NickA

On one level I find the double bass easier to play .. just because I don't try to do anything too difficult on it. ( Cimadore's double bass concerto pales into insignificance compared to Donna Lee or Portrait of Tracey .... ) . You can save your fingers a bit by a) using either of index and middle finger; when changing strings you can change fingers now and then (spread the load), b) let the amp do the work, you don't need to play as hard as you think, c) practice short and often 'till your fingers harden up. I asked Alec Dankworth about this once - and he says even he gets blisters for the first few days after his annual 2 week holiday - but lots of practice is the key. .. and yes it is great fun and so much cooler than playing an electric ;¬)

I was going to say helicore hybrids too - as I have them on my (full scale length double bass) but have to tune the E down to a C (!) for an orchestra thing next week (Lyadov's Enchanted Lake with lots of low Dflats) and amazingly they still work. Should think standard Thomastic spiro-cores would be OK too as normally quite high tension.

Well you will certainly need to shift to 1,2,4 fingering and also need to play without ever looking at your fingers ... it's easier than you might think as when you slide your hand up the neck, as soon as your thumb hits the heel of the neck your first finger will fall on a fifth above the open string - ie B, E, A or D (though on some basses - mine included - you have to reach back a bit with your first finger to hit those notes as their necks are designed for better access to higher notes including an octave above the open string) One way to locate first position (first finger on F#, B, E or A) is to put a bit of elastoplast on the back of the neck where your thumb needs to sit (ie directly below where your 2nd finger is playing a Bflat on the G string). Then yhou can always find that position and by putting finger 4 where 2 was (with thumb on the plaster) can find half position etc etc. Probably have a few starter lessons with a decent bass player. I was a 'cellist before I was an electric bassist, before I was a double bassist ... so managed a combinaton of cello and e-bass combined with a copy of Simandl to work it out - still needed a few lessons to set me right when I reached around classical grad 7 and got stuck. Should probably have some more, but at present working out what notes of a chord to play in what order is proving more urgent than how to reach them! Yup, it's a totally different instrument basically .. Good luck

... and you don't seem many of THEM around! I would love an extra string on my pro1 ... or at least, a 5-stringer to hang next to it! Lucky man.

you don't see one for ages then loads come along at the same time ..... although, this one is listed twice, by the same person, at two different prices. I wonder what you get if you pay the extra £545 ! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Overwater-5-string-deluxe-progress-III-Custom/233131124588?hash=item3647b2a76c:g:9CIAAOSwBZ5cYGDE:rk:4:pf:1&frcectupt=true https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Overwater-5-string-deluxe-progress-III-Custom/233127274433?hash=item364777e7c1:g:Ov8AAOSw2QxcXEMU:rk:8:pf:0

Celeb endorsements are just off putting ... Makes me think it's the endorsement not the bass that's being paid for, when actually one might ask "why did the celeb sell it"?

hmmm .... stick an East P Retro in that and it would be a lovely bass indeed. On the other hand our fellow forumite Oldman will sell you a twin pickup active overwater (with an extra inch of neck) for much the same price. Tempted, been thinking about a 5-string ... but yet another boutique bass, shouldn't, not really ..... but still ....

Yup, visibility is fine (compared to the AstraVan I use for work, anyway). I wouldn't have believed it worked until someone on another thread pointed out the method. I will admit that my 4/4 bass is quite a slim one - not one of those HUGE fatties you can barely reach around - but who plays those anyway; everyone I know has a 3/4. I have an Octavia estate too, into which the double bass slides with ease with the seats down, but unless taking double bass, electric bass and the big amp too, the CitiGo is actually simpler, as no seats need dropping and the passenger seat reclines by flipping one lever, whereas the Octavia has a knob of many (many) turns to achieve the same thing.

My full size double bass fits in my Skoda CitiGo *with a PJB flightcase amp in the boot). The trick is to recline the front seat all the way; the bass then goes in bottom end first with the body resting on the vertical of the back seat, the neck then goes down the footwell. Check it out - 2 minutes in. Any car will do!

Bin there, done that, worked a treat. Sure a top notch soloist would not agree, but for my amateur classical scrapings and attempts at Jazz, it's fine. Certainly nicer than it used to be; easier to play, better pizz growl. Can't bow as loudly, but I have the biggest and loudest bass in the orchestra, so not really an issue.

Nailed it. I thought there was something odd about it. It's a huge slab of an instrument whereas I always think of Streamers as being quite svelte. Might sound fantastic of course ....

No, I cannot explain £3500. I told the man in the shop that I'd been thinking of buying a 5-string streamer, but that the owner wanted £1650 which seemed a bit high .. to which he replied, "hmm £1200 would be more reasonable ..." whilst this beastie was hung on the wall behind him :¬) Ebony topped basses though: rare things. I've only ever seen (in photos) one Wal and one Alembic. Wenge neck with a maple fingerboard is odd, seems all back to front!

Visited the bass gallery in camden this afternoon. Good shop. They had THIS: https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass/products/warwick-custom-shop-stream-stage-1 Not seen a £3500 second hand warwick in years (they had another streamer for £6500, but it was one of those "someone famous once owned it" jobbies) Both way beyond my budget so didn't dare ask for a go. NB: why does the fact that (eg) Pino Palladino owned it and played it make a bass more valuable - it isn't rarity, as he seems to get through them like tissue paper, and surely he only sells them on when they're knackered!

