PaulKing

[quote name='alanbass1' post='831106' date='May 7 2010, 11:06 PM']Nope - speaker is 8 ohms and the amp can cope down to 4 ohms[/quote] I've been wondering this too. I've bypassed the piezo as you describe (took 5 minutes...). Sure the main speaker is 8ohms. Is the piezo impedance relevant? Or does the crossover somehow make it irrelevant? Or is it so high it's irrelevant ... or something? Piezos are high aren't they? I looked at an alternative horn that one guy has used to replace his MB piezo. It was rated at 8ohms. So I got thinking ... the combo is rated at 8ohms, allowing you to link to an 8ohm extension cab. But are there 2 8ohm speakers already inside the combo? And if not, would replacing the piezo with an 8ohm horn make the cab 4ohms? I guess the speaker and piezo are not strictly in parallel because of the crossover unit ... so I'm left thinking do 2 speakers connected by crossover still represent 8 ohm load? Therefore removing one leaves the load still at 8 ohms. In other words ... now I've disconnected the piezo, I'll still be running it into 4ohms when I hook up the extension. Am I making sense?

Very interesting that. I'm getting the 121H extension this weekend, so pesumably will be able to dial in the (better) horn on that in place of the piezo on the combo. I've only gigged it once and didn't find it too offensive, but there was definitely a brightness to the click (I play slap upright ... Willie Dixon / Larry Taylor style) which I was tempted to tame, but without losing top end of the tone. Think I'll try this little experiment too then. A fellow poster over on doublebasschat.com was enquiring about the distinct hiss that comes from the piezo too, thought there was trouble there, but seems it's just normal.

Buy this one... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Upright-Double-Bass-1960s-/200465964691?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Sting_Instruments&hash=item2eacb3de93"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Upright-Double-Bass-...=item2eacb3de93[/url] there'll be another next week ... and the next... I promise, i watch ebay every day, they keep coming up week after week. Look for a 1960s B+H.

Innovations Supersilvers.

[quote name='kevbass' post='829148' date='May 5 2010, 11:25 PM']Hello good folks of basschat, this is the first time ive wandered into the double bass section as I have never so much as touched a double bass in my life, time for that to change. Now these are expensive instruments I know, but I cant really afford to throw much money at one, Ive found a 3/4 for sale at 380 quid, probbably made in a cheap factory in china no doubt but its all I can afford right now so Im going to have make do but to be honest I wouldnt know what faults to look for in a double bass, so any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks Pictures of the bass here [url="http://www.biggerbids.com/auction-image-gallery.php?auction_id=114067&image_id=588279#"]http://www.biggerbids.com/auction-image-ga...mage_id=588279#[/url][/quote] You're in no way the first to be in this position. It's almost a daily event. So tempting to send them your money and have a shiny new bass in your hands. It's very unlikely it's a GOOD bass, its quite possible its an AWFUL bass - and could actually hold back your playing, once you've got over the initial 'where do I put my hands'. Also bear in mind you might end up paying £100 - £300 in set up costs, new strings etc etc. I emplore you, first find someone who can help you buy, a player, a luthier ... anyone. Then wait, scour the ads, ebay, dealers and find a reasonable, OLD second hand bass. Good plywood basses go on ebay for £3-900 these days. If it's old, it is not falling apart (probably). It may have decent strings already, and be fully set up for playing. You will save money in the long run. You will get an infinitely better bass. You will enjoy playing it more. You will progress faster. Not sure where you are - dealers like Peter Tyler in Maidenhead often have 1 or 2 budget price old basses, and will not sell you a dud. Don't buy the CCB, please....

Bought my first bass from a place called Highfield Violins in Brum, but I think that place moved years ago. Google them though. There also used to a nice little luthier based in Stratford who did some work for me once... google again. If you can bare atrip down the M40, Peter Tyler near Reading does set ups and great luthiery. V friendly, not at all snobbish about modern cheap basses. Great bloke. SHout if you're after more guidance on set up and costs. I tendto post over on Doublebasschat.com more, but the UK feel around here is nice!

