PaulKing

Crikey how times have changed. Or not. Back in the day there was not just a thread devoted to this topic, there was an entire forum, with hundreds of members posting non stop all day. Remember rockabillybass.com anyone? From what I remember this was the consensus: Gut is best. Or steel. Or if you prefer, nylon. Of course personal taste may lead to a combination, or you can make your own out of lawn mowers. A high set up is best for slap, although super low is best too. Pull the strings hard straight out, or sideways, with one finger or two or whichever you want, or your whole palm. Call the techniques whatever you want, only Joe Zinkan and Kim Nekroman really know their names. Pickups are important, on the bridge, under the bridge, behind the neck but never a mic. Unless you use a mic. Don't need a bow ;o)

Hi slappers. Just chiming in here. Pretty much +1 to what Rabbie's been saying. I never got on 100% with plain gut E, or A for that matter. They certainly have appeal ... but overall they just don't cut it. Pizz is hopeless, definition and articulation limited. They pretty much ONLY sound any good for acoustic slapping ... then they are the real deal. I've been really happy with Cordes Lambert for a long time, the GT47 wrapped E and A, while as fat as plain gut, give better definition and sustain than plain gut, slap nice and easy, and match plain gut (or nylon) G and D better than anything. I currently have them with a Lenzner D and Lambert G (cos the Lanzner snapped, damn) and they are almost indistinguishable from each other. But this week I pulled the trigger on the new Evah P slaps - well jut the E and A. Straight out of the packet I was blown away. A few days later I [i]think [/i]I'm sold, with a few creeping reservations. The sound is not quite as full and strong as Cordes Lambert, very slightly less fundamental thump. The slap is perceptibly cleaner and less woody, a bit more clinical like wrapped gut. For acoustic work, you can just about hear the difference. But overall, they offer much better pizz - more precise, defined and articulated. I don't find the E dead at all ... funnily enough I'd say the A is the slightly weaker on my bass. I'd say they were more lively than Lamberts ... albeit it slightly lacking that room shaking thump. Overall a tad weaker, but more focussed. As ever I think it's a trade off .. I need to try them amplified to make a final judgement. For the money ... probably not worth it if you can get your hands on Cordes Lambert and you want to play lots of acoustic slap. But definitely worth it as a multi-purpose string. I can also highly recommend [b]Innovation Braided Solo (140BS) .. [/b]they are remarkably similar to the new Evahs in look feel and sound, fraction higher tension even when tuned down to concert pitch, but practically identical tone. The click is crisp and restrained, compared to the plasticky boing you often get with SilverSlaps or Rockabillys (and the harsh clank you get with most steel wrapped strings). Much cheaper than Evah's too, though you might have to buy a full set ... which is similar in price to the E and A Evah P.

+1 for Korg Pitchblack, great tuner, clear display even under dodgy stage lights.

I've got a set of these which aren't original to my bass. So they're going to come off. Original 70s. I'm not a Rickenbacker type, but I expect there are people who'd find these tuners nice to put on a project, or a vintage 4001 that needs pimping. I'm an upright kind of guy really so don't know much about geetars, esp Rickenbackers. Is this the best place to find the Rickenbacker crowd?

Yeah I knew that was for sale, I wuz gonna post here but never got round to it. Welcome to the club! Mines still main gigging bass, with lamberts and underwood. I think I'm the reason yours is set up like that too Nice score.

Ah you're gonna love that bass. I had exact same model direct from factory. I think they all sound like that, really powerful. I think in 10 yrs they will sound amazing. If I hadn't got into fancy vintage nonsense I'd still playing it.... What strings you going for?

No-one ever plays the bass properly, like Willie Dixon did on original Listen to what he plays over the 5... and his 8th notes that drive the pace now and then. And of course the thump of an upright... ;o) That's what makes it NOT a substandard 12bar blues rock song, like what most of us churn out.

View full screen, you can see it all... Look at bridge at the start, he's bashed it on the way, sitting at crazy angle, he's looking at it thinking 'uh-oh', then sure enuff the whole thing goes boom and drops out, leaving his strings flailing about. Smile and carry on... Ah the https:! Posting from work, that'll explain. I tried the embed link and cut and paste and insert link and none worked. But now my foolishness is rectified, many thanks!

