bassace

This was mine originally. My ‘journey’ was FDeck:Grace Felix:FDeck because I preferred the sound: Broughton. I can’t praise the convenience/features/tone too highly. And being a short production run these are scarce. Buy it!

And the string heights will alter.

I thought it was ok particularly in the context of the usual Saturday evening tv fare. Quite a feat to get a potentially unwieldy large orchestra playing tightly together, most of the time. Good rhythm section played their part in this. Bass seemed a bit weak initially then it became stronger particularly when the arrangements doubled it with tuba. BVs great as were Jacob Lusk and Beverley Knight. Others in between were a bit iffy.

And the audience were clapping on two and four. Strictly CD it wasn’t!

3 hours ago, PaulKing said:

After a busy weekend (four festivals in four days!), I can report that my new tailpiece jack clip performed perfectly ... even when the power went on my whole pedal board mid-song, meaning I had to rip out the jack and plug direct into amp in a big hurry. Previously would've risked fiddly velcro coming loose and jack falling off tailpiece - but no such trouble. I was back in business before the final chorus, and a massive Twinwood Festival dance floor didn't miss a beat!

Very nice, simple, rugged bit of kit. Shoulda got them a long time ago.

 

Thanks @bassace for supplying three clips, one for each of my main gigging basses, with options on mounting screw length. 

FYI - Underwood is just OK with the smaller clip, Shadow hexagonal barrel deffo needs the bigger clip!

 

Thanks for the feedback, Paul. Certainly one of the benefits of the clip is that it’s so firm that you can keep the bass upright and plug in or change over one handed without the jack wobbling about.

That’s terrible, so sorry. Laurence will do a good job on it.

On 16/07/2025 at 22:53, TimR said:

 

 

 

Howard Jones was told that the keys on the piano were sticking so he had to give them a good bash to free them up first.

 

 

Useful piano player, that HJ. Certainly knows his chords.

Who’s that bass playing fours?

15 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

I don't think they were..?

They were just beginning their 'Long, drawn out arrangement' phase.

(edit)
I will say that it sounds like their TV feed was mixed by a drummer...

Wobbly wasnt applied to their music - I like em. I was at Butlins with one of them when he was a two year old. I was referring to the front line physically wobbling about. Oh well, another post wasted. 

Dire Straits were very wobbly, weren’t they.

Reminds me of the time I started a new school. Went into the assembly hall and saw a double bass on the empty stage. Just there. On its side. I’m not ashamed to say it was love at first sight and it informed my life for the next sixty years. 

If it came into my hands I’d do a quick and dirty rig  and just try to get an impression of its sound. Could be surprised.As PaulK says it’s something to be loved.

I can now supply a 19mm clip for XLR.

But a note of caution. I had a top of the range Martin. It had thunderous lows to the extent that I kept getting told from audience members that I was very very loud. But I wasn’t getting that on stage. If I turned the gain down I couldn’t hear much. I even switched the amp off in a seven piece and was ‘too loud’. So I sold it.

I have no doubt they make excellent orchestral instruments.

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Would a red or white towel do the job?

Hasn’t  been tested but it might.

I used to use this for applying just enough compression between the fingerboard and top. There’s a blue towel to protect the top.

Saw them in Birmingham five(ish)years ago. With three keyboards. They were great, particularly Zak, a worthy successor to Moon. It was Pino who was underplaying and not quite fitting in. I know, I know, but I just don’t get him.

And it served me very well too. But from the get go there was something iffy about it, particularly the neck. In its life it had at least three cracks in different places so there must have been some dodgy wood used. And I kept it in an unheated room.

Here it is with past friends in happier times.

I’m doing another run of my Jack Tailpiece Clip. It provides a neat and firm fixing for the pickup jack under the tailpiece as shown in the photo. It comes in two sizes, 12mm dia for the chrome jacks and a slightly larger dia for the Gage black jacks. Definitely an improvement on the string afterlength fixings.

I’m also now doing a twin clip to tidy up the cables running from twin pickups or pickup and mic.

Single clip £10, or £16 for two. Twin clip £14. Postage included.

Mmm, hat peg tuners! Some nice lookers there.

And Lulu is at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival this year.

Just sayin’

58 minutes ago, tinyd said:

One other thing - while you have the strings off, use a 4B pencil to add some graphite to the string slots in the nut and bridge - it helps lubricate them slightly when it comes to tuning.

Excellent advice. I used to carry a 4B in my odds and ends gig bag. But playing Spiros after a few years I got to forget why I had it.

I also had a short piece of wire with the end turned at 90 degrees to help manipulate the string end in the peg box.

Lay the bass on its back and change strings two by two to avoid losing compression on the sound post. Otherwise it may fall out of position.

5 minutes ago, simonlittle said:

It does indeed 👍

Then I fail to see the justification for the big mark- up to the Pro. Granted, the ebony fingerboard and superior woody bits would be nice to have but I’m sure a gigging bass player could do without.

Does the 300 have an adjustable bridge as the Pro does?

You see, having sold the Bryant I’m getting itchy for something user friendly for an old person. Yes, 84th birthday today.

New Spiro Mittel G

£10 including postage.

I have a set of unused and mint Spiro Mittels. I have had them as spares for a while in old packaging but they are mint and no different from those you’d buy today, at a fraction of the price. £90 posted.