ubassman

...you reach for your rosin and realise that its rolled down through the orchestra and is near the left foot of the conductor!

[quote name='hugoatmonteiro' timestamp='1377519872' post='2188362'] But are you mixing the Bernardel with the Gaston Brohan Oak Soft Plus? I'm using the Bernardel for a while and I find difficult in the attack of the E and A strings... I need more "bite". Previously I used Kolstein All Weather. Do you recommend the Gaston Brohan Oak Soft Plus? [/quote] yes I like the Gaston Brohan a lot - Its not a powdery rosin like the Bernadel and I had a bit of a nighmare with it in an our door gig where it was 34 C. Jury is out on the Bernadel - it seemed to be powdery and grippy but left a brittle residue on the string.

...anyone?

[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1378404653' post='2199884'] Something like that should work .Or a " No Sweaty Players " policy? [/quote] IBTL !

I think that this could help a lot - there are some good shifting exercises . Good luck with it ! http://www.spartanpress.co.uk/spweb/details.php?catno=RM158

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1377189817' post='2184605'] I have a hole from my endpin! Don't look at ubassmans picture, he has been tinkering [/quote] ....I had a great time with my Stagg on hols and unscrewed the neck from the body to make it as compact as possible. The normal bag lost about 450mm in length so I folded it back on itself . I took it into the airplane with me and put it in the overhead luggage compartment. I had to do a bit of blagging at the check-in desk to argue that it was like taking a pram on board and that I would at the last minute hand it over to someone to put in the hold but no-one checked and I walked straight onto the plane with it !

[quote name='JPJ' timestamp='1377899447' post='2193526'] Still loving my stagg but struggling with the 'quiet' E string. I'm also thinking of carving a new bridge out of some offcuts of swamp ash I have around from a body build. Any thoughts on whether this would be a good or bad idea? [/quote] I carved a new bridge and it made a big difference in the sound. For the price and what you get with a Stagg you get a lot of value for money but the bridge isn't made of the finest material and its probably the most important thing in terms of the sound transmission to the piezo wires. I had a really dull A and E when I first got my Stagg and they balanced up once I got my new bridge in. So , definitely worth considering.

[quote name='mtroun' timestamp='1378280383' post='2197956'] My best advice would be to look out for an old-ish Eastern European plywood bass on gumtree or basschat, go and look at an instrument before you commit to buying. [/quote] +1 on that

Double stopping and flattening one finger to form a bar on the 4th interval is often the only thing to do on fast and short passages . That said, flattening out any finger(s) by 'barring' for long periods places a lot of strain on the hand so best avoided on 'long haul' repetitive passages. I find pivoting around and using 2 fingers is more comfortable in those situations but as fatgoogle says its a major position shift of the arm both in and out , and the intonation has to be spot on.

[quote name='geoffbassist' timestamp='1377028356' post='2182504'] [attachment=141985:bassontree.jpg] Here's an old picture of me getting back to nature... [/quote] ...geoff I gotta say that's the first time I have seen a bass up a tree - brilliant! You should post in the caption thread !

Don't forget to tick the Gift Aid box when donating . If anyone hasn't heard of Gift Aid before what it does is simple. When we pay taxes to HMRC if you tick the gift aid box then Just Giving will apply to HMRC and claim the gift aid amount government. It gets paid to Just Giving from the tax that HMRC have collected from the person who donates so doesn't cost anyone anything extra ! Good job guys !

The Belcantos will give you a really gentle and rich 'pung' kind of orchestral pizz sound - they are the strings that are used by mostly classical players and will have a darker sound than the Spiros and Heliocores which will be brighter and even have a bit of a 'growl' to them - desirable as a sound for many an ear ! The tension will depend on the mensur of your bass as well as bridge height ( and of course the material and cross section that the string is). Strings are designed to ring out perfectly at a certain span of string length and so for example if you have an instrument with a slightly shortened mensur of 103cm and you put a string on that is designed for a 106cm mensur then it won't get quite up to tension and won't perform as well it could . My starting point would be to have a measure up of your bass and then look at the manufacturer's data . A lot of strings are available in a choice of three flavours , light , medium or high tension. No doubt other BC-ers will have a view as to alternatives but once you know your mensur and can see whats compatible it may narrow the field down a bit - good luck with it !

Those who either take part or donate are just some of the coolest people you could ever hope to meet ! Top post Sam ...top post !!

Looking forward to taking my Stagg on hols - just a dry run to see how small it packs after the neck and body are separated.

....in the meantime here a pickie of the next generation ( my daughter actually!)

+1 - the thing is that new strings stretch to the bass they are fitted to and can sound shockingly bad or just plain dead sometimes when they are recycled - could put you off what would otherwise have been a great discovery! Unfortunately the only way to properly evaluate strings is to buy from new but a second hand pair might give you an idea Are you after an all out orchestral string? - the Belcantos 'sing beautifully' when bowed ( hence the name! ). Good luck with it !

I guess the risk is all relative to the cost ...what did you pay for it ???

Don't forget to cut and paste the signature below to your profile ! Great job !

GaryMac !!! and Grangur !!

Darn it Chris ...thats just upped the ante !!

Theres a bloke I know sells them on e-bay !

...topical !

....if the hat fits Pete ...!!

It will make the strings go silky smooth and you have to wipe it off with a clean damp cloth.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1376936088' post='2181212'] A strong sense of humour is a recommended asset on this forum... [/quote] +1 ( I think I just outbid you Dad ! )