Even the gods get caught out. Just smile and keep playing ... watch Ray Brown's face... How do I embed in this goddam forum?? [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4rQYlXQYk8#t=104"]https://www.youtube....rQYlXQYk8#t=104[/url]

Thanks Rabbie - I'd love to try those too! Hey, Debouchet's in a different league to amateurs like me, but cheers!

... and then if I like them more than Lamberts ... those other 2 basses will need them on too. Agh

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1411641577' post='2561403'] So is he no longer associated with Cordes Lambert? And out of interest are the new Pirastro strings guts? [/quote] He still stands by Lamberts as best full nylon/whacker set. He's working with Pirastro to develop an affordable E and A to balance perfectly with a selected plain gut G and D, specifically for slappity slappity. He's gone for a wrapped synthetic (nylon) E and A (rather like, err...Lamberts I guess .... pulls quizzical Austin Powers type expression) So this'll be the next 'must have' string for me, but I'm guessing it'll come in around £250-£300 a set, for a fractional improvement on Lamberts. I better start saving, cant resist...

Just chatting with Nic Dubouchet, french slapper extraordinaire, about his new/soon-to-be-released Pirastro signature string set (exciting!!) Remembered this little Dubouchet tribute I did by copying a little ditty he posted online once. Wish I could get stuff like this in live... ;o) [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZrufPYrMPo&list=UUrOlaBkAkN1yrRQLtUmRGxA&index=10"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZrufPYrMPo&list=UUrOlaBkAkN1yrRQLtUmRGxA&index=10[/url]

... and make sure everyone is prepared for the upright to lack the punch and definition you get with e-bass on stage. Amplifying this beast is not for the faint hearted, and getting anything like the power of a loud electric is quite a challenge. Don't give up though, its worth it... I've started doing some rocksteady in my jump blues band, it caught Gaz Mayall's eye and he took us to Glastonbury because of it!! [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4jz-x-OrCY"]https://www.youtube....h?v=l4jz-x-OrCY[/url]

And of course Lamb, in a trip-hop / dnb stylee. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auzkkhKxMsE[/media] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY1qETRJN-c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY1qETRJN-c[/url]

Oh jeez of course, Red Snapper.

Photek, the Hidden Camera EP... Amazing stuff. DnB... links added above...

Early tracks by Photek had killer bass samples... I'll find the names. Edit: Hidden Camera EP [media]httP://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrnyAheEmgA[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6phlbyUUIB0[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyL-jS5L4BM[/media]

Keeponehandloose, you're up to 2 Kay's now? Ace! M1 and S9? Where did the blondie come from? I could bring Kay and King Mortone, both pre 1940...

Yeah I'd be up for that, family diary permitting. All my basses have guts and Lamberts... I can share a bit of slappity too, though I wouldn't claim a masterclass!

I don't know that pick up well so can't comment - sits under feet of bridge like a Realist doesn't it? Shadow make good pick ups though, so I'd stick with it now unless you just can't get good results. Their SH950 wing pickup is a direct copy of the classic Underwood http://www.underwoodpickups.com ... although, as many people only use one element of the Underwood pickup, the Shadow single element version always seemed a good bet! Shadow available from Thomann.com, Underwood only on eBay or direct from States with ridiculous duty to pay. Often can pick one up for £30-£60 on eBay , pounce if you see one, can always pass on at no loss.

