Staggering on

Nice bass work, the EUB will be great for this.Welcome to the world of upright.

Lots of info on this topic on the Stagg mega thread on TalkBass.When I had a Stagg I used a piece of soft foam but others have tried everything from small stuffed toys(really!) to bits of cloth to various sponges.It does make a difference when you get the right material in the right location.My Yamaha SLB 200 came with a foam mute(from Yamaha) but I replaced it with a sturdier piece of foam with cuts in it to hold it on the strings.The depth of the cuts make a difference and it's easy and cheap to adjust. Good luck.

Same thing in my jazz quartet(close to 180 songs) and septet(60+ songs).

Season's Greetings to all from Canada!Winter has truly arrived here in northern Ontario with the daily high temperatures in the -20C range and nights to -30C for the next week or so...brrrrr....lots of snow so winter sports are well underway. I'm starting to plan the trip to England in April and looking at dates to book flights and accommodation and I'm wondering if the double bass bash dates and location have been finalized as I hope to make it part of my itinerary.Any news?14th?15th?Other? Thanks Bob

I would go for it,I knew nothing about EUB's when I got started. It looks like a version of the Stagg and the Stagg was a great introduction to upright bass playing for me.It will be a great learning experience and playing upright is just plain fun and you will feel like a "real" bass player once you get the feel of it and start to move with it.I gigged with my Stagg for a few months until a super deal on a Yamaha SLB200 came up so I sold the Stagg on.It won't sound like a DB but you will have fun once you get the very long fretless neck figured out.There are lots of online lessons and resources for DB that will be really useful to get started or maybe find a teacher to get you playing correctly. What type of music do you plan to play on it?There are EUB demos and reviews that show them being used for everything from classical to jazz,latin genres and rock.I play in a couple of jazz bands and use the EUB almost all the time with only occasional blues tunes on EB when I need that punch. Do it!

Good advice about renting and resources in the previous post.There are many online resources that cover just about everything about DB at different levels although a teacher would be a good idea if you can find one so you can get off to a good start and have someone to answer your questions. For a variety of reasons(space and transport and the Canadian climate) I went to an EUB instead of DB and got a Stagg and then moved on to a Yamaha SLB 200 and I love it.It is not a DB but it feels like one and can sound pretty close to an acoustic(save the discussion/arguments re DB vs EUB).I use my EB on a few songs but play only EUB on most gigs with my jazz quartet and septet. As many have said on here it is an instrument that just gets to you and you feel like a "real" bass player when you start to play.It is harder physically to play than an EB but it is so much fun that you want to work at it all the time, and it does take work...and then there is the bow to work with too!I started upright in my late 60's and now I'm almost 72 and if I can do it anyone can. Go for it, and if you can borrow or rent first that would be the best route that will start you down the slippery slope of long necked fretless basses and into a whole new world. How about some more encouragement from other upright players...let's go guys, he's ready to join the club.

I'll be 72 next May and play in two bands,a quartet that plays mostly jazz standards and a seven piece swing band that also plays a few Dixieland tunes.I average at least two gigs a month and usually two rehearsals a week in a practice room that is an hour from where I live.I also drive at least an hour to most gigs and that can be interesting in the middle of our Canadian winters.I play mostly my Yamaha SLB 200 EUB(standing up,I can't play sitting because I like to move around too much)but also my Yamaha electric bass and I play tenor banjo on some Dixie tunes while the bottom end is taken care of by a tuba player.Great fun and playing with really good players has improved my skills immensely, especially reading since some of our material is legit arrangements and the parts have to work together and the other members are great readers so I have to keep up.Band members ages are from 32 to me at 72. I intend to keep playing and learning as long as I can which I hope will be a good while yet.I played my first gig 56 years ago and I have no plans to quit, even after some angioplasty and stent work on my heart in October .I missed one rehearsal but no gigs. Keep going, it's easier with modern equipment as the OP and many others have pointed out.I still love playing gigs and in the bands I'm in a rehearsal is always a learning experience. We are so lucky to have music in our lives!

I agree with this,I assume the bass uke referred to above is a knock off of the Kala U Bass that comes in several versions and price ranges.A friend of mine just got one and plays it acoustically when she and her finger picking guitar playing husband practice their folk/pop songs.Obviously they are not very loud but they have found that it works for them.I have tried their U Bass acoustically and through a small guitar combo amp and it sounds great and is a lot of fun to play.They will put it and the guitar and vocals through the PA when they gig.The U Bass also comes with a choice of strings and it would be worthwhile trying both before you buy, my friend settled on the wound strings instead of the very odd feeling plastic/rubber/whatever strings.There are lots of videos of the Kala U Bass and you can see it played in many styles from bluegrass to jazz.Based on my somewhat limited experience it's what I would choose for your situation or as others have suggested get a cheap EB or EUB and small combo amp. I know you folks over there have been experiencing some winter weather recently but here in northern Ontario we are having a real Canadian winter. We have about 30cm of snow now and it was -23C last night but it has already warmed up to -17C and will be a balmy -8C this afternoon.It will be a cool and slippery drive to the gig tonight and we will be getting more snow. Bob

Two things: 1.Often taking a break from working on something you find difficult and then trying it days/weeks/months/years later seems to work for me as the OP suggests. 2.Most important for me is to RELAX and not try so hard.I'm pretty hyper and getting more and more tense and trying really hard usually ends up badly with loads of frustration and finally just giving up on the thing I'm working on and assuming it's impossible.But if I think back to all the songs or licks that I thought were impossible over all my 57 years of playing it puts things in a better perspective, sometimes I amaze myself at what I've been able to figure out and play.Of course there are virtuoso bits that only a few talents can play but with work a lot of things are possible and as others have said sometimes you just have to simplify a bit to make it work for you.This also has worked for me in my amateur athletic endeavours(ice hockey-I'm Canadian,and showing horses)where relaxing and going with the flow works well and thinking too much and trying too hard can cause problems. I know at rehearsals if I feel a lot of pressure to get something new perfect too soon I start to get tense and nervous and it all falls apart.A deep breath and realizing the world hasn't ended really helps, but it does take time. End of sermon,I'm going to play some bass.

