bassace

PMT in Oxford are friendly, helpful and efficient. No complaints although I haven't used on-line.

Not sure where MM will be playing. I went to see Dave Holland in the Town Hall two years ago and although the venue was sold out the sound was great and the bass came over very well in such a large venue. There seems to be quite a Cheltenham connection on BC. I was there for three years in the sixties, loved the place and played with the Ramrods for a while. They're still going today. Wonder if they've still got those old (and very valuable) Fenders.

It's a rare pleasure to play in a big band (by that I'm assuming 14plus) because these days it's just not economical to run one professionally. They are about, though, because guys who otherwise play in smaller bands get a great buzz out of it. And it really hones your reading skills, which you should have even at an elementary level. I played in one some time ago run by a session musician who got some of Buddy Rich's original charts. One had a time sig Orgasmo Furioso -when asked what it meant the guy said 'go like f**k! To answer your question, I've seen big bands playing whose bass player - upright or BG, doesn't matter -while playing all the right notes just doesn't put any drive into the band. Your job as the bassist is to push the band forward; you are the engine room. If you're in any doubt about this listen to BB recordings, particularly 'The Atomic Mr Basie'. And enjoy!

Compared to a DB playing an EUB is like kissing your sister!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1326282621' post='1494817'] I did a business studies course too at age 17-19 (day release). Bored me senseless (I literally slept though some of it). [/quote] Real management potential there then.

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1326275446' post='1494674'] I giged with the DB after a few weeks of ownership. In some ways you can get away with much more and it just looks and sounds better than a BG. On the other hand it is all to easy to lose intonation, [b][i]especially if you are playing quickly in tricky keys.[/i][/b] [/quote] Nobody told me I had to do that.

Yes, good article and very good comments to follow. Not sure whether I agree fully with the supposition but certainly thought-provoking. Most of the old leaders had good management, some of it related to the Mob, and perhaps that's where the real entrepreneurship came in. Having taken a qualification in management - sorry 'bout that - is the recognition of the management style continuum. By that I mean that all managers lead their team in their own individual style. On one end of the continuum is the dictator who leads his team absolutely and takes no comment, input or contribution from his team; he tells them what to do. At the other end is the passive manager whose team practically manage and dictate to him. Both are extreme examples although they exist! The fun is in between these far out styles, more towards the center where right of centre the manager is in control with a lot of input from his team and left of centre the team members have the majority of ideas and input into the outfit. And so it is with band leaders and perhaps it is more relevant to consider this rather that the entrepreneur thing. It's not only jazz but applies to all forms of music making and perhaps bcers will recognise where the centre of gravity lies in their outfits.

It looks quite interesting with those hat-peg tuners. Could have quite a bit of history. As Jake says, anything up to £1000 would be OK.

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1326204247' post='1493730'] [u]Note to beginner players or about to start gigging for the first time[/u] - Don't have multiple change over of instruments during a gig unless you are paying what you earn from the evening to your own personal guitar tech to hand you a freshly tuned instrument just thw way you like it so you are ready to go within 10secs. If you can't afford a guitar tech to do that for you (most bands don't) and think that you can get away with playing a different guitar for each song like the Edge did at Glastonbury last year...don't bother! The time you waste will only p*ss off your audience and you don't want your singer telling more crappy jokes and winding up the audience even more whilst patiently waiting for you to sort your sh*t out. Take only what you need and be sensible. You can probably tell I am a tad touchy about this topic! [/quote] WooHoo! I haven't played slab for the past thirty years but that makes an awful lot of sense.

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1325784427' post='1487682'] Actually, that is where the word 'gig' originally comes from - it was originally slang for a paying job rather than specifically a concert / performance [/quote] Dead right, Pete. It hacks me off the way people use the word gig for a concert or a performance. The Royal Correspondent's use of the word was not inappropriate. Gig came from the time when most musicians were freelance and Jewish. Having got an engagement the musician would say 'God is good'. Hence Gig.

Yes, I tend to drool a bit on gigs. Also, when I'm doing intensive practice I don't clench my teeth but finish up with a sore throat. Strange instrument, the bass!

I played my DB a while ago through a Superflightcase. As I had an outboard preamp to impedance match the piezo pickup I naturally(?) put the signal on active setting. Sound was so-so (I knew the stage was 'difficult') so I switched to passive with the gain set high. Sound much improved with a nice clear middle. Knocked the compressor out and I had the best sound possible. So pleased that I went and got a smaller Flightcase for easier load-in on smaller gigs.

