philw

[quote name='TheGreek' post='1234243' date='May 17 2011, 01:13 PM']Finally cleared out enough gear to justify buying a Wal Mk1 - courtesy of Simon (0353203) - top fella by the way..

Here it is..[/quote]

Congratulations Mick and welcome to the Wal club.

Looks like you have a lovely instrument there. Now you just need a fretless one and your life will be complete.

Phil

I've always used vodka! One advantage being that there tends to be a ready supply of the stuff when you turn up to a pub gig with the strings caked in rosin.

P

[quote name='grayn' post='1215496' date='Apr 30 2011, 07:30 AM']It looks like an Alembic, if it were made in Pakistan.[/quote]

Nail on the head. Even the appalling pun in the name "Lowenherz" (spelling of "hertz" of course incorrect) makes me shudder.

P

Well just 'cause I couldn't resist finding out I contacted Martin's to enquire about the starting price on their Hungarian made Concert Model: it's £5k + VAT

Oh well.

P

All,

The continuing search for my first proper double bass (I've played an EUB for years) means occasionally following all sorts of obscure web links. I came across this the other day:

[url="http://www.thomasmartin.co.uk"]http://www.thomasmartin.co.uk[/url]

Be very wary if you are at all seduced by the idea of owning a serious DB. Some of the instruments here to my eyes define beauty. Unsurprisingly, they're all POA (which I suspect translates to, "if you need to ask, you can't afford).

Phil

Lovely pics Gareth. Last two especially.

Phil

Bump for a fabulous bit of UK bass history. If my memory serves me, Rob Green of Status fame learned some of his lutherie skills working at Shergold in the 70s. And I can't help but wonder if Pete Stevens and Ian Waller weren't a bit influenced by Shergold. The general body shape and pickup surrounds have something of Wal about them.

Phil

A very long time ago the "jazz" trio I played with had a regular gig at bar in Portsmouth. It was so cold in there I sometimes used to play in fingerless gloves. It always amazed me that punters would sit and listen while freezing to death. Maybe they were actually frozen to their seats.

Phil

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I'd not considered Gedo (who it appears are the source of all the "from Germany" double basses on Ebay) before and I'll be firing off an email to Pete Tyler.

Phil

All

My search for a good "previously enjoyed" entry level double bass (say £1200 max) is proving frustratingly fruitless so I'm staring to wonder about buying new.

Seems to me, new at this kind of price means either one of these (along with a new set of strings and a set-up from a local luthier):

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_33_02.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_kontrabass_33_02.htm[/url]

[url="http://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Archer-3-4-size-professional-Double-Bass/8UV"]http://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-S...Double-Bass/8UV[/url]

So, who has any thoughts on either of these instruments, or alternative suggestions?

Phil

Lovely bass but unfortunately a little bit beyond my budget.

Phil

PS. Seems to me, however hard you push, it's not going to fit in that wooden box.

What an extraordinary bass. And it's quite a lot of bass for £800. Thanks the lord it's not fretless (actually I don't much go for the gold hardware either).

P

[quote name='Jimmyp28' post='1158842' date='Mar 12 2011, 12:37 AM']Just going to have to hunt them down now then and see if they can help.[/quote]

How about a Wal owner in Brighton? You're welcome to come and have a go on my fretless Mk 1. Just PM me.

Phil

I sold a Veillette Jazz Nylon Baritone (the one pictured below) to a bass player recently who was planning on doing just as the OP suggests. His justification for moving to the dark side and buying a guitar was that he was playing lots of chordal stuff on a six string bass so thought a baritone might make more sense. His Veillette is tuned B, E, A D, G, C I think.

I don't know if he's a BCer but i'll email him and draw his attention to this thread. Maybe he'll let us know how he's getting on.

Phil

[attachment=74434:jazz_14_nylon.jpg]

[quote name='Beedster' post='1156453' date='Mar 10 2011, 12:09 PM']There is a curious set of events in place here (nothing suspicious I can assure you). All will become clear when the other BCer concerned posts below!

