AndyBass

Just to perpetuate this massive thread and do justice to the LowLifes, I now actually really like them and have kept them on my bass after all. I'm finding some of my tricksy slappy stuff a bit difficult as I'm used to playing strings the width of a finger, but it'll come. Its quite exciting to have some sustain on notes after all these years. And now I have a brand new set of Prestos sat around for when I fancy a change...

I played without anything on it for ages because I got so sick of trying things (one of those Wolf jobs that was too small, various rubber bits and bobs including nicking door stoppers from various places). Finally found a supply of walking stick ferrules that go on and stay on from Ebay. Can't understand why it had to be so damn hard to find something suitable for a fatter endpin when people are falling over themselves to overcharge you for any other bit of double bass related kit!

Well, decided they’re not for me in the end (sounded great and worked great with the Schaller, but just cannot get on with the feel and gauge of steels) so they’ll be up on the for sale board soon with one more gig on the clock.

I think I'm right in saying (unless he has another set) that Knicknack mustn't have had chance to update this post yet, as these strings are now happily installed on my bass I'm afraid

So I bought knicknack’s strings and have just put them on today. Quite like them - was a bit worried they’d be like my old Jargar Dolces when i saw them in all their cheesewire glory but they’re nice and flexy, especially the D and G which I thought would be unusable for me. Slap nicely, sound good, all good so far. No basis for comparison vs other mag-friendly strings but they’ll do the job for me!

I recently scored a schaller on EBay but given I might want to switch it between basses and I don’t like the idea of drilling holes in stuff, I took an idea from an old Talkbass thread of turning the schaller upside down and attaching it with the same monster velcro as the Krivo uses. Seems to have worked a treat - rock solid. For anyone expecting anything else, it sounds nothing like a double bass, but that’s the compromise, innit?

Haha simultaneous posting! Sorry they didn’t impress. Maybe they lowered standards for us UK customers! 

Good to hear you managed to grab some Low Lifes in time - no problem for me as I’d already decided to go Presto 😁 That’s really good of you to offer me a try of the whole setup! Unfortunately between family, work, gigs etc I get so little time to play with set ups that I think I’ll just take the plunge and hope for the best. Really appreciate it though. Of course if you decide those spares are taking up too much cupboard space and want to sell strings or pickup just give me a holler 😉

Cheers all!

You guys with your choice of basses and your reasonable budgets. Pity us poor left handers 😭😭😭

5 hours ago, randythoades said:

Hadn't realised that they now had a UK supply. That is excellent news!!!

I will take the opportunity to get another set to try out on my other bass. I would definitely prefer to play them over the Prestos. I will keep the Prestos as a backup, or my second bass may actually prefer the Prestos and I will have the BC as a backup. Once I have swapped them off to try, you are more than welcome to try the Presto set, AndyBass. for a comparison

Thanks mate - appreciate it. I reckon I’ll just get myself the remaining prestos and go with them as the cheapest option (now, thanks to Clarky) and as BC have already sold out if lowlifes. So anyone coincidentally selling a Presto A and D or a Krivo shout up 😁

Got some Dolces I’m looking to move on. Can’t vouch for use or provenance as bought used from the US some time ago, very little use by me thereafter as I bought them for a short-lived foray into arco. Not sure what’s fair so I’ll start at £45 post paid in the UK.

Just a quick follow up to this - Blast Cult now have these in stock within a day of my moaning about them not doing. Clearly I’m more influential than I thought 😁

Thanks for the replies to this thread! Though I’m still keen to try the Blast Cults one day, I’m now happily sold on giving Prestos a go. Hadn’t realised when I posted this that Blast Cult had set up their all-new UK store listing a load of stock they don’t have. So yeah, thanks very much to Clarky I’m now two Prestos off a set and I’ll see how that turns out. Cheers all 🤟

Cheers Clarky - I have a Presto E I like actually, just hadn’t realised they were mag-able. That could well be an option!

I’m after some floppy low tension strings that will work well with a mag pickup. Currently use SBWs on my basses, so ideally I’m after a similar lack of tension. Checked out a video of someone using blast cult’s lowlife strings and they look similarly flexible, anyone with experience of them? Leaning toward them as they’re nice and cheap too

Hi, I’ve been looking at a Marshall 3530 recently and was wondering if anyone had any experience of these or similar amps for double bass? People generally seem to like them and their ilk for a crunchy Rob Wright/Lemmy sound, but whilst I’d like that for electric, anyone know if they can get loud and stay clean for DB? There’s never been a Marshall in any backline Ive used (maybe that says something) so just wondered if people had any experience of Marshall for DB. 

Yeah that’s similar to the solution I used yesterday - pair of £3 flip flops cut to shape with a Stanley knife. Can’t get the top and bottom right tho so just masking tape those bits. Played on a cramped stage next to a big amp with no PA support last night and deafened everyone with no feedback. But maybe I’ll upgrade to a better home-made solution when the kids are grown up and i have more than 5 minutes peace, so thanks for the tips 👌

Thanks for the input folks. Yeah I think feedback and botched home made solutions have got me to the point where £65 seems ok, unfortunately the gent who makes f-it’s has a notice on his site saying he’s too busy with stuff at the minute. Maybe I’ll botch more home made solutions until he’s back up and running then

Hi, my second f-hole related post in a row...having found I got loads fewer feedback issues when I stuffed my f holes with foam, does anyone recommend/make something a little more sophisticated (ie as effective but not as rubbish looking)? I see they have some on Thomann but £55 + postage seems like a very costly solution for something that still needs you to cut it to size yourself. Decided against going mag as blocking the holes did the trick and I don’t have the cash to mess about with new kit, so that’s not really an option. Thanks for any suggestions

Hi again. So i bought a pickup from Vic’s pickups a while back and was carrying it as a gig spare when not using it on my spare bass, but I managed to lose it in a bar somewhere. So...before I buy another (as they’re cheap, but I wasn’t that keen on it), anyone got an old K&K rockabilly, Fonokraft or similar knocking about they’d be happy to sell on? Time was classifieds would be full of them but not any more! Thanks 😁

(sorry if this should be in stuff wanted, but figured it’d be lost in electric bass stuff there)

Thanks for the opinions everyone. I’ll not expect an imminent cave-in, but next time it needs a trip to a luthier for something, or I have a chance beforehand, I’ll get it checked out. Cheers!

Appreciate that’s probably the most incomprehensible thread title. So what I’m asking is, I’ve recently noticed the edge of the f hole in the G side of my Duke is getting misshapen, I think because the bridge has been moving about and has put too much pressure on an unsupported area. I’ve attached a couple of photos. Anyway I just wondered if other people have encountered the same thing, is there a home fix o bend it back out, is it a luthier job, is it indicative of a bigger problem or probably just cosmetic? It doesn’t have any effect on the sound to my ear, so it’s more a structural concern. Thanks for any thoughts!

With Brexit on the horizon, I’ve heard it’s a great time to start stockpiling amps...😁 Got no plans Friday so I could probably get it to wherever you’re playing if you’re interested

Thanks mate. If you’d be interested if it weren’t for distance let me know where you’re based. I travel a bit

Gallien Krueger MB212-ii up for sale. Great combo with a good sound and good power/portability balance. Has done me well from recording to gigging, blues to psychobilly. 

Some very minor signs of wear to a couple of the edges, but cosmetic only (and even then barely so) and transported and stored in a padded soft case.

Collection from Sheffield any time or Leeds 9-4 weekdays