tinyd

There's a good video somewhere from Victor Wooten where he plays a bassline along to a metronome and he increases the gaps between the clicks so it starts on every two beats, then once per bar, then every two bars etc. I tried it and it's hard, especially when you get to one click every four bars, but it probably does wonders for your internal time if done regularly.

Yep, lie bass on it's back etc and you should be fine! I really like my Realist Copperhead btw - it's the best of the pickups I've tried

It's pretty easy as long as you take all the sensible precautions around preventing the soundpost from slipping by not removing all strings etc.

If you're playing jazz, I reckon that listening to when Paul Chambers changes between two-feel and walking on albums like Relaxin', Steamin', Cookin' etc is a great starting point, as these are pretty close to being "canonical" small-band jazz recordings. Although it sounds slightly counterintutive (less notes, so must be easier, right?), two-feel can often be harder than walking as well (which might be another reason why you prefer to walk). In general it's a good skill to be able to switch between the two at will over any particular tune, particularly because when you're playing with other people switching might be the most appropriate choice.

I agree completely except the "wearing on the fingers" bit - I find that playing root/fifth two-feel stuff is harder on the hands than walking. Something about shifting position and fingers more frequently means that I'm less likely to "cramp up"....

@Richard Jinman "are yours low or medium tension?" The message quoting got a bit messed-up, but mine are lights (as were the Spiros that I had previously)

I got a set of these after starting off with Spiros - they're similar but as @TheRev says, a bit more traditional, sound wonderful and slightly easier on the fingers. Not cheap though, but I've had the same set on for years and they still sound pretty good.

That's a decent review. I think you'll get a very similar sound from any uke-bass with those strings since unlike a DB, the body is so small that it contributes very little to the overall sound.

Yep, I agree on going DB if that's what you want. Somebody here (sorry, can't remember who) phrased it something like "there's nothing like pulling a note out of a big piece of wood" and I have to say that it was bang on. You will also end up getting gigs (and you can debate about how shallow this is) based purely on the look of a DB. Of course, EUBs are great and if I had room and money I'd get one as well....

I think it depends on what you're looking for, but for me I was interested in the "mini-DB" aspect so fretless made sense and I do (kind of) play it like DB in terms of shifting and fingering, although obviously I just use the first three fingers rather than 1, 2 & 4

+1. If you're already familiar with fretless BG or DB I think fretless is the way to go alright as you can compensate in real time for any intonation weirdness.

I have a Laka bass (it's a nice quality instrument, with decent Fishman electronics). The intonation at the bottom end of the E string is off because of the fatness of the string itself, but the rest of the neck is fine and because I went for a fretless I can compensate down on the E. Strings are very weird alright and I have to remember to play very softly otherwise I get a slightly "twangy" tone. But EQd right it can sound fairly DB-like in the mix, although playing the DB afterwards makes it apparent that the u-bass doesn't have any of the richness that you get with a massive lump of wood 10 times the size....who'd have thought? I reckon if I had a really tight restaurant / coffee shop gig I'd consider using it....

That's very interesting - do you have any thoughts about other, smaller, PA speakers? I know nothing about them but I don't think I'd need one as powerful as the Turbosound.....

I've read a few good things about the TC BC208 cab paired with either the TC BAM200 or Warwick Gnome head. The cab weighs about 10KG and the heads are tiny so weight probably won't be an issue. I have an aging GK MB150 combo but I'm thinking of replacing it with this setup.

I like her playing and the band in general but the bass seemed to get a bit lost when she started walking (but then this also often happens with bass guitar playing in a "straightahead" jazz setting). I have a U-bass and it's a great "noodling about on the sofa" instrument - good for working out tunes when I can't be bothered to play the DB, but the tone can be a bit suspect alright.

Just saw this great tune: Whole band are excellent, and Russell Hall (the usual bass player on these sessions) is one of my favourites, but I love Larry Grenadier's playing here and his solo is a great example of keeping the groove going with a lot of walking.... Anyway, just wanted to share.

This is the one I have https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204165492972?hash=item2f893630ec:g:jwYAAMXQn11RfS6F It's very solid and reliable. I use a Realist now as it's a bit more natural sounding, but the J-tone gives a good even tone.

This probably isn't helpful, but I bought a J-tone pickup after owning a BassMax, and I found that the J-tone was similar in terms of sound and feedback resistance, but better and cheaper.

If I was to start in one place, it would be to learn chord tones (and closely-related concept of arpeggios). So pick a straightforward tune (ideally one that stays on one chord for a while) that you like, find the first chord, and then work out the chord tones. Then, play those notes over that first chord and see how they sound to you and try and come up with a bassline using only those notes. Do the same for the next chord in the tune and try and work out which notes (if any) are shared between the chords, and see if you can figure out ways to connect them. A lot of music theory involves talking about scales and modes, which have their place, and are also closely related to the above, but I think that it's easy for beginners to get bogged down with scales and their somewhat exotic names. Whereas learning the notes of a chord provides you with a smaller set of notes to play with.

I also have an aging GK MB150 combo that I'd like to replace with something lighter. The Micromark looks interesting - as well as jazz gigs I play in a rockabilly band, but we're comparatively quiet so I'm wondering if it'll be loud enough. The other option I think is a TC BAM200 and BC208 which I think will be louder and still portable. I don't really want to spend more than €400-500 either so some of the nicer PJB etc gear is probably out of my range... If anyone has any thoughts on these or any other small, light and relatively cheap setups that would be great!

I think if I were buying a new small DB amp today I'd consider a Phil Jones Compact 2 (or 4) cab with a small amp like a TC BAM 200 - wins in terms of portability, anyway, but not sure about volume.

I have a MB150E - it's old and I'm sure that there are better small amps for DB out there, but I'm not convinced that there will be enough of an advantage to justify spending a load of cash. I use mine on upright all the time and I like it - it's loud enough for jazz gigs and a three piece rockabilly gig. I have a preamp, but I never use it because I can usually get the sound I want by tweaking the GK's EQ. One criticism I'd have is that it can sound a bit "boxy" but with EQ work I can usually get this to go away. I really also like the portability - there's a lot in there for such a small amp. The general impression I have is that it used to be "the" small combo for upright bass players but lots of competitors have come along since. Not sure what budget you have but if you can get the GK at a good price then I don't think it'll be a bad investment.

On this topic, has anyone tried a PJB Compact C2? Very small but I'm thinking it'll be good for smallish gigs with an amp like a TC BAM200. Trying to figure out the most portable but usable setup....

I have a GK amp (12") and a Realist pickup and it definitely requires spending time with the amp's EQ to get rid of those nasty frequencies, especially as they can be a lot more "specific" than on BG.