marvin spangles

Spiro Weich's are low tension. Last forever. Will allow you to dig in. Raise the string height a little bit and you have a good set up for folk/bluegrass. You can but them used with confidence as long as the windings are in good nick.

Nice bass. Enjoy and keep us posted with your progress with your new bass.

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1332421756' post='1588047'] I'd prefer to look for a proper upright.....you can get a decent enough model for under £500.... A friend of mine has a beautiful $12,000 Juzek,but prefers the feel and tone of his $500 Chinese bass. [/quote] I agree . The EUB is not a substitute for the DB.

[quote name='artisan' timestamp='1332163479' post='1584059'] lol i've cheated & stuck some side position markers on,done wonders for my confidence playing the beast. [/quote] Well if it's good enough for Edgar Meyer...

Nice one Clarky congratulations. Wouldn't mind that gig myself?

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1331887841' post='1580307'] So how long have you been on just three strings? You seem to be missing a G. [/quote] Ha!

Enjoy!

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1331643231' post='1576369'] It's not the type of pup which causes feedback, it's the resonance caused in the body from the speaker. [/quote]Some are more prone to feedback than others.

[quote name='BassInMyFace' timestamp='1331631686' post='1576016'] Drums, gypsy guitar, keys, 2 vocalists and a big old array of synths and samplers. It's the electro stuff that causes the problems, with electro beats and samples you need a big prominent bass sound to keep up. And yes in all fairness electric bass is probably the logical choice buuuuuut, it's electro swing and getting the db to swing and bring up the old time time sound really adds to the character we are trying to get. Old meets new if you see what I mean. For this reason I'm seeing the mag pickup as a perfect solution, it will reproduce some of the character of the db (hopefully enough to differentiate it from the EB) but have the power, punch and reliability of EB. Only problem is string choice, ideally I want nylon low tension to thump and click but so far can only really find the Presto nylon wound/ jazzicato that has a metal core suitable for mag pickups. There goes another 100 beans........ [/quote] Sounds fascinating. I see what you mean re wanting to use the Db. The way I see it is that either the band plays quieter on stage or you get a PU system that doesn't feedback. I can't see you getting round the problem without getting a more suitable PU. Sounds like you should be having this conversation with your bandmates and soundman. Keyboards have a wide frequency spectrum and can be a nightmare especially when they play in the low end. I was playing the EB in Superstar and was told repeatedly that the bass was too loud. After the nth time I stopped playing and was still told that the bass was too loud. Of course it was the keys all the time. (They were using keys to cover synts and strings etc.) I managed to persuade the keys to turn down and it least became manageable.

Hey Bassinmyface I certainly wouldn't see this as a deal breaker re Db. There is certainly a solution out there somewhere. What is the instrumentation of your band?

That doesn't sound like a particularly large bass. I have a Rogeri willow shen which is a pretty large 3/4. I can get around it easy enough and I'm just 5.6. I think the angle of the neck and the set up are as important regards playability . I am sure others can chip in here. Also I play the bass sitting so the size of the bass is less of a factor. I am sure those at Martin's shop will give you good advice. Presumably you have a teacher or will have one. I'd ask advice from a teacher too. It's a lot of money to spend so you certainly want to get it right. One of the most important factors that you mentioned is the sonorous 'bass' sound. Sound and playablity are the most important factors for me. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. ps I played the trombone for a bout 30 and moved to the dark side. Initially I thought that the Bass would need less maintenance boy was I wrong... but I don't regret a moment.

[quote name='BassInMyFace' timestamp='1331563320' post='1574840'] especially considering primary concern is power and punch not beautiful tone. [/quote] Then surely you'd be better off using an EB?

[quote name='rsk289' timestamp='1331547631' post='1574370'] Thanks for the advice - very helpful and encouraging! I'm currently trying out a Martin 'Concert 4/4', which I picked out of a bunch as I really like the sound (could be the trombone player in me...), [/quote] Hi I'll be interested to see how you get on with the Martin bass. I am going over to England soon to try out a few of the Concert Models. What was it that made you gravitate toward that particular bass. re size I agree with Bilbo that sizes are not that defined. I'd imagine that the Bouts on your bass are quite large.

[quote name='BassInMyFace' timestamp='1331501292' post='1573905'] anyone know if there are any nylon feel strings that work with magnetic pickups? [/quote] I don't think nylon strings will work with a magnetic pick up. Try a full circle pu roll as much of the bass of your stage monitor as possible Try using a speaker at head height. If the onstage sound is causing your bass to vibrate then there's little you can do. I feel your pain

hi I'm 5'6'' also an ex trom player. 3/4 is fine for me.

Used Spiro Weichs g d and a with a mittel on the E. should get them at a good price. You can raise the height to get a good 'thump' or lower them for a that growl. They last forever and have a sound that delivers in so many situations. Strangely on my bass the lower tension weichs are louder than the mittles. Easy to bow too.

Hi Basskit case. Welcome to the bottom end. Not having seen or played the bass it's difficult to comment. I find it difficult to know how a double bass that cost 150-175 could be playable. On the other hand my first bass was a ply that was lying in the storeroom in the school where I taught. It was practically unplayable Pizz. I spent about £300 on the set up. Work on the Bridge and fingerboard to get it playable. Bearing in mind that my knowledge and technique were barely up to that of the bass. So in other words I didn't know any better. A few years down the line at a gig I was bewildered why the pitch was slipping only to discover that the neck was coming apart from the bass. I suppose what I'm saying is that everybody has to start somewhere and with something they can afford. However there is a catch 22 in that you need a bass that won't cause you injury trying to get a sound out of it. I wouldn't personally buy anything new that cost so little. In my opinion you'd be better either renting /or borrowing a bass until you decide that it's the instrument for you. Then spend time hunting down the bass for you. Find someone locally that can give you advice or even go with you to try some second hand basses. There are bargains to be had but at times if you think a bargain is 'too good to be true' it often is. Hope it works out for you and that I am proved to be dead wrong.

HI I am surprised that the Doubler ten ex combination isn't loud enough for you. I occasionally use the Doubler with the EA wizzy 10 but for most gigs I use the Ten ex driven by the AI Focus . No issues with volume. In bigger venues I'd be going into FOH so I just try to get a volume that works for the band. That being said I have never paired the Double with the Ten Ex cab. However the Wizzy 10 doesn't compare with the Ten EX in terms of sound quality or volume. The Mline range of EA cabs gets favourable comments. I have an EA cxl12 which I have used with the Doubler . An excellent cab. Great sound for both Electric and Double. I don't do many EB gigs so the EA CXL112 doesn't get used much. Try before you commit to anything.