TheRev

£££££s

I couldn't be busier - 5 gigs last week, got the next two weekends off while the drummer's on holiday then gigging every weekend til the end of the year. That said, we've worked fecking hard to ensure we're that busy. It is probably down to the sort of music on offer - these days, pubs are reluctant to take a punt on anything new or adventurous and stick to bands they know can pull/please the masses.

I didn't want to be the first one to get all negative, but I do agree that if you've 'almost never' played your DB, then nailing a 14 song set in 4 days is a mammoth task. It would be scary enough if it was just afun gig, but for a gig that your reputation depends on? Dude, you must have cojones of steel.... Still, many pro players have blagged their way into a major gig and survived to tell the tale. You could be one of them. If you're going for it, my bets advice is to keep it simple. It's better to play one rignt note per bar than 4 wrong ones. Don't be tempted to get all flashy and impressive as your forearm WILL lock up halfway through song number 3. Good luck!

You've certainly got your work cut out for you! One of the great things about playing double bass is that you can get away with two notes per bar. So, assuming that the actual music isn't a problem, and that you've played fretless a lot, so your ear and intonation are OK, the only challenge you have are the sheer physicality of playing for 45 minutes plus, on an instrument that you have little or no experience of. Most new players have difficulty getting through one or two tracks before the cramp sets in, so if I were in your place, I'd be learning some warm up exercises and building up stamina. Another thought - is the gig a full acoustic one? If not, have you got a pickup? If so, have you ever used it at gig volume? Double basses are big resonant boxes and most of us regular players spend a lot of our time fighting feedback - it would be shame if halfway through an Etta James track, your bass started making noises like a jump-jet taking off.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1343301285' post='1748483'] The Rev speaks a lot of common sense. [/quote] ..there's a first time for everything.... [quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1343304735' post='1748571'] I would be surprised, though, if there isn't a better solution than this Bass Max. :/ [/quote] There is, but it's going to cost an awful lot more than a Bassmax. K&K are the workaday end of the market - for the pro end, check out the prices of the Schertler stuff. I'm just getting into the whole pickup/preamp experimentation thing and there is a lot of difference to be had varying pickup location and preamp choice. At the moment I'm sticking with a Bassmax on the bass wing - not because it's a sound I want, but because I'm doing a lot of festivals and it's a sound I know. I've got a regular pub gig coming up in a month so I'm going to try two pickups on either side of the bridge going into a blender preamp (Headway) and see if I can get a working sound that has even tone.

Are you talking about live sound or recording/home playing type levels? I would say the the sound you describe is common to piezo transducers in general. It's very audible at low volumes or if no other instruments are present or if you're recording with the pickup as the only source. Once you get to a live situation though, the effect is less noticable and I find the strong attack very useful in getting a sound that stands out in the mix, It's not necessarily a beautiful sound, but in a loud band it can be heard and it sounds like a DB - which is as much as you can hope for at most gigs. Generally, I think that peizos are good for situations where you want volume and strong fundamental. For detail and evenness of tone, electret pickups (Realist, Full Circle) are better. For faithful acoustic reproduction, you need a microphone. I have a Bassmax and a TM pickup. They look the same but the TM has a lower output, with less attack and a more even sound across the range. I don't find the TM that great for my bluegrass/country stuff, but it is well suited for the jazzier stuff that I do. I've also found that sticking the bassmax on the treble side of the bridge evens out the low-mid hump and give me a sound better suited for jazz. Finding the right pickup is a feckin nightmare to be honest, and the only way to get one that suits you is to try them.

[quote name='BassInMyFace' timestamp='1343218775' post='1747176'] where was this when i forked out £150 for the K&K dual preamp blender???!!! actually i lied, got it for £95 secondhand but still!! [/quote] Hanging out on doublebasschat.com with all the slappers.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1343131947' post='1745715'] ..... and the soundpost dropped on to the inner floor of the bass. [/quote] That is one of the most sickening sounds you can hear. Most players can re-set a bridge or replace a tail wire but the soundpost is usually a luthier's job. You could buy the sharp pointy soundpost setting tool and learn to do it yourself? It'll probably end up being just as fustrating as sitting in jublimpig traffic but at least you'll have learned a valuable skill?

The action on a double bass is generally quite high in order to give the string plenty of room to vibrate. If it's set too low, the string will buzz against the fingerboard and can sound quite unpleasant in the lower posttions. You may find a set of low tension strings to be a better option? Get yourself on the Innovation string trail list (sticky at the top of the DB forum page) and try a set of Honeys or silver slaps. Welcome aboard!

It's where I found mine.....

My pleasure mate! The strings seem pretty snazzy. Only got the G and D on at the moment - nice old school pizz tone and you can slap the arse off them. I'm new to slappage so I don't have a clicky and know bog all about them. You could have a wander over to doublebaschat.com and ask them - that's where all the slappers hang out.

[url="http://www.freewebstore.org/index.aspx?pageid=693784&prodid=6836400"]Superior Bassworks dual channel preamp[/url] £38 plus shipping. These guys are very good indeed - I ordered some strings and a pickup from them, all arrived within a week.

[quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1342705185' post='1739634'] It has cobwebs near the posts that the strings wind around. [/quote] This is normal. A DB can go 2-3 years between string changes, plenty of time for the spiders to get comfy. [quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1342705185' post='1739634'] The heel where the neck attaches to the body is split horizontally approx. half inch below the top face of the body. The split is between 1/16" and 1/8" inch wide. [/quote] This is less normal. If the heel is split and the neck is coming away from the block/body, then it's probably best to walk away unless a) you know the bass is worth much more that the cost of repair - £200 -£300, You are close personal friends with a luthier or c) are a luthier. If the break isn't moving, then you could squirt a load of glue into the crack, clamp it for a couple of days and then all may be fine. However always remember that a double bass is essentially firewood waiting to happen. [quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1342705185' post='1739634'] The bridge is about 1' above the sound post (that is, 1 inch nearer the fretboard). [/quote] Which is exactly where it should be [quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1342705185' post='1739634'] The foot of the bridge on the treble side has pushed the top in a short way. The string slots in the bridge haven't been cut too deep. [/quote] Any sinking of the top could indicate a broken rib. If you can get a better look inside, you might be able to spot the damage. [quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1342705185' post='1739634'] You can drive a bus under the action BTW [/quote] This is called an 'orchestral setup' [quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1342705185' post='1739634'] The inside of the slot at the uppermost part of the F' hole on the bass side is lower than the height of the corresponding opposite side of that F hole. There are some lines on the finish on the top (they look like prior pressure marks from the foot of the bridge) that indicate the bridge has travelled towards the bass side F hole at some time in the past. [/quote] Not quite sure what you mean by 'slots'.... if you're saying that the front (table) of the bass is sunken on the bass side compared to the treble side, then it could be a broken rib as above or the bass bar has become detached. Without actually seeing the bass it's difficult to give a definitlive answer, but for an unknown bass that needs work, I'd be offering token sums to be honest. even if it was a nice 60s german ply, you could spend upwards of £600 fixing it up and be left with a bass that's worth £600. My best advice is not to offfer any more than you can afford to lose or would be willing to spend on an interesting artifact for your living room. If you're patient, you can pick up a decent second hand Strunal, Stentor or maybe even a Zeller for £500. An authentic 50s or 60s German or Czech ply will set you back £1000 from a shop (i.e. Thwaites) or maybe £700 if you buy privately. The Thomann 1E basses are quite nice, rebadged Strunals for around £800.

We crashed in the snow earlier this year just skidded off the road and into a stone wall. The three people in the car were fine, my Eminence EUB in the front seat suffered a minor shift of the bridge, the car was a write off. Crumple zones are wonderful things.

Personally, I'd get a 10 or 12" lightweight cab to go with the Reidmar. Even in an acoustic trio, you might struggle with a 60W amp (I certainly would).

Can I go in the list for the Honey set? After such a good experience with the rockabillys on my ply, I'm hoping to repeat the experience with my Eminence EUB.

Whether you use a preamp and which one you use is laregly a matter of taste. Some pickups sound great straight into the input of amp X but horrible and nasal through amp Y. As it happens, last night I was faffing around with different combinations of pickups (K&K bassmax & Tacoman) preamps (Fishman Plat pro and Headway) inputs (standard input or via preamp into the FX return) and sawpping the pickups between the treble and bass bridge wings. Very long story short; the K&K mounted on the treble side sounded good straight into the main input without a preamp, as did the Tacoman when mounted on the bass side of the bridge. I have done gigs with my Realist equipped EUB going into the fromt of my LM2 when my pre input died - not a sound I'd choose to use, but not a disaster either. I theink experimentation is the key. When you get your pickup and amp, try it without a preamp and see if you like the sound. If you don't then a preamp will certainly improve things. As mentioned above, Francis Deck has a very simple impedance matching preamp that you can build yourself from his plans.

Mine also has the triangular neck. It's also got a visible dovetail joint where the neck joins the body - apparently both features of basses from the east German Musima factory.

I rented a DB from a local violin shop when I was starting out. Not many shops do rental schemes, so you might have to look a bit further afield than Sheffield. A quick look on the interweb brings up Forsyth's in Manchester. They don't specifically mention boubls basses in their hire scheme, but you could call them up and ask?

If you liked the sound of the Spiros before the E died, then I'd suggest you just buy a new set of Spiros and save yourself a lot of hassle and expense trying out different strings, only to end up goiing back to Thomastik.... However, if you're feeling adventurous, then get youself on the Innovation string trial list as mentioned above and try some very nice strings for free. You might even find your tastes are better served by a string not normally used for jazz. if you're feeling adventurous and rich, then I'd point you in the direction of Velvet Garbos - a lovely woody, not too growly jazz string. There is much more difference between different types of DB string than electric bass strings and the same string will sound different on different basses so the only real way to find the string that is right for you and your bass is to try as many as you can get your paws on. Buying second hand is a cost effective way of trying new strings. Good luck...

....and then Dave noticed Bottomfeed's location..... DOH!

[quote name='bottomfeed' timestamp='1341572611' post='1721079'] ... yes indeed!... A convention at one of the big hotels (the Marriot, I think) & that pic is from Ashton Court Festie... probably more that would come out under hypnosis... [/quote] Ah t'was Ashton Court then. I've got good memories of your set albeit filtered through a scrumpy haze.