Clarky

A reminder that if anyone is wandering round near London Bridge late tomorrow (I know thats most of you!) we are headlining at midnight. Due to my hand break I will be using my Precision, not the DB. Hopefully will be using the DB for our second gig at The Comedy in Soho three weeks later

Hey Chris, I was down in Bognor at the White Horse on Tuesday for a band rehearsal (long way for a Londoner!) and recognised your gig poster on the wall - then put two and two together! Nice little venue with a decent sized stage. Best of luck with the gig!

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1003859' date='Oct 28 2010, 03:15 PM']Phew! It's OK Mike, I think we got away with it.[/quote] Typed while wearing a rubber gimp suit

[quote name='duke of prunes' post='1003146' date='Oct 27 2010, 11:03 PM']you got some 'splainin' to do. [/quote] Up to his old tricks with the nipple clamps again? Thats Jack for you

Bought a MarkBass Micromark off Ed. Arrived very fast, well packed and in great condition, many thanks Ed! Very happy to recommend as a good guy to do business with

[quote name='walbassist' post='1002735' date='Oct 27 2010, 05:21 PM']Hi Clarky I agree. I bet lower tension strings and running it into a suitable imepdance head or pre would make a huge difference. Also, that bass is a commission sale and when I asked Alex about it a while back he came back to me with a reduced price, so may be worth checking again (unless he already volunteered the info when you visited)? Cheers Gareth[/quote] Hi Gareth I was offered a reduced price but by the time I factor in new strings and possible setup costs it still wouldn't fall that far short of a new one (SMART are doing them set up in the US to your specifications at 1865 delivered)

After re-think and lots of communication with Eminence players (all happy!) I am adding this back to my potential buy list. Following advice on how an Eminence [i]should [/i] play, I am pretty confident that the one I tried at the Gallery was just not set-up right and needed lower tension strings. So does anyone have a nice playing Eminence they wish to move on?

[quote name='Mr Bassman' post='1001931' date='Oct 27 2010, 12:28 AM']Thinking I might sell my Kolstein as I'm not playing it as much as I thought I would, due to a change in circumstances. (not transporting a keyboard player and his gear + p.a. and my stuff as often as I used to) If you fancy a day return to North Yorkshire you're welcome to come and try it. Sometimes there are cheap deals on the train to York or Leeds, or if you want to drive it's do-able in a day, or you could stay over and we could have a bass party![/quote] PM'd

Congrats Nigel, really well done job there mate. Gigging it soon? Now about X-factor ...

[quote name='euphbasio' post='1001590' date='Oct 26 2010, 07:28 PM']Hi there, Just wondered if you might be interested in a BSX Allegro 5 String? They're very portable and have a great sound. Let me know if you'd like to see pics/history/price etc. All the best.[/quote] Thanks for the offer but 5 is one too many strings for me!

[quote name='bobbytodd' post='1000581' date='Oct 25 2010, 10:28 PM']i'll give that a try i had been playing to the trooper and the stuff i normaly play.i do play close to the neck so i'll bring my hand towards the bridge cheers[/quote] Funny - I also started by trying to play The trooper and Murders at the Rue Morgue, assuming that anyone could be Steve Harris! Wrong!!!!!

Sounds like you are either playing quite hard, close to the neck or your saddles need raising slightly (or both). I am doing the same thing as you, moving from plectrum only to fingerstyle. I have made the most advances while also learning upright bass (which has increased my right hand finger strength but may not be practical for you) and also by learning to play slower lines accurately. Try something like Otis 'Dock of the bay' or Police 'Walking on the moon' where you need to get a simple fingerstyle groove going. Not too taxing but helps build confidence and technique.

In my case, the twerp thats plugged into it Also, separate gain and volume knobs on a non-valve/hybrid amp - can't hear the difference me'self (with a valve it makes a big difference but solid state? nah)

[quote name='TheRev' post='1000306' date='Oct 25 2010, 06:53 PM']Did you try the Eminence plugged in? That's kinda how they're meant to be played. I've owned an Aria and now own an Eminence. The Eminence feels and sounds much more like a double bass than the Aria did. IMHO of course.... what strings are you using on your Aria? The right kind of strings can go a long way to getting you on the way the proper DB sound. Having said that, no EUB is ever going to sound like an unamplified DB, just as no amplified DB is ever going to sound just like an unamplified DB, but you can get close enough to fool most punters and on a good night, you can even fool yourself. I've long since given up trying to 'sound' like I'm playing double bass and just concentrate on getting a decent sound that sits nicely in the mix - this always has a better outcome for the song, band & gig than having an 'authentic' DB sound.[/quote] Yes I did try it plugged in and it didn't sound great either, albeit it wasn't through a preamp, just straight into a bog standard bass amp (SWR?) No plummy-ness or warmth. To be honest the set-up wasn't to my taste, with very taut strings and higher action than I would choose - and the tautness of the strings was preventing them ringing out in my view. I hope I am not offending those with an Eminence. For one thing, it may be with the right EQ and lower tension strings it would really do it for me. But that's just too much of a gamble for me at £1500+. Edit: having spoken subsequently to Gareth Hughes, an Eminence user, he pointed out that his Eminence was not well set up when it arrived and needed work done on the neck and bridge plus lower tension strings, following which it is now wonderfully playable and he loves it to pieces. I think I should seek out another Eminence and try that before passing judgement

My wish list is to get my number of basses down to 2 that I completely bond with (from 4 currently) and to get an acoustic EUB (Eminence or Kolstein) for rehearsals/gigging around London for when I am coming straight from work or don't have the car

I recently bought an Aria EUB but it doesn't give me enough of the vibe of a DB (even though its clearly ideal for rehearsals etc). Thinking about paying up a bit more for an acoustic EUB, which means either an Eminence or a Kolstein travel bass (the latter would have to be s/h as they are very expensive new). The Bass Gallery has a s/h Eminence in but its not a bargain (list price is less than 10% below a new one at Thomann). Does anyone in BC world have one of these they are thinking of moving on?

Excluding rehearsals/gigs, probably 20 minutes a day on a working day and between 1-2 hours on a weekend day