SevenSeas

Everyone is entitled to their opinion BUT. Lets be honest here, Victor Wooten is a genius. His overall level of teaching is fantastic and he clearly is really passionate about what he does. You don't have to be an innovator to be a fantastic bass player, just watch the 'Groove Workshop' he is much more than what this thread is making out.

I would recommend the Musicians Union (If you're a student) not that it isn't great if you aren't a student. (I think it's about £120 a year? If you aren't a student) I paid £20 for the year as a student and you have up to £2000 insurance although I was slightly worried as for most gigs I had more than £2000 worth of gear which wasn't ideal. (Of course for electric gigs people were more likely to run off with a bass as for double bass stuff, it would be hard to leave unnoticed) I currently have no insurance but I am gigging maybe 1/10th as much as I use to be although my general rule is to make sure the gear is being watched at all times, even if you're in the same room as all your stuff, including unloading and loading, soundcheck, intervals. (etc) I am assuming most people do this anyway but I had a gig recently were people wanted to sit at a table that was inconveniently away from all our stuff of which I declined saying someone must be watching the gear at all times. (doesn't help that the loading door was widely open next to a main road) Each to their own but I can't think of anything worse then your stuff being stolen especially if it could of been prevented. I will be getting insurance soon for a new double bass which I will want insured up to my eyeballs incase anything does happen!

[quote name='benbastin' timestamp='1381312270' post='2237254'] Here's my take on it. Wood for instrument making is dried for a long time before use, typically at least 30 years. It takes this long to full dry out, and make sure your not going to get any nasty surprises with it warping in funny directions. Then you put the wood through an further long process of carving, bending, tweaking, glueing etc This all changes the properties of the wood drastically, and the further to that it end up covered in varnish. So when you start to play the instrument, all these different components are going to move, and change. Usually this manifests it self in a feeling of tightness or reduced sound in the case of repair, and an opening up as the instrument begins to vibrate together, as the components become one instrument and not a collection of parts. The wood itself has to get used to its new shape and purpose. It had at least 1 hundred if not 2 to 3 hundred as a tree, then a further 30-40 as a plank, then between a few months and a few years being whittled into an instrument, so its hardly surprising its not immediately happy as a bass or a guitar. In addition to these considerations is the glue used, especially when dealing with laminates. Instruments are traditionally made using hide glue, which seems to be closer to wood in terms of vibration that other glues such as white glues and epoxy often used in cheaper instruments and mass produced guitars. Hide glue certainly has a minimal affect to the wood. Where as when you use laminate which are often made using white glue or epoxy and extreme cases such as the cheaper range of martin guitars the wood itself it impregnated with epoxy, the glue becomes a huge part of the equation, and takes much longer to bed in. Any instrument that isn't played regularly will not maintain its sound, thats the best thing you can do for any instrument is play the hell out of it every day. [/quote] Awesome.

SORTED. Thread can be deleted.

Hi Henry, Okay thats awesome, you couldn't of put it any better.

Hey, I hear people mention numerous times that the sound of a double bass will change with age or simply when buying a new double bass it takes time for the bass to acquire its full sound. I have tried to research this and found no references anywhere? I think people describe the bass as 'opening up'. Can anyone explain this in more detail or does anyone have any references to good material to read up on? Cheers,

All sorted, a bit of a nightmare because I had to find a dealer which was open Sundays. (Devon is pretty useless in terms of choice) Anyway brought my bass to the car hire and the one model we tried fitted perfectly, double bass on its side. (So don't have to worry about that) I will be sitting next to the bass behind the driver which is actually quite comforting, ironically it turned to be a Honda Jazz!

Anyone used the docking station before? http://www.thomann.de/gb/david_gage_the_realist_docking_station.htm

[quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1381230607' post='2236017'] I've been using what is now called the Copperhead for ages now, and while I don't feel the neeeeed to change, I'm quite tempted to try the Naturalist. Maybe one under each foot? It just never goes away, does it? [/quote] Interesting, are you not happy with The Realist? I have been using the K&K for ages, it just sounds too 'electric' for me.

