james_guitar

Thanks for the replies - I was suprised that this post was still going... I persuaded a musician friend of mine to purchase a double bass from Gear4Music and purchased his styrofoam case, as he wanted the bass mainly as an ornament and wasn't planning on gigging it. It's a great case for wheeling the bass to gigs in the local area, but far too big for the car, so I'm still using a soft case for the majority of gigs. Now I all I need is a lighter, more portable bass amp, a better pickup than the Fishman I have installed, a decent hard case and a van...

As I'm looking in to changing my rig to complement my Double bass, I thought it might be helpful to myself and others to start a post where other more experienced Double bass and EUB players could share information on what amplification they use with their instrument (and why). Thanks in advance...

[quote name='gnasher1993' post='631719' date='Oct 20 2009, 07:43 PM']Sorry I didn't put it very well. The Genz Benz 'combos' are head and cab. [url="http://www.genzbenz.com/?fa=category&cid=95"]Have a look[/url].[/quote] They look very light and portable! - do you use one yourself? Ideally I'm looking for a rack-mountable head as I have a Korg rack tuner that I'd like to make use of. They look a little bit small for that use, but I'm definately going to try them out. Do you know who stocks them in England?

Assuming there are stores in the Uk that stock Genz Benz combos, I'll have to check them out. I'm preferably after a head and cab setup, preferably with lighter Neodynium speakers (since moving to my new place, the stairs have made me re-think my rig). I neglected to mention I already have a Fishman bass pre-amp, although I've only tried it in conjunction with my P.A. - it came with the bass and the previous owner said he never needed to use it with his amp, so I assumed it wouldn't be necessary. I'll give it a go with the amp at the next gig and hopefully it'll solve some problems. Either way, I definately want to update my rig... any recommendations for head and cab?

Having switched from electric to double bass a few months back and gigging a lot, I have not only been enjoying playing the instrument, it's also paying my rent. Bearing that in mind, I feel it's time to upgrade my rig to improve my amplified tone a little and hopefully avoid feedback in rooms with more awkward acoustics... At the moment I'm running a Stentor Elysia with a Fishman BP100 pickup through a Fender Bassman 400 Pro, which is no longer in production and I think was based on an Swr Redhead or Gallien Krueger combo. Now I know there's probably no easy to get a good amplified tone and that I'll probably never be 100percent happy whatever I spend, but there must be something out there that will noticeably improve my sound. In the worst cases, I find my sound can be a little muddy and not cut through the mix very well. It can be a little boomy on higher volumes and will even create a high pitched feedback in more unforgiving rooms. Having said that, I've had bassists and other musicians complement me on the tone I'm getting and say that it's an improvement on bands' previous bassists sound/rig. The amp I have is more than powerful enough for electric bass, but I feel I may need something more powerful with more headroom to help avoid sound gremlins. It's also far too heavy for the stairs in my flat, so maybe a good head and cab with neodymium speakers is the way forward. Are there any amps that are particularly complimentary to double bass that anyone can recommend or vouch for? I'm not hugely worried about sticking to a low budget as long as the improvement is big. Should I also be thinking about upgrading my pickup to a Realist or a Shertler system? There don't seem to be half as many posts on this forum about amps as there are about pickups...

[quote name='yorick' post='600170' date='Sep 16 2009, 01:25 PM']I feel all lonely with all you Brizzle peeps around. It's a conspiracy to take over BC...[/quote] Now that's an idea. Let's rename it BBC...

The Police Cover-Up is the tribute band - Daniel used to play sax and piano in it when we started it up... [url="http://www.myspace.com/thepolicecoverup"]http://www.myspace.com/thepolicecoverup[/url] Have also just done some live recordings of hard rock/classic/metal covers with another band called Oblivion (ignore the similar myspace design - I've only just made it, so borrowed the code from the other one)... [url="http://www.myspace.com/oblivionrockuk"]http://www.myspace.com/oblivionrockuk[/url] Matt is just annoyingly good at everything, isn't he?! ...how did the Lenny Savage gig go?

