Clarky

1) Given my 'early learner' status, should I really be thinking about an upright at this stage? Or should I concentrate on playing guitar to improve my basic skills first? [i]I am pretty agricultural on electric bass but have made teh move to upright and am in a gigging band. Go for it[/i] 2) Is there any reason why, as a newbie, I should be avoiding EUBs and thinking about an acoustic upright instead? [i]EUBs are less complex when it comes to amplification (little/no feedback) and easier to transport/store .... but most sound part-way between a fretless and an acoustic upright. If its the lovely, woody rich sound of an acoustic you are after, go straight to acoustic IMHO[/i]

Bumpity - our on-stage time is confirmed as 1.45-2.30pm on the Sunday Roll up, roll up for Rattlin Bone plus two clowns and two fire-eaters - thats up to 18 on stage!!!!!

I can get six in the back of my Hummer [size=1]I don't have a Hummer or six double basses[/size]

As an addendum, I have had my DB on a stand for 15 years, despite a busy household with three kids (and countless kids' play-dates with loads of herberts in our house), and never had an accident yet. A crowded stage of course may present a different proposition ... and I have mentioned that there's no retainer on the Hercules

I should have gone the £10 route - I got my 'Doug's Plugs' and they are a loose fit (my fault as I sent slightly sloppy tracings) so I am not sure they really help at all - though to be fair I'only got them last week and I haven't cranked up the voume yet (got band rehearsal on Sunday, ahead of Meadowlands festival gig the following w/e) What I have done is buy a Mackie 10" speaker (the C200) and stand off Mr_Bassman and am going to try this behind me at head height, not pointing directly at the bass. So my setup will be: Baggs preamp into amp (either AI Coda or Markbass F500/Midget), set to one side, with Mackie on stand behind me. Fingers crossd that will do the trick. As a backup I have ordered a mag pickup from the US.

So Jack, will you be selling the Allevas and Statii then? More seriously, I recently did a recording session with my '63P (on a Northern Soul-cum-Motown type song) and the man on the desk was raving over the sound. They may not have the articulation of Jazzes or the punch of Stingrays but they do sit so well as a rhythm section instrument

I daren't even poke my head above the parapet given my history Nevertheless I now have my dream P bass (YOB '63P), my dream fretless (Wal Mk1) and a gorgeous Jazz (wesfinn's Herbie Flowers-inspired '59-alike) so its difficult to think of what I could GAS over, especially as rigs have rarely excited me. Best move on to DB-type stuff then! In which case a lovely original '60s Ampeg baby Bass would be nice. B*gger, so I'm not GAS-free!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1237536' date='May 19 2011, 10:43 PM']The Wal looks fantastic! Have you used it on any recording yet?[/quote] Nope, only got it on Tuesday It replaced a beautiful Wal Mk II/III fretless that I sold to BC'er lafrite as I wanted the thicker neck of the Mk1. Still in the stage of sorting out the strings and setup (just put some Status Hotwire half-rounds on it; the previous owner had incredibly low action of about 1mm (!) which doesn't work with my sausage fingers so I am slowly adjusting it and am nearly there)

OK now I am at home and can upload photos, here are my duo '71 fretless P/J [attachment=80431:P1040211.JPG] '83 Wal Mk1 [attachment=80432:P1040259.JPG]

Hey JV, my 3/4 DB measures 65cm x 40cm x 185cm if that helps. Mine fits fine in the back of my Lexus 450

The Bill Evans trio with Scott LaFaro on bass is unbeatable IMHO. I do like 'We get requests' by Oscar Peterson trio, which has some wonderful playing by Ray Brown, eg Have you met Miss Jones

Loving that '71P Si, drop dead gorgeous. Just don't let waynepunkdude round yours with his sandpaper and spray cans!

[url="http://www.normansrareguitars.com/fender-1964-precision-bass.html"]http://www.normansrareguitars.com/fender-1...ision-bass.html[/url]

I recently bought this Hercules model [url="http://www.herculesstands.co.uk/product/85316/DS590B/Floor_Stands/Double_Bass_stand"]http://www.herculesstands.co.uk/product/85...uble_Bass_stand[/url] As stands go, its very easy to assemble/dismantle and is quite unobtrusive. The only disadvantage of the design is if the bass can tip forward if you brush behind it, since there is no retainer (the bass just sits on the stand)

Welcome to BassChat! - there's another nice BC'er in Helsinki called Joona. His username is bassotaiteilija

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1236238' date='May 18 2011, 08:10 PM']Ah, but then I found the missing screws, so all's well that ends well.[/quote] Yep, after I had sold the bass and nine months after I emailed Paul Herman

[quote name='BassBod' post='1235903' date='May 18 2011, 04:08 PM']From memory..its a thin coat of an acrylic of some sort. Best find out what it is/was back in '83 as a starter. My guess would be a slight sand and re-application of something compatible - nothing wax based is going to help further restoration.[/quote] Thanks BassBod, guess I had better hope that Paul Herman and co answer my email! My last email (looking for replacement screws) went unanswered ...

I just bought a lovely 1983 Mk1 fretless with American Walnut facings (it replaces the skinnier-necked Mk 2/3 I just sold as I found the neck too thin). Anyways, unsurprisingly given its age, there are a few scrapes and abrasions here and there so I wondered if there is anything I can do to help polish/preserve the finish and also make the abrasions less visible - perhaps some kind of wax polish? I don't know how they seal the wood so I am nervous of just slapping on the usual polishes. Any suggestions would be gratefully received! BTW, I have sent the same enquiry to Wal's email address but based on my past experience I don't expect a reply in a timely manner (or maybe at all!)

Gaaah, my work has tightened restrictions on uploads and so I cannot add any photos to BassChat from work. If you click on the links in my sig below you will see pics of my '71 fretless P/J and my '83 Wal Mk1 fretless

'Ways not to lose' by The Wood Brothers - bit folky for my usual listening tastes but the best recorded DB sound ever IMHO

Keith just bought a couple of DB pickups from me and last week I bought a Mackie speaker and stand off him - he is a true gent and great to deal with