs.htm[/url]

ON HOLD!

QUOTE (chrkelly @ Apr 17 2008, 03:16 PM) *
MU flight agreements are being waved in the air


Are you saying the Airline ignored this? If so was it reported back to the MU?




Completely ignored them! The whole situation was bizarre, and Easyjet's staff were downright rude. Not sure what the MU came back with as I haven't been on a gig with that guy since. Would love to know though.

Not a chance on Easyjet. We were coming back from France last year with a small chamber orchestra and a member of staff took a dislike to one of the french horns just before boarding the plane. Eventually everything is sorted and everyones seated and ready to take off when "can a mr... please identify himself" comes out of the speakers. Anyway, the whole argument starts again and there's a stand off between pilot, security and french horn. Crazy stuff considering everyone else's instruments including 4 cellos are in the cabin. It's 8am, MU flight agreements are being waved in the air and everyone's got a massive hangover from the night before. French horn goes in the hold about half an hour later, comes out in London trashed.

Moral of the story, it only takes one jobsworth to make your life a misery. As Wateroftyne said, plan for the worst, stick it in a good flightcase, try and get it in the cabin, if they say no you're still ok for it going in the hold. Oh, and if possible, don't fly Easyjet or Ryan Air, they don't serve free alcohol to calm your nerves!

Cheers Nathan, I do like the Epifani gear but I'm not looking to go down the pre/power route. Too much weight and 4 rack spaces is a bit excessive for everyday gigging. Thanks anyway though.

Those Pelican cases look like they'd work brilliantly, however there's something about putting your bass in a weapons case that just screams 'open me' to a customs official.

Definitely slacken the strings. A mate of mine had a 60s Gibson hollowbody that had its neck pulled off by the tension of freezing cold strings! Some baggage compartments are climate controlled, some aren't. You should be fine using a Hiscox however if you're going to be touring a lot, put up with the extra weight and get a proper flightcase. After 10 flights the Hiscox will have a few holes in it. Baggage handlers don't like instruments. On my last tour I watched some idiot drop my double bass off the belt and onto the tarmac from the plane window. Also, NEVER EVER lock your case. If a customs official wants to inspect the contents of your case and it's locked, they will break it open. There's a ridiculous horror story about when someone wanted to inspect a locked double bass case. They took a crowbar to the flightcase. Took the bass out of the gigbag and then opened the bass with the crowbar!

Can you tell I despise flying with instruments?

Never once had a problem flying within Europe though.

Cheers guys, you're making me want to keep it.

replied

Definitely open to trades but only for something a tad more coloured for bass guitar, mainly Aguilar 500SC, Thunderfunk 550, Eden WT550 and maybe a Markbass TA503. I'm going to need an amp for some sessions starting 28th so I'll probably hold on to the EA till after that if I can't find a suitable replacement soon.

Chris

Great bass, hardly used. Set up with Thomastik jazz flats and includes well padded ESP gig bag. Pickup only from London. No trades as I need money for my new upright.

£150

Pics to follow.