thodrik

When it came grade 8 double bass, my approach was pretty much 'grip it and rip it'. If you notice a natural flow to the music, just go with it. If it seems like just a bunch of interconnected notes, just play it as a bunch of interconnected notes. I did grade 0 to grade 8 in two years and was taught by a cellist who hadn't really played double bass though, so stylistic points were not always a priority for me!

Just go out to a few music shops and try a bunch of basses. It will be a fun day out and it will help you to identify the types of instruments which appeal to your own tastes. You might even find an instrument that you want to buy.

I must be in the minority who don't like tort. Black or white for me.

It might be a T&C that was included as part of a contract that nobody pays attention to, or is aware of. Or it could be an important term of the contract that the employer insists on. Probably a good idea to talk to the employer rather than do a 'what about this?' post on a forum.

Consistency of sound. You get good and bad monitors at venues. Sometimes there are not enough monitors to go around. With a loud drummer and/or guitarist, I don't want to leave anything to chance, especially I am playing in an unfamiliar venue. Ease of use and convenience. Some sound engineers have kicked up a fuss over the DI route. 'I don't want to screw up my monitors by pumping out loads of bass' has been something I've heard a bit over the years when I have tried to use a Sansamp. Although I own a POD and it is a fantastic piece of kit, I prefer just pressing the 'on' button to an amp to get a sound. Tradition/looks/personal preference etc. Personally I like to see and hear an amp onstage. I know that it is possible to get a better 'clear' sound with no bleeding through with a DI and the ability to get an all valve sound through a Kemper profiling amp that can fit into a rucksack. However that is not really something that I am that interested in. I like an element of imperfection of microphones put next to a speaker cab.

My 1978 Precision was pretty immaculate when I got it in 1999. It still looks good now but the finish is starting to flake away on the neck. Surprisingly there are no marks that look like the bass was attacked by a belt sander, mainly because the bass has not been attacked by a belt sander.

I have a V6 with the same preamp (at least as far as I know). It doesn't really do harsh preamp overdrive. It if sounds a bit gritty for your ears, turn the gain down. That is part of the fun of playing with a valve amp.

I really don't think it makes that much of a difference.

Installing a heavier gauge of strings will increase the tension. Raising the action a bit can also reduce clank. Just give the bass a general set up.

No problem. Cheers.

[quote name='zombiespacebat' timestamp='1371852298' post='2118938'] About the thickness of a birthday card I'd say. [/quote] Folded or unfolded?

Inlay of the new album has a picture of Geezer playing a Fender (or one of those Nash basses with a Fender decal).

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1371741223' post='2117619'] using a pd7 phat hed, doesnt feed back normally, only when in the chain with the sansamp, so i may try putting it before the sansamp [/quote] I would guess that the extra gain and push with the Sansamp is driving the pedal harder than it normally gets driven with just the bass by itself. Putting it before the Sansamp will probably solve the problem.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1371681594' post='2117049'] Excellent quality. Just not my thing. I don't see any issues with normal parallel frets. [/quote] Pretty much my view. Though I haven't tried one so can't really judge yet.

A 450 watt amp is still a 450 watt amp. You won't be able to actually increase the power without modifying it. Turn down the gain, run all eq knobs at 5 and have the graphic eq set so that there is no boost or cut. This might allow you to make the amp seem a bit louder as low bass frequencies can suck up the headroom of an amp.

If the distortion pedal is really high gain, maybe get a noise suppressor. I set my overdrive before my Sansamp and try not to have too much of a jump in volume from clean to distortion, although generally I have the distortion set slightly louder. Generally I have never had any problems and often I was using the Boss ODB3

Resurrecting the thread a bit here! I have been using the 120 - 50 sets for the past few months in D standard/drop C. When tuning down, I really do believe that balanced tension is the way to go, as it avoids the tight 'G' string, loose 'E' string problem I have generally had with 'heavy' string gauges which are generally around 55-110. Its not that the DR DDTs (55-115) I was using before were bad, its just that I thought that the high 'G' was pretty damn tight relative to the low 'E'. In terms of standard tuning I'm still happy with normal 45-105 gauges as I find the mismatched tensions more manageable. I have also put a 50-120 set on my five string and added 145 for a low A string. It isn't exactly balanced but it works a lot better than the five string 55-135 set I was using before. Being picky I would like like a five string set and for the sets to be available in Prosteels. Also, I don't think that they stay as bright for as the DRs. For the price though I don't really have any real complaints.

When gigging a lot, every three to six weeks. Just now every couple of months or the day before a recording.

Lots of classic music has been recorded in e flat tunings using fairly light strings (Hendrix being an obvious example, and Sabbath were/are tuning to C sharp). I would suggest just getting used to the different feel, whether it is the 45-105 set or 50-110. I used to use 40-95 for standard, but now I use 50-110 for standard tuning. After a bit of practice you get used to it.

I regularly swap from a Precision to a 24 fret Vigier. You'll be fine.

Awesome. Just some pics of the workshop would be great for me. I always liked the look of Mayones basses.

The amp will be fine. If on another hand you know that you want a new amp and just want some reassurance before doing I'll happily say 'It is a disaster waiting to happen, you need a bigger amp.'

I have tried a few Jazzes from the same period of my 1970s Precision and didn't notice much of difference. Gibson EB3s and Thunderbirds though are on a different level entirely.