henrywillard

Hey Kevsy71, I'm in Sevenoaks/Weald, just off the A21 junction & teach out of my studio here. Would be happy to help if you're still looking to get started on upright? -Henry

I have an odd-sized endpin that regular double bass endpin rubbers & balls don't seem to fit on, however I eventually found some 'cello' endpin rubbers on eBay, direct from China, that are super cheap, very, very durable & long-lasting, and fit my endpin perfectly! Check out the dimensions, & see if these may work for you? I keep them in my eBay 'watch list' permanently now so I know which ones to re-order, however I'd say one rubber will easily last me a good six months or so. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-Pieces-Cello-End-Pin-Rubber-Tips-Caps-Hold-Tool-Cello-Replacement-Parts/282913080277

I forgot to mention, I'm using Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Weich's. (not gut's). I emailed Pirastro & they confirmed that their string oil is for gut's only. I just found the Pirastro String Cleaner so good at making my strings feel smooth again, & removing light grime build-up from finger oils etc. I'll probably take a punt on the Royal Oak, Gewa Old Master and Nature Works at some point. Try out all three & see which I like best!

My sister has asked me if I want any little bits for Christmas, & I could do with some new string cleaner! Unfortunately the string cleaner I have always used by Pirastro has been discontinued! That stuff was amazing! Has anyone tried and/or have experience of using any of the following: - Pirastro String Oil - (Is this just for gut strings?? I could never quite work out what the difference was between Pirastro String Oil, & Pirastro String Cleaner?) - Petz String Cleaner - Nature Works String Cleaner - Gewa Old Master String Cleaner - Royal Oak String Cleaner Any reviews/recommendations appreciated!

@Houndogg +1 for a Westbury here too - with wheels! I officially endorse Westbury basses and products, and without obviously being biased, cannot rate them highly enough. My Westbury bag measures 180cm in length, internally. The endpin shaft which protrudes from the underside of the lower bout on my bass, tends to sit inside the bag, with just my rubber endpin ball sticking out, but you could get away with the whole shaft sticking out the bottom if you had a bigger bass in there, although admittedly not ideal. Maybe therefore measure your bass from the top of the scroll to the bottom of the lower bout, ignoring the protruding endpin shaft, and see what that measures at? Either way, I hope you find a suitable case! :)

Hi Dave, I use a Radial Engineering PZ-Pre - The thing is unbelievable! [url="http://www.tonebone.com/pzpre.php"]http://www.tonebone.com/pzpre.php[/url] Built like it's bomb proof, does an incredible job, you can either blend or switch between two pickups/instruments in a foot stomp, there's a dedicated separate channel for a pedal tuner (I use a Boss TU-3), and there's of course a mute stomp switch too which is really handy. I rarely use the Boost switch, but it's there if need be. They're around £300.00 brand new. Would recommend them to anyone.

Hi Danny. Are you using a pre-amp at all?

I totally second what Geoff said. I had a DPA 4099B, but eventually sold it as I just could not get on with it due to feedback problems on stage when using it for monitoring. Don't get me wrong, it sounded great on its own, but as soon as the rest of the band joined in, it was an absolute nightmare for backline. I would maybe be tempted to try a DPA out again, sending it to the front of house and using my pickup (Wilson K4) for my monitoring, but to be honest, the Wilson K4 is an absolutely INCREDIBLE pickup, so I am completely satisfied using it for both FOH & backline, and have been for a few years now. Absolutely no feedback issues, and it just sounds fantastic on my bass. Best pickup (or mic) I have ever used. I also echo spender.b. It will only work in certain live scenarios. For me personally, I unfortunately found that to be hardly ever. It would always feedback, or be right on the edge, which distracted me from my playing. I tried a couple of different pre-amps, but to no avail, so on eBay it went. The Wilson K4 pickup allows me to not worry one bit about my sound, and I can focus 100% on my playing. Would highly recommend checking them out

My post probably did come across a tad 'strong'! Sorry!!

Great choice, chickencole!

At £350, that's £250 off the retail price of the Antoni. I used to sell these basses some years back when I worked in a music shop. They're obviously Chinese basses (or certainly that region), distributed in the UK by JHS. Antoni is their own brand which they import. To be honest, you get what you pay for. It's hard to be honest without sounding like a 'double bass snob', but these basses (imo) are basically just pieces of throwaway wood glued together in a double bass shape. If it hasn't been set-up yet, a good luthier will almost definitely need to try and work some magic on it to make it playable. That said, if you are just starting out, and if you're on a very tight budget and want to try out the double bass to see if you take to it, the Antoni will get you going. I was in the same position, and my very first bass was actually a piece of junk I bought off eBay for around the same price. I was totally new to the upright bass, but it got me going. If you do get the Antoni, practice regularly (daily), and take to the double bass as an instrument, what you will probably find is that within 4-6 months you will start to realize the Antoni's limitations and you will have quickly 'outgrown' it. If you were to then go and try out some other basses - Much better basses, you will wonder how you ever played the Antoni. Like I say, however, I started out on a £350 bass. I made a significant upgrade within the year (once I'd saved up some money) as once I took to the instrument I realized I needed something much, much better, but, that £350 piece of junk got me going, and certainly served its short-lived purpose.

Hey chickencole, I have two Westbury bass bags (one with wheels, one without), and can't recommend them highly enough! If you can stretch your budget by another £30 and get the 22mm bag with wheels, you won't regret it. The wheels are an absolute godsend!! [url="https://www.bassbags.co.uk/product/double-bass-bag-22mm-padding-with-wheels/"]https://www.bassbags.co.uk/product/double-bass-bag-22mm-padding-with-wheels/[/url] Loads of strong handles, spacious pockets, great quality in terms of material & stitching etc, and the 22mm padding is ample protection against knocks & bumps

[quote name='Hector' timestamp='1474534784' post='3138589'] You take [i]four[/i] different types of instrument cleaning products to every gig?! [/quote] Well, I don't go into my drawer before every gig and purposely pick out & pack all that stuff. It all just stays in my gig bag. You never know when you might need it. If I get to a gig, set up and the neck is feeling a bit grubby with too much friction, or the strings could do with a clean, or if it's a bit of an upmarket gig and the body could do with a quick polish to get rid of fingerprint smudge marks, all that stuff comes in handy just having it in a little compartment in my gear bag. Prepared for virtually every circumstance!