EssentialTension

[quote name='steve-soar' post='615106' date='Oct 2 2009, 06:59 PM']I'm a total disciple I'm afraid. Rubber Soul, Revolver, Pepper, The White, Abbey Road and most of Let it Be have some of the most righteous basslines EVER recorded. I bought Abbey Road remastered last week, the basslines on that album are incredible, on Something, oh dear, totally beautiful. Macca = Legend.[/quote] I've just listened to remastered Abbey Road - absolutely cracking. Macca=legend=definitely .... and I always think the Something bass line owes something (no pun intended) to Jamerson.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='615158' date='Oct 2 2009, 07:46 PM']That's the brand i was thinking of. Notice how the bass is different to the one on the box![/quote] Ah, well spotted.

Here's the page at [url="http://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/products/default.asp?cID=66460622&sID=26465306&view=search"]Tanglewood[/url] (without any pic).

Like this?

[quote name='Adrenochrome' post='614616' date='Oct 2 2009, 10:55 AM']A quick phone call to Ashdown and they sent a new bulb, free of charge that arrived very quickly.[/quote] Excellent. I'm Ashdown free at the moment but it served me perfectly for some years.

Definitely not good enough. Name and shame and send the manager/owner a link to this thread. Then tell them you have a series of gigs and they need to lend you a suitable amp while they finish [s]failing to fix[/s] fixing your amp.

[quote name='Doddy' post='610913' date='Sep 28 2009, 03:22 PM']... Jaco was such a strong voice on fretless,that it is difficult to not sound like him ...[/quote] When I play fretless, I have absolutely no trouble whatsoever not sounding like Jaco. And I am one of thousands.

[quote name='RhysP' post='614970' date='Oct 2 2009, 04:55 PM']Why is it strange logic? They're both Huge American Guitar producers who charge ridiculous prices for instruments that are wildly inconsistant because they know they can put out any old piece of crap & a it'll sell purely because of what it says on the headstock. If one company is happy to treat a sizeable percentage of it's customers with contempt & basically say "f*** Europe, we'll send 'em the stuff our shops turn down" ( I was told this by a Gibson employee at the Frankfurt music fair about 25 years ago) I have no trouble at all believing the other wouldn't do exactly the same.[/quote] That's roughly how I first heard it too - although not 25 years ago, more like 2 years ago - and specifically about Gibson. Of course, I have no idea if it's true.

[quote name='endorka' post='614443' date='Oct 2 2009, 01:42 AM']It's been a long time since I used the factory strings, so not definitively, but from memory they were different. Perhaps the Helicores are supplied on the high end basses? Jennifer[/quote] Yes, maybe.

[quote name='jonthebass' post='614507' date='Oct 2 2009, 08:56 AM']I often wonder if it's a case that the not-so-good Custom Shop guitars and basses are exported and the cream of the crop kept in the States?[/quote] I think you might say the same thing about any US Fenders .... .... and Gibsons, etc.

I've had a phobia of encores ever since a gig in ... well, a long time ago ... when we heard cheering and went back on only to realise the audience were cheering the stripper who had started her act. We had to leave again quickly.

It does look cool.

[quote name='BassBus' post='613980' date='Oct 1 2009, 04:54 PM']One caveat that must go with Bob Golihur's advice is when he says [b]"most any 3/4 size upright bass string can be a candidate"[/b] certainly not all 3/4 strings will fit NS basses. Thomastic Spirocors for example do not fit. They are too short. Always check the playing length before you buy.[/quote] Ah, good, thanks for that too.

[quote name='endorka' post='613476' date='Oct 1 2009, 12:27 AM']I've used Pirastro Flexocor and Helicore Hybrid strings on my WAV4 - both worked well, with the Flexocors being the darker/thumpier of the two. If you want the instrument to sound like a double bass make sure you have it working in "arco" mode using the selector switch - "pizz" just sounds like a fretless bass guitar. Jennifer[/quote] Thanks Jennifer. I knew about the 'arco' trick. Someone told me the factory strings were a version of Helicore Hybrids. Can anyone confirm that?