Hi Chris, Glad to see another musician on here hailing from the Bristol area. I used to do a few bands with your predecessor Bill B on bass. I was also meant to be doing the 999 Charity gig this weekend with my Police tribute band which Matt V was also going to be doing with Doctor Chocolate, but he's just told me it's been cancelled... Lete me guess - Alex is playing guitar in the jazz/funk project? James

The higher the strap, the less bent your wrist on your left hand is, allowing better left hand technique (having a really low strap is terrible technique). Here's why... 1) Try making a fist with either hand; It should be easy if your wrist isn't bent to begin with. 2) Now try making a fist but starting with your wrist bent; it should feel uncomfortable because you're restricing the tendons in your wrist, making it more difficult to move your fingers fluently. This is why classical guitarists sit in a silly looking way, with the neck of the guitar higher up. I personally don't have my strap as high as a lot of players because I don't like the way it looks, but I think it's important to get the balance between best technique/feeling confortable and not looking/feeling like a twat on stage.

Thanks for the advice on this. I was primarily worried about the bridge moving aspect of it. The tip about slackening and then re-tuning the strings to make them brighter is particularly interesting. I'll have to try Spiros out next time I'm looking for new strings...

[quote name='umph' post='557260' date='Jul 31 2009, 04:48 PM']a bit of DFA really brings your out in the mix[/quote] Most sound engineers I know have a dedicated DFA fader. Perfect for when pretentious singers say things like "give me more 13k in my monitor" when they've already got a great mix.

[quote name='chrkelly' post='557633' date='Aug 1 2009, 10:25 AM']I've got a K&M too, had it about 10 years. Nice and comfy but very heavy. If I have to use public transport to a gig, the stool stays at home. Major- Mine doesn't have the backrest and it's still very squeaky! I would never bring it to a session. Mine's all gaffa taped up at the mo to stop it. They're fine when new but over time all the moving parts work loose.[/quote] Seeing as most drummers are noisy b*stards, I'm guessing anti-squeeking wasn't considered in the design...

I have been enjoying the double bass very much this past month or so, but have a quick question regarding tuning... I'm very happy playing 99% of the material with different bands in standard tuning and am feeling confident around the neck, but I'm now singing lead vocals on a good percentage of the set in the skiffle type band and one of the songs I've added is the Love Cats by the Cure. I like playing it in standard but my voice best with it in Gminor (a full tone below the original. This means that I need to de-tune the low-E string to D mid set and then back again after. I know that this is standard practice on most instruments, but with a Double Bridge being a more fragile thing, are there any pitfalls or long term consequences to doing this? It's also very annoying how detuning this string throws the other strings out also, taking up evenore time when tuning... I believe there are classical pieces that require a low D or C and even double basses designed with this in mind - but then this leads me to assume that it might not be good to repeatedly re-tune an upright bass... I've found another song in the set that has a couple of minutes of just guitar and harmonica, providing a perfect opportuning for some silent rack tuning. This song is in drop-D on the guitar, so I even have the option of occasionally using the extra D in this song and excuse to retune the bass mid set. Has any one else here encountered a similar problem? If not, are there any reasons you shouldn't mess around with the tuning too much? Thanks, James

[quote name='endorka' post='548564' date='Jul 23 2009, 08:15 AM']Since you asked, I present the mother of all stools - I am the envy of drummers everywhere I go; [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/km_14052_stehhilfe.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/km_14052_stehhilfe.htm[/url] You can even buy a backrest for it; [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/k+m_14042.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/k+m_14042.htm[/url] Shocking. Jennifer[/quote] I've been looking in to both stools for double bass and a new drum stool for my TD-12. Looks like I can have both in one! When do Latin gigs on guitar I some times have to go between classical and electric mid-song, so I picked up a K&M classical stand that is designed for this application (it holds the classical in a standing position so I can play it standing up without having use a strap etc). My experience with this and other K&M stands/accessories combined with the endorsements here makes me think that this stool would be a safe bet. Thanks for the tip... P.S. What's up with the stool price on Contrabass? I know smaller music shops rely on a high mark-up, but that's extreme. Even their own product description admits to being 'a bit pricey'...

