knirirr
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Everything posted by knirirr
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An unexpected trip to the vicinity of Caswell's and I was able to find out that: 1. They're running down their range of basses and bass accessories. 2. The website is out of date. 3. The only bows in stock were beginner bows or a rather nice one half as much again as I wanted to spend. The results of (3) were sadly inevitable for my wallet. Bowing a worse bass than mine with the good bow was still easier than bowing my nicer one with a cheaper bow.
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I really wanted one in the 90s but couldn't find any at the time. Now I have one at last; nice to play, but not much output from the pickups.
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That's something I used to want to do. I got a spot in a jazz big band strumming chords and enjoyed it, before the lure of the bass took hold. Otherwise, I used to blow money on bagpipes, chanters etc.
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I've heard that trying out some bass bows might be a good idea if I am to upgrade from mine, which is apparently a fairly basic one. Various places offer a bow trial service, and I've found these: https://caswells-strings.co.uk/product-category/double-bass/double-bass-bows/ https://www.bassbags.co.uk/product-category/double-bass-shop/double-bass-bows/ https://www.bowspeed.com/purchasing+and+policies Does anyone have any other suggestions?
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How do I tell my wife I just bought another bass?
knirirr replied to Rayman's topic in General Discussion
Same here. I keep saying that I have two fretless jazzes and perhaps should sell the one that people might be willing to buy, and I'm told that I should not as it's the one I've coveted for 30 years and so I should keep it. She has also been learning to play a bass I purchased recently. -
They certainly are. I am using the full synthetic set on an EUB, for jazz.
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In the case of the Triumph Lite, the supplied tuners are a bit rubbish but they can be replaced (https://www.thomann.de/gb/rubner_double_bass_machines_brass.htm). Before and after photos below.
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This is a bit of a nuisance:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/shoulder-impingement-syndrome/
A couple of gigs are lined up for December as well. I could play BG, but have been asked specifically because I can play DB and I'd guess it's that which has caused the problem.
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I have got one. When it comes to the neck (Eb), scale length etc. it does feel like a DB, and it can be bowed. The tone is another matter... Being over 6' tall I had to extend the end pin.
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In case it's of interest, here's something from a 1976 (?) interview with Monk Montgomery (Guitar Player magazine):
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I bought a custom Bee bass from Ben - all went very well, thanks!
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Do you know of any way to get flats (ideally E-C) on this? I asked Newtone, who said they only do rounds, Labella, who don't have anything the right length, and the maker, who didn't reply. -
Before the pandemic I asked about the possibility of organising some jams in a local pub. The landlord seemed up for it, but obviously we couldn't proceed.
Now he's ready for music to go ahead, but he wants 3 hours of background music whilst people dine, rather than a jam. Not really something I can manage.
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I've got one of these and used it to learn DB technique, when I got an acoustic bass after 8 months I found that the transition was very easy. It's still useful for rehearsals. Beware that the end pin is quite short so it may not be useful if you're 6' or more; I used a copper pipe slipped over it to increase the height. Due to using BG tuners DB strings don't fit very well, but Warwick offer replacement strings. N.B. the Triumph has an Eb neck.
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Funnily enough, I was in a similar situation. For much of that gig the guitarist would whisper the key/chords to me whilst the trumpeter introduced the next one. 😉
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Managed a pleasant outdoor gig in Charlbury last night; somewhat jazz, but rather ska influenced. The audience seemed to enjoy it, and the whip-round afterwards will more than cover fuel and a pint each.
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First gig with a new group tonight. The other half happened, by chance, to be sitting next to wives of the other band members and she therefore overheard their discussion of "the new bass player". Apparently, they "hope he lasts longer than the last one"...
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This fretless Encore was actually rather good IIRC, but I sold it to raise money for an EUB I shouldn't have bought. The first bass I had, and played at the first proper gig I ever did.
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Singers who don't understand how music works
knirirr replied to Nail Soup's topic in General Discussion
More the equivalent of a colour party in 17th/18th century warfare IIRC. The mention of pipes reminds me of a time probably 10-15 years ago when I was taking a long break from bass. My partner and I ended up going to a local folk night where she was persuaded to sing (being Welsh), and they tried to rope me in as well. As I admitted I lived just around the corner and had a "folk instrument" there they asked me to fetch it and perform, which resulted in them being subjected to an abridged version of the tune at the link below at around 102 dBA in a small pub back room (I wore earplugs). They didn't ask again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8H2HHs6Iqg Outdoors, though, this sort of thing sounds great. Very relaxing. -
The one that really winds me up is "call for/to". So, I'd have to ban this thread.
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FWIW, I started learning "proper" upright technique on a Warwick Triumph (the cheaper Rockbass version) and found that it was extremely easy to transition to an acoustic after. It's an Eb neck, but so is my acoustic. I had it modified by a luthier with DB tuners instead of the BG ones it came with, so I could put DB strings on it. When it's packed up in its gig bag it's not much more bulky than a bass guitar. If you are over 6' tall you might find the end pin too short, but I solved this by slipping a length of copper pipe over it and putting a walking stick rubber ferrule on the end.
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It's hard to find but if you see a copy of Monk Montgomery's electric bass method at a reasonable price then that might be worth getting. It's pretty much entirely scales, études etc., plus some transcriptions from some of his recording. Dots only.
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I've seen some replica items used for reenactment where the original military stamps and makers marks are replicated, but using fake dates/serial numbers (e.g. manufactured on 31st February).
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I've got one where the small print under the fake "Fender" logo, where you'd expect to see the serial number etc., is an admission that it's assembled from WD Music parts. One reason is that the "Fender" part is sometimes noticed when having the "have you thought of getting a proper bass" discussion at jazz jams ("well, at least it's Fender/fretless/both"). No-one's ever commented on the small print and I suspect they've not noticed. Now I have a "proper bass" this doesn't really matter any more. The fake logo should come off easily with some wire wool should I so wish.
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This one: At the time it would have been ideal, but someone else got there first.
