ubassman

The penny dropped with Rosin by thinking about it in a similar way to using a choke on an engine ...you need a quite a bit on a cold day to get the engine ( bow ) to tick over but once its warm you don't need to apply any more . On a warm day you don't need much rosin (if at all) and if you rosin up too much its like flooding the engine - you can play through the over rosining or wipe it off ( a bit like repeatedly pulling the start cord on a lawn mower to bleed the engine). Thanks for the post Floyd ...looking forward to the comparison of [url="http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/gustave-bernadel-rosin"]Bernadel [/url] with your Kolsteins ?!!

I was in the Nottingham shop about 2 weeks ago ...they had just that morning sold a violin bow for £20K !! Really well stocked with violins, violas, cellos and a whole double bass room with maybe 30 + basses - really nice Neopolitan bass in particular ( ...it was a snap at a mere £40k !! ) . That said, Steve there was showed me some beautifully set up instruments between £5k and £15k - well worth a trip for anyone in the area and an excellent collection of bows too. I guess its a pretty specialist and limited market when you get into high end instruments but the value of the few shops in the UK like Turners is that you just can't buy quality stuff like this anywhere else than a shop and the care and service that you get is excellent. I wish the Birmingham shop all the best - hopefully it is maybe just having a shuffle round of space - easy to speculate and have the wrong kind of rumours circulating !

...its the Birmingham shop for Turner Violins who have one of the best selection of Double basses in their other shop in Nottingham (one of, if not THE biggest selection of old DBs in the UK !) ...I wonder if they are closing down Birmingham?

Excellent value - do you think the three basses are included?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1369932677' post='2094661'] Could the second sound post be related to the bridge being 2 inches forward of the F hole notches, should the bridge and probably tail piece all be further down the body? [/quote] ..the second 'sound post' is nothing but a square piece of wood and looks to have been inserted to stop support the top where the bass bar has come away ! You are right though Pete , the bridge should be opposite the 'f' holes - really peculiar that the bridge feet have been lopped and its so far out of position !. Tough call for Malbass ...spend money doing this one up or get a new one ( Pete - how much was your new Gedo again ?! ).

The bass bar has definitely come away - usually when that happens the top deforms and sinks around the left 'f' hole. Looks from the pictures that this may be the case here? This is already an expensive repair as the top will need to come off the body and the plywood straightened out ( I am in the middle of doing exactly that on a German Ply bass that I have and it is very time consuming as it is a slow process involving making wooden templates, applying weights and heat ). Anything that takes time will be expensive! It will need a new bass bar, plus sound post ...and then theres a new bridge to fit. So often with these ply basses they have been used and abused and subjected to all sorts of weather and from experience when the top comes off to repair a bass bar theres usually more strengthening needed to the structure (the bass bar will have been glued with the same hide glue as the rest of the body ...and we already know the bass bar joint has failed!). It also looks like there has been a repair to the neck ( there aren't any photos of that ) ? ...but it seems there is new button on the back of the heel which has been dowelled into place and am I detecting a black screw plug on the fingerboard opposite the neck heel? This unfortunately isn't a bass that is worth taking to a luthier as it will cost more to do it up than its end value.

2nd dibs?

Liquid loctite will be fine. It has good working times - if you make up your own you may have a small window before the glue starts to harden. I wouldn't use any other glue than hide glue.

Try using hair dryer and heat the end pin up ( assuming its metal rather than carbon fibre or wooden ). Careful not to heat the varnish or it will crackle like a blow torch on paint ! Sometimes the expansion of the metal + a bit of heat eases the jam either when the pin is hot or when its cooled down again. Failing that it would be a case of de-stringing and taking the whole end pin assembly out and then figuring out why it has jammed. I would avoid oil ..just don't think it would do anything as end pins generally don't need greasing up to work ...something else is the problem - do you think that the pin could have got bent slightly ? (you could try to see if it looks to be at a slight angle and carefully try to bend it back.) Good luck with it ! Peter

...one of those videos that makes you think ..is it serious but made with humour to make the point ? ..or is it just a micky take? BC-ers ..you decide

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][u][b]Nottingham, Nottinghamshire[/b][/u][/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Clive Wilkinson luthier at:-[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Turner Violins[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]1-5 Lily Grove, Beeston, [/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Nottingham, NG9 1QL [/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][i]0115 943 0333[/i] [/font][/size] [url="http://www.turnerviolins.co.uk/"]http://www.turnerviolins.co.uk/[/url] Clive is an expert luthier. The only downside is that like anyone who is any good, he has always got a good number of instruments already booked in for repairs /set up !

