Clarky

[quote name='bob_pickard' post='1197730' date='Apr 13 2011, 06:15 AM']Now I'm impressed; typing a post while skiing - now that's multitasking!!![/quote] There's nothing to be impressed about - I am a lazy snowboarder (Imountain half-day, doss around village/apartment the other half-day) with a Blackberry (that supposedly is for work to be able to contact me if needed but really I use to access the internet). Its important to pace yourself on a ski holiday I think

I have ordered some custom fitted f-hole plugs (from Doug's Plugs as in an earlier post). £60 is a lot for foam, I realise, but hopefully they will fit perfectly (I have sent templates of my f-holes, oo err missus) and better than any DIY solution, plus they are barely visible to an audience. I will give these a try out - my sitting room floor is exposed wooden floorboards and so does a very good approximation of a boomy wooden stage. If these do the trick then fabulous. If they don't then I will go the mag pickup route, either a Kent Armstrong or a Moses graphite. My only argument against a mag pickup is that I really like the Silver Slaps strings on my DB and don't really want to change them (although I do have set of Presto's that would do the job, I just prefer the Silver Slaps marginally).

Thanks all for the kind comments. In answer to a couple of questions: the Hootananny gig was promoted by Stranger Than Paradise, which is run by a pn eccentric American lady (Amanda aka Ms Manray); the PA was pretty good (my problems stemmed from DB feedback on the boomy stage and my inexperience at dealing with this, but the sound outfront was good apparently); no gigs planned in NW but we are playing the Upton Blues festival nr The River Severn in July which is part way there! The question you might ask is why I am on BC in the Alps: have Blackberry (in case work needs to contact me, well that what I told Mrs C) and its 19 degrees and there is virtually no snow ...hmmm. Finally get well soon Happy Jack

Thanks Keith, I did try using notch filter and permutations of putting the Coda and /or the extension cab at head height behind me but without much success. I think your final comment probably says it all, there's very little I can do when so near the drummer! I have over a month til our next gig so plenty of time to sort this out - and in between times am off on hols for a week to the Alps (which is why I am up so early)

Its based off Bo Diddley's guitar. See here [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretsch_Jupiter_Thunderbird"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretsch_Jupiter_Thunderbird[/url]

I will return to bedroom warrior when they see through me and realise I am actually pants at double bass Anyway its all a convoluted ploy as I have now traded every Fender bass ever made and - having mined this seam - feel the need now to trade every double bass amp and pickup ever made

[quote name='Shambo' post='1194966' date='Apr 10 2011, 07:46 PM']congrats, looks real nice. are you going to play it out or baby it at home?[/quote] It will get gigged, as soon as I get an electric gig! No babying at all planned. I play DB in my current band, Rattlin Bone, so there's no opportunity to use it in anger at the mo'

[quote name='discreet' date='Apr 10 2011, 07:11 PM']I'm definitely coming to the next one if you've got deranged clowns. [/quote] For the big festival gigs (Meadowlands in May and Upton Blues in July) we are hoping to have more circus sideshows including fire-breathers as well. oh and our sousaphone player can play on stilts! Edit: here's our sousaphone player in his other band, which entirely comprises musicians on stilts [attachment=77128:The_Top_...t_Band_1.jpg]

[quote name='Sawtooth' post='1194900' date='Apr 10 2011, 06:50 PM']any vids knockin' about? [/quote] This one, although its one of our least gypsy ones and here's a montage with a cover of 'Speaking of Happiness' we have done that is being considered for inclusion in the next series of vampire programme True Blood, again a slower paced one (we do much pacier songs too)

[url="http://standardlondonevening.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/stranger-than-paradise-rasp-thorne-the-briars-dj-sacha-dieu-the-gadjo-club-rattlin-bone-hootananny-9-april-2011/"]http://standardlondonevening.wordpress.com...y-9-april-2011/[/url]

Try BCer Joona who lives in Helsinki. His username is bassotaiteilija. He logs on regularly but doesn't post much. I sold him a Fender CS Jazz and he was great to deal with.

Thanks all for advice. I think I am going to try out some of those foam sound hole plugs and add a mag pickup so I have the choice of piezo, mag or both (since my Coda combo has two channels). Surely that should make things better?!!!

[quote name='gareth' post='1194690' date='Apr 10 2011, 03:35 PM']Any observations/comparisons with 70's p basses and more recent USA reissue p's?[/quote] Its pretty light (<9 pounds; definitely noticeably lighter than your/my old ressue P with added J, Gareth, but about the same as my old 73P). The neck is obviously much chunkier than my old 73P but is so worn that all the varnish/lacquer has gone, which makes it very smooth and tactile and surprisingly fast to play. Sound-wise I would be lying to say there's much in it as there's only so much difference between split P pickups. To my ears it sounds deep, woody and rich, like a good P bass should

[quote name='slobluesine' post='1194551' date='Apr 10 2011, 01:21 PM']14 onstage!!! bloody eck!!! errrr get yerself a Fender mate you CANT make any money [/quote] We took home £400 last night which is not bad for an hour's gig ... until you divide it between 13 of us! The DB is partly an image thing as its a retro band (see below) - it would be a damn sight easier to use my P bass! [attachment=77110:rattlin_bone.jpg]

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='1194536' date='Apr 10 2011, 01:08 PM']+1 to the above. Player quieter on the stage and let FOH handle the volume out front. Or is this too simple a solution to your requirements?[/quote] In principle thats eminently sensible but there's 13/14 of us packing the stage and I am squeezed next to a loud-ish drummer and a sousaphone player so even with amps low its bl**dy noisy on stage!!!