Hey, can someone explain the differences in the type of strings Evah Pirazzi offer? http://www.thomann.de/gb/pirastro_evah_pirazzi_kontrabass.htm (Medium) http://www.thomann.de/gb/pirastro_evah_pirazzi_kontrabass_weich.htm (Light/Weich) What are the differences in sound and playability? I play mostly jazz stuff but still use a bow. (I'm sure both strings are suitable) Mediums, harder to play? (but bigger sounding?)

Hi everyone, as the title suggests I would like to know more about which type of Realist pickup people are using. I know they have several different models out and I'm sure they vary accordingly, If people could keep this thread to about this particular pickup this would be appreciated. There are lots of pickups on the market (of course it's all about opinion) I have been using the K&K bass max pickup (x2) although it works, I wouldn't say I'm overwhelmed with the sound. So i'm looking to try out something else. David Gage - Copperhead. (I think this one is the most popular) - Life line. (Seems to be easier to install than the Copperhead but this is my least of my worries) - Sound clip - Naturalist. (similar to the copperhead but made of wood (more compressed sound though) I have to admit I am leaning towards the Copperhead or the Naturalist, sound is definitely the top priority!

Hi guys, thanks for the suggestion. The reason I want to keep the size of the car slightly smaller is because of petrol costs and the bigger the car the bigger the charge on the ferry. Cheers,

Hey everyone, I'm hiring a hire car but I was wondering out of interest which was better for transporting a double bass? (2 people) so could (and will) put seats down in the back. Possibly a VW Golf or a Opel Astra? (Or anyone got any other ideas, medium cars are better rather then massive cars but which ever can fit a double bass in comfortably.)

Went to Thwaites yesterday, they picked out all the instruments I should try, all of them sounded great but their were two that I picked up and thought yes! Still trying out more basses, so i'm still visiting different sellers.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1380636401' post='2228220'] I'm with Bilbo, or at least, that's what I've decided to do. Given that my own bass tends to sound and play differently depending how tired I am, what sort of mood I'm in etc (of course, [i]it [/i]doesn't play or sound differently, I just find it easier or harder to play, or like its sound to a greater or lesser degree depending on energy, mood etc), I doubt I could make a reliable evaluation if going from shop to shop, and all the shops that have lots appear to also charge a lot more. So, I took a leap, went on gut instinct and faith in what a few others had said about this particular instrument, and bought one [/quote] Glad you found the right bass for you. I'm speaking to a seller at the moment, who's selling an Akos Balaz bass for a reasonable price but I still need to try out basses in the UK, I spoke to Thwaites today and they seemed very nice and very helpful. I am planning on visiting the shop soon and trying everything between 5k and 10k. They have a scheme which helps players between 18-25 borrow money (interest free) for new instruments. So I could go into the shop try out all the basses in the range, try to to think about price and just pick the bass which I find suits me best. Which means I have a lot more choice i'e the Thomas Martin model for 10.5k is the top of my range. Of course there are lots of options and it does mean I would have to pay back £4500 over 18months which yes is a big commitment but since I have another year that I'm working before I plan (and if I get in) going to music college it's an option. I can completely understand Bilbos point but at the same time when you spend so much money I think if I didn't try out as many basses as possible I would regret it. Situation completely change for example the first electric bass I brought when I was about 13 (okay 2nd instrument... the 1st was a westfield bass for about £80 which is in pieces in the garage but that is another story) I brought initially on looks and model. (A completely stupid thing to do but at thirteen I didn't have a clue) and it was a Fender Aerodyne J/P Bass and it turns out it's the nicest bass I have and it was £800. (less than half the price of my Stingray) and still is the nicest bass I play. I brought a Musicman Stingray several years ago and I tried out a few basses but not enough and yes it's a nice bass but I still wish I spend more time trying out more instruments and wish I went for a top of the range jazz but thats what I wanted at the time. This is potentially 3?4?5? times more expensive. So trying out as many basses as possible is definitely worth it, especially as double basses are so individual.

[quote name='Owencf' timestamp='1380644582' post='2228379'] My Wolf super ball is a Cello one i think its all dependent on the spike diameter at the point of fixing . I can do the grub screws up and it holds secure [/quote] I have the wolf super endpin and it's too small for my endpin but could be okay for others.