Slap bass is cool in the same way that jazz flute is. If Chris has managed to integrate slap in to one of Matts songs in a musical/subtle way that doesn't sound out of context then fair play to him.

I've been playing and teaching classical/flamenco guitar for most of my life, so have found using extra fingers essential to be able to achieve effective tremelo and Paco De Lucia/Vicente Amigo speeds. However, for me using extra fingers on the bass doesn't sound as consistant as using two. It's a bit like how a downstoke with a plectrum will 99 percent of the time sound slightly different to an upstroke (hence why guitarists like James Hetfield will pick insanely fast riffs with purely palm muted downstrokes for a more consistant sound). I used to use three fingers for galloping Steve Harris style bass lines (like Lights Out by UFO), but I can also play it with two and think it sounds slightly better, so why not? It should also be easier for you to go from using alternate picking with a plectrum to alternating between your index and middle fingers. Alternatively, you can do the Sting thing and keep your wrist near the bring and use your thumb to pluck downwards and your index or middle finger to pluck upwards - it makes playing octaves/intervallic melodies a lot easier and allows you to palm mute.

My internet's been down for the last week, so am now overwhelmed by the helpful responses here, having just logged in. I couldn't agree more about getting a teacher. I doubt there are any decent double bass teachers here in Weston, so will probably need to find one and commute to Bristol whenever time facilitates. I often play thumb behind the neck on guitar when playing anything more classical or any jazz/technical rock runs that require all 4 fingers (i.e. 3 note per string scales/positions), but also play a lot with my thumb around the side of the neck (particularly for bending/modern vibrato and 2-3 finger pentatonic/hybrid blues runs). I've mainly been using the thumb behind the neck approach on the DB so far. I'm using the tips of the fingers and when using the 4th finger I have other fingers pushed down behind it (with the other fingers positioned around whatever scale position or shape I'm in). I've heard that some double bassists use their 1st, 2nd & 4th fingers almost exclusively on the left hand. Are their any benefits to this? I've always either used 1st, 2nd and 4th or 1st 3rd and 4th based on whatever position of a scale I've been in on the neck. As 'tinyd' has correctly pointed out, a good portion of the set with the Apples is root/fifth type playing (with the odd third and seventh intervals thrown in, and a walking line or riff here and there), so I'm definately developing muscles in my left hand more than before. I'm very glad that a lot of my bass and guitar practice has been chromatic exercises/intervallic designs, geared towards strengthening the 4th finger. The right hand technique is the most unusual aspect of playing DB for me... I worked my way through the Double Bass DVD to get the general idea and am still getting used to more the side of the fingers to pluck the strings (with the thumb resting behind the neck groove) as opposed to EB technique. As for intonation - I was very tempted to make pencil marks on the side of the neck for key intervals, but have decided against this. For the first gigs I'm mostly working my parts within the first 5 semitones of each string, which is fine just as long as I can consistantly visualise where C is on the A string and divide the distances of the other intervals around that. Also, I couldn't agree more with 'stevegg' about using open strings as a pitch referance. I also tend to avoid them on EB and guitar, but on DB they're a life saver. I'm also loving open notes on the mandolin mandolin for jigs and reels etc, but that's not really one for this forum... I teach guitar full time so will need to find a good teacher that is willing to teach me outside of typical hours. I'll start looking for a good teacher, but if anyone knows of a good one in the North Somerset/Bristol area then great. Having been over a week now, so here's a summary of how the gigs went... The S.S. Great Brittain; (The Fallen Apples) We played 3 sets of material, which was longer than the 2 hours originally planned, but having been more familiar with the set/bass parts than when I first played with the band a couple of weeks ago on electric bass, I felt a lot more confident for this gig, despite the new instrument. The function room on the ship was made out of thick steel, with a wooden floor, so I had to EQ the amp to avoid feedback, but generally the room was very live. The DB has definately started me thinking about trying some other bass amps out and seeing what works best for me, but my Fender amp should do alright for now. Anyway, the band were happy, my hands felt pretty good at the end of the gig and punters were partying/dancing all gig. To top it all off, it was an unusually good payer - even for a wedding. The Rock & Rock/Rockabilly Gig; (The HeeBee GeeBees) I decided that it was probably best for my hands to not incorporate much slap technique, seeing as I'm still very new to this based some tuition stuff I had a quick look at on YouTube. I'd far rather spend the time learning/practicing the set (which seeing as Rock N Roll songs are typically 2 or 3 minutes long, ends up being about 40 tracks over 2 hours... i.e. 20 songs per each 1 hour set), than focus on this aspect of the gig. I'd rather wait until the technique feels confortable before inflicting this on any ones ear drums. So anyway, I went through the track list thoroughly and made solid notes for each track (which you have to for this stuff seeing as it's all fairly similar and yet the stops/changes are slightly different each time). I then practiced along to the tracks without the notes as much as possible and listened to the tracks during any additional free time in the week (i.e. lunch breaks etc). I also made sure that I knew the tracks by name and associated each track name with a key. In summary, I felt suffiently prepared for the gig, which would usually be alright, but... ...what a waste of time. The drummer was also being depped for this gig and despite receiving a cd and set list before I did, didn't really listen to any of the tracks prior to the gig. Stops were very rarely being put in the right places (or even for the right amount of time), he's play straight over a couple of tracks that should have been swung and vice versa and the endings on the majority of the set were shockingly bad. He wasn't the songs a hard enough feel either, so I felt like I was having to work ten times as hard with my own playing just to drive the band. Needless to say, it was a tought gig and I ended up with a number of blisters on my right hand that I know I wouldn't have got, had the drummer learnt his parts and driven the band. I felt particularly bad seeing as I I'd prepped my parts 200 percent and the singer/guitarist was playing great all night. But then I'm sure most of you have been in similar positions to this before (I know I have)...

