fatback

I abandoned bowing while getting left hand and pizz together, and I'm glad I did. I would have had a nervous breakdown attempting that many new things at the same time. But, two and a half years in now, and it's time to pick it up. So last night I watched Rabbath's 'Art of the Bow' DVD again. Honestly, anyone starting to bow should beg, borrow or erm... borrow that thing. Very, very practical while being utterly inspiring.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1360000985' post='1963324'] So how will you get it to gigs? We just swapped our Micra (great cars, our second!) for a Focus which will fit a Db inside........hhhmmmmmm. [/quote] Success with a micra in here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/184397-will-a-double-bass-fit-in-my-car/page__p__1774731__hl__cars__fromsearch__1#entry1774731"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/184397-will-a-double-bass-fit-in-my-car/page__p__1774731__hl__cars__fromsearch__1#entry1774731[/url]

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1359996836' post='1963226'] +1 agreed ...good device to experiment with. Great link - looks like all the answers are there !! 'Get out of jail' Medieval laws on cats and now this technical study ...impressed Fatback !! ....mightily impressed!! [/quote] Too much time on my hands

Do keep an eye on the 'for sale' here though. If the seller was a trusted poster, I'd be inclined to just pay a deposit and travel. I drove 600 miles to get mine, just because i instinctively trusted the seller. Got a great deal and love the bass. Spent a bit on a setup, but I certainly got a better bass for my money than I would have buying new. Then again, i must have a high risk tolerance; i buy cars that way too.

Just go for it. When you do, you'll wonder why you didn't do it years ago. Noticing where you are, you'll have the same problem as me getting a second hand one, i guess - not much choice if any. Some good discussion of Thomann's and others here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/9103-double-bass-buying-guide/page__p__138888__hl__thomann__fromsearch__1#entry138888"]http://basschat.co.u...__1#entry138888[/url]

[quote name='TPJ' timestamp='1359972847' post='1962577'] I've had both and prefer adjustable for a few reasons. The first being that I use a Fishman Full Circle It's been the best all 'rounder pickup on the bass so far. Secondly, I've tried 4 or 5 different types of strings on the bass and being able to adjust the action height has helped find the best sound for the strings. Also, I once had a run of many gigs in a row and towards the end was getting tired quickly so dropping the action helped see us through the rest of the gigs. If you have found your perfect string/action for your bass (I am envious) then a fixed bridge would be fine. [/quote] This. For relative beginners being able to experiment with heights and strings is hugely useful and helped me a lot. Nor do i think that amplified in a band context the effect on tone is noticeable. It seems they do alter the tone though, but the effect depends on the adjuster material etc. For those that enjoy this kind of thing: [url="http://iwk.mdw.ac.at/?page_id=99&sprache=2"]http://iwk.mdw.ac.at...id=99&sprache=2[/url]

Plenty folks are very happy with that, although obviously the PA needs to be able to handle bass. We tend to have just a vocal PA that can manage guitar ok but would struggle with bass I think. Monitoring is the big question though. It's nice to have control over that with your own backline.

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1359678394' post='1958865'] ( I hasten to add - sending it back wasn't my idea and the cat was willing to pay at least for a new case and a repair !) [/quote] Ah, but did the cat transgress by day or by night? A very sensible early medieval Irish law says that the owner of a cat is only responsible for damage inflicted by said cat if the crime occurred during the hours of daylight. At night the cat is going about its lawful business and is immune from prosecution. By day, the owner is responsible for any damage inflicted.

No going back now Your guitars will languish. Mine all have rusty strings since taking up db (true). The only advantage is that, unlike bass guitar GAS, db GAS (unless you collect dbs) is [i]undetectable by spouses[/i]. They will never, ever spot that new pickup or preamp.

Lucky me has a big library / music room and no neighbours. After years of flat-living it's bliss. Big window gives me a reflection to check, too, and it never gets too cold cos it's stone walls that hold the heat and has a chimney flue in one of them that's always warm in winter. And wildlife out the window. Couldn't ask for more really.

Nothing against the Fishman, it's excellent, but unless you're lucky to get one second hand it's not cheap. When you're pricing an amp, keep in mind that if it has notch filter and phase reversal built in, you're saving over a hundred quid on the preamp bit. Acoustic Image, Euphonic Audio etc often have all those gubbins already.

I must say this part is what drives me mad about the bow. Can't ever seem to get it right. Nice tip about the black hair.

On the feedback problem, using the Boss to take out the extreme lows or using it as a notch filter might do the trick without the expense of a Fishman. You might not need phase shifting.