Definitely go Innovation at this stage in the game (or Presto ... like what Mr Clarky says) I'd say Innovation Silverslaps rather than Rockabillies ... though there ain't much in it. For slapping in particular, the Supersilvers give a woodier gut-like percussion (better for rockabilly), while the Rockabillies give a brighter plasticky clack. Worst name choice ever by Innovation ... the Rockabillies are NOT best for rockabilly. They're great for pizz though, and have a slightly more defined sound than the Silverslaps. Supersilvers are the same as Silverslaps just higher tension and so more focussed sound too. As for switching strings ... yeah lie it on its back, change two at a time ... outside and inside to keep tension even ideally. Don't stress though .. most cheap basses you can take them all off without post falling (usually fitted too tight, like those Gedo basses ... shouldn't stay in place shipped upright unless they are way too tight!). It might fall if you're unlucky ... that's part of the fun. Anyway, everyone should be able to reset their sound post. It's a right royal PIA and part of the joy of owning a db ;o)

Welcome to the dark side. Prepare to be troubled by this for the rest of your life ... so embrace it and enjoy! You're covering the two essential problems of amplifying double bass here ... replicating natural acoustic sound, and getting feedback-free volume. [b]Natural tone:[/b] You can pretty much forget trying to recreate acoustic sound by any other way than sticking a microphone in front of your bass. The only flaw in this method is that you're still mighty prone to feedback, so only low volume works really well, and you need some separation from the bloody drummer. But it's the only way. Otherwise, various combinations of piezo pick-ups and microphones can get a pretty natural acoustic tone, but it will never be the real sound of the bass (to your ears at least ... fine to the audience). The task is just to decide what sort of tone you like, and find the right pickups to do it. For jazz at low volume, a David Gage Realist is all you'll need to add some prominence to your bottom end. Many jazzers claim it gives natural tone - I won't have it, my theory is they're used mainly in situations where the acoustic mids and highs of the bass cut through enough on their own, the realist just lifts the bottom end to make the whole thing appear louder. My personal favourite for cheap, simple, controllable, reliable, comfortable tone is the Underwood pickup. Never goes wrong. Your amp will make a difference too - most bass amps have their own characteristics and colour the sound. Great for e-bass ... death to a natural double bass sound. Research the various 'transparent' bass amps that upright players like ... I like Markbass, there are plenty other options. [b]Feedback[/b]: Is your pickup is properly mounted? (You don't mention what sort you have ... some are notoriously prone to feedback). A wing pick up too tightly or loosely fitted can pinch the sound, force you into too much gain and signal:noise ratio ... all leading to more feedback. Next thing is your EQ/preamp settings. Keep gain down, try not to go too far over mid way. Use master volume to control level. Some people actually crank master control all the way up and adjust gain to set stage level - which ensures gain is at lowest level possible. If your pre-amp has a phase switch, try it ... can sometimes suddenly remove feedback at the flick of a switch. If your preamp has a low-cut/depth control use that too ... it can ditch barely audible low frequencies and tighten up your sound - both more natural and less feedback prone. Some people go for 31 band EQs which mean you can dial out feedback frequencies. I'm sure it works, but it's a bit overkill really. Also, don't fall into the mistake of automatically scooping your EQ ... unlike ebass, you'll almost always want to cut some of the bottom end to avoid a boomy, muddy sound that suffers from bottom end feedback. Fishman Pro Platinum is a great bit of kit. A bit bulky, but a one stop double bass tamer: - Phase switch - Depth (=low cut) control - Very sensitive, well selected EQ bands - Compressor - Transparent sound - Line, Tuner and DI outs ... What more could you want? (Yes I use one ... ) Just don't bother with the BP100 pickup .. nasty scratchy nasal devil's work. If you have to have a Fishman have a Full Circle. Boss GEB7 is widely used and very effective, use it for now. Just don't boost the gain too much ... ANd make sure you have a Boss power supply unless you want lots of hissy noise... Another option - damping/muffling. I use f-hole covers to cut the acoustic volume. Others find them a cheat, but they work in an instant, no feedback! Others use foam wedges under tailpiece/neck to dampen the vibration of the bass body. That works too, though no doubt affects the overall resonance of your bass, and so subtly affects the tone too. You can always use a mag pickup and steel strings too ... combined with a piezo you can get certain great tones (Ian Jennings for example), but to my ear there'll always be a hint of e-bass to it... plus it's just wrong ) Ultimately, your best amplified tone may not be quite like the bass itself.. indeed it may even be better. For example, I get better amplified tone from two of my basses than the third - although that one has the best acoustic tone of the lot. Happy fiddling.