After weeks of saving (and eating beans on toast), I have finally got my first double bass! It's second hand, but for £1,200 I've picked up a 3/4 size Stentor Elysia in perfect condition (affectionately named 'Raquel' by her previous owner - something to do with being quite curvy). She also comes with a Fishman BP-100 pickup installed, an outboard Fishman pre-amp, a bow, a stand, padded soft case, a peg winder and a double bass techniques DVD, so as far as I can tell it was a pretty good deal. I had a violinist friend of mine have a look at the bridge etc and check that everything was in perfect working order, so am confident that all is well in that respect. Being a full time guitar teacher/musician that plays electric bass in a few bands (I love my Fender Jazz Custom), I'm not so worried about the left hand technique as I have a pretty good ear for pitch and some good classical technique that seems to resemble what double bassists I've witnessed use; this side of it should mostly be a case of getting used to the varying finger distances between tones and semitones up and down the neck; I'm sure any of you who came to the double bass from the electric will appreciate this. Right hand technique however feels quite new and I fear I'm just going to have to put a lot of time in to get it to feel natural (assuming what I'm aiming for with the new hand position is correct). There's also the more rockabilly approach to pulling and slapping that I'm even more worried about. I've watched a couple of videos on YouTube to work out an approximation of this... lots of blisters to look forward to, I'm sure. Anyway, here's the deal... I've just learnt what seems like 100 or more songs on the electric bass for a skiffle/roots band that I'm standing in for called the Fallen Apples. They play a mix of skiffle/blues/gypsy jazz, country/americana, reggae, Irish jigs/reels and klezmer music (the band consists of mandolin, harmonica, piano/guitar/vocals, snare drum and double bass). The band typically play a two hour set, but like to rotate the majority of the songs in the set from gig to gig. This keeps things interesting for them, which I can understand, but makes it difficult for me to get in to any comfort zone with the material in the short term. I've got a lot of dates in the diary with these guys and I love the music they play so it's all good. I've already done one gig with them on electric bass, but I have my first gig with them on double bass next week, followed by another gig with them on the S.S. Great Brittain in Bristol in a couple of weeks (which I'm sure you'll agree is pretty random as far as gigs go). So firstly, I need to re-learn their set on double bass, which is bad enough on it's own. Secondly, I've just been given a dep gig with a Rockabilly band (called the Heebie Jeebies) for this Friday coming (so just under a week), which means that not only do I have an additional 2 hours of material to learn during the same time period, but also a completely different technical approach to go with it. Queue nervous breakdown... I know there are probably going to be no shortcuts to sounding confident on the double bass but any playing tips/technical advice would be massively helpful. I'm willing to put in every free second/minute/hour/day I have in between teaching and rehearsals this week, but just want to make sure I'm not picking up any really bad habits or taking the wrong approach with the instrument. As a player switching from an electric jazz to double bass, what sort of things should I be focussing on? Thanks in advance for any help...