It's a bit of a maze alright, but loads of suggestions from experienced folks if you do a search on 'amplification' in this forum. Because the business breaks down into pickup / preamp, amp and cab, and their effects interact, it can be tricky. Pricey business, so you might want to go one step at a time. Your feedback problem would maybe benefit from a low frequency cut on your preamp or a notch filter. You might sort it with the Boss or you might benefit from a different preamp (with the db gubbins like phase switching). If you get a lightweight micro amp, you might have those bells and whistles included anyhow. Go for a transparent amp if you can. Light weight cab is next. Lots of choice now. Some prefer 10s, some 12s. Arguably a 1X 12 is most versatile. I was lucky in that i got it right first time (for me, namely small but loudish gigs) with amp (Euphonic Audio Doubler) and cab (Barefaced Midget). I had a hard and expensive road finding the right pickup though. But expensive comes with the db territory.

Thought about Barefaced cabs? The Midget 12" paired with my Doubler is transparent, light and loud. Cab weighs 20lb.

[quote name='PaulKing' timestamp='1358768674' post='1944554'] Some of the more ... 'helpful' ... US traders , suggest on the packaging that the enclosed is a gift. They are so thoughtful to do so ... as it can mean zero taxes. Buying from the US is always painful otherwise. [/quote] Read somewhere the other day that EU/USA talks on a customs union are starting up again and might get somewhere this time. Just imagine...

My only worry would be monitoring. Did you have a wedge to yourself, or what?

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1358600207' post='1941938'] I've never had any complaints from my neighbours at all, they're nice people and I never do any playing after 9pm to avoid annoying them. The problem is that I'm worried they'll hear what it sounds like! [/quote] When I played the trumpet and lived in a flat I used to have to practice in a hall cupboard. I don't have neighbours any more, happily, but if I had I could never bring myself to inflict my bowing on them. In fact, i can't bear to inflict it on me.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1358291763' post='1936707'] I always remember this with "I don't particularly like my aunt's legs" Well, made sense in my mind at the time, anyway :-D Great thread, thanks for the info everyone. [/quote] The one I heard was 'I Don't Play Like Miles And Louis'. Should be 'or louis' I suppose, to be pedantic, but it does the trick.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1357861204' post='1929850'] Took both a normal bass and my up right to practice tonight and felt more comfortable on the upright! Although that was the first full practice on a normal bass since the start of November, in fact the first time playing for more than five mins, spending all my time on the db instead [/quote] I'm nervous I'll be asked to play the bass guitar, it's so long since I've picked it up. db just swallows everything.

Impro-visor is pretty useful for a freebie. You can turn the bass off in the accompaniment. http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~keller/jazz/improvisor/

There's a lot to be said for getting a lesson even before you buy your bass. You get a feel for the thing, and you get the benefit of your teachers advice.

A fine achievement. I'll be getting my order in too, seeing as how I'm now on the slippery slope to jazz. Interesting thing about the cover is that, because it's not a frontal shot of the man's face (normally what attracts the eyes), it emphasises the bass. I like that.

The last few months I've found a routine that's doing wonders for me; I think maybe because it's so flexible: I take a jazz chart and a couple of recordings of the tune (I've never played jazz btw). I start by jamming along to the tune with the chart. I then take every chord and separately work up the scales, modes etc. with a metronome. I then push those all over the board. More jamming along, working up some rhythmic embellishments. Then I work on joining up the chords (again all over the board). Then i play the whole tune from the chart with metronome. Last, I learn at least some of the bass part from the recordings by ear (I'm not finding transcribing any use, as I just parrot off the page then). Oh, and every now and again I spend time checking out intonation and thumb positioning (I use Rabbath). The hugely embarrassing thing about this method is that it goes on for weeks with a single tune, but that's because it shows up every weakness and limitation. Strangely, it doesn't get boring; I think because i never know what weakness I'm going to work on next. I'm sure some people would go mad doing this, but I'm a beginner on upright and seem to benefit from a rounded kind of approach. No point playing brilliant scales and being hopeless at everything else. Also, I've reconciled myself to inching forward. Discovered patience somewhere. Good luck with your own search for the magic method.

A very helpful thread - thanks all. For what it's worth, I'm finding walking over a chord chart, alternating with jamming along to the recording, and then working only on groups of chords to explore the transitions all over the board is very helpful. I was embarrassed that I could do this for one tune for several weeks and still have tons to learn, but it seems to work. For a start, it showed me I was spending too much time on modes and scales and not enough on arpeggios. The good news was the surprise at how the same sequences come up again and again in the standards charts (being new to jazz).