Try posting thios over at Doublebasschat.com (new name for Rockabillybass.com) Lots of Innovation fans there. If you're not registered I'll link for you?

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='618871' date='Oct 6 2009, 06:38 PM']Do tell ....[/quote] In my humble, and probably slightly snobbish opinion, they're a piece of sh*t. Many people disagree, people who's opinion I respect, and I admit to having heard their basses amplified sounding pretty bloody good ('gut' like). Listen to all the fantastic youtube clips of Romany gypsys playing whackers too ... no complaints there. For an authentic rockabilly / roots sound, they give a good approximation of plain gut (with all the limitations of gut, but not quite the fullness of tone). You have to accept that the E, and to a large extent the A are almost useless except for percussive slapping (even worse than plain gut E and A are). But (acoustically at least) they sound flat and artificial to my ear, where gut don't. Maybe it's psychological. They are a DREAM to play for slapping, so easy it takes no effort at all, meaning you can have (in fact NEED) very high string height. That partly helps compensate for the very low volume.. but not enough for me. When I've put them on a bass, I just hear how much of the tone disappears in one go ... and I can't bring myself to stick with it, despite the playability (and price). Lots of the tone goes when you put on guts too, but what's left at least feels real and rich for acoustic playing (ie recording). Whackers are such low tension, and such low volume, you lose any semblance of acoustic sustain and projection, any of the sound of the bass itself ... it feels to me like while the string is sounding, the bass is silent, you may as well play an EUB. Whackers don't have the energy to make that big wooden box do what it's designed to do. I have to admit, part of it at least is just snobbery. I have a lovely vintage bass. (Well... 3 actually...). Everything about it is evocative, I find the whole thing slightly romantic. I enjoy playing with bright modern steels when they bring out the full richness of the bass... and I enjoy nylons that make a fantastic no-compromise slapping sound ... and guts because they look, feel and sound like the real deal (although E and A don't really cut it). But plastic strimmer wire? That leaves your amazing wooden box practically dead... Even if it does amplify perfectly well I aion't having it. Did I make my point? Over at rockabillybass.com (sorry ... sex change, 'From now on I want to be known as Doublebasschat.com') I'd get three dozen perfectly respectable counter arguments. But for a moment at least I'll get my point heard over here!

I got basses strung with all gut, gut mixed with Innovation Silverslap nylons, all Innovation, and an EUB with Innovation black flatwound nylon. I got whackers on the shelf too. They're on the shelf for a reason... I'm in Ealing - happy to let fellow bassist in for half an hour to check out strings one weekend.

Yeah, swing on by when it's all back up. Some nice bass porn amongst the eternal gut vs steel bickering. And some seriously good bassists with wisdom to share. PS ... see my bass for sale...

Peter Tyler in Maidenhead would value it for you too. Find him on google. But that £4k price could be right, maybe a bit on the high side.

