fonzoooroo

I've got TGI leather (or suede) straps on all of mine, (nice enough quality on the £20 ish ones, though the cheapies seem to have issues with the "backing" failing at the ends) all with schaller straplocks. On my heavier basses I've got "[color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Planet Waves Foam Guitar Strap Shoulder Pad" on them, making the whole experience comfier... [/font][/color]

If you can stand full rack size kit, go for a studio compressor... I'm out of date, but DBX, Alesis 3630, Behringer composer pro were the favourites a few years back, and all for about £100... I've got a Samson in my bass rig (only £70 new) , and can't really recommend it (I have an alesis and a behringer in my "studio" rack, and both are better built!) For ultimate control, I link from 1 channel into the other, then use the "left" side for compressing, and the "right" for limiting. Gets lots of lights flashing too! Then it's playing with threshold (how loud before compressing begins) and ratio (how much it's compressed) (max ratio is the same as limiting) then start adjusting the attack and decay. Make up gain brings the level back to where it was before the compressor compressed.

Bass bridges aren't cheap. Expect to spend £50 as a minimum for a blank (plus fitting) - my (as with many other luthiers) fitting cost varies with the quality of the instrument... As you'll appreciate, there's little point in spending 5 hours fitting a bridge to a £500 bass! If there's little or no movement in the fingerboard (action changes summer to winter) there's no need for adjusters. Each set I've come into contact with has reduced the response of the instrument. Just get the bridge cut EXACTLY how YOU want it, then leave well alone and enjoy. The only ways to "straighten" a bridge are: 1: Steam - I've never had success on a bass bridge - works OK on violins/violas, but it's a relatively short term fix even then... 6 months later, and it'll be well on the way to being back where it started. Upshot: not worth the bother! 2: Re-thicknessing - If your existing bridge is a bit on the thick side, and hasn't gone too far, it may be possible to re-profile it (effectively "sand" the warp out) This has the effect of reducing mass in the bridge, brightening tone and quickening response, but makes the bridge more fragile. (It seems a lot of bass bridges are left intentionally thick to withstand bashes and bumps in transport etc.) Best advice is to keep the string grooves lubricated with candle wax or dry soap, and push the top of the bridge back down when you're tuning... It's then that the top of the bridge is pulled toward the fingerboard, and the off-centre pressure from the string tension starts the warp.

Weight, grip and balance. Same checklist as any bow... Just find one that's comfortable and that bounces when you want it to, and doesn't when you don't! I can't anticipate that it'd be worth forking out thousands. I've got a french pattern Zeller, (paid under 100 from a dealer) and it's fine. I've tried cello bows of different values, and the tone is different (I make no pretense that it's not!) but not necessarily proportionally.... Highlights: I've got a "dark" sounding (too heavy, but it suited the cello i was playing when I bought it) cello bow which cost 700 years ago - I NEVER use it. My day-to-day bow was £170. Nice sound, good balance, nice bounce, easy to control. When I was playing in folk sessions in pubs a lot, I was getting paranoid about that bow, just waiting for the day it got sat on/knocked off the table/pint knocked over it etc, so I went into a local violin shop who had a stock of £20 to £30 bows... and tried every one. Came out with a £20 bow with a decent, straight stick that didn't quite have the tone of my nice one, but played just as well.

That looks pretty much typical of what you tend to find. More likely to be a member of the Mahogany family than rosewood (remember - the whole reason for doing it in the first place was cost.) If it were mine, I'd keep sanding and leave it bare. Raw linseed oil is my preferred treatment, as it's non drying... It just soaks in, with no tendency for stickiness.

You could do worse than taking the screw and spring out of the next saddle and popping them on the counter at your nearest industrial fastenings supplier. I don't know if they're metric or imperial on G&Ls, but those guys'll have thread gauges. That'll get you a quick response. Otherwise, get in touch with a G&L dealer, and get them to order you the parts.

