mybass

[quote name='Major-Minor' post='633758' date='Oct 22 2009, 07:09 PM']Hi Gareth There are some amazing deals on ebay. I bought 2 chinese brazilwood bows for £40 each inc p+p. They are on the heavy side so not ideal for delicate spicatto work, but for most playing they work well. I just keep them as spares, as I have a couple of Paesold bows, one which cost £1000, but my favourite one was only £150 (admittedly some 10 years ago or so - probably a bit more costly now). I use this one almost all the time. The Major[/quote] BEWARE buying Chinese bows from China direct. I thought I would try this, wanting a German style bow just to try out against my french style. Bow arrived padded inside a heavy plastic tube, as wide as gutter piping. The bow though was warped and had to be sent back to China after I had supplied/emailed photos to them back in China. They wanted to know the postage price as they reimburse that. In the plastic pipe it was about £30! They wouldn't pay that so instructed me to BREAK the bow and send back the frog end only. After emailing back about this they asured me this was the usual way they did it, postage ended up costing about £3. They fully refunded me including postage but this all took about a month. Try and visit a good shop in the UK.

[quote name='WonderHorse' post='637973' date='Oct 27 2009, 02:42 PM']What it says on the tin really. If any of you have been reading some of my recent posts (unlikely), you'll know I've got some major GAS for a fretless P. I was just wondering if playing a fretless will make me better at playing bass in general? So will I notice a difference goign back to my fretted Jazz? I'm wondering whether I should save up for a fretless or jsut get a Yamaha BB[/quote] Of course it will. You will have to THINK about hand position, notes, easier ways to play riffs n' scales n' songs in general. Going back to fretted will be refreshing and interesting to see which you will ultimately stay with more often.

[quote name='robdeadstereo' post='622592' date='Oct 10 2009, 06:55 PM']hey guys, im after some advice im looking to get some new rig over the next few months and its gonna be expensive. im considering getting it insured against theft and breakage etc. some of my current stuff is insured under the house insurance, but obviously it dont stay in the house. im sure there is some kind of instrument insurance, just wondering if anyone knows any companies or has it themselves that can point me in the right direction. any help would be appreciated[/quote] Try Victor C Knight, 0208 351 2400, used them for years, they broker to Allianze. eg. currently a £7.800 cover costs approx £130 and double bass is included but I seem to remember they put that into "classical" instrument cover for me.

[quote name='Ray' post='621431' date='Oct 9 2009, 11:05 AM']While trying out my DB112s for the first time at rehearsal last night I noticed a sound like something vibrating from behind the grill cloth on one of the cabs. Has anyone else experienced this? I want to remove the grill and see what's going on behind it. Can the grill be removed? Thanks[/quote] The front metal grill can be unscrewed, the screws have plastic caps on which obviously need "popping" off to get to the screw. Maybe you will have to take the metal plate on the back (inputs on it) to see inside the cabinet where something may be loose, cable hanging against speaker paper etc.

[quote name='OldGit' post='612158' date='Sep 29 2009, 04:32 PM']Please write in and support the Globe in Cardiff Send your thoughts to: Paul Shone. Operational Manager, Licensing & Strategic Services. Cardiff Council, City Hall,. Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3ND The situation: Our new and brilliant venue is under threat. [url="http://www.theglobecardiff.com/"]The Globe, Cardiff [/url] is a venue created from a long shut small cinema in a cool area of Cardiff (must be, I live there) It's a great gig to go to as an audient but also as a player. Pete Academy is plying there in a few weeks with Nearly Dan, Rich with the Soul Destroyers in the Spring (I hope). We've had The Hamsters, Seth Lakeman, Johnny Winter, Blockheads, Otway, we have Oli Brown, the Blues Band and loads of others coming .. and that's just he old fart music. Various other really cool events have happened there for youngsters, local bands, open mics, folk, blues, drum n bass etc .. However.... Two people have complained about the noise and that's enough to get its licence revoked. Fortunately the appeal against the decision brings a stay of execution for a few weeks, maybe as long as the new year. This [b]MAY[/b] give the owner time to save for and implement the long planned extra sound proofing and make it OK again. So, if you want to play a great venue in Cardiff, please consider writing to the guy above to express your opinion. We're sympathetic with the people who can hear the music in their homes but totally support giving The Globe time to react to the problem and sort it out. They are not ignoring the inconvenience they are causing but need a little time to implement the plans. We lost The Point early in the year in similar circumstances and to loose The Globe as well would be a tragedy for arts and culture in Cardiff. You can copy these points if you need to... If you are physically in the Globe they have a petition but individual letters and cards will always have a bigger impact than a signature on a petition. Thanks, people ...[/quote] Played there in May, nice venue and people, drat the stairs though. They don't seem to have anything on their website about this problem. Great shame if it does go. The Bulls Head in Barnes, London was looking at the same dilemma several years ago to the point that it got into the London Evening Standard paper. Thousands were spent renovating and soundproofing then the complainant in the new flats next door moved away! (Alan?) may have spent too much already on the venue to risk financial failure.

