PaulKing

Yes Martin Bailey is a big name, reputation for quality instruments really? Also Steve Laws, just down the road from Martin ... google Oakdene Music Services. Great guy, great skills, great rates, not too snobby to get something out of any bass for any kind of music. Also, Peter Tyler near Maidenhead (M4). Lovely bloke, works from home, works on all basses from £100 CCBs to 200k classics. Google him too, Peter Tyler basses. These two both understand why a cheap plywood bass is worth trying to get some decent sound out of for someone who can't afford 50k and doesn't want to play like Dragonetti.

[quote name='slobluesine' post='884674' date='Jul 3 2010, 11:14 AM']bump[/quote] cheeky pm your way jc! Despite having to get up at 7 to look after 2 babies all day ... I bloody loved playing Aint Nothing But the Booze bar with the Contenders. Stormin night... Bass on my back, no amp to carry, walk a couple hundred yards, easy! I guess the novelty of the 3am bedtime does wear off after while, but I'll be back there like a sucker. No-one fekked with my bass... Tequila seems to make people like anything you play, don't it? Don't think they've seen someone lying on the floor with the bass in the air very often either...

[quote name='bob_pickard' post='877057' date='Jun 25 2010, 06:08 AM']They have a new site - [url="http://www.slap-strings.de/shop/catalog/"]http://www.slap-strings.de/shop/catalog/[/url] and have Kays and Engelhardts in stock - swingmasters are about £1400[/quote] Haha, i just came here to post the same thing .. that's what I was looking for in the first place, lost th link. it's Thomas Schmuckers list: [url="http://www.slap-strings.de/shop/catalog/index.php?cPath=29_35"]Vintage basses[/url]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140417953881&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT"]Visit My Website[/url] 4hrs left....

[quote name='fatback' post='875428' date='Jun 23 2010, 02:04 PM']Thanks Paul Looks like I've got my spec at last: All ply, European. Adjustable bridge (matching the thread of Full Circle Pickups). Ebony board Possible replacement tail wire Strings: Innovation silverslaps Thomann 1E (Strunal) seems to fit the bill: '3/4 scale laminated bass with swelled back and ebony fingerboard, single machine heads and adjustable peg, adjustable bridge. Colour: Golden Reddish Brown. €984 inc VAT' I don't see a gear4music all-ply bass on their site. So, I'll be looking out for an aged ply bass, but if that fails, the Thomann looks like the deal. Thanks to all for the info. very much appreciated.[/quote] There is a beautiful old Selmer on ebay right now, going at £600 at the moment. That is a CLASS bass, worth a grand at least. Buy it if you can!

[quote name='bob_pickard' post='870014' date='Jun 17 2010, 04:40 PM']another "oh I really want a nice rock and roll bass" question I'm afraid Does anyone know if Rockability in Langen in Germany are still trading and selling basses?[/quote] Yeah, www.rockability.de, Markus Potts the owner. Website doesn't seem to list basses like it used to, instead links to kontrabasse-studio.de Not cheap, his basses... even if they are very cool.

All in all, I've found adjusters a useful concession. I suppose I'd rather they weren't there really, but when you swap strings or try a different style of play (eg slap) you do want to be able to tweak string height. So for a newbie setting out on the journey, or a perennial tweaker with bad GAS like me, adjusters pay off time and again. They can cause problems ... go too high and your bridge becomes unstable. They can increase feedback. But these shouldn't really be an issue if handled properly. I've had no issues with adjusters, ever. Jennifer is right I'm sure ... though i suspect the effects she's talking about really affect a carved bass with steel strings most.

[quote name='fatback' post='874451' date='Jun 22 2010, 02:43 PM']Thanks for the link. Didn't know about that site [/quote] rockabillybass.com had a sex change. It now prefers to be known as doublebasschat.com Do not fret about the carved vs hybrid vs plywood thing. Yes, a carved top or all-carved will sound better, probably. But only in a way that a classical or pro jazzer would care about. For your needs, there is NOTHING wrong with a good plywood. It is not a compromise, but a sensible practical choice. In fact a good plywood (old better than new ... but something like a Strunal 50/1 as sold at Thomann would do fine) will sound and perform better than a cheap hybrid, made with green wood that'll split. Even with a carved bass, in the UK, humidity and heat isn't really as much an issue as it is in Texas / Alaska etc. That's where basses split in the winter... A good ply bass can take all manner of treatment and still sound amazing, inside, outsiode, bowed, plucked or slapped. Good ply bass is exactly what all roots, bluegrass, country, blues, rockabilly is and was played on, by all the greats. Bill Black, Willie Dixon ... all plywood basses (eg Kay, King Mortone). There are good ply basses being made today, Strunal, Englehardt ... under a grand, delivered to your door. The strings mentioned (Innovation Silverslaps) will do perfectly well for jazz. Unless you have learned on bright steel strings and want that modern jazz / pop sound, like plenty of old jazzers you'll love the gut-like low tension, plummy fundamental sound. Ply ply ply. Antoni is not the only name to avoid.... anything with an Italian sounding name under a grand is likely (but not guaranteed) to be a bit flimsy. Strunal, from Thomann. Good basses. I thin they call them 'Thomann 2' or something.

[quote name='steviedee' post='866276' date='Jun 13 2010, 07:10 PM']Lovely bass[/quote] What was that you were saying the other day Stevie?

[quote name='oldslapper' post='834228' date='May 11 2010, 01:56 PM']I'm off to the states for a week, beg June. Whilst I'm there I usually load up with some DR fat beams for my electric basses as they are half the price. Never bought upright strings in US before, being fairly new to gigging with DB. I thought it might be an opportunity to buy a set or two that are either exclusive to the US, or are cheaper over there. For reference I play pizz Jazz, with a bit of occasional "bounce" but no slap. At the moment I'm using the same strings that came on both uprights (EUB/Acoustic). Steels, fairly taught and low action is how I'd best describe them. Quite fancy some Innovation Honeys, but can't find them on any US web sites so far. Any recommendations from the experienced upright fraternity plz would be welcomed. cheers, John[/quote] Some are cheaper, some more expensive. Innovation strings (inc Honeys), made in UK, are cheaper over here. www.soundpost.co.uk sell them about as cheap as anywhere.

[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....