bassace

Wecome to Basschat. I was born in Woodley and then lived in Earley. I went to Forest Grammar School where les Hurdle was one year behind me. Who Les? Well he went on to become a good session player on bass. He was on Art Garfunkel's Brighteyes and did Donna Summer's first Disco LP for Giorgio Moroder. I was one of Reading's first bass guitarists, in 1960. I played an instrument my young brother made for me. Because he didn't have the skills to fret it I played it fretless, so it was certainly the first fretless for miles. Then I got an EBO. I remember seeing Jerry Lee Lewis at Olympia Ballroom, The Stones at the Town Hall and a very young Rod Stewart at the Uni. Those were the days. Enjoy your bass, you've a whole life in front of you - lucky chap!

I've sorted it now. Thanks to everyone who responded, double bassists didn't let me down.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='505437' date='Jun 4 2009, 01:10 PM']Hi Bassace, if you find a Fishman to buy ratherthan swap, I will buy the realist from you. I haven't tried one yet and I could get it from you at Upton if it works out... let me know how you get on. Jake[/quote] Jake I've sorted the Fishman. Not sure I want to part with the Realist just yet but will happily let you have it on long loan. I'll bring it to Upton. I'm playing Friday with Dave Moorwood and Sunday with Richard Leach. It'll be good to meet up for a chat.

I need a BP-100 pickup. I have a Rev Solo or a Realist to exchange or I'll pay cash. Sorry it's not posted in the 'Wanted' area but I feel I'll get more prominence in the DB bit.

[quote name='skywalker' post='504099' date='Jun 2 2009, 07:01 PM']Just a bumpy to make sure this hasn't been forgotten. I will check on numbers tomorrow to and work out what to do about food, if anyone has suggestions please shout up.[/quote] Can we each bring some stuff and have a picnic - weather permitting. Not very rock and roll perhaps but could be FUN.

Yes, you are certainly going to need a cover to stop your bass getting scratched and knocked about. What you get depends upon how you are going to transport the bass. 99% of my transport is in my own car so I use quite a simple soft case wth about 20mm padding. I don't want pockets and straps and stuff to get caught in the bits of the car while I'm loading it, although strategically placed handles do help with loading in and carrying. So in that respect my requirements are modest and £300 should easily do the trick. If your bass is going in a band van, then I'd recommend the best soft case you could afford, and even a lower end hard case at about £1k. The cheaper hard cases can be quite heavy, that is why the high end ones are lighter, made of Kevlar or carbon fibre and bloody expensive - up to £4k. There is a compromise which I haven't tried , a canvas covered styrofoam case at 10kilos and £650. One of the bass players will surely come up with a post recommending a specific case, but in the meantime you might like to look up www.jpbmusic.com who I've found to be very helpful and give me good service.

Like many of you guys I don't get the jitters and can't remember the last time I did. Is it because we have the relatively easy job of being at the back? Even the drummer, IMO, has to watch his cues more carefully that we do. Different for JT, right out at the front, nowhere to hide.

[quote name='subaudio' post='494034' date='May 21 2009, 10:56 AM']Good fun this double bass playing lark isnt it [/quote] Bloody frustrating sometimes!

I use a Steinberger for rehearsals and 'tight' gigs. It's convenient to stand it on its tripod and I can make it sound quite close to a DB. But I'd love to have an Azola Bug. It is quite expensive, though.

Sorry, but a half decent jazzer could do that as well on double bass. It's competent but nothing amazing. ..............runs for cover.........

[quote name='liamcapleton' post='492837' date='May 20 2009, 12:00 AM']And on the third day, the Lord said; 'thou shalt not argue with Marcus Miller!!' [/quote] My apologies. Charlie Parker sold his usual alto just befor a concert to buy drugs. Dizzy and some other band members scoured the neigbourhood to buy him a new new sax. The only one they could find was a Grafton plastic sax. He played the concert and Ornette Coleman followed later.

Er, I don't think it was Charlie Parker but Ornette Coleman who played a plastic sax. But that was a 'proper' plastic sax - as opposed to a toy.

We did a very nice wedding on Saturday. My double bass and amp sounded fantastic, so did the band. But it always sounds good in a marquee. No room coloration.

What, at 34" string length? I don't think so.

[quote name='endorka' post='490371' date='May 17 2009, 10:13 AM']I really like the removable clip idea. I have one of these, the K&K golden bullet; ...but don't like having it on the bridge all the time, so the removable clip would work well I think. How did you find the optimal placement of the mic? I spent some time sitting with the double bass listening to the mic through headphones, but I was still hearing so much of the acoustic tone of the instrument it was hard to judge. Jennifer[/quote] With the clip, the options for placement are rather limited. I put the mic through the amp at a volume just below feedback level (quite low really) and put it up the centre axis, swung it towards the G f-hole, then towards the E f-hole. It was best in the first position, so I tried it close and not-so-close. Close (1" away)won. I'd really like to hear it at a distance through the PA with someone else playing but from what others have told me the sound is good. It takes a couple of minutes to take the clip off the bridge when the mic is not used. PS, I don't mind replying to all these queries but if I do many more I'll have to change my signature pic. It's bit scary seeing it up there all the time. It can't be very nice for basschatters, especially children.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' post='489988' date='May 16 2009, 05:48 PM']Just out of curiosity, have you noticed any change in acoustic response with that clamped to your bridge? Or is it pretty minor considering that you're amped up when using it?[/quote] It's all quite light so I don't notice any difference acoustically or amped. You will see that there's an Underwood stuffed in there as well. IMO, bridges seem to put up with a lot more than they are supposed to. Also remember, the sound of an amplified bass is a bit different from an acoustic one. Unless the gig is with a small group (a trio, perhaps) in a room with perfect acoustics you will never come close to replicating the acoustic sound. So just get out there and enjoy the gig. Since I had one bass, one pickup and a GK150MBS I've aquired more basses and almost one amp for every day of the week and my stage sound hasn't improved that much. I've just got a bit more headroom and my new Upton bass is very easy to play. Occasionally I go out with my original bass and GK and think 'this is nice'.

