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Bit cheeky having put my name down on the Compact tour - but please can I try the Midget too? Stockport, South Manchester

Yes Please - Stockport, Manchester

+1 I have just posted same request in Items Wanted! Anybody selling (or even loaning) just for this week?

Thanks for the advice on this guys. Overlooked rosin - have had the same cake of Pirastro for a long time. Invested in a nice new (sticky) lump of "Pops" and things are much better!

Would really appreciate your bowing advice: I have no problem making the G & D strings sing under the bow, but the A and (especially the E) sound rubbish. It takes a lot of effort to make the string respond and quick/short notes are full of waspish buzzing. It's like the bow doesn't grip the string quick enough. Is the only answer to practice more, or does anyone have any tips - rosin, bow, effort etc? Thanks

+1 - Ridiculous!

+1 for this question - can anyone recommend a good quality, "even" volume pedal?

Had a similar experience with an EA amp from Overwater. The Overwater guys couldn't be more helpful and got replacement boards sent over rather than trying to repair.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='774378' date='Mar 14 2010, 03:48 PM']I find that virtually all the venues we play at don't have beer crates any more.[/quote] Never thought about it before but you're absolutely right! How do people paint their ceilings, trim tall bushes and put the fairy on their Christmas trees nowadays? And what are kids throwing into canals and rivers for fun these days?

[quote name='bass5' post='774046' date='Mar 14 2010, 02:01 AM'].... let me tell you that I am not a fan of the small metal control pots, for the following reasons: Their tRavel is far from smooth and it actually require a little force to turn, the fact that these knobs are so stiff and also so small, it does not make them ergonomically comfortable to operate. They are made of solid knurled alluminium they are cold to the touch and last but not least they friggin' crackle a lot when turning, maybe this particular one being used might need a little contact spray tlc on the pots, but in one year of ownership my Mark Bass has never developed crackling pot yet and I am told this amp is a shop demo 7 months old. ------- ... it's all zzzzzzzz and hummmm and crackle & pop.[/quote] Earth buzz problems and crackling pots? Has anyone else suffered these problems on a nearly new Shuttle or did this guy just end up with an unusual duffer?

[quote name='TPJ' post='768907' date='Mar 9 2010, 09:37 AM']I've played a several gigs through an AI focus and a Compact. It did well. The size was the only drawback.[/quote] Do you mean too bulky?

Back trouble makes me really fancy something like the Barefaced Compact. It seems to get love from electric players on Basschat but any upright players got experience of it? Similar with the Genz Benz Shuttle 6. Thanks

Those ultra mutes really help with keeping the arco noise down. They need to grip the bridge really tight. Pizz is easier because you can damp the strings with a fluffy towel, fluffy hairbands etc. Technically speaking, the sound comes from that big wooden box on the back. I think it also travels down the spike into echoey floors. Perhaps block the f-holes with more fluffy towels. And stop the sound getting past the spike with a cork on the end or a rubber/foam pad under the spike. Don't burst your pillow!

Not had good Planet Waves experience here either. I never asked them to replace leads on the lifetime guarantee, because it was always in my mind mid-gig: was that me or is the lead dodgy? Never really looked back from hearing about OBBM on this forum

Is he doing any others in the UK?

You might find that you are approaching DB in the same way that you play BG. It's easy to try to be too busy on upright. That big bull will sound cool with 1 note a bar. Take it easy! Relax! +1 for the setup and lesson which could help you more than you ever imagined! Good luck

[quote name='MartyBRebelMC' post='742105' date='Feb 11 2010, 02:04 PM']If the depreciation is a concern just buy secondhand then most of the fall in price has already happened. Since discovering this forum i don't think I'll ever buy another bass brand new - great bargains to be had and honest, pleasant people to deal with![/quote] Good point. I bought a SR5 after playing a mid-90's Warwick Streamer 6 for ages. It had that awesome SR sound (especially when you got your thumb out!), but it wasn't quite as versatile as the Warwick. I sold it on easily on Basschat. Unfortunately, GAS has also "made me" buy a few that never got moved on. Different basses for different gigs you see ....

[quote name='Grambo' post='737578' date='Feb 6 2010, 08:11 PM']There seems to be a lot of talk about what equipment "gives" feedback. IMHO you have to start with the instrument's individual characteristics, the dynamics of the pickup system being used and THEN worry about the amp - at the end of the day it will only be able to process the signal fed to it. I have always been able to obtain a satisfactory sound by using a good graphic eq - and I wouldn't dream of amplifying my basses without one! For sure, some amps are better, tonally, for DB - but I think what you shove into them is important too![/quote] I completely disagree with this. I didn't change anything except my cab when I started to experience feedback. That particular piece of equipment emphasises a frequency that causes feedback with my upright. It's not a complaint about the cab - just a characteristic. We've probably all played gigs on electric or upright where a certain note or frequency seems to boom out. Some kind of natural resonating frequency of a room, a stage, a pa, or an amp. String instruments themselves often have wolfnotes. Good instrument doesn't equal good amplified tone! Equally a good amp can flatter a poor instrument. Oh dear - I seem to be going on - and confusing the issue - sorry!

Elites might be cheaper, but they're not 3x cheaper than D'Addarios which last 3x as long.

Lot's of ideal "clean sounding" gear around. I'd add Euphonic Audio to your try-out list. Not surprised you fed back with a Markbass rig. My Markbass 4x10 seems to have this problem - ideal for punching a bass guitar through a noisy mix, but emphasises the "wrong" mids for upright. Saying that, if volume is important, it's amazing how damping the strings with a soft cloth through the tailpiece can massively help with this.

Diagonal - bottom behind front seats, scroll in corner at boot. You can lie it on it's back. Or on it's side if you've lots of other gear.

Awesome fretless 6 player Steve Bailey has a good story about his first gig with a low B. It was with Miles Davies or Dizzy Gillespie (or some other "great") whos band he was in at the time. He took his new bass out without doing his homework and a few numbers in was told "why don't you learn to play that fu**** instrument before bringing it to my gig"!

Actually it wasn't completely straightforward for me. No problem at home or in rehearsal, but weird spaces on gigs when I'd miss important notes because plucking hand and fretting hand were on different strings! Got it nailed after a while - the added range and versatility make any embarrasing silences worth it, and now I have no problem swapping between 4,5, and 6.

Thanks for the post - I hope you got the DB inspiration you were looking for. I immediately picked up my bass after watching this. Brilliant.