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hubrad

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Everything posted by hubrad

  1. hubrad
    Quite unsettling if you're thinking of either of the originals at the time! Brilliant editing, mind.
  2. hubrad
    I think it's personal taste.. a fresh set of flats actually has its own brightness, which fades as you'd expect. If the sound you're after doesn't include that brightness then wait and they'll be good for ages. If you like bright, spoingy roundwounds you'll be changing far more often than if you prefer them partway down or even fully dulled off. Any of the above may or may not suit a particular bass on a particular day, depending also on your mood at the time. Fun, isn't it?
  3. hubrad
    What a cracking sig bass! I may be getting the power tools out and the thinking cap on..
  4. hubrad
    Nothing looks immediately obvious, but one thing springs to mind.. if a bass has been sat idle for an age, the jack socket and pots can oxidise inside, and as we all know it doesn't take much to interfere with the sound. Try lacing the jack socket with switch cleaner/lubricant such as Servisol Super 10 (other brands are available, and it's great for scratchy pots) and repeatedly insert and remove the jack plug. Something as simple as a bit of a dirty contact might be enough to stop the switching part of the jack socket working, hence no active circuit or LED.
  5. hubrad
    All practice is good. As above, the only difference is muscle memory, and speaking as a player of 3 lengths of unlined fretless plus the DB I reckon you'll get the 3/4 muscle memory back once you have regular access to it again. Onwards and upwards!
  6. hubrad
    These are too small for my DB, but if it helps anyone, when I had my first one (Zeller by Stentor) the vibrating string length was 103.5cm and at least in Savarez (Corelli) book that classed as top end of 1/2 size. IIRC they worked on 105cm for 3/4, and mine these days is 108cm which fell into 4/4, and at the time Savarez didn't do a 4/4 Corelli set. The Savarez strings came with dire warnings about premature failure if the unsilked part of the string went over the post of the tuner, and you obviously don't want the silked part going through the nut slot. Bob Gollihur, who initially made me aware of Corelli strings, has a bit further apart sizings: https://www.gollihurmusic.com/faq/2-SIZES_DOUBLE_BASS_SIZING_FAQ.html Trickier to hunt down the info at D'Addario, but click on the Learn More tab on RHS and there's plenty of good reading in there.. https://www.daddario.com/products/orchestral/bass/helicore-hybrid/helicore-hybrid-bass-string-set-12-scale-medium-tension/item/daddario-helicore-hybrid-bass-string-set-12-scale-medium-tension-3646/ average 1/2 is 97.5cm, 3/4 is 106. They don't even show 4/4.. probably so impressive that it breaks the internet. Of course, DB lengths are nominal, and string length also depends on distances behind the bridge and above the nut. I just looked at one of my spare 3/4 Helicores, and ballend to silk measures 139.5cm. Confusingly enough, 3/4 D'Addario work fine on my 108cm. They sound great for me.. GLWTS, Pete! 🙂
  7. hubrad
    .. Same here, but I quite like the curtains! 😉 That headstock is kinda post-pointy, isn't it? Quite acceptable if the bass is good.
  8. hubrad
    Yes please! PM incoming (not Johnson).
  9. hubrad
    I suppose if the work is done by the makers then it's official work rather than an ordinary mod. A keeper indeed, on so many levels. 🙂
  10. hubrad
    Fantastic! The Overwater team is just so skilled with all the wood and wire stuff.. I have a couple, which are nothing flash in terms of the whole range but are absolutely spot on in looks, sound and playability. Glad yours has a new lease of life, and glad you're still around to enjoy it!
  11. hubrad
    For reference, here are the D'Addario and Rotosound ball colour charts. That D'Addario set is on a bass.. no silks, albeit they are rounds. The Rotosound pack is still sealed, so can't say just now re silks. Iirc Picato often (but not always!) were made silk-free.
  12. hubrad
    Thing is, I love that in DB strings, as it's an identifier. If (when) we experiment, it's gonna be for months at a time so this way we can remember which set is which. As for Pirastro, with the different colours up at the head, that's for when our failing eyes can no longer tell thick from thin.. There used to be a useful chart of DB silk colours somewhere, possibly Gollihur site.
  13. hubrad
    Excellent, mon brave! I don't use hard cases that often, but when I do it's Hiscox; love 'em.
  14. hubrad
    Or the similar screwdriver action and you can probably prise it apart around the brass pivot pin and open it that way. You said the key doesn't operate the lock.. when you turn it, can you hear/feel a little click as it tries to do so? Might be the key worn, so could well be worth picking open anyway.
  15. hubrad
    Ingenious.. plenty of room underneath for snacks and supplies, too! My Corolla has a similar boot, but I take the bass loading as part of my back and upper body exercise.
  16. hubrad
    No probs.
  17. hubrad
    Is this still on the go? If so, I'll take it.
  18. hubrad
    I'll go for that. PMing
  19. hubrad
    Speaking as a fretless player myself, that video perfectly encapsulates why some folks actively dislike fretless bass! Decent tone, mind you.
  20. hubrad
    You can try the bridge part of things by putting a sliver of card under the E foot, folded if you need extra height. If it works well you could replace it with a sliver of maple or similar, or leave it for a few years as 'temporary'! (Never done that myself, oh no, never guv!) A higher tension E will rattle less. Some folks mix sets to get their desired result.
  21. hubrad
    Haha, prior form! We were both regulars at the same folk club, and he did say judging by my guitar playing I'd be fine. I took it as a compliment!
  22. hubrad
    Sounds pretty normal.. part exchange is convenient, but then the shop has to take on all the risk and work of selling your gear, usually with some warranty and involving covering some VAT. For the best deal, sell privately and offer cash/debit card. When I worked in a shop i always advised such, although some folks were happy or desperate enough (you're not coming home with another guitar!) to take the hit. Plan C. . Get a part exchange value, pay cash for the new item but take your gear home and do a mate a nice favour!
  23. hubrad
    Danny Thompson and Dave Pegg for the obvious reasons. A chap who lived locally called Mic Hale, who rang up one evening and asked me to play bass in his ceilidh band for a one off, when I'd never actually played bass before . . 'I can lend you a bass'.
  24. hubrad
    IIRC it was a couple of violin specialists, one of whom was quite sceptical about the price tags put on some instruments! Yes, I suppose once you're getting into mega price tags the game is different, but I was given that advice as rule of thumb at 'mere mortal' levels and in order to be getting the best out of each of them.
  25. hubrad
    I remember it being said some while ago that the ideal balance of bow to bass is the bow should be worth about 1/3 - 1/2 the value of the bass. If, as it sounds, you're just after something for experimentation and practice then grab whatever you can afford and feels ok!
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