[quote name='walbassist' post='613435' date='Sep 30 2009, 11:27 PM']Bob Gollihur's site has a huge amount of advice on all things upright. His product descriptions are really detailed, and he has this to say about the WAV 4 strings: [i]The stock strings are a light gauge steel that serve as a reasonably decent hybrid sort of sound, but the instrument responds well and can handle most standard 3/4 size upright bass strings. I and others report good success with strings such as the Pirastro Obligatos, which are a popular, heavier gauge upright bass string that delivers a more traditional sound, with less sustain and more body than the stock strings. Keep in mind, however, that the tuning machines are similar to bass guitar tuners, so very heavy gauge strings (like the Eurosonics) typically cannot be accommodated. However, since the pickups are piezo-based, which sense vibration, most any 3/4 size upright bass string can be a candidate. They designed the rear control cover that allows you route the excess string around the bottom of the bass and anchor them in keyholes. [/i] Just the info you need methinks?! Cheers Gareth[/quote] Very good, thanks for that.

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='613244' date='Sep 30 2009, 08:31 PM']NS Design site says black rosewood.[/quote] Ah, thanks for that - black rosewood eh?

I'd say if a neck bolt is at an angle it's not acceptable unless you were informed about it in advance and got a discount. This is always a risk when you buy unseen though.

Skyline Decade here - top quality.

[quote name='TheRev' post='613228' date='Sep 30 2009, 08:06 PM']For a more uprighty tone you need to lean towards hybrid or orchestral strings or synthetic core. Obligatos might work well, Velvet compas would work very well but at £350 a set, it's an expensive experiment.[/quote] OK, thanks for that (well, not the £350 set ) Would the Obligatos be these? - [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/pirastro_obligato_kontrabasssaiten.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/pirastro_obligato...abasssaiten.htm[/url] But let's hear some more suggestions please. And would I need 3/4 rather than 4/4 for the WAV4?

[quote name='mrcrow' post='612196' date='Sep 29 2009, 05:01 PM']what position and frets do 'we' all use to execute that rock bottom scale of bass tunes[/quote] Where I played it would depend on where I was coming from and where I was going next?

My WAV4 still has its factory fitted strings (I believe). I'd like to try some new ones but I'm not sure what to choose or how to choose. I'm playing pizzicato (although I might get a bow at some point) in an amplified acoustic band doing a mix of blues, country, and folk, sometimes with a jazzy feel. I'd like to sound as much like an upright as possible and less like a fretless bass guitar. Any suggestions?

[quote name='ezbass' post='613073' date='Sep 30 2009, 04:11 PM']Had a day off today and so decided to drive the hour to Brighton to visit GAK. Now I haven't been there for nearly 10 years back when I was playing guitar, so wasn't sure what to expect on the bass front at all. OMG what a great time, Mark at the shop was super helpful and let me try anything I wanted (even though he knew that I wasn't spending any money today) in a room on my own. Guess what? When I come buy my new bass (oh yes there is definitely a new one in the offing, I wasn't just taking the mickey) GAK are going to be right at the fore of my places to buy from. How hard was it to give decent service? Not hard at all, just a pleasant word and attitude and a willingness to help. Bass Cellar, if you're reading this thread at all and you should be, this is how it's done.[/quote] +1 on GAK, I've never found Mark anything but friendly and helpful.

[quote name='lee650' post='612500' date='Sep 29 2009, 09:31 PM']Dave (essential tension) a small word of warning, if your using it on the WAV the fingerboard is actually dyed, i gave it a clean with some dunlop guitar polish and a load of it came off, to show a lighter coloured wood underneath (prob still ebony just not jet black) just a thought mate!![/quote] OK, thanks for that, Lee. I had thought it had dye on/in the fingerboard wood because it sometimes gets on my fingers. So, do you think the fingerboard is a sort of 'pale' ebony or is it something else?

[quote name='henry norton' post='612332' date='Sep 29 2009, 06:54 PM']I think alot of people 'hear' what they want to hear when it comes to instrument mods. I also think the change in appearance can make people play differently, more aggressive or maybe more sensitively. Maybe making your instrument look woodier made you play in a more 'woody, mellow, warm way'. Not in a 'wooden' way by the way After all that work you'd want to 'hear' an improvement after all. I'm pretty sure taking off a thick layer of polyester will have some effect on the sound but after the strings, pickups, wood, construction and electronics have all had their say, it'll be tiny fractions.[/quote] +1 on that.

I'll be bringing my Radial Bassbone.