bassace

Ah, the well known Bowie song 'The man who failed to earth'.

Enjoy your break. It won't do you any harm and it'll in all probability refocus your view on bass playing, the world etc etc and you'll emerge from it all refreshed. I took several years out when I was your age and I'm sure I came out a bit more rounded. There's a saying that goes 'What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?' Think about it and apply it to bass playing - or any other interest, really.

I don't think you'll have a problem at all. You did not say what strings you're using; some are more tune-stable than others, particularly Spiros. If you are going to do this regularly I'd recommend laying your bass down on its back, completely dutuning the E and slipping it off the bridge and top nut. Then get a soft pencil, something like a 6B, and coat the nut and bridge slots with graphite. That'll give the string an easy slide when tuning back from D to E and there will be less risk of pulling the bridge out of line. Incidentally, it's well known that if you completely detune the strings and then bring them back up to pitch they will sound much brighter for about a week. I put a post on TB recently to ask if anyone does this regularly between gigs. The consensus was NO mainly due to the difficulty in keeping some strings, particularly guts, in tune afterwards.

Musician's Union gives you insurance up to £2k.

I've no experience of the Shadow so I'm hardly qualified to offer advice - however; Rather than rough up a part of the bass or pickup you could try sticking a pice of masking tape to one or both faces of the pickup. From other pickups I've done this to it shouldn't have any effect on the sound. Failing that, thin rubber (cycle inner tube?) should guarantee a slip free result. Incidentally, I'd be interested in contact details of your guy in Cheltenham. If you don't want to put him on the forum perhaps you could PM me.

Good start, Marley. One day you'll be so famous you will have your own camera man.

I bet at least 50% of the clammy hands and butterflies will be down to the excitement of looking forward to a new challenge. Go and enjoy it, you'll do fine - you're a bass player!

Respect!

Two rules:- 1. Always wear something suitable for the audience you are entertaining (like the man said, a cooler version of your audience) 2. Always wear good shoes.

[quote name='Clarky' post='537802' date='Jul 11 2009, 11:51 AM']Bassace had a nice looking German 1960s plywood bass on for £900 - check the FS section[/quote] Thanks for the plug Clarky but I didn't have much interest at the time so I thought it was a lost cause. I've become so attached to it all over again that I'll withdraw it when I get round to it.

[quote name='Shaggy' post='536553' date='Jul 9 2009, 04:07 PM']2500 V.......[i]pah[/i], the X-ray tubes I use (I'm a radiographer) use 100,000+ V !!!! OK, so my body hair fell out and I grew an extra testicle but so what......... [/quote] So it [i]is [/i]true!

This is very worrying. I'm considering a Schroeder for my next cab. Hmm. Anyway, thanks to you guys for posting your experiences; that's what Basschat's for.

I'm coming at this from a double bass angle. 1. the maker's literature includes the DB and other acoustic instruments as suitable with the para whereas it doesn't with the bass, and 2. I've found that the mid control is everything; most times you can leave the other two alone.

[quote name='ase_one23' post='534946' date='Jul 7 2009, 05:39 PM']there's one on ebay the now man![/quote] Thanks for that.

I've posted a wanted ad in the, er, wanted ads. Does anybody have one going spare?

[quote name='endorka' post='532193' date='Jul 4 2009, 12:54 AM']Tomorrow morning it's an outdoors trad gig with no power, so everything acoustic. Sax/clarinet, guitar, drums, double bass. It's going to be hard work! Jennifer[/quote] May be slightly easier than you think, Jennifer, because the bass seems to carry well outdoors. It's the clari player I have some sympathy with.

Never have in 50 years so had quite an easy ride. However, I always pull my weight in setups, some gig-getting and as much as without treading on the boss's toes. In acknowledgement to Courtney Pine I'm known as the Jazz Worryer. Bit difficult to lead from the double bass but I'd like to get a band round me sometime for a few festival gigs.

Reminds me of the old joke, which I'll quote very badly, about the married couple who hadn't spoken to each other for the past five years. The went to Relate and in order to break the impasse the counsellor wheeled in a double bass and played a solo. People always talk over a solo.

[quote name='Spoombung' post='530826' date='Jul 2 2009, 05:16 PM']I always enjoy that incredibly flat, anti-climatic moment when you're watching a jazz band and there's a few looks between band members and the bass solo starts. Everything just grinds to a halt. The drummer looks embarrassed and just stops to make way for a gloriously out- of- tune walking bass line... which is nearly always what the bass player was playing under the song, anyway.[/quote] Doesn't have to be like that.

With my regular band, a 7-piece Chicago mainstream band - there are so many musicians to take solos that I don't get many and it doesn't bother me unduly, after all I'm part of the engine room. I'll get a half thrown at me sometimes and I'll take two choruses in the final barnstormer. I'll pick up the bass and walk it right to the front of the stage so the others know what's happenng. Otherwise all the others know what to do; if it's slow it's usually unaccompanied with a hint of drums and if it's up-tempo the hihat usually rides with me. the piano can nurdle around a bit if he wants to but rhythm from the guitar is a no no. We once had a piano dep who played right over my solo and I had to tell him to SHUT UP. If I'm depping I always have a chat with whoever's the boss re bass solos - what does he want to do about them? I don't usually want too many at all, unless it's a trio and I'm needed to pull my weight. Always the same, a hint of drums and/or piano underneath the solo and throw anything at me. If I don't know the chords I shouldn't be playing in the first place.

I've just sold a Realist to JakesBass. Perhaps he could pass on his experience. Otherwise, as you say, it may come down to a 'what pickup' thread.

[quote name='subaudio' post='527768' date='Jun 29 2009, 02:49 PM']That's a very kind offer thank you, I have a Shadow Sh 950 on my Zeller, would you know how these differ from the underwood ? I was thinking either of those or a realist[/quote] I've no experience of the Shadow but I understand that it is very similar to the Underwood. A lot of people like the Realist; I found that it had a good strong sound but would choke when the volume was cranked up. Different basses suit different pickups - there is no generalisation. Did your new bass have a pickup fitted?