Bigjas

So here I am posting in the Double Bass section. I never thought this day would happen, but the lovely Mrs Bigjas has bought me a Double Bass for my birthday (yes, I know how lucky I am ) I have been wanting one for about a year now, was going to get an EUB but I am so pleased she got me this one. It is such fun playing it, and I love having it taking pride of place in the lounge. Its a Boosey & Hawkes Excelsior 3/4, and its had a hard life by the look of it. It has had a repair done to the neck joint, but its not been done very well. Other than that it looks ok, a few marks and lumps out of it, but it seems to play ok, bearing in mind this is the first time for me on an Upright Bass. Does anyone know much history of these Bases? are they any good? I have searched these forums and google with some info, but not much. Mine has 50/2 written in pencil on the sticker in the left hand F hole, does anyone know what this stands for? I might spend some time and cash on it if its worth doing. I know this is probably a stupid question, but what strings would you recommend for a novice without much cash to spend on strings. I have been looking at strings and they range from these from Thomman for £23 [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_kontrabasssaiten_34.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...sssaiten_34.htm[/url] to other strings up to £500+ for a set. Would the Thomman ones be ok or are they a waste of time? I don't mind spending whats needed if I will notice the difference. Also, the bass comes with what I can only describe as a rubber type of damper that sits on the bridge. When I take it off it makes the bass more trebbley, is this something that is widley used? I have lots of questions, I am reading these forums to gather as much info as possible. Some pics of my pride and joy. I am sure I will get GAS for pickups, a case and then another, better bass......... Jas

I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to post here or in the build section (mods, move if I got it wrong) but I have been building my own guitars. I started off about 18 months ago with my first guitar, a 4 string Bass. Since then I have made 2 Ukuleles and 3, 6 string electric guitars. I have learnt so much during this time and my confidence in setting up a guitar has improved. Just thought I would share what I have been up to through my Blog. Its not a business, just a hobby, and its great fun and incredibly rewarding. Not sure what to make next................ either an acoustic or a 5 string Bass? [url="http://jasebass.webs.com/"]http://jasebass.webs.com/[/url] Jas

Just bought a mixer from Dave. Great comms and very quick delivery. Well packaged too. Thanks Jas

I would find a local timber yard or saw mill. I wouldn't want to buy timber off the net, its always best to see before you buy, to look for any defects and to look at and compare grain patterns. Jas

The more hobbies/interests you have, the more GAS you have....... I have GAS and it's crippling my bank account due to the many hobbies I have. Jas

I'm using a 2u KAM power amp to power our monitors. Never had a problem in the last year and a half. I bought it second hand. Does everything we need from it. Jas

I've got 6 hanging on the wall and the other 2 are on floor stands. I used to keep them tucked away in hard cases, but I find I am more likely to pick them up and play them when they are on show. The nice thing is, Mrs Bigjas likes the look of them so encourages me to have them on display :-) Jas

[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1390993232' post='2351973'] i hate new strings. if i could buy new strings that sounded two years old i would [/quote] Me too. My current strings on my main gigging/rehearsal bass are just coming up to a year old and they get plenty of use. I suppose its down to personal taste, but I don't feel the need to change them just yet. My guitar strings get changed about 3 times a year depending on how much I use them. Jas

I just can't stop humming the bass line to 'when I'm gone' by Wilko Johnson. Norm has such a great sound on this track, love it. Jas

718 :-)

I'm happy with my playing because it makes me happy when i play. I have an enourmous amount to learn and improve, but I enjoy doing that. I am happy with the fact that I am not the best Bassist, but will always try and improve and learn. I think that if I wasn't happy with my playing, then I would probably stop. Jas

537 Good luck Paul, hope you win the grant. More should be done to help small buisiness. Jas

Bloody nice job, I've enjoyed following this thread. Bet your very pleased with it, there is nothing like making your own instrument. Jas

Your fan says you sound better live........... have you thought about recording yourself live? Either in a studio or a live gig? Just a thought Jas

Very nicely done, I really enjoyed that and learnt something too 😊 thanks for posting. Jas

If your using a pc, then use Movie Maker. It's free and easy to use (must be if I can use it). You can crop the individual clips and stitch them all together. You can also adjust the volume on each clip too. Jas

This is a fantastic idea, well done. Jas

I recently put a set of these in to a Squier P bass that I was re-finishing. They have a nice sound to them, I was impressed for the money. Much better than the stock Squier ones. You can see them here [url="http://jasebass.webs.com/jasebass-002-bass-guitar"]http://jasebass.webs.com/jasebass-002-bass-guitar[/url] Jas

Once again a big thumbs up for the Pacifica. Had mine for longer than I remember and it still plays well. Great quality for the money. Jas

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1383569579' post='2265904'] Silly question, can you get multi track mixers that also have a recording function so that we can use the same desk to record ourselves and deal with a PA? [/quote] Have a look at something like this [url="http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/X2442USB.aspx"]http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/X2442USB.aspx[/url] You still need a PC with DAW. I have never used one so cannot comment on how good it is? They also do smaller ones with less inputs. Jas

If only I had one tenth of his talent!! Thanks for sharing the video, it really hits home how average I am.

+1 for the Zoom H2. Been using mine for a couple of years. Really good quality and easy to use. Jas

Been using A frame stands for the last 3 years gigging. Never had a problem with them falling over. Jas