We use carbon fibre on boats because it's light and because it bends a long way before it breaks (which it usually does somewhat explosively) ie it is nice and flexy. The Glasser pin sent me by Burnsbass is under repair (first attempt failed during load testing sadly); it's a tube with 10mm outer and 8mm inner diameters; it seems pretty stiff but I guess if you have a small bass and or play (modern style) with the bass well out in front of you - then it would flex more than a stout metal or wooden one. And looking at the girth of Ben Bastin's pins, I am not suprised they are stiff!!!!! The Glasser pin does have a very nice, very sharp, machined metal spikey bit on the end, which I reckon would make a nice hole in anyone's hardwood concert hall stage (!!) but as we are all obliged to use bits of carpet, rubber ferules and other such devices - it may not come into play unless you were attacked on the way home. Glasser could use a solid carbon rod (what's called a pultrusion) or better still, a pultruded rod wrapped in cross-weave - THAT might be stiffer, and rather stronger, but would cost him more in materials. 10mm diameter rods and tubes are about £12 /m btw, so most of the cost of a glasser pin is probably that nice metal spike (and the Glasser NY sticker). PS: NeilP .. does the rubber end of your Ben Bastin pin stick to the floor well? It looks too fat to go in an anti-slip device, so I guess needs to work all on its own. Ta.

For classical players at least, I think Simandl is a pretty standard technique; every classical bass player I know claims to use Simandl ... .... but then admits to ignoring it from time to time (pivots and stuff aka Rabbath technique: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_Rabbath) Went to a National Youth Orchestra concert during the week; all sitting, all seemingly Simandling. Went to a gig by a great Jazz bass player the other month (Liran Donin) and couldn't work out WHAT he was doing - whatever it took to pull a great sound out I think - and he was standing up! I expect Mr StringNavigator will pile in from Canada before long, telling us all that "THERE IS NO METHOD BUT THE STRICTEST SIMANDL" (on electric as well as double bass) - he has yet to dictate on the matter of sitting or standing I think - but as the picture in the front of my copy of Simandl's "new method" has a picture of Gary Karr STANDING and says "Notice that the weight of the performer is equally distributed on both feet" I expect he stands. I'm getting old and shall sit.

I'm told "the man" himself is coming to the next Midlands Bass Bash - hope he brings a bass or two.

I used to stand to play all the time. Then I had some (classical) bass lessons, partly around the fact that the bass would rotate and or I'd nearly drop it when moving from 4th to thumb positions. The tutor asked why I didn't just sit down. Now I sit on a stool with one foot on the ground. All classical players sit (some with both feet down, most with one foot down), most Jazz players sit. Most Blues and Rockabilly etc players stand. I guess it's about how stable you need the bass to be to apply the technique you need for the music and how much you want to dance about. Started off with an old IKEA bar stool or resting my derrière on the back of a chair. Now progressed to a proper bass stool with a foot rest. These are REALLY good: https://www.thomann.de/gb/km_14044.htm Now and then I'll go to a Jazz session without a stool and stand for a couple of hours - but I'm not good enough a Jazzist to ever get into thumb position whilst improvising. (PS: I note that derriere complete with accent is not a rude word, whereas AR$E gets changed !!)

" Don't you think, they are making huge profits !?! " But hang on; these guys are trained and skilled craftsmen. They deserve to make money more than any hedge-fund manager does. Well, I reckon so.

Seriously? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bass-Guitar-Portable-String-Beginner-Aid-Tool-6-String-4-Fret-Model-Bag-HR5/223309097476?_trkparms=aid%3D555017%26algo%3DPL.CASSINI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20151016114640%26meid%3D50e28247bb204e0fa93781185772833b%26pid%3D100507%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D223309097476&_trksid=p2045573.c100507.m3226

A new Wal will cost the best of £6000 and they are made in an ex cow shed outside Leatherhead. So it isn't only location! Smiths aren't cheap either, nor Alembics These are lovingly hand made basses constructed to customer order and using very fancy wood, pickups and electronics. In the case of the Wals even the pickups are specially hand made in house. Doubtless, Fodera make lovely basses. But the current prices are surely in part down to a couple of famous and brilliant bass players who have chosen to use them. However, old Fender Precisions are also silly expensive for such basic things (http://andybaxterbass.com/details.php?id=1424). With that budget to spend, I'd much rather have a Fodera (but a Shuker or an ACG would likely provide the same quality for a fraction of the price).

My pjb combo (4Meg Ohm input) is fine with a double bass without any pre-amp ... but I guess it's dependent on the pickup ( mines a realist sound clamp). the bass Tutor at our local jazz sessions uses a markbass mini ( only 500kOhm) with a realist copperhead pickup and no pre .. also sounds great.

Those guitarsoundsystem things look unbelievably good value. What's the catch?

The GK amps are good; i've used the mb112 in a practice studio and quite liked it. the old mb150 is a classic used by loads of pro dB players. PJB are better still but the cub will be too small. I have a pjb flight case which is just loud enough for the double bass and sounds great (transparent). Not much punch for electric bass though. Try Markbass micromark or markbass mini too if you can find one ( I couldn't, hence the pjb ).

What a lovely bass. Looking good for 120 yrs old. Hawkes should never have gotten together with that Boosey fellow it was all down hill from there. Enjoy.