Rabbie

A book on yoga (or a bottle of vodka -whatever you prefer). You will accumulate a lot of frustration in the first year and you will need a way to wind down... BUT you will love every single minute of it, it will fill up your life and (almost) nothing else will give you so much pleasure ever again... Best of luck!

[quote name='paddy109' timestamp='1410204076' post='2547138'] Plays right and left handed - one cool cat. [/quote] Not to mention feet! I'm off to practice...

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1410195297' post='2547009'] Funny how the cartoons always put cello pegs on. I know, pedantic sod. [/quote] Yeah, apart from the cello pegs, everything else is totally accurate... Honestly though, Tom's my number one inspiration. I wish I could continue with the same aplomb when I get hit by objects flung on stage by the audience...

It's totally personal. Basically choose the lowest action which allows you to grab the strings whilst relaxing and avoiding tension, so you can bounce happily on the fingerboard without feeling you are hammering nails into it. After years of experimenting I have been now settled for a fairly long time on an action going from 11mm G to 15mm E. I think on my other bass is even a smidge higher... I play gut strings apart from the E which is a Nylon-copper-nylon prototype made by the brilliant Thomas Schmucker in Germany and since then sold as the Gut-A-Like twister E, which marries the guts very well and doesn't unwind. As far as I know, I tried just about everything and this is what I love. Although not at all a pure jazzer set up, I like it and it serves me very well for pizz too, although in that department I ain't no Scott LaFaro.

Ok thanks Pete, sorry for jumping to conclusions about your band being stage-loud. I have never tried the Shaller per se, but as I said magnetic p'ups are fine for a certain kind of sound. All pickups produce a sound which is not like the acoustic sound of your bass, mag pickups probably more so, but you may like it and be able to get a great sound out if it. Good luck

Pete, I'm struggling to understand this. Mag pickups are great if your reason is to capture a certain kind of sound, but purely for feedback? You are on the forum a lot so I'm sure you already know all the products out there, which leads me think that maybe the band you play with may have serious stage volume issues. I play everything from small club to big festivals and I do it all with a revolution solo or similar, either straight into my amp or via Fishman if I'm using a stage back line bass amp. I have zero feedback issue normally (unless the sound guys are morons). All I'm saying is that these days very high stage volume and feedback are unnecessary regardless of the genre of music you play. Get them to turn down, use amps as stage monitoring only and mic/di amps to get a good front of house balance. Nowadays PA systems with sufficient channels are available second hand very cheaply in case you play places who don't have a decent PA. Just a thought, otherwise you will always run the risk of fighting a loosing battle against feedback.

Thank you Paddy, I think I'll pull the trigger on one of these.

I'm on the market for a better soft case and I am looking at the Tom and Will, but they don't seem to have wheels (not a deal breaker for me but I just wanted to make sure I'm looking at the right ones).

Do the people who use these samples then perform live with double bass on stage? (Pardon the obtuse question, but it is a genuine query as this style is a whole new world to me).

Same photo posted twice, sorry!

Here are my pals: - Custom made Duke with guts, Ben Bastin wooden end pin, Blast Cult bridge and pickup - Chadwick Folding bass for touring, currently wearing Gut-a-like deluxe, which are very reliable for festival outdoor gigs. Pickup of this one is a Rev Solo. PLus toy hoover, toy kitchen and toy pram (Mr Tumble DVD just out of shot Burrito, I feel your pain bro) [sharedmedia=core:attachments:168545]

Hi Jaywalker, I agree with you. 1950s is indeed my thing. The speed and dexterity debate is annoying as too many times players are accused of virtuosism, rather than being praised by other somewhat jealous players who cannae do it (like me: I cannae do it, but I'm not jealous at least). And as you rightly say, swing can be swung in many ways. The way I have been used to play, I sound terrible with low action, just can't adjust to it. Ultimately, every player studies thousands of hours in the hope of getting "their own sound". I have found mine, I am happy with it and I shall stick to it. Not saying it's great, but it's mine (like my brain, pretty thick, but mine). However I appreciate, and sometimes love, all kinds of DB players. It's not about who's best, it's about serving your preferred music, and there's so much music that we are all very much needed. If everyone played like one another, we'd be all fighting for the same gig and it would not be pretty (but the high action guys would probably win - joking!)

I slap 70% of the time and I play guts. Even when playing pizz I am used to my high action. I could not slap and play with the physicality I like with a 5mm action: it would actually be physically impossible with my size of fingers to get under the strings and pull them up to produce the slap. Volume is also important to me and a low action does sacrifice it. Instrument setup is subjective, I am only offering my experience politely. I am truly sorry if that would have made Ray Brown angry, but I think I will survive the disappointment.

Contender for best reply ever Paul.

Just to play devils advocate here. Fast playing and low action may be great for speed and fingertips, but it may sacrifice a bit on volume, tone and the ability to swing. I play with a rather high action 13-16mm and gut strings. I can't do fast and flash with my setup, but I will be heard on the moon, amp or not. This power actually helps me swing, allows me to slap and leaves me no shortage of gigs. If I don't need to be loud, I can just play softer, the fingers have the scope to control your sound. All I'm saying is that it may come the time when you get a gig which requires these characteristics and having a very low action will preclude you from it. In short, as very well advised above, at least get yourself some good adjusters which leave you a good bit of room at either end of a "standard" action. Hopefully I have made some sense.

I would start by keeping money in your pocket and playing as much as you can, getting a couple of lessons to avoid potentially dangerous bad habits, listening to A LOT of music featuring DB in all sort of genres, and finally reading A LOT about the double bass: books, forums, watch YouTube videos etc. Do that for a few months, then, when you know how you should sound like, let the string bug commence. Hopefully this way you will find YOUR sound without having to talk to the bank manager. And especially you will fall and stay in love with the double bass forever.

+ 1 for the bass wheel for me. I don't have one but I have seen one in a website like Golihur or Thomann or similar and it looked brilliant for pushing your bass along the city pavements whilst in a soft bag. I am sure that an Eminence bass or similar would satisfy your needs but they would cost you all the money of your DB sale and then you'll miss your sound IMO.

As beer of the bass pointed out already, check also the height at nut, which makes a huge difference to how your fingers perceive the ease of playing. My advice is not to lower the action at bridge too much as otherwise you will have a wimpy acoustic sound and too much unwanted string clatter on pizzicato, plus a total inability to play slap if you ever felt the need.

Looks like the TSA employees' heads are just as empty as Patitucci's bass...

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1401658827' post='2465666'] For those too far away, maybe a big-screen 'Skype' session could be incorporated..? I organised last year a bash in France and did a 'live' web-cast, which was watched in several countries; with the current version of 'Skype', it could be interactive..! Just an idea. [/quote] Excellent idea

Good on ya sir. For me there is no other string but Gut. Yet I do understand the predicament of those who bow a lot.

Try the eq first. I used to have an underwood and a shuttle 3 and with the settings above I had a great sound (within reason)

The eq you need to scoop to get rid of finger noise and quacks is not the high, it is the mid. Try to forget the preamp, plug in straight int the genz shuttle, keep low and high around 12 o'clock, mid down to 7-8 o'clock and the mid frequency dial turned to taste somewhere between 1-4 o'clock. That should give you a bassy sound. You can the add mids to taste if you want to cut through more. After that, adjust low and high to taste. Scooping mids will also help feedback.