Rabbie

Hahahaha! Awesome. I was never that bother with the tuning thing much. You just check your tuning a bit more often; it’s not like it takes a long time. And once they settle in, they get much better.

Thanks mate. For slapping, Lamberts are awesome, I have had a couple of sets in the past. I did eventually turn back to guts though...just better in my opinion of course.

Yep, you are indeedy correct. At least at present. And probably forever because I dare say research into making a double bass string sounding exactly like gut is possibly gonna cost more than what it’s going to profit.

Good point Jez. The inner devil’s advocate tells me that as double bass player we hardly contribute to mass slaughters, but still, the synthetic options have got to be the future.

For years I played gut strings. It had a lot to do with slapping (which I no longer do a lot of) and playing roots music (which I still do on occasions). then I turned veggie and decided I could no longer justify playing animal insides (please let’s not discuss the ethics of this on a bass forum, because people tend to feel strongly about this stuff and it may derail the purpose). Since that, I love my Spiros but always struggle with the “intrusive and abrasive” (to my ears) nature of the G and (to a lesser extent, D). out of sheer desire, I just went back to gut G and the Oliv D that I could not sell on the forum and oh! It’s heaven!! i kept my Spiro mitts A and Spiro Stark E and honestly I don’t struggle with tension changes across the strings. At the end of the day Charlie Haden, whom I adore, played guts and Spiros for ever. however, my ethical dilemma about animal products remains. Who’s gonna finally come up with the perfect gut substitute?

End please. Keeping it.

Yep, the high-ish action and tough Spiros work for me, but I’m a fairly big person and I have been playing for years with people that love the acoustic tone above all, very old school. There are lots of ways to make music, there are a few players I follow that fly around that fingerboard with low action and would never dream to play without an amp: they sound great. Charlie Haden played guts and nobody ever complained they didn’t hear him, so... each has their own way and we all try to make music, that’s the important thing.

The scratches on the back are nothing to worry about. You are at the beginning of your journey on double bass so I would take the bass that seems structurally more sound. They are both student instruments, and they will both be fine for a long time, until your ear and taste develop. Whatever instrument you buy, always have a couple of hundred pounds aside for a luthier bill (at the very least). If it were me, I would keep away from the first one, not so much because of the cracks, but because you don’t know how well they have been repaired. I would take the second one, get a basic set up from a luthier, pick up a decent second hand set of strings and then concentrate on learning to play it and have fun. Hope this helps.

I’d take a good pickup for part exchange or swapsies too...

Swapsy-wise I’d entertain part exchange on pickups or new Spiros (mitts or heavy, not Weichs)

I entertain offers on this Oliv D. It’s the top of the line wrapped gut string, would obviously suit someone who already has an Oliv G or anyone who wants that gut sound, but a bit more presence on the D string instead of the floppy gut thud. It is brand new and never fitted, just not the sound I need.

New, unused and in original packet, the dream D, wrapped top quality gut. Best online price £108.

Same. Big festivals, small stage changeover times, bad backlines, disinterested/indie-minded sound guys. To be honest I’m glad to have drifted away from that kind of performance, but if I ever get the call, I’d gladly do a dep job, in which case the mag pickup is ready...

My advice is Vintage Revolution Acoustic Box II. It does what the Felix does and it’s a bit cheaper. It’s actually changed my game entirely. I don’t do super loud gigs anymore, but even if I did, I would use whatever backline I find in the venue as long as I put the Vintage Rev Box in front of it. Made in the Netherlands by a lovely Italian chap who is really passionate about it.

It’s only through pain that thou shalt find salvation....🤦🏻‍♂️🐒😁 under the blisters nice calluses are waiting, then the holy grail of the double bass player will reveal itself: taking teabags out of the cup without the need for a teaspoon (what’s a few germs amongst friends...)