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It will work. It may not be very robust, but it will work. If you plan on using it for gigging, I'd just suggest you bring a back up. You can just stick the sucker somewhere on the bridge with a bit of tape or blue tack - find a place that sounds good.

[quote name='janmaat' post='871762' date='Jun 19 2010, 02:45 PM']Zombie thread, but I'm in the same situation now. Where do I get such a wheel, or do you reckon it's easier + cheaper to build one? Any other recommendations regarding wheels please?[/quote] I had a wheel when I was at university, and I honestly only used it a few times. I found that it was a real pain to deal with - the bass wasn't easy to control with that wheel under it and getting the wheel to be secure in the end pin slot was even more difficult. I stopped using it and found that carrying the bass around with the shoulder strap (not rucksack straps) was a lot easier, though still a pain.

If you're not happy with the E but like the others, why not just replace the E with something else? A lot of players play with mixed sets for these sorts of reasons. You could try a few different E's for less than the price of an entire set, then if you find an E that you especially like, when you want to replace the entire set, maybe try an entire set of that kind. Have you checked out this incredible string comparison site? [url="http://www.hervejeanne.de/saitenmatrix.php"]http://www.hervejeanne.de/saitenmatrix.php[/url] The ones that sound the best to me on there on the obligatos, but different people will want different qualities. I thought the aquilas sound great pizzed (I use the same brand on my uke) but crap bowed... that's just from this site though - I've never played on them.

The first Edgar Meyer solo album is really good. It's hard for me to think of many other things like it, but there is a nice CD of Robert Black playing the music of Christian Wolff. Wolff's music isn't for everyone, but I love it. Black probably has some other solo CD's, but that's the only one I own - he's a great player.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' post='857987' date='Jun 5 2010, 09:54 AM']I think the Swedish rosin is Nyman or Carlsson (I suspect the two may be the same thing, as the tub is identical, with a different label).[/quote] Yes! Thank you! It's in the blue tub - Carlsson is the one I've been using. Very similar, but not as good as ol' "Swedish" rosin, which was just slightly less sticky and came in a black tub. I love how it lets me feel like I can really dig in with the bow - that the string would give before the bow would if I wanted it to.

In my experience less sticky rosin = brighter, not more dark. It's all about how much you apply to the bow. I can't recommend a good carbon fibre bow, but I know that my next bow will be one - i treat my instruments like tools and want them to be hardy; I don't want to worry about bending or breaking a piece of wood. Back to rosin... I really like the swedish rosins. In the 90's there was a kind (in the US) just called "swedish rosin" which I had several cakes of - I think there's a close thing available now, but I can't recall the name... anyway, it's sticky. If you want a less sticky rosin, try pop's - I hate it, but many people swear by it (and it's comparatively cheap). [quote name='fatgoogle' post='857678' date='Jun 4 2010, 08:55 PM'] just to show her off. [/quote]

[quote name='TPJ' post='846400' date='May 24 2010, 12:03 PM']UPDATE: I'm really struggling with the action height and associated tension. I thought I had it right based on the afternoon session but then I screwed around with the adjusters and mucked it up At the gig the action was too low and the strings felt flabby. I had lowered the bridge one whole wheel turn. I then ramped it back up and it felt too high and too much tension. These strings change a lot with not much adjustment. I'm getting nearer. I do like the feel of the strings so far and the tone seems good on my bass. Another gig tonight playing pop/rock classics.[/quote] Just something I want to point out here, even though it seems counter-intuitive: tension on the strings is actually lower with higher action. Think about it like this: if you raised the bridge, the pitch of the strings would go up, right? That would be because the tension was higher which raises the pitch. To get the strings back to the same pitch with higher action, you actually have to decrease the tension on them. What may feel like "tension" is more likely associated with the different playing techniques associated with the height of the action. Personally I've never bothered too much about action unless it's REALLY high or REALLY low - once it's ok I just forget about it and get on with the other things (all of which I'm horrible at, btw and why I stopped trying to be a professional player)