Good luck - sounds like you don't need it though if you got on well with them and nailed the structures to the demo recordings (which sound great BTW). I've just finished auditioning drummers for The Police Cover-Up (obviously a Sting and the Police tribute in case you're unsure) and found it to be such a frustrating process. We had a few drummers turn up and just make it all up on the audition having done no prep whatsover; despite me picking out 5 tracks for them to check out that I felt displayed the variety of technical reqirements and feels for the gig. We also had a few drummers that were really passionate about the music/gig and really did their homwork, but didn't quite turn the corners on the groove side of things and fell a little short on sounding confident on the more technical moments (like Vinnie Colliuta's stunning drum parts for Seven Days). We then had a few drummers that were really technical rock/fusion drummers, but couldn't quite get their heads around reggae kick drum placement/feel... Anyway, to summarise, the guy that got the gig was the guy that loved the music, really did his prep, was of a good enoguh technical standard, didn't give us any bullsh*t and most importantly got on well with everyone. In your case, they really need a decent bassist that can get on well with them and make them sound as good as their last player and you really dig what they're doing and have gone to that audition prepared with a good understanding of the technique and sound required from you. The mostly likely scenario is that they (like I did) will get a number of disappointing auditionions until they find someone like yourself. The worst case scenario is that they have more than one stunning audition in one evening and flip a coin or go with a gut instinct decision to determine who gets the job...

[quote name='markdavid' post='509342' date='Jun 9 2009, 06:07 PM']Also anything by Level 42[/quote] Haha I was thinking it, but didn't want to say it. They've written one or two good songs, but a lot of it is great bass playing and drumming combining with mediocre songwriting IMHO. Also, pretty much anything by Toto. I absolutely love, Rosanna, Hold The Line and Africa, but a lot of it is just cringeworthy songwriting combined with great musicianship.

Oooh... I don't know how Hitler would have felt about this idea...

Before I get hate mail/private messages for this post; I know that using a plectrum on a bass is generally a taboo amoungst pro bassists (and I personally much prefer fingerstyle for 95 percent of musical scenarios), but IMO there are at least a few musical scenarios where a pick is a good choice of sound. In this post I urge you to be very brave, break the taboo, take the plunge and name some of your favourite pick players or examples of songs with good plectrum tone (if those two words even go together). I'm going to start the ball rolling with 'The Bed's Too Big Without You', 'Spirits In The Material World' and 'Masoko Tanga' by The Police (Sting at his bass playing best - whoever said you can't groove using a plectrum) Any others?...