Or schedule it for a week later to avoid a weekend with 2 events that may thin the attendance for both?I'm still hoping to make it there for the bass bash but haven't booked a flight yet. Looking forward to meeting you folks and can work around any date since my late April gig was cancelled. Bob

Thanks for your support and encouragement.You are a lovely bunch. Bob

I had a bit of a jolt last Tuesday when my cardiologist decided that he should perform an angioplasty and insert a stent in my heart.Until a test two weeks earlier I didn't even know I had any heart problems.It all went well and I spent the night in the hospital. When I got home the next day I was feeling pretty good and played my EUB(Yamaha SLB 200) for a while and did a few other things.Then on Saturday(4 days after the procedure) I drove(alone) to a gig about an hour and a half away in the wilds of Northern Ontario and we played a couple of sets that added up to almost 3 hours and then I drove home feeling great.We played well and had a good crowd. I have been practicing a lot and although I don't feel any different physically I am having a lot of fun working on new material for both of the bands I am in. Just a note to say that I am 71 and have been working full time as a farrier(including last weekend) for the last 26 years,I eat carefully,I go to exercise class,I am a skinny little guy and try to take care of myself and I still ended up with a heart issue-I guess you can't fight genetics. Anyway I'm off to a rehearsal an hour away tonight and I'm getting ready for another angioplasty/stent session next Wednesday and then on to more music and more gigs. Right now I'm going to plug in my new Traynor SB112 amp(love it-made in Canada!) and work on a few tunes.I am so glad to have music in my life! Take care of yourselves everyone... and keep playing, it's good for you! Bob

I tried the hand exercisers for a few weeks and found that using them aggravated my carpal tunnel problems so I decided that like Burns-bass I would get more benefit from playing my EUB more and it worked-physically and musically.

Most of my gigs are at least an hour's drive away and I take advantage of that time to get into the right mood for the gig.Since the band members are in different areas we all travel alone and that gives me the chance to mentally run through the sets and individual songs without distractions and make sure I know the material.I am also the frontman/MC for our band so I go over the intros/comments/humour aloud.I may look pretty silly to other drivers as I babble or sing to an empty car as I'm driving but it really helps doing things aloud.I suppose people just assume I'm on the phone hands free.By the time I get to the gig I'm pumped and ready to play and feel more confident that I really know the material. This may not be a good idea in heavy traffic but up here in the boonies the highways are lightly travelled and it works for me.

I have to be back here for a gig April 28 but other than that any time in April or May is fine as far as I'm concerned, but I'm only one person and have not set travel dates yet.Whatever works for the members is a possibility for me.I am flattered that you fine folks seem to be concerned about me-thanks for that,I hope I will be able to attend. Bob

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1506674168' post='3380276'] Sounds fine by me, and Bob will have time to tell us precisely when he's planning to be in the country. [/quote] Pick a date and if it works for me so much the better, but I am only one of many...whatever works for you folks,and if I'm lucky I'll be there... I'm pretty flexible. Bob

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1506618414' post='3380009'] Bob. What dates will you be in the UK? This is as easy a way as any to decide a date Ooooh,that's pressure! Two choices:April/May to catch the lovely British spring or September.Having been in the UK at both of these times I had fabulous weather and avoided the summer tourist crowds. No plans to visit any area in particular so now it's your turn to pick somewhere that will be interesting for me and convenient for you folks. Bob [/quote]

I am thinking about another trip to the UK in 2018 and would be interested in attending a bass bash-I've read about them and seen the pics on here.I play a Yamaha SLB 200 and have been a member here for a few years and an event like this would be a real high point in the trip so keep us informed re date/location,it sounds like a great time.If I actually get there it could be described as an "international" bass bash. Hats off to the organizers! Bob in Canada

My first gig was 56 years ago and I still remember the nerves, the thrill, the fun-especially the fun. And it is still fun because every gig is different and each one is still sort of a "first gig" until the music starts and the band kicks in and the whole world is the music-go for it and have a ball!If it's not fun make it fun or find another band.

I was trying to be a bit clever.I had just migrated to the EUB world having bought a Stagg EUB and as I'm getting pretty ancient and was having a hard time trying to play upright I thought it was appropriate.I have since sold the Stagg and moved on to a Yamaha SLB200 and now here I am Yammering on. Sorry...

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1503677332' post='3360277'] My comment was in reaction to someone saying that the suggested double bass wasn't suitable for rockabilly. I didn't realise double basses were genre specific, any more than a bass guitar is. Are they any good for metal? [/quote] Somebody please say yes(re metal) and let the good lines roll.....

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1503669146' post='3360179'] I don't know much about them, isn't a double bass a double bass? [/quote] Now you've done it!That's like a double bass player saying "aren't all those bass guitars the same?"Let the fun begin....oops,I see Dad has started already... Maybe you should also post on the EUB and Double Basses forum.

The usual two questions: Is it good for metal? Heft?

I tried the test again today, four days after my first go.This time I used decent speakers connected to my MacBook and my ears went backwards in time to the 40-50 bracket(I was at 61 the first time).Is there a device that can do that for the rest of my 71 year old body?

61 in ear age,71 in real(?)life.Hmmmm....I wonder how accurate the test is. I guess all those years of playing in bands,blacksmithing(anvils are loud),chainsaws, lawnmowers and power tools are really getting to me.Maybe I should get rid of everything but the music from now on and save what I have left.