BassBus

Try the Violin Shop in Glasgow. I bought my DB there. They have a large stock (for DBs anyway, 10-15 basses). You'll get good advice and prices range from about £500 to £XK. They are also well set up which cannot be said for all DBs you'll find in music shops or the internet. A good setup is esential! [url="http://www.theviolinshop-glasgow.co.uk/"]http://www.theviolinshop-glasgow.co.uk/[/url]

Yeh, nice basses. The new stock basses that caght my eye most were the walnut and cocobolo faced S2s. They just look fantastic. Bit like your cocobolo S2 Rich. You lucky man.

I know it's a while since you posted this but I'll at least give a reply. This is an ongoing question and at the end of the day comes down to taste. A lot of NS players have used Thomastic Spirocores which bow well. Other good sets are Pirastro Flexicor. When you buy DB strings for an NS bass make sure they are long enough. I recently measured the playing length of my DB at 102cm and my NS at 106cm. Thomastic sets would be best to be 4/4 sets as 3/4 strings are too short. Flexocors only seem to come in 4/4 and are good for bowing (arco/orchestral). Orchestral strings have a shorter sustain as it is the bow which sustains the note. Pizicato strings have a longer sustain when plucked and are not always good for bowing, though there are exceptions. If you want it to sound more DBish lift the action up quite a bit as that helps a lot. Changing to DB strings will help a lot too. hope that's of some help.

I should give Rob a call at Status. I saw a post on one bass forum about a JD with a similar problem which was sorted at JD. Might also be the time to think about fitting a graphite neck to the bass.

With the mention of that supermarket a thought has just crossed my mind. A quote I heard recently from a friend. This person loves Tesco because it keeps the riff raff out of Waitrose. Maybe there is some reasoning behind the behaviour of the staff in the Bass Cellar after all.

[quote name='NeonMig' post='268414' date='Aug 23 2008, 12:09 PM']I've got the Shadow, can't remember the model number but the one that fits under the wings of the bridge. Might be the SH950. Sound is okay, does its job but I think in order to get a truly accurate sound out of a PA, you need to have it miced up as well and mix the signals. That's what Renaud Garcia-Fons does and it sounds awsome.[/quote] Well you certainly can't question that. Lovely sound and great player.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='268350' date='Aug 23 2008, 10:32 AM']I think it's a thin person's bass, LOL! That'll be what the main focus of the shape redesign will have been about...[/quote] Just what are you trying to suggest here, Rich? Is this aimed at anyone in particular?

Thanks for that Merton. How dare he not give them their bass back. Who does he think he is! Interesting Rob was never happy with the headed KB, I never thought it looked good with a head. Just my opinion of course but then I am a great fan of the headless principle. Just so logical.

[quote name='Merton' post='267949' date='Aug 22 2008, 04:16 PM']Yeah, I was talking about you (and the S2!) to Dawn earlier Only briefly mind, I was far more interested in the goss on the Kingbass v2 and the Streamline 5er [/quote] What is the latest gossip with the mk2 kingbass Merton. They must be letting something out now the pictures are in the public domain.

I don't have any experience with the K&K max but I have used Fishman BP100 which gives a good solid pizz but is pretty hopeless for bowing, too toppy. The Realist is also a well regarded pickup but it involves loosening strings and putting the pickup under the bridge foot. It gave me a good sound without a preamp but it didn't last long. I have since settled with the Shadow SH950 which has two transducers which slot in between the wings of the bridge so no loosening of strings or movement of the bridge needed to install it. This is their version of the Underwood DB pickup which is just about the most popular DB pickup there is. It gives me a great sound without a preamp going into my Acoustic Image Contra. I do sometimes use a SansAmp BDDI with it as that cuts the mids. It just depends on the room I'm playing in. One pickup might sound good on one bass and sound terrible on the next though. Unfortunately it takes a bit of experimentation and that can get expensive. hope that's of some help.

Yeh I know what you mean. Electro has to wait as there is an S2 in production for me.

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='263057' date='Aug 15 2008, 01:33 PM']I can see you're getting a lot of requests for info here ... hope you don't mind me asking another. I heard rumours a while back that Rob was refusing to build Electros either because the model was being revamped, or perhaps because it needed a revamp. Any news on that would be much appreciated. (I'm hoping to hear about a bass with larger acoustic chambers). If that's too many requests and mine drops off the end of the list, no problems. Cheers, Andy[/quote] I contacted Rob about an Electro earlier this year and he informed me he was revisiting the design. Moved the mag pickup and a new EQ. Some work to do on the bridge pickup.

Well done Ped. I can relate the experiences I have had with two of Britain's top luthiers, Status and Overwater. Some years ago I bought an Acoustic Image amp from Overwater and all the dealings I had with them left me feeling I was one of their friends (well I was, i'd just spent money with them. The same happened recently when I ordered a bass from Status. As you say Ped it just leaves you wanting to go back and buy more.

Every business that comes out and says "we have x... happy customers..." is always hiding from the real problem. That being there is a problem with their attitude/service. I too run my own business and there is always that little saying 'If you do something well a customer will tell two people about it. If you do something badly they will tell 12 people about it". If you have 200,000 + satisfied customers just think how many you could have if the concerns of the posters on this thread are met. As Happy Jack says "Your call".

And the shop in Newcastle is great too.

[quote name='Dan' post='97501' date='Dec 2 2007, 08:46 AM']There is a rumor on the Net that Spirocore Thomastik string set on the Allegro ( BSX ) will sound great, I have a 5-strings Allegro but I can't seem to find a 5-string Spirocore set.. If any one have a 5-strings upright with the Spirocore strings on it please help me with the details of the set Thanks Dan[/quote] Probably you best bet is to buy a four string set and a separate low B/high C. Try StringMail [url="http://www.stringmail.co.uk/dbass.htm"]http://www.stringmail.co.uk/dbass.htm[/url]

Sometimes if you want to let people know bass is better than they think it is is not to play anything. They may not have noticed you before but they sure will when there is no bass. The best compliment I had at a gig was from another member of the jazz quartet I was playing in who said "I don't really hear the bass when you're playing but when you're not then I notice it's not there".