JoeEvans

I started off using a mic, thinking that the kind of low-volume gigs I'm doing would be fine like that. I used a Sennheiser e608, which I had anyway; the sound was great at lower volumes and for recording. However, recently I had a gig where I was getting terrible feedback problems - a big low vibration with the whole body of the bass getting involved. So I've bought a K&K Bass Max which so far sounds very good. It's a less natural double bass sound, but I actually prefer that for the sound of the band - it has more middle and top end in it, which cuts through a bit better, whereas the natural sound of my bass is very, very deep and bassy. We recently did some recording and in the mix I ended up taking about 15db off everything under 200hz because there was so much volume down there that it boomed everything else out. So for the near future it will be K&K Bass Max for live, and the mic plus the Bass Max for recording, or Bass Max and a condenser mic on a stand if I ever happen to do any isolated recording of just bass, rather than full-band sessions. That said, I think if I wanted a really good natural live DB sound I might invest in a Troll, which look fantastic.

When someone just picks up a bass and starts noodling, you can't really tell if they are a good bass player or not. Being a good bass player is all about how you drive a band along.

If it's a clip-on tuner, maybe try moving it to a different spot on the headstock? Might be some kind of weird resonance thing going on if the tuning appears to go up and down even on a single note.

Tried some different strings?

The Fishman Platinum Stage seems like a good option, a lot cheaper than the Platinum Pro but still good eq and can be used as a DI box.

The wear on it is extraordinary and a bit fake-looking. It looks like someone's done a tour wearing a sandpaper suit then tried to use the bass to chop logs. Do basses really end up looking like that just from playing them?

Which side of the bridge do you use the pickup on? I've read that the K&K Bass Max can sound muddy and boomy on the E side, and can sound better on the G side.

[quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]There are plenty of books (we sell alot of this stuff where I work) and websites with tunes and chords, trouble is everyone plays the tunes slightly differently and with their own chord sequences![/font][/color][/quote] That's a very good point - it would be worth checking the make-up of the band; if there are any chord instruments in there (guitar, possibly mandolin etc) then go to them for the chords. They will have their own way of playing things and you want to be hitting the right root notes for them...

You need a set list, then go to www.thesession.org and get the sheet music, which should have the chords. Play along to the tunes on Youtube as much as possible, but in the main, root/fifth while you're on a chord and maybe a little run up or down from chord to chord as required will do fine. I would personally have chord charts with me on the night, even on a music stand if the situation allows - better to look a bit stiff but get the notes right... It's quite demanding because everyone is dancing and the bass will drive the tune along; miss a note and someone will fall over at the other end of the room! If it's a ceilidh, the tunes will be played in sets of two or three for each dance; someone in the band will call 'change' or 'last time' at some point in a tune, meaning that at the end of that time around the tune, you go straight on to the next one without missing a beat. It's easy to get thrown off at that point... You want a fairly soft, deep tone - double bass impersonation is best. Let the people playing the tune drive it along, and just give them a nice reliable backbone.

Just on set-up work, I got my bass back from Edward Gaut in Bristol yesterday, after he re-shaped the bridge to lower the action (and to slightly raise the crown for easier bowing) and put a new soundpost in, in a somewhat different position. The work seems very neat and accurate, the action is just right and the sound has been really improved - stronger and more responsive, especially at the bottom end. I would definitely recommend him for this kind of thing.

Talking of Fela Kuti, I went to see his ex-drummer, Tony Allen, once. He was touring with his own band. The audience was made up of about 80% people dancing like crazy fools, and about 20% every single drummer in town, standing with their mouths hanging open and expressions of awe and confusion on their faces. Everything he does seems simple but he creates this huge, driving groove using completely different rhythms to anyone coming out of a rock tradition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoB10-UYUpQ

I'm dropping mine off on Monday for a set-up with high hopes of ending up with a slightly more rich bottom end and less of a dead spot midway up the A string, but I'm not really expecting miracles - it seems as though it's something of a dark art, and it may well be that the things that I want to change are just the fundamental character of the instrument.

[quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Gumtree ads do seem to show up a large proportion of dreamers though![/font][/color][/quote] There's the nail / head thing.

The Bose L1 stuff is said to be very good.

This guy is my double bass hero. In his 80s when this was filmed and still touring! I saw him playing with Tcha Limberger's full gypsy orchestra and he was amazing. My cousin is a superb violinist and I showed him this; he said that there were hundreds of violinists who would sound this good with this backing, but only a tiny handful of people who could pull off the accompaniment. It doesn't look like they are doing anything special until you try it... http://youtu.be/4W7N-jEl93o

I find that there's always something to do around scales, arpeggios and etudes, just slipping into a kind of meditational mode, over and over, smoothing out the lumps and scratches.

That would fit in a Berlingo, easy.

Another thought - I was noodling about on the bass tonight and although I doubt that this is what the composer intended, if you finger a C but bow right down near the bridge you get some interesting harmonics. Might be an option to try some of that and see how it sounds with the full band.

I would try and request guidance from a Higher Authority (e.g. bandleader or musical director) and if in doubt, just play the C, arco and quietly, maybe just with the edge of the bow for a soft and unintrusive sound. I'd lay a chunky bet that no-one will ever comment or even notice.

I just replaced my tailpiece wire using a rope called Marlow V12, which is made of a fibre called Vectran - amazing stuff really, the 3mm V12 has a breaking strain of about 950kg, very low stretch and almost no creep (the gradual stretch that takes place over time in a loaded rope). You need the right knot (double fisherman's bend) because it's fairly slippery stuff. I can't honestly say that I can tell the difference in sound, though, because I put new strings on in the same operation. But it's a relief not to be looking at the rather dubious wire arrangement and worrying about it going twang.

Could it once again be a job for one of Ben Bastin's wooden end pins?

Don't know about Fenders but I've got an old Tokai jazz fretless and I bloody love it, although it took Bartolini pickups to bring out the best in it.

If you know how good you are, then the audience doesn't have to.

I've heard the figure of five years mentioned as a realistic lifespan for Spirocores if you don't need your strings to be in absolutely prime condition for recording or whatever, but you do want a reasonably good tone. Obviously it depends on how many ours of use they get a week, but I think that came from a fairly keen amateur who played in a couple of bands, if that helps...