[quote name='rOB' timestamp='1322936828' post='1457556'] Just to revive this thread, has anyone ever seen or played with one of these great instruments in a rock setting? I'm just thinking as an interesting alternative to a full drum kit? [/quote] Trouble with that is you lose the cymbals. Admittedly, you still have feet, so could open and close a hat (or rig something else to a hi hat stand) but that's about all. They can sound good mic'd up though.

A mate of mine uses a couple of these in his shop. (Space efficient solution for 2nd hand electrics) They've been in daily service for over 5 years now. BUT they never get moved, (except for occasional cleaning behind!) and are backed up against a wall. They don't inspire a lot of confidence in the "grab a corner and give it a shake" test. (especially if they were to be used away from a wall) My money'd go on a steel frame type of stand. You may be perfectly happy with one, but I'd recommend seeing/feeling one in the "flesh" before forking out on one.

On old instruments, I tend to scrape the old finish off, then leave the wood in an oil finish. That's certainly the easy way. Otherwise, it's flat back (or again, ideally remove - as the original finish tends to be hugely thick) and then mix black dye into cellulose lacquer. (or dye the wood if it'll take evenly and lacquer over) As a DIY job for your own bass, I'd reckon you could do a lot worse than a rattle can of Halfords satin black. Again, remove the old finish first, then a few coats of that to build up a bit of thickness, yet leave the grain visible. Cost is minimal, and if it's starting to wear when a string change is due, it's only a wipe with meths, 5 minutes to mask up and another couple of coats... The quantity you'd be applying'll be dry the same day.

Another occasion when I reach for the "LIKE" button.

Those "ultra" mutes are pretty effective - (saying that, I've only got one for cello - not bass) they seriously cut the acoustic sound. I reckon you could do a lot worse than getting hold of a piece of board and gluing foam underneath, then stand the bass on that. It's the vibration you're trying to disconnect as much as the sound. ... Some of this: [url="http://www.studiospares.com/sound-insulation/auralex-platfoam/invt/461330/"]http://www.studiospares.com/sound-insulation/auralex-platfoam/invt/461330/[/url] round the edges of a board, either a small one just to stand the bass on, or if that's awkward, a metre square board (with more foam underneath to withstand your weight) so you can stand on it to play. I did something of the sort for when I was practicing EUB when I lived with my parents - The vibration used to rattle the light in the living room below... foam under a foot square board fixed it.

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1321729146' post='1442554'] I'm going through a similar situation at the moment trying to get a 12 string sound, using a 4 string bass (splitting the signal into 2 full range and sending one through octave and chorus then into guitar combo and the other signal dry into a bass rig). I'm intrigued by those who are doing as I am and simply splitting a full range signal and sending one signal to the bass rig and the other (possibly effected) going to a guitar rig, without any issues from the guitar rig getting such a saturation of low fundamentals. Maybe it is the guitar combo I am using but as soon as I start turning up volumes above quiet house volume the guitar combo starts to fart, I'd imagine due to the full range (ie really low notes) signal going into an open backed guitar cab... not good! [/quote] Could you not run a PA crossover (or if you can find a 12VDC supply for one, an in car crossover) as a HPF to take the [what in PA terms is] sub bass out of the signal? I know they're generally 19" rack, but tend to be shallow, so could perhaps even be mounted inside the open back guitar amp, especially as it'd be fit, set and forget. Just a thought.

Have you considered a simple splitter cable and 2 volume pedals? Relative levels of clean and effected signals are constantly variable then... Or re-wire a single volume pedal as a "blend", but backwards, so at one end of the pedal's travel it sends purely to the effects and at the other, purely to the clean. I reckon I'd do that!