Amazing thanks for the help,

Anyone had any experience with travelling with a double bass on the eurotunnel? (by van) it says the rules are; *[color=#232323][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]You are NOT permitted to use the Eurotunnel Passenger service to transport: [/size][/font][/color] [color=#232323][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]* Commercial goods for resale [/size][/font][/color] [color=#232323][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]* a total volume of goods (commercial or non commercial) exceeding 3 cubic metres. [/size][/font][/color] [color=#232323][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Obviously the resale isn't a problem. The volume of good however, it's impossible to say what double bass comes under as it's a large instrument? Anyone have any experience with this? Cheers, [/size][/font][/color]

Before I was using a cello floor mat.. but missed placed it So now for some venues i'm sliding all over the shop!

Amazing, great suggestions, just what i'm looking for!

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1380573653' post='2227418'] This is making me quite jealous actually. I wouldnt mind 5500 to go spend on a bass. Anyone feeling rich. [/quote] I wish, I'm going to buy the bass and remember what having no money feels like... but i'll have a new double bass which will be 1000000 billion times worth it.

I'm more than happy for you to sabotage the thread, I'd quite like to hear the E string story!

Hi BC, Can anyone recommend a good rubber end pin, the ones i've used before keep breaking, which is driving me mental. They split and than I'm back to square one. I brought the Wolf Super Endpin rubber ball and its to small for my endpin. Anyone got any better suggestions?

[quote name='TheG' timestamp='1380533325' post='2226545'] The offer from George was genuine and no big thing to him at all. I don't think they make loads of them and then have a surplus lying around. I went and tried one out but the next time I went it was sold and they didn't have another to try. So if they made one up specially they would still be able to sell it on no problem at all or have it as a demo model which gets played it a bit from people trying it out etc. Obviously thats if you didn't order a pink one with green spots. Thwaites were fine and down to earth. One thing I noticed with practically all the shops, was when I said "This bass is Great but the E string seems dead", etc nobody really offered any explanation or opinion as to why or what could be done. It didn't really seem like it was a dead string either to me. I could only assume that they purposefully have no opinion as it will sound different with each player????? I don't know! Maybe my finger was dead or something? I think all of the basses mentioned here have good reputations. I don't think you need to find the best make as they are all good. Just the right one that suits you. [/quote] "I think all of the basses mentioned here have good reputations. I don't think you need to find the best make as they are all good. Just the right one that suits you." This is spot on, I know the bass models in my price range which would be good basses. I just need to try them and find the one which fits me as a player.

[quote name='TheG' timestamp='1380495059' post='2226288'] Sorry Im not Nick (Im a Mike). Just remembering George Martin did say to me if I ordered a bass to my specification and didn't like it I was under no obligation to still buy it. Because he could always sell it on regardless. Cool. Also remember he said Zoltan Dekany had a Thomas Martin himself. Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Course is excellent judging by the players that come out. Most of but not all of the teachers travel up from London as well. Also in one of the replies I got in a previous post Bilbo said "Personally, I would rather just buy one and spend time playing it instead of driving around the country looking at them." which has stayed in my mind since seeing it. I still think I did the right thing driving round but then again I think Bilbos words seem to have some substance too. Especially as now i am experimenting with different sounds on the same bass currently. [/quote] Hi Mike, thats cool. I'm sure you're just as great. Thats a very good offer from George, I don't know if I'd feel extremely bad asking them to build me a bass and then not liking it, I suppose their models must be similar. (i'e the same concert model) even though each bass is individual to an extent. Yep Zoltan has the 3/4 Concert Model and he is ridiculously good, so they must be good jazz basses. (although of course as Bilbo said, playing the bass is the main thing and your sound will be mostly from you as a bass player not from the bass) Having said that, if I was spending 5-6k I'd definitely want to find the right bass, so I can completely understand your situation. Thwaites have a few really old german basses which might be also something to try out, how did you find them to deal with? (they have lots of basses in stock) True thats interesting about the Bryant. Also yes Birmingham does look fantastic, whether I get a place or not. (thats a whole different ball game) So many options, have to wait until the end of the year though!