[quote name='bajistaman' post='1194469' date='Apr 10 2011, 12:06 PM']If you dont mind how much did you pay for that beauty?[/quote] About £3k as it was re-finned (100% original oly white '63 non-refins are very hard to find, much more so than sunburst basses; I tracked one down in the US and it would have been over £5k, so that decided me to go the refin route)

Here is my '63 P, which is all original bar OW refin. Sourced recently from the US by BC'er Si Clifton. The celluloid scratchplate is badly shrunken and cracked and I am trying to decide whether to stick with it for true authenticity or to put on a very authentic-looking repro celluloid guard (made about 20 years ago and nicely aged) that I have acquired from a US source. I think its rather lovely, the neck is wonderfully playable and it sounds superb (well, just like a good P should). [attachment=77098:P1040183.JPG][attachment=77099:P1040192.JPG][attachment=77101:P1040190.JPG]

[quote name='slobluesine' post='1194417' date='Apr 10 2011, 11:18 AM']plugging the f/holes does the trick, try 3/4 layers of gaffa tape first (single layer is useless) if that works there's diy or Dougs Plugs... [url="http://www.dougsplugs.com/"]http://www.dougsplugs.com/[/url][/quote] For about £60 inc postage those foam Dougs Plugs f-hole plugs look like a pretty good solution as they are invisible to the audience - will investigate! TNIT, don't think I could squeeze the bass between my knees as a long term option but U can see it might work!

Just a thought. - what about Di ing from Fishman and using some sort of in -ear monitoring so I don't need the amp next to me?

Thanks all. I will try cloth around the bridge next time. Unfortunately I have no option due to size of band but to stand near the drummer and my amp (which has a down firing speaker) when the stage is cramped, as it was last night. It was hugely difficult trying to adjust things before our set commenced as the DJ was playing drum n bass at Heathrow Terminal levels and the stage was booming like a mofo!

To kick off with I've pasted below from the 'How was your gig' thread when I mentioned having feedback problems on the big boomy stage last night (rig: DB; piezo p/up into Fishman Plat Pro into AI Coda combo into AI extension cab): [quote name='bob_pickard' post='1194264' date='Apr 10 2011, 07:28 AM']As for feedback - I've tried everything piezo wise, muting the strings, phase shifting, praying and swearing - unfortunately you have to use a mag pickup in small/medium halls at big volume - the schaller is loud but sounds rubbish and rattles - Kent Armstrong is pretty good; I've just got a Moses Graphite to try which will be interesting and have my eye on their new one....you can borrow one and try if you like if we can find a gap where gigs don't clash[/quote] [quote name='clarky' post='1194264' date='Apr 10 2011, 010:00 AM']Thanks mate - I really have to solve the volume/feedback problem as our band plays quite loudly and, with 13 of us last night (plus two clowns), I have to stand tight to a fairly noisy drummer. I used an Auralex Gramma pad for my extension cab and put the AI Coda at head level behind me on a solid old Trace bass amp (not switched on!) and still could barely hear myself at the levels that didn't produce feedback. My strings are Silver Slaps so I would need to move to metal strings if I went for a mag pickup - mind you I also have a set of Presto Ultralights (on my Eminence now) which I think contain metal, so can be used with a mag p/up.[/quote] So I wondered if any of the experienced DB'ers had any suggestions to get my rig louder without encountering feedback problems? BTW, the sound engineer had to virtually remove all the low-mids on my Fishman preamp to control the feedback

[quote name='bob_pickard' post='1194264' date='Apr 10 2011, 07:28 AM']Nice one Clarky! well done mate! I have the same problem with the dressing room at our regular Burlesque club gig - half a dozen girls in corsets - it's awful! As for feedback - I've tried everything piezo wise, muting the strings, phase shifting, praying and swearing - unfortunately you have to use a mag pickup in small/medium halls at big volume - the schaller is loud but sounds rubbish and rattles - Kent Armstrong is pretty good; I've just got a Moses Graphite to try which will be interesting and have my eye on their new one....you can borrow one and try if you like if we can find a gap where gigs don't clash Anyroad up well done mate![/quote] Thanks mate - I really have to solve the volume/feedback problem as our band plays quite loudly and, with 13 of us last night (plus two clowns), I have to stand tight to a fairly noisy drummer. I used an Auralex Gramma pad for my extension cab and put the AI Coda at head level behind me on a solid old Trace bass amp (not switched on!) and still could barely hear myself at the levels that didn't produce feedback. My strings are Silver Slaps so I would need to move to metal strings if I went for a mag pickup - mind you I also have a set of Presto Ultralights (on my Eminence now) which I think contain metal, so can be used with a mag p/up.