[quote name='fatgoogle' post='582826' date='Aug 27 2009, 07:55 PM']So I picked it up, its loud, and will do the job. But it defiantly needs the action lowered, and was wondering how much this generally costs, to have done. Im presuming i cant do it, because the bridge will need to be moved of done something with.[/quote] First thing to check - string height could be too high because bridge is in wrong place. The centres of the bridge feet should line up with the little notches cut into the f-holes. If your bridge is higher up thqan this, it could make the strings a couple of mm too high. So follow the noptes below to re-position the bridge. If that's not the problem, you can still do some DIY and save oodles of quid on luthier fees. Taking off the bridge is really not that scary. 1) Lie the bass flat. Do not pick it up again until you have finished this procedure... 2) Loosen off all the strings, each one a bit at a time to keep the pressure relatively even on the bridge. 3) When the strings are really quite loose, you'll be able to topple the bridge over easily. Make sure the tailpiece doesn't drop onto the surface of the bass and scratch it. 4) Take off the bridge to do whatever you need to do... 5) Reposition bridge, starting with it lying flat, feet pointing towards bottom of bass. Than lift the top up underthe strings, slotting the strings into the notches, making sure they don't catch under the fingerboard. Also make sure the tailgut (wire that connects the tailpiece to end pin) runs over the little wooden saddle at the bottom of the bass. 6) Good idea at this point to scrape a little pencil lead into the bridge notches to lubricate the strings. 7) Slide around the bridge until in the right place, check strings run centrally along fingerboard, then start tightening strings, again each one just a bit at a time. 8) As tension gets higher, watch the bridge doesn't pull towards the neck. if it does, just push it back so that the feet are flat, and the bridge at 90degrees to the top of the bass. 9) When strings are almost full tension, pick up the bass and finish off tuning. To adjust the string height ... 1) Work out how much you want to lower height by (typical steel string heights for jazz are around 5-8 mm, normally heighest on E string.) 2) Draw a line vertically down from centre of each existing string notch. 3) Mark points on those lines xmm beneath existing notch. Then using a small round file, slowly deepen the notch (without widening if you can) until you reach that line. 4) You could put the bridge back on like this, but you'll have deep notches, which can affect the sound. 5) Ideally the notches should be only half the thickness of the string, so you should really sand off any excess wood from the top. Best to draw a line that follows the existing contour, that runs half a string thickness above your new notches. then sand down to this line. 6) Make sure the notches are smooth and rounded, no sharp edges. Scrape some pencil lead into them. Job done. Sounds scary, but isn't really... Cheap decent pick ups: David gage Realist for jazz; Underwood, K+K BassMax, Revolution Solo II, Shadow 950 for all purposes. That'll do for starters. All around 100+ quid

I have an identical bass ... it's beautiful, one of the warmest, easiest playing, nicest basses I've ever owned (of about a dozen so far, including two vintage Kays). Mine's been refinished in blonde, sweet. Yours in original fiish? I've never seen one in decent conditon, what's it look like? But I've no idea of the exact year. Where did you get that from or is it an educated guess ... certainly late 60's is closest I can get, and I spoke to the Czech woman who was in charge of exports to B+H in the 60s!! FYI I reckon it was made at the factory which is now Strunal. Anyway. Sounds like you're struggling on with the wheels... First advice would've been to lie bass flat, loosen strings, pop bridge down, hook tailpiece off end pin, whip out end pin assembly, file or cut retaining lugs off end pin, put back together... but you've sorted that one. Next tip - 8mm pins are pretty poor usually. Thomann stock a pretty affordable, cork-lined 10mm end-pin assembly ..though you'll have to pay someone to fit it, or risk some woodwork fitting it into your end block. But in the long run they're much more solid, no rattles, no bending... but cash. That's double bass eh?

[quote name='Adi' post='556048' date='Jul 30 2009, 12:02 PM']Thanks for the tip TPJ, this is going to be my next project, I'll post the results, maybe even with sound files.[/quote] B+H never made any string instruments as far as I know, just imported. Golden Strads were Hungarian made, and (I believe) all solid top. More like 1960s / 70s though. The other common model from that time was the Excelsior (a name they applied to many student instruments, brass and woodwind), at least some of them being Czech made under the Artia label, coming from the Luby factory that now make Strunal basses. I've owned both models, and still play the Excelsior. Both lovely sounding basses. This 400 looks most like an Excelsior type. But it's more recent. Still, likely it is Czech made, possible even from same factory as the earlier Excelsiors. Which would essentially make it a Strunal bass. Sort of.

I played with one of these last week (thought the sound was very mid-rangey for my bass). Instructions recommended rubbing Roisin dust onto feet and bass surface. Creates sticky patch to stop the sliding. Standard practice for many bassists to keep the bridge secure, even without a pickup in the way.