Sure, I agree with this in a large part, but £1,500 isn't £400. A new bass that costs a few grand may well be as good, or better, than an older bass for the same price. The difference is that an older bass (not ten years old, but say 50) will hold its value while a new one will not. If someone is serious about the instrument, they'll want to upgrade in a few years and that resale value will then really mean something. Example: when I went to university I bought (because of an inheritance I had money) a very nice, new, bass that was made in China in collaboration with a US luthier (I grew up in the US and bought the instrument there). I tried out several basses in the same price range including nice old instruments, but they just didn't sound or play as well as the new bass. The problem is, now I don't have the space for that bass which I love and no means of transporting it. I'm thinking of selling it, but really dreading how it must have dropped in value. I won't be surprised if it sells for only 1/2 what I paid for it. This is because in the last 10 - 15 years the quality of cheaper (relatively - in the five to ten grand range) new instruments has skyrocketed and my bass is no longer such a great deal. Add to that the rib crack and other crap that happens to a bass being moved a lot around a university, to various gigs, moving all over the country, etc. and it's only reasonable that it would have dropped in value. At the same time, what was my first bass (and then my backup), which is a 100-ish year old bohemian instrument with a crap replaced plywood back, has doubled in value. [quote name='Bilbo' post='840071' date='May 17 2010, 07:35 PM']This 'get an old bass' ethos is all well and good but, unless it is my imagination, there are a lot of us looking and fewer and fewer old basses to go around. This is pushing the price up and those who only have £3-500 are frightened off by all the horror stories. Also, I think it is important to remember that a lot of these 'old' basses we are waiting for were the 'cheap and cheerful' basses of their day and many of them are not so great in relative terms. The big question, in my mind (literally) is 'is the difference between a repaired 'old' bass and a mid range £1500 Thomann bass that great. I have been reading hundreds of posts and threads like this for months now and it would appear that most people are perfectly satisfied with their Archers, Stentors, Christophers, Zellers, Westburys, Conservatoires, Elysias, Arcadias, Uptons etc etc. I have read only a tiny number of stories of people who have been really stung (literally one or two). I am wondering (and I have no axe to grind here) whether this 'old basses rule' ethos is a hold over from a time when they [i]were [/i]significantly better than these imports. Like the old 'never buy a Skoda', 'don't buy a Japanese car', 'made in Japan is crap' brigade; the manufacturers have got their act together and are now making credible starter instruments - as one basschatter said to me recently 'it will do until I am good enough to recognise the difference' . I get that every bass purchased has to go immediately to the luthiers for repairs and a new set of strings but I guess the question is; is it better to get a cheap bass within your budget and PLAY THE THING or to sit and look at websites for basses you can't afford and waste another 12 months saving for something that is probably only marginally better. If you haev £350, you aren't going to have £2,500 in a few months time; you may have £500 and your options aren't that much greater. I have no doubt that these Crafter guitars that are around now are better than the Ekos and Antorias that were around in my day. So why would I recommend that you don't buy a Crafter but get an old Antoria or an Eko and get it set up? I get the arguments but can't see that people on limted budgets should be denied the opprtunity to 'have a go'. Or is playing the double bass only an option for the middle class (how many kids on that 'Young Musician' thing are living in a sixth floor flat on a rough estate?)?[/quote]

I second most of what's been said already. I would recommend that you first get a teacher and possibly rent a bass or get them to help you buy one. You'll be incredibly lucky to get a playable instrument that you'd really be able to learn on for under a grand. I know that that sounds like a lot of money, but a nice old bass (especially if you sink some money into it to get it playing as well as possible) will hold or increase its value. A cheap new bass will only go down in value. This is important for two reasons; 1. if you decide you don't like it, you'll be able to get your money back, 2. you're more likely to enjoy playing and really learn on a decent instrument - with a crap instrument you'll only be discouraged.

Yeah, raising the action can definitely help. As for strings, I think it depends on what style of music you're playing - different strings will be louder with different techniques (and I have no advice to give about specifics). Unfortunately, there's only one simple and good answer: get an amp. That's assuming no one else in your group will give, which is silly. Despite modern improvements in strings, the bass is an instrument that's hundreds of years old, while the other members of your group are using comparatively new instruments by design. For instance, is your drummer playing on hide drum heads? Probably not - synthetic is going to be A LOT louder and also sound with more higher partials, helping to lose you in the mix. Basically, this isn't a problem just for you - it's a group problem that requires a group solution, I would think. Or, you know, you could just get an amp (I don't like it personally, but it's become the standard).