JoeEvans

I think beauty in basslines comes from a sense of melody - not just defining the chords and rhythm by moving through the root notes, but finding a tuneful line that is compatible with, but different from, the main melody of the song. It's counterpoint, basically, so a study of that would be a good starting point. My perception is that to feel beautiful, the bass needs to define a more complex chordal form - getting some seconds, thirds, sixths and sevenths in there as well as the 1-4-5. That means understanding harmony to some extent. I think a study of basslines that feel beautiful would also pick up the use of ornaments and incidentals - extra little details that highlight parts of a melody and adjust the harmony temporarily.

Are you looking for suggestions of beautiful basslines, or opinions on how to create a beautiful basslines?

That looks great... Wonder how much it will cost?

I think a double bass has plenty of stage presence of its own. You just need to look relaxed and suave, or failing that, inconspicuous.

I seem to remember that the Audix OM7 vocal mic is good for this situation - very directional, although the singer needs to get right up close to the mic to get the best from it. I think it's a common choice for very loud stages. Might be worth a try?

Two-part polyurethane yacht varnish is also incredibly hard-wearing and would be a lot easier to apply than epoxy - just prep, mask up the neck and do loads of coats, rubbing down with super-fine sandpaper in-between.

I used to own a (non-music) shop and I was always very welcoming when people came in just to browse, because although they think they're not going to buy anything, you know that deep down they do want to buy something or they wouldn't feel drawn to come in. Sometimes they'd come back a few times and just look around, and then you know that in due course they're very likely to buy. Browsers aren't time wasters, they're just the unripe fruit of the customer world, who need gentle ripening with the warm sunshine of the salesperson's welcome. If someone works in a shop and doesn't understand that, either they or the shop won't last long.

Have you still got the jazz? I'd be interested to know how well the coating has stood up - I've read mixed reports, some people saying that it got scuffed quite quickly.

Did it make much difference to the sound when you epoxied the fingerboard on your jazz?

That's a good looking bass! And nice to have something unusual with a bit of a back story.

I would like that. I know 9v batteries last for ages and aren't much trouble to change, but it's annoying to have a big gig coming up and to be wondering about the state of the battery. I'd like to have either an external charging port, so I can just plug it in while it's sat on a stand in the corner; a battery charge indicator; or phantom power, so I can just use a preamp with phantom power and be done with it. Ideally the system that I gather Chapman Sticks have, or some of them anyway, where they run active if they have phantom power, and passive if not.

My vague impression is that the quality of Behringer gear has improved a lot since I first encountered their products many years ago. The new stuff I've seen and used recently seems great, whereas I think they used to be a bit more visibly cheap and lower quality back in the day.

I bought one of those rechargeable 9V batteries the other day that have a USB C socket right there in the battery, so you can just plug it in without needing a charger. Great item in itself, but it occurred to me that you could wire it to a socket on the back of a bass, so that you wouldn't need to open the back and take the battery out to charge it. Has anyone done this?

I personally try not to fix the thumb in any one position. The focus for me is on the fingers, working on getting them to land on their tips so that the last joint is standing up on the string, not flat on it. Like that, the thumb isn't squeezing much - it wants to be relaxed and loose, just doing its own thing as it sees fit. Then as you come up the neck, the thumb slides up round the side and in due course hops onto the fingerboard to join the rest of the gang.

Looking for something with basic EQ.

Some great suggestions, thanks!

So much of what he does is extraordinary on a musical and technical level but I've yet to hear a single piece of his that I'd choose to listen to for my own pleasure. There's something missing there for me.

Sushi box do some very nice looking gizmos...