C[/quote]

OK, so the curious set of circumstances is this. I'd agreed to buy Beedster's DB a few weeks ago, but just as we were about to do the deal the damn thing "fell apart". But what has this to do with Marti's DB? Well I was just about to visit Marti to have a serious look at his DB when guess what....

I can remember, when I was a kid, I wanted to have super powers - turns out I do! I can "wreck" any DB simply by expressing an interest in buying it. Time, methinks, to slip my pants on over my trousers and hold the World to ransom.

P

Oh dear, oh dear. I've always really fancied the deeply cool* Bassline Worp Acoustic and now they've gone and added an "in stock" page to the web site.

[url="http://www.bassline-basses.com/Stockliste.php"]http://www.bassline-basses.com/Stockliste.php[/url]

P

* I suspect some might disagree a teeny bit

PS. And there's some extraordinary playing on a Worp here:

[url="http://www.bassline-bass.de/files/Worp_acoustic_neldner.mp3"]http://www.bassline-bass.de/files/Worp_acoustic_neldner.mp3[/url]

Listen to the whole thing, it starts off slowly, but my jaw dropped from around 3 mins in. It proves that I could never do the instrument justice, which rather usefully puts my credit card much less at risk.

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='1150160' date='Mar 5 2011, 12:21 AM']I would drink her piss ....[/quote]

Thanks for that Mr Fudge. Lowered the tone nicely.

I've seen one in the flesh and was disappointed. It wasn't great. Looked very, err, cost-effective.

P

All,

My daughter's school are looking for a function/covers band for their spring ball on 21st May. I would do it but I don't think The Galleons brand of shoe-gazing "alt.folk" (apparently) is quite what they're after.

Please PM me if you're interested.

Phil

The bass is sold and shortly on its way to Germany.

[quote name='ras52' post='1131839' date='Feb 18 2011, 08:47 AM']And what sort of adjustments can be done at the bridge?[/quote]

The condition of the fingerboard suggests it's rarely had round-wounds fitted. It has flats on it now.

Like a traditional acoustic guitar/bass, the only bridge adjustment possible is sanding down or shimming-up the saddle. The bass does have a neck tilt adjustment though which helps a bit. The neck joint can be shimmed too.

Phil

[quote name='Earbrass' post='1130938' date='Feb 17 2011, 01:05 PM']I briefly shared a house in Clapham with her (and several others), back in the mid 80's. Not relevant, but I thought I'd throw it in for luck.[/quote]

About the same time I was sharing a house in Petersfield with Erica Roe (if you can't remember or are too young, Google is your friend) then. Don't think Erica was quite as good a pianist as Joanna McGregor, but still, there weren't too many dull moments.

P

[quote name='BassBus' post='1130977' date='Feb 17 2011, 01:23 PM']Thanks for the comments Andy and Phil. It's good to get a comparison between these instruments from those who own them. Good to have the Veillette mentioned as well. Is that the Archtop you have Phil?[/quote]

It's a Veillette Paris I have at the moment (the blue one in my avatar), but as the UK rep, my "demo" model tends to rotate. Probably going to move the blue bass on in the next six months or so and get a Concorde. Walbassist (Gareth) of these parts has an Archtop fretless five.

Phil

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='1130445' date='Feb 16 2011, 11:36 PM']Still is lovely ... I still have it. Here is one of Phil's pics (I hope he doesn't mind)



Now strung with status black tapewounds.

Have to say that it's now second in my affections to the Rob Allen Deep 5, but I still couldn't see myself parting with it.

Andy[/quote]

Awww my old Electro! Had one of the most comfortable five string necks I've ever played and, as I think I wrote somewhere else, was capable of a decidedly Eberhard Weber EUB kind of tone. Very different from the Veillette and Rob Allen tone which in my experience is much warmer and thumpier (more DB like).

Invoice in the post for use of the photo Andy

Phil

I went to a classical gig once (although I seem to remember Andy Shepherd was playing so maybe it was a jazz gig) where the pianist, Joanna McGregor, had two nominally identical grand pianos, one tuned to equal temperament and one tuned to an alternative temperament – they sounded utterly different.

P