ubassman

I would consider a French bow or alternatively a French Bow With your gorgeous Martin Concerto's violin corners a German bow will be hard work and will snag on the sharp pointy bits (as a rule most German players use Gamba shaped basses ...funnily enough thats why you will usually find any bass "Made in Germany" is Gamba shaped !). Although you can get fairly a "cheap as chips" bow, the weight of cheaper student bows can be a real pain ( literally! ) and the balance point is often pretty naff with little spring and the hair is poor quality ( its cheap for a reason !). Best avoided is budget will allow. Aim for a bow around 135g or less and perhaps look for a good carbon fibre - it will take you through the early stages but also will be a bow that will serve you for years to come. Theres a thread already started on here about the merits of these.

...Ok ok, theres a glimpse of a DB at 2.40 but otherwise what an amazingly inspirational idea! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXynrsrTKbI[/media]

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1381686813' post='2242336'] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Again, thanks to Daf and Innovation for giving us the chance to try out these strings for a couple of weeks free of charge, it really does help .[/font][/color] [/quote] +1

Not my area of expertise but I am sure that there will be plenty of DB players who will chip in with thoughts and experience as players . It may be that you also ask the same question in the Recording forum and you may get good comparisons with those who record regularly or do it professionally. Good luck with it and welcome to the DB and EUB forum - we are usually quiet a friendly and civil bunch in here ! ...usually!

Not seen Arnold Schnitzer's web site before but I do know that he is one of the most respected Luthiers in North america and I'm sure the advice will be good advice . Thanks for the link - just need to find a spare couple of hours (...gets anorak and flask of tea ready ) !

No just shifted the bridge a tad - I didnt need to move the sound post ( one of Chuck Treagher's tricks which certainly did the job - I shifted the bridge back to its normal position when the weather went back to normal ).

According to this fairly balanced [url="http://www.darntonviolins.com/violinmagazine/book/wood.pdf"]article[/url] ( skip to P4 "age") , Stradivarius used wood aged between 60 - 80 years although del Gesu got away with wood that was perhaps only 3 years old ! However , theres more to it than just initial drying out. The conclusion is that in terms of quality of old wood there are also plenty of fine instruments made with all sorts of timber 'defects' but that the older wood gets it tends to produce better instruments due to a process known as Humidity Cycling. Food for thought!

[quote name='SevenSeas' timestamp='1381504675' post='2240029'] Is there anywhere in the UK where you can try out lots of bows? Surprisingly when I have been on the hunt for a double bass I haven't given the bow a thought. [/quote] A bow emporium would be wonderful ! If your budget is in the region of £300 personally I would look at carbon fibre as they produce good sound, are well balanced ( and not too heavy - unlike budget student bows) and are good value for money. The David Gage Metropoilitan , Coda Revelation and the Col Legno all have good reviews but may be pushing your budget a bit.

Too true, Ben too true I did notice when we had the hot summer that the tone in my workhorse Stentor ll became quite nasal and I adjusted the bridge position and cured it - only by maybe 5 - 10mm but definitely an entirely different bass when the temperature soars ( to regain the tone , the bridge is now back to where it was before ). The whole point that I think that you were making about 30 year old wood is that unlike younger "un-aged" wood it is not as susceptible to variations in dimension. Thats important . The forces in a double bass are very complex and when a bass expands and contracts in dimension throughout the year due to different moisture content of the seasons , the structure has to adapt to deal with these variations. In essence the basses personality changes subtly . My Stentor ll is far more susceptible to changes than my old bass which seems to be stable but no doubt as the Stentor ages it will settle down ... basses are a just like people really!

If this really floats your boat there is a book by [font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828]Prof. Reumont explaining the physical changes in wood, the changing compression and tension waves / forces of the top due to vibration of the strings , and how these vibrations affect the alignment of the basse's micro fibres ....and how he has tried to speed up the process using science and oscillators etc. [/color][/font][url="http://www.henrystrobel.com/booklist.htm#dedamp"]http://www.henrystro...list.htm#dedamp[/url] Although I cant see how any artificial vibrations can ever compete with the variety of frequencies , loudness , tone that you get playing, I wouldn't dismiss a mechanical product outright if it helps sweeten things up!

The following says it all about how much love there is out there for Tom and Martin Basses ...great choice there Chris ! ...I sense some callus development in the air ! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8NdNh8UtKQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8NdNh8UtKQ[/url]

There are some beautifully crafted Duke basses in the gallery [url="http://www.duke-bass.de/pics"]http://www.duke-bass.de/pics[/url] Are the backs tone wood or a posh veneered 'look alike' ply ? Either way some real eye candy !

OK no more posts please about MDPhillips. As has already been pointed out in case you missed it please read http://basschat.co.uk/topic/218684-mr-phillips-does-it-again/ If you dont like his work speak direct to the man via his ebay account.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1380750933' post='2230219'] Sarah, my prototype KK baby bass will be going, I gave it a go but it's not really my cup of tea, and, well, I bought another DB yesterday and only have a small studio! It would be a cheap way of doing it given what you've said above C [/quote] ....do tell Chris what do you go for in the end ?!

[quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1380724706' post='2229582'] I think the element of dance may be the crucial factor here . [/quote]

How are you forming your top block junction with the heel - are you going for Wilfer style ebony blocking strips? Intrigued on the design without sloping shoulders ! Theres a fantastic photo with about 30 tops stacked up in the background - whereabouts are you making the bass ?

Hope this is of interest ( spruce on the right - maple on the left )

[quote name='benbastin' timestamp='1380743532' post='2230003'] ubassman your using maple to make the top block? Any reason for using maple and not spruce? I'd love to see some pictures, this design doesn't have sloping shoulders so that simplifies that a little bit! [/quote] The topblock is slender with steep sloping shoulders and the neck dovetail sheared the sides walls off the existing spruce top block ! Removing the top block was "interesting" as there was a really ugly repair of white glue and dowels that took an eternity to carefully work free from the bass. For the size of the dovetail a hardwood top block is needed otherwise it will be back to square one if I carved a one from spruce. Will get some photos showing the process if that is of interest ( ...dont want to hijack your thread though!! ).

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1380740530' post='2229922'] We can go through life insuring everything against every risk - and spend an awful lot of money doing so. Or we could cover ourselves against the biggest risks and take the lesser events on the chin. [/quote] Thats what Excesses in the Policy are designed to do !

[quote name='MandShef' timestamp='1380724721' post='2229583'] Sarah, I phoned and asked about that, 'cos I wasn't convinced that you could ever count a double bass as being 'concealed from view', but they did confirm that as long as it was covered with a blanket/tarpaulin then it would be OK. [/quote] Do you think that means if its in a gig bag then its covered under the policy or would you have to put a blanket over the gig bag do you think?

[quote name='benbastin' timestamp='1380733153' post='2229733'] I double the maple for the back sides and neck from David Dyke http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk/ [/quote] That's who I use too! Not the cheapest but good quality! I just carved a new top block with some maple that David sourced for me . By far the trickiest of all the blocks to make with its double corkscrew profiles. Will get some photos up here if that's of interest?

Excellent ! BTW where did you source your flamed maple?