JoeEvans

Anything by the Tomasz Stanko quartet is worth listening too. This is delicious. https://youtu.be/Hkh3O54ZB7k

Following on from another discussion, I thought I'd ask the question: apart from changing strings, what alteration or adjustment to your bass made the biggest difference to the sound? For me it was the change to a wooden end pin. I'd be interested to hear yours..

I've been told that some professionals are able to minimise dead spots using set-up techniques - detailed tweaks to bridge, soundpost, tailpiece and attachment, end pin etc. The dead spot on a previous bass of mine (open A string) improved noticeably when I replaced the rather long, slim end pin with a wooden pin from Ben Bastin.

Plywood is a laminate of quite thin layers in which the grain of each layer is at right angles to the previous layer. This makes it great for large, thin sheets, which would tend to split if they were made of a single layer of wood, because not only is wood weak across the grain, it tends to swell and shrink across the grain with changes in humidity. If you look at a Victorian door, you'll see that all the main dimensions are set by frame timbers run along the grain, so that the dimensional change in the door is minimised as the wood moves; and the panels are held in grooves that let them shrink and expand. The necks of basses have a load running mostly one way, so the grain needs to run that way too - there are no significant loads across the neck. So laminated necks are great but not plywood necks. The bodies of basses aren't really under load so either is fine from that point of view; whether the sound of a bass comes from the vibration of the body to any significant degree is another matter. I suspect it doesn't, myself, and that any stiff, solid lump of matter would do the job.

Damn, I was hoping he was still looking so that I could attempt to sell him my Markacoustic combo...

The important thing to remember about drum and bass is that it’s not as good as it used to be when I was a lad.

A steel rule is an excellent idea.

If you can do it, it’s helpful to shape the slot with a slight taper, so that as you push the pickup in it gets gradually tighter. That way you can adjust the tightness and therefore the tone. You want to use the sandpaper on something stiff and flat. Possibly you could wrap it round a credit card, or the blade from a plane would be perfect. That way you’ll end up with a flat slot. I’d use quite coarse paper myself, 80 or 120 grit.

I’m a big fan of the kangoo/ berlingo/ partner family. We used to go out to do gigs as a trio with a double bass plus amps and the three of us musicians in a kangoo. You basically can’t fill them up.

Playing a cheap, battered bass and making it sound amazing is an inherently cool thing to do.

When a small craft business grows, the people who used to spend their time happily making beautiful things end up spending their time being business managers instead, dealing with tedious HR, supply chain and finance issues. Not everyone wants to make that transition.

There's an interesting study relating to this here: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/18/5281/pdf?version=1631608918 I haven't looked though it in detail but it seems to show different responses at different overtones for ash and walnut bodies on an electric guitar, and more sustain for the ash body. From the conclusion: "This study confirms that the elastomechanical and acoustic properties of the material used for the solid body of an electric guitar also affect the acoustic properties of the instrument."

I don't like the Beatles. Maudlin sentimentality from Paul meets self-important, preening ego from John and plodding journeyman stuff from the other two. And grey, claggy, syrupy production. Yuck.

I replaced the tailwire on my bass with 3mm Spectra, which is incredibly strong non-stretch braided cord. I think there was a slight improvement in the tone of the instrument and it definitely made it easy to get the length exactly where I wanted it. You need to use the right knot to form the loop because the cord is very slippery - the best one is probably the 'water knot', which is also very simple to tie.

Two other things - string tension? Might be worth experimenting with some softer strings. And the nut - playing all night up at the top of the neck when the strings are too high at the nut would definitely cause a bit of discomfort. But I think it’s a delicate business getting that right, a matter of tenths of a millimetre...

I’m no expert but there are a few things that have come up for me in trying to reduce hand tension. You may well be doing all this already... - playing on the tips of the fingers so that the end section of the finger is close to vertical on the string with a sharp bend at the first joint. - relaxing the thumb so that you’re not squeezing the neck, you’re pulling the strings down with the weight of your arm. - experimenting with the position of the instrument so that you’re not taking the weight of it on your thumb at all, and you’re almost leaning it forward onto the fingers of your left hand. - keeping some first finger pressure on the string when you’re playing on your other fingers. All this stuff works differently on different areas of the neck and it’s more things to experiment with than solid rules, but it’s all about relaxing the thumb and using minimal effort to hold down the strings.

This has sent me on a deep Trace Elliot nostalgia wave... I used to have a 4x8 combo and the knowledge of what that could do makes me look at some of the stacks in the brochures with genuine awe and a touch of physical fear.