Here is a pic of the mic I use on my double bass when I can get a front of house feed. It is an ATM350 and is clipped to a light aluminium clamp that I made. Best result, although all basses are different, is straight up the centre of the bass and just under the bottom end of the fingerboard. It is 'close-miked' about 1" from the top (front). Don't be put off by the condition of the bridge. This is my German Blonde which was the only one available in the house when I wanted to take the pic. It's my outdoor bass. [attachment=25287:019_1_.JPG]

There's a lot of good advice here so not much I can add. Just as a confidence builder, if you can play R&B, especially four to the bar, you'll be able to play simple BeBop. Just play a bit lighter but keep that pulse going along, ever so slightly in front of the middle of the beat. Bebop drummers usually use the kick drum only for emphasis rather than to bang out the rhythm (thank God) so you will be relied upon to keep the pulse while the drummer provides the ride. Keep it nice and simple, noone will criticise you for that. As a double bass player I'm judged on how I play, not what I play. I know I bang on about Spotify but there's so much there. Listen to as much as you can. Paul Chambers, Ray Brown will be good starters. Good luck, you'll not look back.

As I'm 'only the bass player' I use what terminology the other musos have and that is generally minims, crotchets, quavers etc. I could easily use quarters etc but have not had to yet. When I sang in a cathedral choir, a long time ago, I came across a breve. I threw it back in.

[quote name='The Funk' post='487615' date='May 14 2009, 09:51 AM']Ah! So your set-up is Pick-up -> Backline, Mic -> FOH? I'm intrigued now.[/quote] Yes, but as I said, it is a rare opportunity for me to use FOH. My everyday setup, like most double bassists, is backline from pickup. The further a listener is from the backline the bass increases and the mid/top decreases. So the FOH can redress some of that imbalance.

[quote name='The Funk' post='487462' date='May 13 2009, 11:57 PM']I was going to ask what you monitor with onstage while using your mic.[/quote] I set my usual backline gear up and the feed comes from the Underwood pickup. I still like at least 60% of my sound to come from the back, for me, for the band, for the audience (a bit) then front of house can give a nice bit of middle/top edge to the sound. The band like to hear my sound from the back of the stage (ie, where I stand) and not through the front of stage monitors.

[quote name='BassBus' post='487168' date='May 13 2009, 07:17 PM']Maybe that's the answer, to use a mic. It will probaly reproduce a more natural sound anyway. Having a good sound engineer on hand as well could be useful. [/quote] Yes but only with a front of house PA. Using it with backline isn't worth the hassle; you'll get too much fedback to deal with.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='486828' date='May 13 2009, 12:27 PM']Thats very interesting Bassace, I often do PA supported gigs, might think about that. Jake[/quote] Jake Hope to see you at Upton, then if we get any downtime together I'll show you my ATM350 and the lightweight ali clip I've made to mount on the bridge. Might have an opportunity to demo it.

[quote name='BassBus' post='484628' date='May 10 2009, 09:28 PM']Hi Bassace Well all I can say is the BDDI is the box I go back to every time when amplifying the DB. It seems to cut the mids naturally. I don't like a lot of mids in my sound from a DB as the natural acoustic sound has less of them anyway. The sound I get seems to fit jazz just fine. If you click the link in my signature for Reverbnation the track 'The New Dresser' has the DB recorded direct through the BDDI I seem to remember. I'll let you make up your own mind. Graham[/quote] Graham I've been trying to hear your clip but my pop-up-stopper keeps cutting in and won't disable when told to. I'll keep trying though. The only way I'll really be able to sample the merits of the BDDI will be to get one sometime, although I missed out on one that was recently for sale. As I've mentioned before, I use a Fishman Pro eq to take my mids down when using a 'middy' 10" Wizzy. Other times I can use it nearly flat. It is the cheaper version of the Platinum Pro and, to my ears and with my gear, has a slightly tighter sound. It does not have a DI facility - I get that off my amps - but has a phase reversal switch and does what Alex has just posted, it buffers the high impedance of the pickup. It makes a nice warm sound. So what I'm suggesting is that it probably does very much what the BDDI does although we all have our favourites. I did a gig with the seven-piece last week at a village hall in Sussex. The guy there turns out to be a retired sound engineer from ATV studios. He set up a great PA system. I set my usual backline - Underwood, Proeq, Clarus, Wizzy 10" and 12". I've never really used a clip on ATM 350 mic that I've had in my bag for a while. Anyway, I asked this guy to try it with my bass and to be honest and tell me if it's bo**ox. We tried it and it was amazing - I could hear back from the house speakers during the soundcheck and it sounded great. Our own PA is not really up to taking a bass feed, which is a pity. My advice to any double bass player is to keep a mic handy then if you have a PA opportunity plug it straight into the desk and let the sound man sort it out. No more compromises with DIs.