geoffbassist

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1340029909' post='1697882'] There is a cd out there called Homage to Duke by Dave Grusin. Bromberg is brilliant on it. Worth seeking out. [/quote] Thanks for the tip off. Sound like its worth getting. Cheers Geoff

The Venue can't have its cake and eat it. Taking large bookings and shoehorning them into a space too small is obviously not going to work. Often these situations can be fudged and it works out. This time it didn't and the customers have taken out their frustration out on the band. IMO Instead of blaming the band the venue should be apologising to them and the customers. I almost never move furniture as that's the venues job. I would also avoid asking customers to move for the same reason. However the band shouldn't have been put in a position were they have to ask people to move. I'm sure anyone would be unhappy if they booked a meal and this happened. Bad management.

The most important thing about a venue is not its stage, pa, facilities etc... But the 'Get In'.

That's such a cool story! It's a great amp and I do miss it! I've been though loads and have always preferred the sound on bigger amps.

Hi Keith, thanks for the plug. Hope to see you tonight! Cheers Geoff

Here's a nice review of my lessons from Leeds bassist John J Williamson. Hes a fantastic player and has a lot of great things happening in his playing. http://johnjosephwilliamson.com/2012/06/08/lesson-with-geoff-chalmers/

Great gig for someone!

[quote name='Mr Bassman' timestamp='1338411959' post='1674321'] Any idea of a price yet Geoff? [/quote] I emailed Martyn to ask about that. Its going to be in the region of £4000. There are of course mass produced instruments a lot cheaper, but this is a one off custom build. As its all built from scratch like a real DB the labour and parts are pretty dear. The price of the Full Circle and strings alone is more than a Stagg. Its also been designed as a one off to meet Dave's needs, but another customers would be made differently. For example Dave didn't require a knee rest. I also asked about the 'square bottom' and this was Martyn's reply "the shape has been influenced by the end pin 'locking system' which is within the block itself. I did this to reduce the overall length a little. The Jury is still out on this one as to any real advantage gained compared with the work involved, cost and the effect on appearance." I think every effort has been made to mimic the response and feel of a real DB. Will be great to see how Dave Swift gets on with it with Jools Holland. I cant think of many pro double bass players doing a gig as diverse as his. cheers Geoff

[quote name='Mr Bassman' timestamp='1338333441' post='1673064'] thanks for the link Geoff 18kg that's far too heavy! (unless it's 18 lbs) If it's a typo it could put off potential customers Yamaha SLB100 - 22lbs, SLB200 - 16lbs and I don't like the square bottom but if the weight, sound, balance and feel are right it would be priceless [/quote] Hey Keith, I've just checked and it's 8kg NOT 18kg. That would be a seriously heavy EUB :-) It was just a typo. I'm sure Martyn could round the bottom off. It's the first ever and a custom build so future basses would develop depending on the needs of the bassist.

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1338316509' post='1672690'] Love the Ferrari cars poster on the wall in the workshop - that EUB is probably the musical equivalent... [/quote] Yes I think it is! Martyn has a great eye for design. I LOVE his double basses. Really classic outline which is designed for optimum sound and playability.

I knew Martyn Bailey and Dave Swift have been collaborating on a new EUB and the build has just been completed. Dave has huge experience at performance and recording with EUB's and Martyn is one of the very best double bass luthiers. I havnt had the pleasure of playing one, but it looks great! Heres the link: http://www.mjbl.co.uk/electric-upright-basses.html

[quote name='stefBclef' timestamp='1338221790' post='1671045'] I love it! Thanks. [/quote] It's such a great system. It sounds a bit dodgy but the towel never loosens off so the bass is really secure. The neck is resting against the loop of the towel so it doesn't get marked. I've been doing it for 8 years full time and never had a problem.

I always carry a small towel. About half the size of a tea towel to wipe my hands and clean the strings. I feed it through the handle on the side of the cab & tie it round the bass neck. Works great, very secure & no need to carry a stand.

My DB student turned up today, unzipped his bag and the neck of his bass had come off. Ouch. Needless to say we didn't have a DB lesson :-)

I bought the Lemur one which was great until the rubber grips in the folding part wore out. I replaced them but now the stool keeps slipping down. It's a real pain.

Sorry to hear that Clarky. I cracked the front of my first decent bass and it was pretty upsetting. However if the top comes off its a good opportunity to check over previous repairs. Mine actually sounded better after the repair. Good luck with the repair.

That's so cool. I would love to try one. Apparently they sound pretty good.

Great news Fumps. Enjoy building up those calluses :-)

It's good to keep a rough idea of how much milage you get from your car. For me 100 miles costs about £12. I just invoice for roughly what it costs. Most of the time it's a case of a flat fee and I work out the true fee after fuel to help me decide if it's worth it. It's only getting harder out there for musicians to make a living.

Do you think it would be a better buy than a fully carved la scala to keep your hybrid company?

Beautiful instruments. Is she a keeper?

[quote name='3V17C' timestamp='1337158010' post='1656233'] Cheers for all the input... seems i'm not the only one who thinks bringing the kids is a bad idea!! At the moment the opinion amongst us three band members is that the whole bringing the kids along thing will implode in on itself anyway. Fingers crossed its only going to be a matter of time before the parents realise that its more trouble than its worth having the kids there and that being on the road is no place for them. We'll see! I think we're gonna have to wait it out and hope they see sense. At the moment I don't want to rock the boat (I already did that the other day!) and I don't want to jump ship just yet as the band does have potential (we've just been booked for a BBC Maida Vale session and are getting some dates in Europe etc) so I don't want to shoot myself in the foot over this issue! Will have to see how it goes!!.... [/quote] Good luck. Situations like this are very tricky.

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1337116725' post='1655874'] Have you tried the Corelli forte set of strings at all, thats the ones i meant when i said medium. [/quote] No just the Medium.