[quote name='d-basser' post='593300' date='Sep 8 2009, 09:18 PM']Looking to gut the electronics out of my fenderalike P/J bass, putting Wizard pickups in but need some advice on what to but pots and jack wise. Looking for good quality but affordable and wanting to stay passive just improve. What else do I need? Capacitors? Wiring? Thanks in advance guys Dan[/quote] The chaps at WD are pretty helpful and their site has a lot of stuff you would need. They can do a 24 hour turnaround if you order early enough the previous day. www.wdmusic.co.uk

[quote name='d-basser' post='593300' date='Sep 8 2009, 09:18 PM']Looking to gut the electronics out of my fenderalike P/J bass, putting Wizard pickups in but need some advice on what to but pots and jack wise. Looking for good quality but affordable and wanting to stay passive just improve. What else do I need? Capacitors? Wiring? Thanks in advance guys Dan[/quote] The chaps at WD are pretty helpful and their site has a lot of stuff you would need. www.wdmusic.co.uk

[quote name='TGEvans' post='537323' date='Jul 10 2009, 04:57 PM']help please.started playing with a new band,hardcore/alt/punk stuff.want to know what would the drawbacks be using a fretless? is there anything that would not work sonically in relation to tunings or anything like that? any input would be great,tim.[/quote] FRETLESS FOREVER........... I've played fretless for ever now, through all sorts of bands and music such as twin guitars playing Whitesnake to blues, r&b, rock, sessions etc. You will need really good pickups with across the board clarity and lower mid attack/punch, a really good wood for fingerboard (try macassar ebony if you don't want the treble"brittleness" of black ebony), really good amp and speakers (I use Mark Bass). Your intonation has to be pretty good too! With no frets the attack of notes will have to be pretty precise. I've played many a gig where players never realised I was playing fretless all night. This may then all depend on how your bass sound will fit with the band itself, it may just not be the right thing for the type of sound the band has or wants. There are different possibilities on fretless to a fretted bass too in playing styles/sounds.

[quote name='6h5g' post='537942' date='Jul 11 2009, 03:48 PM']Could anyone recommend a set of long lasting roundwound strings that cost around £20ish?[/quote] I will recommend Italian made GALLI strings. Been using them for a few years now. The rep said to try a set and they went a good 25 gigs, maybe more before I thought I should change them. Of course, I may have upped the treble on the amp a bit for certain gigs as they got older but they do sound very good on my fretless and fretted basses.

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='537923' date='Jul 11 2009, 03:13 PM']I fitted a drop D a couple of weeks ago. Whenever I drop the tuning peg and then click it back up it goes slightly out of tune. The second time I do it the tuning goes way out... Is this normal?[/quote] It may depend on the make of tuner you have. I have a Hipshot "D" tuner and you have to keep tuning via setting the gearing gap by dropping and tuning from E to D a few times.

[quote name='allighatt0r' post='502127' date='May 31 2009, 10:13 AM']About a year ago, i switched from being a pick player to a fingerstyle player, mainly because the joint of my thumb nearest the fingernail is doublejointed, and bends too far backwards, so i can't hold picks properly. Also for tone reasons. Anyway, at my gig last night, about halfway through the second set i started getting pain in the knuckle of my forefinger while i was playing... I don't think there is anything wrong with my fingerstyle technique, i keep my fingers perpendicular and my wrist straight, but i was wondering if anyone else gets this, and if there is maybe a detailed "how to play fingerstyle like a pro" article about so i can look at learning from the ground up?[/quote] Pre gig muscle toning could help a lot. Maybe you have a another income job where you use your hands a different way from playing? I sometimes feel the need to tone the hands, lower arms and fingers pre gig, especially in winter and if I haven't been doing much practice. Generally massaging all these playing areas can be very beneficial pre gig.

[quote name='OldGit' post='497093' date='May 25 2009, 09:50 AM']"Publish and be dammed" Actually you are not contravening copyright as your recording is a new work. You will theoretically owe the songwriter a few pennies but that's it. Post your stuff up and wait for the songwriter or their estate to contact you.[/quote] Be even more pleasant and contact the songwriter with your plans for their work, not forgetting that someone else wrote it, arranged it, paid and recorded it, got a deal for it, published it, managed it, likely had some rip off along the way, and hopes that other musicians would at least pay the "few pennies" due.