Yes, Happy New Year to all you guys on the forum. No one year is all bad but I hope 2012 will bring some joy. I hope to be playing soon again after my broken arm - that's what I hope for more than anything. And we lost our 'senior' dog on Dec 27th aged 15. The junior one is pining so we have a three year old rescue Pointer lined up to keep him company. Later in the year I have a helicopter flight over the Olympic site and then of course the games themselves. Oh, and a bit of GAS perhaps? So lots to look forward to. Any resolutions out there?

A DB will go in any hatchback however small. Buy the way, anyone contemplating a double bass should consider Peter Tyler's new book 'About the Double Bass'. It is a must for anyone starting out and will cost £20 incl p&p from www.tylerbasses.co.uk. I've just read it and would recommend it to any bass player. No connection!

Hi Don. Welcome to the world of double bass. Your Genz gear should be good for double bass and will probably handle most pickups without an outboard preamp. However an outboard such as a Fishman Plat Pro will improve the sound of the pickup and do so much more, such as DI into a sound desk if you are likely to use one. It can also limit the dreaded feedback that a lot of DB players encounter from time to time. But that's for a future purchase. At a basic level there are two types of piezo pickup, the one you put under the bridge foot eg a Realist and one that goes in the bridge wing eg a Bassmax or Underwood. The former gives a quite good 'woody' sound of the bass and will sound good in your room at home but on a gig you might find it too thumpy and have difficulty cutting through the other instruments. The latter, without good eq, can be harsh, nasal and honky but once eq'd properly IMO sound good. The Bassmax seems to be a BC favorite right now. I suggest you put a wanted ad out and see what you get; possibly some kind BCer might loan you a pickup to try. These are all my personal opinions and you may find other BC views coming in but they are all valid. Best advice, get out there and enjoy the DB experience; refine your equipment in due course.

I'd politely disagree with a lot of these, they're just a tad advanced for a beginner although are great to listen to. To get into jazz you've got to know your standards - not all of them of course but their form and how jazz evolves from them. Get to know the 12, 16 and 32 bar forms. Get that sorted and you can see how Miles, Coltrane et al are so different and yet you can compare and contrast with the standard form. Rather than Bill Evans (a great fave of mine) listen to anything by Oscar Peterson. Almost all of his stuff is based on the standard form and you will hear him play the tune and then go off into improvisations. Most of the time he will have Ray Brown with him on bass and you will hear his great walking lines - I agree with Jake there! Now don't laugh, but I can go far back to when My Fair Lady came out. All the tunes were quite catchy and easy to get in your head. Soon after Andre Previn brought out a jazz version LP of all the tunes. He was on piano with Shelly Mann on drums and the very under-rated Leroy Vinegar on bass. Leroy is one of the very best walkers and that LP taught me how to improvise on a tune that I knew already and it was all I needed to get a good start on jazz bass that never left me. Good luck, with Spotify you'll get there.

Very nice, but no.

[quote name='TPJ' timestamp='1323938864' post='1468790'] The occasional "karate chop" can help combat warpage too. [/quote] And preferably with the strings slightly detuned and chopping as you re-tension them. I use the spine of a paperback to hit the top of the bridge with. I carry a 6B pencil in my wire bag to lubricate the slot if I have to change a string.

When my broken arm gets better I'd like to try a 3.0 10T combo but I've still got a PJB Flightcase in the Amp Warehouse that I haven't played yet so I'll have to be patient til the new year. Otherwise Mrs Bassace will get a bit cross - although it was one of her horses, so she owes me a lot of goodwill.

My new Clarus, 12"Wizzy and 10" Wizzy made it down to Oxfordshire in a similar time. Best service ever.

I'm sure there are cases where talent (or what you will) is inherited but not necessarily as a rule. My appreciation of music and an aptitude to play it was fostered by:- 1. A loving, supportive family who seemed to sing a lot round the house - to the light programme no less! 2. A primary school with a piano in every classroom. 3. Singing in the church choir 4. Having some good mates at secondary school, and afterwards, who liked their music, were more accomplished than me but were happy to share their knowledge and skills. My dad was a good all-round sportsman; I was rubbish.