TheRev

I have a gig. sad face.

I use the XLR output from my preamp pedal. You probably could take the signal direct from the bass but the level might be too low. You might already know this, but youll need a cable with a TRS mini jack at one end to make the headphone socket on the phone work as an input.

Looks like the bridge might be warped too.

I have one. I use it for home recording rather than live work as my band is way to loud to use a mic with. I think the sound is very good for a 40 quid mic, but I'm not keen on the mounting clip - it doesn't isolate very well so the mic picks up an a annoying mid range ring (on my bass anyway). I get better results if the mic is physically separated from the bass. I've never tried a DPA so I cant directly compare, but it sounds similar to condenser mics I've used in the studio. The ability to close mic to the table gives it the edge over a mic on a stand, its just annoying the the Ovid mounting clip doesnt isolate the mic fully from the string afterlength vibration. If anyone has a good suggestion for mounting the Ovid/DPA type mic on the bass that is truly vibration dampened, I'm all ears.

I have a Roland micro cube which I bought for busking with my double bass. While the ability to amp up on battery power is great, the cube struggles to deliver the low end without distortion. I found it more useful as a monitor for me while relying on getting the best acoustic projection (by using good right hand technique and 'loud' strings) to keep up with the other instruments.

I have a carefully managed captive breeding programme. By the time I wear through two balls, two more are ready to harvest.

I could buy two of my bass for the cost of one case... If you have a proper expensive (like £8k+) professional orchestra standard bass, then a hard case is probably worth it.

I've used a well padded gig bag (Cristopher brand) for 60+ gig a year for 8 years without any problems whatsoever. It's been in cars, in the back of vans, in pickup trucks, on tractors and once on a steam engine. I'd only consider a hard case if I was flying or if my bass was being regularly loaded/unloaded by random stage crew.

I'm 6' 4".... ...if i stand on something that's 12" tall.

Been to the Thekla loads of times, but I'm none the wiser about start times. If it was a Friday, then I'd recommend getting down there early as the bands usually finish by 10/10:30 so the club night can start. On a Tuesday, there wouldn't be a club night after the bands, but the 6pm doors would suggest that the action starts about 7. They do usually have a running order printed out on the door. These days it seems like all venues are reluctant to tell you when the bands are on, I suppose they want you in and drinking as early as possible .

I use wolf balls too.

I have a set of Jazzicato tungsten which do have better E and A definition, but on my bass the D seemed to have a significantly higher tension than the other strings. I have Presto nylons on my carved bass, perhaps I should try the Jazzicato E and A with the nylon D and G.

Approach the venues direct - it's one less person to deal with and more money for you. I don't know of any agents putting covers bands in pubs. If you want to do weddings, a better approach might be to get a list of SW wedding planners and send your information to them.

I've got 120 litres in the cider shed....most of it drinkable. No problem, just PM me. I'm in most weekday evenings, most weekends I'm out playing.

I'm just down the M5 in Bristol if you'd like to try a double bass or an EUB.

I've been on a similar journey..... I found Spiro Weichs are a bit high tension to do any proper rockabilly slapping and strings designed for slapping (Silver slaps, Presto Nylons) don't have enough definition to work for pizz. The only one bass solution is to put some work in and build up some muscles so you can slap the weichs for a whole song without cramping up. I can now slap well enough for bluegrass but any serious rockabilly is out of the question unless I start doing bench presses or something. Pickup wise, adding a clicky helps and reduces the amount of effort that you need to put into the slap. I've played other players basses that are set up for slap and they're a breeze to play slap on, but just not enough definition on the E and sometimes the A string for pizz.

I'm 5' 5" and have no problem playing double bass and my bass is a big 3/4 size.

A few weeks in and another couple gigs and I'm really enjoying these strings. Ignore what I said previously about the tension and bounce being close to Spiro Weich, now that the Perpetuals have mellowed and opened up a bit, they are noticeably more supple under the right hand. There is much more bloom to the start of the note, which means they're a bit less punchy than Spiros, but once I got used to that, I really started enjoying them. So that's it. My 4 year relationship with my Spiro Wiech is over. I might even buy a set to replace the Preston Nylons on my carved bass....

I honestly think it's mostly that light engineers can't be arsed until the big boys come out to play. Where you have one person doing sound and lights, then he or she is more likely to focus on getting the sound right via the support bands and don;t have time to play with lights, but they make an effort for the main act - because they're the main act.

I've experienced the 'static lighting that suddenly develops the ability to move for the headline act' on a number of occasions. However I don't think it's necessarily a policy of the venue or the headline act. Sometimes the headline act bring their own lighting guy and a separate sound guy and you as support have one bloke supplied by the venue to do sound and lights, so he doesn't have much time to come up with an off the cuff light show. Other times, you'll have a dedicated lighting engineer for all bands on the bill, who simply can't be arsed to do anything interesting until the headline set. As a stage manager/sound crew I've worked with lots of lighting engineers and none of them have ever told me stories of being instructed to make the main band look better at the expense of the support acts. On the handful of occasions where we've played venues where we know the lighting crew, we get a better light show than the headline act.

I finally got around to ordering a set of F-its. The fit and finish is very impressive, especially compared to the Duke bass mutes. I haven't tried them in anger yet, but have a couple of gigs next weekend where I can give them a good seeing to. Bob's service is second to none, highly recommended.

Yeah, my bass doesn't sound like that.... So, they've been on a few days and had time to settle down and so far I'm enjoying them, which is a good sign - usually if new strings aren't working for me they're off the bass within days. They were a lot brighter than my Spiros when they first went on (though the Spiros were probably a bit dead...), especially the E string, but that seems to have mellowed out now l. I recorded some clips with the Spiros, followed by the Perpetuals ehen I first put them on for comparison. I'll record some more when I get home from this weekend's gigs to see of there's a noticeable difference. On first impressions, the Perpetuals have a richer, more complex sound, but with a clear fundamental, but, as I mentioned before, my Spiros could be well past their prime. Tension-wise, they feel pretty similar to the Spiro Weich. There may be a bit more bounce under the right hand, especially on the G, but it's subtle and my perception is probably skewed by the mention of this in the Talkbass thread.... in a blind test I probably wouldn't be able to feel a difference between Spiro Weich and the Perpetuals. What is noticeable is that the Perpetual G has a much sweeter tone than the Spiro G, especially up around the E and into thumb position. There's none of that twangy, nasal tone thing going on.

Funnily enough, I came home on Monday after a weekend of 4 well paid festival gigs and healthy merch sales. I'm sure it's not unconnected....