[quote name='andrewrx7' timestamp='1321450556' post='1439262'] My main concern was using the two different power rated cabs from a single head. But from what I can gather from the answers here and on the sticky thread, it would be OK. I have already used them in this combination at my last gig, but wanted to check to see whether I was doing something that was totally not recommended! [/quote] Put simplistically, the power is shared evenly, so effectively you have 2 cabs which each have the maximum power of the LOWEST power cab. Hence a 600W cab and a 150W cab driven together is just like having 2 cabs each of 150W, so you can "safely" supply them with up to 300W.

I'd say it's all about the sound you want. If you're after a specific sound, you'll have to hunt down the specific gear that sounds like that. If you're happy to venture into the unknown, and are after simply a good bass sound of some description, I'd go for the custom option... Use it to define your sound, rather than searching for "greener grass"... Sounds a daft comment, but if you can afford it now, it's probably a good time of life to go for the shiny new custom amp - 2nd hand run of the mill stuff's for sale all the time (for less money than you're looking at spending, presumably) I've still got kit that I bought while I was a student, and haven't been able to afford to replace since! (not that I'd necessarily want to, just making the point that the option's not available) If you find there're applications in the future where the amp's not suitable, it's quite likely that something [relatively] cheap may suffice, whilst holding on to your custom beastie.

If you're happy an octave high: Depends on the strings that're already on... the D remains, the A may be fine dropped to G, though a higher tension cello A may help even things up. The cello G is likely to be OK going up to A, unless you're VERY unlucky, or it has spectacularly high tension steel strings on. Leaving you with the C.... I wouldn't fancy cranking one up to E - It might make it, but it may be better to get another G (steel) and de-tune that to E... Alternatively, 1/8 double bass strings should have a scale length of 80cm (31 1/2") so should be fine in practice (lower tension than intended - but only ain to 4/4 strings on a 3/4 bass) Bass sizes: [url="http://doublebassguide.com/?page_id=3"]http://doublebassguide.com/?page_id=3[/url]

[quote name='epoxyjazzbass' timestamp='1317810888' post='1394760'] Perhaps it can be the "ideale" jazz upright with a a good sound (but probably quiet) acoustically and a better amplified solution than a normal upright... Any advice ? [/quote] I've no experience of the model, but it seems reasonable to suggest that you really want a play on one of these before committing to buy. To my mind, the sound's all going to hinge on the quality of strings and pickup... I'm sure there's a trade off between acoustic sound and physical size of amp required for the styles you're talking about - Historically, most of the jazzers I've met tend to have small GK combos with conventional sized basses. The amp is used to reinforce rather than produce the sound (if you see what I mean?!) Going this way, you'd be putting more emphasis on the sound of the amp - well on the way into EUB territory. Not that there's anything wrong with either approach - all personal preference.

I've got 4/4 spiros on my 3/4 EUB... that feels noticeably softer than 3/4s. Just a thought about a different way to go. Obviously, you can tell what your existing strings would sound like "bumped" - just de-tune a 4th... 4/4 strings or solo tuning at standard pitch would be mid way between those 2 extremes. ( offer up a tape measure to your bass. look at where the pitches come on the string, then de-tune that amount to give you a ball-park idea of the feel)

I've got a fair bit of Behringer kit (pedals, preamps, rack gear) and considering the price, it's very good. A few bits of their gear have become pretty much industry standards (DI boxes, rack compressors) but I tried one of their small (1x10" I think - it was a long time ago!) bass amps (ali cone) in a shop and was utterly unimpressed. It was a small shop, and that was the "best" bass amp they had - I was trying an instrument through it, and it put me off buying.... I owned an Ashdown "electric blue" 1x15 (either 120 or 150W - I forget) combo for a while, and it sounded OK, just not loud enough! I have a mate who has a MAG 300, and he's never felt the need to upgrade. (I've tried it, and it doesn't suit me, but that's not to say it's bad!) If you like Trace "sound" - there are deals to be had, and in your position, I'd be looking for them. Ditto Peavey - If my 150W ashdown had have been a 150W peavey, I might still own it. They're (peavey) a bit "rehearsal room" as an image, but that's only testament to their reliability/cost/performance.