PM'd you !

Sam , Will have to get something organised over in Dublin ! ( ...as long as we don't have to sleep on park benches - thats just too rock and roll !!) Peter

Here's a link to the Bass Club summer schools for juniors, adults and advanced - run by Carole Emery at the Royal College of Music . Dates are in late August http://www.bassclub.org.uk/index.php

These Masterclasses are really something else ...if you play DB can't recommend them highly enough ! It was a real treat to sit through 3 hours of playing from 6 of the best young bass players based in the UK and currently studying at the Royal College of Music. Whether you are into classical playing (or never intend using a bow) theres so much information shared it really opens up the possibilities for the instrument , good posture, navigation of the fingerboard, techniques ...valuable for any DB / EUB player and whatever style. Hope that some more BC will support masterclass events like this in the future ! Paul Ellison who was over from Texas has perhaps the most engaging and nurturing approach to the way he speaks to 'students' and the audience, and just has the most simply way of providing instant fixes for all sorts of musical challenges - if he's ever in town again ..go see him !! Thanks Floyd for the heads up on this !

Its coming to the end of the academic year at the colleges ...nothing in June at the moment ....however theres the Bass Fest in Frome , Somerset, August £150 for 5 days masterclasses and tuition and a great opportunity to meet other bassists ! http://www.recitalmusic.net/spweb/content.php?contentid=351

bump ...this monday morning - well worth it if anyones in London and doesn't have to do that 'work' thingie !

Theres a technique know as Mode Matching used by luthiers to tune the vibrations that the air make inside the bass with those of the wood. Thinning out the neck of the bass changes its natural tone ( a bit like the note you would get with a marimba ). Thinning the fingerboard, shorting in it, adding weight to it and thinning the neck are all techniques used to make the instrument resonate better ....sounds like you have got 2 things for the price of one ( better playability + louder instrument ! ) ...dont tell your luthier or he may charge you !!

Steve , just interested to see if the bass tone and volume changed in any way as a result of thinning the neck ?

Floyd mentioned this and so I thought I would just post it here. Daytime event starting at 10 am. [b]Who: [/b][color=#0000FF]Paul Ellison[/color] [b]What: [/b][color=#0000FF]Masterclass[/color] [b]Where[/b]: [color=#0000FF]Royal College of Music , London, Monday 20th May , 10 am[/color] [b]How much:[/b] [color=#0000FF]Free![/color] More info [url="http://www.rcm.ac.uk/events/listings/details/?id=227081"]here[/url]

Was a great evening ! - the Royal Academy have some great young players and Matt's playing is just effortless and inspiringly good . Well worth going and really nice to meet a couple of fellow BC-ers! So, Sylvia fancy tackling the Bottesini? ( ...just need to apply a bit 'Italian humour' - I think you may be a natural at that !! ) !! Thanks for the BC lanyard - I shall wear it with pride! Floyd, great to meet you and keep us posted - I think you mentioned that theres a masterclass at the Royal College of Music next week ...this could be habit forming !

Chucks book is an excellent resource and I recently got a copy (via Beedster on BC - many thanks again Chris! ). I have been repairing and setting up basses for a good while now and theres some great 'luthiers secrets' in there - but perhaps its a bit over the top ( and expensive ) unless you are wanting to throw yourself into the world of doing full on repairs. There are so many variables in a good set up that getting it right is a study in its own right and is unfortunately bass specific. To make matters worse , luthiers don't readily like to give away their trade secrets ( puts them out of work !!) Many will religiously take dimensions and build up a knowledge bass by bass, of what works and its easy to see that it becomes a craft built up over time and therefore precious. Theres lots to go at in getting a good set up. Externally, problems can be inter-related and there are no shortcuts in gaining experience to figure whether the solution lies in making adjustments to the fingerboard, bridge, nut, tailpiece, saddle, or sound post . Then there are playability matters such string heights, string separation , curvature of the bridge and players preferences to graft into the idea of a set up for the player . Then there are more technical matters of opening the bass up and repairing cracks and splits, planing the top to thin it out so it resonates better, replacing a cracked or old bass bar, etc, which are not really repairs but will enhance the sound ( and arguably part of 'set up' ? ) of the bass. Chuck's book is about the best resource that there is and if you are near Bakewell anytime your more than welcome to have a peek ! Other than that there http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f3/ which is great background.

+1 on the previous 8 pages of comments ! Thanks for sorting me with the Chuck Treagher book Chris. All the best - Peter

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