Clarky

Very sad - I love 'Wolf like me', great song. That is awfully young for cancer - my dad died of prostate cancer at 42 and that was way too young

Hi Dave, very similar to the problems I had at our last gig on a really boomy wooden stage. This may help a bit [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=131128"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=131128[/url] I am going to try foam plugs in the f-holes (sounds like something that happens in a gimp movie!) and, failing that, switch to a mag pickup from a piezo

Congratulations Phil!

Just took delivery of Nigel's J-Retro. In immaculate condition and packed expertly. Nigel is one of the really good guys of the BC community and a great person to deal with. Cheers mate!

When I used my AI Coda combo at our last gig the band leader (who does vocals only live but is a more experienced DB player than me) suggested that I should use my Fishman preamp into the Coda and use the former for tone shaping and feedback control (he has the same rig as me). This got me to wondering if there is any point having all those facilities on the AI combo if all you do is override them with the preamp. In which case I am wondering whether the money I have spent on my Ai gear is all a bit superfluous and that a perfectly acceptable alternative would be to plug the Fishman into the fx return socket of my electric rig (still waiting for it to arrive but will be the 500W Aguilar Tone hammer head and a Batefaced Compact)? More generally, a Fishman into any small Class D amp into a relatively uncoloured cab - just as good as a DB-specific rig? Thoughts anyone? (In case you read my other posts today, I am en route to Milan airport with the injured Mrs C and sprogs in tow)

Will be heading back to UK today. Unfortunately Mrs C had a bad fall yesterday and ruptured her knee ligaments in one leg, meaning she is on crutches and in much discomfort. Worse still she will not be able to drive or ride horses (her favourite activity, equivalent to my playing bass) for six weeks :-( And no, I'm not making this up for the purposes of this thread Back on topic, the Moses sounds interesting Bob. If the foam plugs don't do the trick on my DB, then this looks my most likely route.

Pete, did you enter the gigs into the BassChat calendar? I set up a thread about this (its one of the pinned ones in the Gigs section). If you enter you gigs, all gigs in the next 5 days appear automatically at the bottom eof the BassChat home page, just below birthdays. For example if you scroll down you'll see Nigel/silddx' band Krupa are playing today.

[quote name='bob_pickard' post='1197730' date='Apr 13 2011, 06:15 AM']Now I'm impressed; typing a post while skiing - now that's multitasking!!![/quote] There's nothing to be impressed about - I am a lazy snowboarder (Imountain half-day, doss around village/apartment the other half-day) with a Blackberry (that supposedly is for work to be able to contact me if needed but really I use to access the internet). Its important to pace yourself on a ski holiday I think

I have ordered some custom fitted f-hole plugs (from Doug's Plugs as in an earlier post). £60 is a lot for foam, I realise, but hopefully they will fit perfectly (I have sent templates of my f-holes, oo err missus) and better than any DIY solution, plus they are barely visible to an audience. I will give these a try out - my sitting room floor is exposed wooden floorboards and so does a very good approximation of a boomy wooden stage. If these do the trick then fabulous. If they don't then I will go the mag pickup route, either a Kent Armstrong or a Moses graphite. My only argument against a mag pickup is that I really like the Silver Slaps strings on my DB and don't really want to change them (although I do have set of Presto's that would do the job, I just prefer the Silver Slaps marginally).

Thanks all for the kind comments. In answer to a couple of questions: the Hootananny gig was promoted by Stranger Than Paradise, which is run by a pn eccentric American lady (Amanda aka Ms Manray); the PA was pretty good (my problems stemmed from DB feedback on the boomy stage and my inexperience at dealing with this, but the sound outfront was good apparently); no gigs planned in NW but we are playing the Upton Blues festival nr The River Severn in July which is part way there! The question you might ask is why I am on BC in the Alps: have Blackberry (in case work needs to contact me, well that what I told Mrs C) and its 19 degrees and there is virtually no snow ...hmmm. Finally get well soon Happy Jack

Thanks Keith, I did try using notch filter and permutations of putting the Coda and /or the extension cab at head height behind me but without much success. I think your final comment probably says it all, there's very little I can do when so near the drummer! I have over a month til our next gig so plenty of time to sort this out - and in between times am off on hols for a week to the Alps (which is why I am up so early)

Its based off Bo Diddley's guitar. See here [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretsch_Jupiter_Thunderbird"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretsch_Jupiter_Thunderbird[/url]

I will return to bedroom warrior when they see through me and realise I am actually pants at double bass Anyway its all a convoluted ploy as I have now traded every Fender bass ever made and - having mined this seam - feel the need now to trade every double bass amp and pickup ever made

[quote name='Shambo' post='1194966' date='Apr 10 2011, 07:46 PM']congrats, looks real nice. are you going to play it out or baby it at home?[/quote] It will get gigged, as soon as I get an electric gig! No babying at all planned. I play DB in my current band, Rattlin Bone, so there's no opportunity to use it in anger at the mo'

[quote name='discreet' date='Apr 10 2011, 07:11 PM']I'm definitely coming to the next one if you've got deranged clowns. [/quote] For the big festival gigs (Meadowlands in May and Upton Blues in July) we are hoping to have more circus sideshows including fire-breathers as well. oh and our sousaphone player can play on stilts! Edit: here's our sousaphone player in his other band, which entirely comprises musicians on stilts [attachment=77128:The_Top_...t_Band_1.jpg]

[quote name='Sawtooth' post='1194900' date='Apr 10 2011, 06:50 PM']any vids knockin' about? [/quote] This one, although its one of our least gypsy ones and here's a montage with a cover of 'Speaking of Happiness' we have done that is being considered for inclusion in the next series of vampire programme True Blood, again a slower paced one (we do much pacier songs too)

[url="http://standardlondonevening.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/stranger-than-paradise-rasp-thorne-the-briars-dj-sacha-dieu-the-gadjo-club-rattlin-bone-hootananny-9-april-2011/"]http://standardlondonevening.wordpress.com...y-9-april-2011/[/url]

Try BCer Joona who lives in Helsinki. His username is bassotaiteilija. He logs on regularly but doesn't post much. I sold him a Fender CS Jazz and he was great to deal with.

Thanks all for advice. I think I am going to try out some of those foam sound hole plugs and add a mag pickup so I have the choice of piezo, mag or both (since my Coda combo has two channels). Surely that should make things better?!!!

[quote name='gareth' post='1194690' date='Apr 10 2011, 03:35 PM']Any observations/comparisons with 70's p basses and more recent USA reissue p's?[/quote] Its pretty light (<9 pounds; definitely noticeably lighter than your/my old ressue P with added J, Gareth, but about the same as my old 73P). The neck is obviously much chunkier than my old 73P but is so worn that all the varnish/lacquer has gone, which makes it very smooth and tactile and surprisingly fast to play. Sound-wise I would be lying to say there's much in it as there's only so much difference between split P pickups. To my ears it sounds deep, woody and rich, like a good P bass should