Silvia Bluejay

Jokes aside, welcome Shawn. It's a beeeautiful instrument. This is yours truly lovingly hugging hers:

Ooooooooo...... I know that grammar isn't exactly what matters about that bass, but I can't help wondering where they got that name. "Stiloso" may be correct, if old-fashioned and not in use nowadays, but grammar would require "Lo" as opposed to "Il" as the appropriate article - Lo Stiloso. Oh, well. /end of pedantic rant/

COPYCAT!!!!

Very, very useful. Thank you.

I adore my NXT (which cost around a grand) but it sounds and feels nothing like a real DB - the £300 HB is closer to a double bass in shape, sound and - er - unwieldiness

Bumping this to get more suggestions in! I flooded Cerberus Cell's FB page with links to London music pubs and venues, but I guess they may need more suggestions for outside London too.

OK - I can't comment on the Stagg as it's actually different from my NXT. As for the Harley Benton, yes, that's exactly what I've got, only in black rather than sunburst, as I wasn't sure whether the paint job it might look cheap, given the price. The reason why I chose the cheapest was that I wanted to make it left-handed by myself - which I did with reasonable success - without losing a cartload of money if somethng went wrong. My comments above still stand. You get what you pay for, I guess.

When you mention the Harley Benton, do you mean the entry model 500 as in my signature? If it's that one, it's very basic, but IMO decent value for money. You may find that you prefer to install a set of new strings, and that the headphones output is really quiet, and that the fingerboard is painted and therefore will get your hands dirty for a while. On the other hand, the sound obtained with the DB setting is closer to a real DB than the same setting on my NS NXT, for instance (which I seem to remember is similar to the Stagg you mention?), which suggests that the more traditional shape and the active electronics may make a difference. Perhaps you could point us to the exact models you are talking about, for comparison?

Good question. When I was helping with one of my ex's bands we did the tax thing too, but it was more than 10 years ago, so my experience is probably not relevant now. I seem to remember that the IR (HMRC) objects if you run a loss on a certain business for more than a number of years, and asks you to close it down? Would be interesting to hear more recent experiences.

Anyone else received this link to a petition from Bass Gear on Twitter about flying with instruments? Been going on for a few weeks, by the look of it. I signed it (The most relevant info appears [i]after[/i] you sign). [url="http://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/news-events/2012/06/12/musical-instruments-on-planes-sign-the-petition-now/"]http://www.musicians...e-petition-now/[/url]

Yup, very true. I know that Fast Fret is a shortcut, in a way, and using lemon oil is the done thing, but I find that FF is all right, and quick, and slightly less hassle, for a fingerboard that's simply a bit dry as opposed to needing an overhaul. Incidentally, the directions on the Fast Fret container state the following: "Rub stick firmly over strings and fingerboard, before and after playing", which seems to imply more than just getting a bit of oil on the wood while cleaning the strings. I knew about the fret polishing cloths. I need to buy some, in fact

+1 to the above. Fingerboards seem to dry out more quickly in bright light, at least in my living room, which is sunny, British weather permitting, and relatively warm (but the basses are in a slightly cooler corner, protected by a curtain). My basses have rosewood and ebony fingerboards; I haven't had the opportunity to work on the ebony yet, but I've cleaned the rosewood ones with Fast Fret - it does say on the container that it's safe for fingerboards! - and they are now as smooth as new. The thin layer of mineral oil applied with the normal Fast Fret brush is completely absorbed after a couple of days max, and leaves no residue.

LOL!!!

Wow. Fantastic. Thank you for that vid and your detailed explanation.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1340647094' post='1707565'] No it isn't. [/quote] How dare you

That's very true.

Well, when I was a Music Wife I would join in the threesome I'm sure she's happy to see you happy.

We should add "upside down bass" to the list, then. (As in, lefty bass player picking up a bass guitar that's not suitable...)

Excellent! Liked your band on FB. Great to see you're getting addicted to the DB - way to go

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1340622948' post='1707037'] Bluejay, you have me confused, I'm Space Chick, not Seashell and live in South Wales, so websites need to be very far west of London! [/quote] No, Don't worry, I did mean to call out to Shelley in a deliberately over-dramatic way. I think what you girls started is awesome and should be continued! Shelley regularly travels to the west of London, so we could copy you girls and go to a gig as well. Not to mention that all of us could meet up at some point!

[quote name='MandShef' timestamp='1340613665' post='1706835'] Andy, I reckon each style has it's strengths & weaknesses. I envy you shuffle/blues/folk players ability to improvise - I'm fine with sheet music in front of me, but get way out of my comfort zone if asked to play along to something with no music to prompt me! Reckon we can learn from each other [/quote] +1!!

[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1340620220' post='1706975'] [i]Nice one - better than most blokes stories that go a little like -" fancy a pint " & then get pissed, end up fighting/having man-hugs.Or is that just me!!![/i] [/quote] LOL not just you - believe this non-drinker who's seen it all

YAY!! Jealous. Seashell!!! Where are you? We need another meetup-cum-adventure and make this a long-running thread of awesomeness *goes off to check out the websites of West London venues for cool gigs*

OK, trying to look to the bright side here. Look at my case. In theory, I could solve my problem with the British weather (and possibly that with loneliness) by moving back to Italy, since I'm self-employed and could keep working with my UK clients with only a minor reduction in work made available to me. Yet, at the moment, as in the past, and in the foreseeable future, I willingly choose to put up with maximum June temperatures of 18 degrees with added wind and rain, and a 2000 mile distance from my tiny family, because I genuinely believe that this is a better country to live in than anywhere else in Europe. Better prospects of economic recovery, a government which may be a disaster in our eyes but is miles ahead when compared to most of its counterparts in Europe, fellow citizens who by and large are hard-working and law-abiding, a tolerant society... I could go on. So let's not despair too badly - we need to be strong and hang in there.

I think you should sort of pull the double bass against yourself while playing? That way, the bass's width itself should allow you to stand at the correct distance from the strings, and also allow your plucking arm to be at a comfortable angle. That's why uprights usually have a spacing bracket (but it doesn't feel as comfortable or look as cool as a real DB!). Edit: I guess it's a matter of finding the centre of gravity of you plus your DB as a group, without putting pressure on your hands or wrists. Also, it's good to make sure the endpin is not slipping.