Clarky

We can start the exclusive BassChat punk rocker with a double bass club!

Wow - I was expecting one-sentence answers! Thats really above and beyond the call of duty, Rev! Many, many thanks for going to all that effort. I will certainly take your advice on board. I still haven't heard back from the Aria's current owner what strings are on it - given cost considerations I hope its one of those sets you mentioned. What ever happens I don't think I will ever get near the Velvet strings you mentioned (from a quick internet search, £270 a set, good grief)

All very helpful gents. So if I were looking for a 'growly, plummy' type sound in a band setting, playing slow/medium-paced blues/ragtime type music (with piano, drums, horns, backing singers, guitar, vocals) which would be your preferred strings, Silver Slaps, Honeys or one of the others mentioned?

[quote name='walbassist' post='971677' date='Sep 29 2010, 01:20 PM']Low tension Innovation Silver Slaps transformed both my playing and the sounds coming from my Aria - for the better in both instances! The fact I can't use the mag pickup with them (no metal content) is far outweighed by the benefits.[/quote] Thx Walbassist. I had a set of Weedwacker nylon strings on my DB a year or so back and found that they persistently went out of tune (they are supposed to take some time settling down but weeks later they were still stretching!) and they had very limited volume/sustain on the E and A strings (just a staccato, thin thud) - as Silver Slaps have no metal content would they potentially have the same issues or does the Kevlar core mean they behave like metal strings, only with lower tension?

[quote name='TheRev' post='971534' date='Sep 29 2010, 11:28 AM']When you get your Aria, put a set of orchestral or, even better, synthetic gut strings (e.g. Obligatos or Honeys) to get a passable double bass sound.[/quote] Thanks for the tip - I will check first which strings it is currently wearing

[quote name='Gareth Hughes' post='971391' date='Sep 29 2010, 08:40 AM']Hey Clarky - Dampen the afterlength of your strings between the bridge and tailpiece. (I know, this has become my mantra of late). You'd be surprised how much feedback is generated there - those strings just keep ringing, and set the tailpiece ringing - which is all good in a purely acoustic setting (like an orchestra, but who uses them there anymore? ) I was playing electric bass in a big band on Monday night, along with another bass player on upright. He was having hell with low feedback and couldn't EQ it out on his Acoustic Image Clarus+. I reached down and muted his strings and tailpiece and all was good.[/quote] Thanks Gareth. What do you mute with - a polishing cloth or similar? And thinking on, I have the pick-up jack affixed to the tail piece - does that have any impact on feedback (probably not, I guess, but worth asking)?

Due to unanimous thumbs up from DBers, I have ordered a Platinum from Thomann which has them at a good price (<£140). Will post my experiences once its arrived

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='971314' date='Sep 29 2010, 01:45 AM']How about buying a cheap ply DB and leaving it at your rehearsal space? I suppose depending on where you rehearse there's potential for passing numpties to mess with it though.[/quote] Thanks, good idea but problem is we may have more than one rehearsal space (Ealing, Camden). In fact I was offered a decent priced EUB late last night and I am going to take this one (another Aria) so problem sorted.

Thanks Chris but its somewhat more than I was looking to spend (walbassist last had it FS at £800 and even though he is accepting offers I wouldn't want to insult a fellow BC'er!) I was thinking a few hundred quid. Anything in that range or am I thinking the impossible?

Was thinking of picking up a cheap EUB for week-day band practices as I clearly can't bring a DB to work on the tube! I briefly owned a Stagg but didn't really think it sounded like a DB. So are there any cheap-ish EUBs out there that sound vaguely authentic? I presume more expensive models, like Aria and Steinbergers will, but what about things like Palatino's (which come up cheaply s/h) or the cheapie Chinese things on eBay etc? Thanks in advance, Clarky

[quote name='fatback' post='970702' date='Sep 28 2010, 02:20 PM']Hey, congrats on getting that gig. I'm jealous. Great band [/quote] Thanks! Just got to learn 12 songs in 3 weeks

I'd be up for it. As a [s]Southern pansy[/s] Londoner (in SW London precisely) somewhere in London/Surrey would be good for me

[quote name='PaulKing' post='970521' date='Sep 28 2010, 11:48 AM']+ 1 on the Fishman PlatPro, and into front of amp. There are plenty other decent pre-amps, but the extra features on the Plat Pro (phase, depth, compressor) make it a real feedback fighter, and gets the best out of your bass. Sharing technique tips ... I'm always up for that if I can get an hour or two off baby care. I'm West London, where are you? That bluesy gutsy sound is my thing, and I've crossed a lot of bridges in 20 odd years.[/quote] Thanks Paul. I am nr Hammersmith - so also West London - and would welcome advice and tips. FYI, I have a c.15 year old Andreas Zeller 3/4 bass (carved front, rest is laminate) with Thomastick Spirocore strings and a Shadow 950 pickup and am currently playing through my TC 450 head and TC 1x12 cab - have feedback/volume problems with this so am after a Fishman Platinum preamp.

[quote name='PaulKing' post='970507' date='Sep 28 2010, 11:39 AM']Yep, the sideways finger thing is all about getting good purchase and giving that string some real welly. Your thumb against the edge of the board gives extra leverage too, until you start playing with your whole arm which really gets the strings moving! DB is MUCH more physical than electric bass. You want to dig in and get those strings moving. You'll get much more volume and pronounced attack from your strings this way, without having to rely on over-amplifying ... which just exacerbates the feedback problem. Make sure you post first gigs with Rattlin Bone ... PS where in London are you? I'm always up for sharing tips and ideas with like-minded bassists. I been doing this for a long time now! Strings, pick-ups, amplifiers, technique ... it's a mine field.[/quote] Thanks Paul. First gig is on Halloween (of course!) with further gigs likely in Soho and Camden on 23 Nov and 1 Dec. I am nr Hammersmith and would welcome advice. FYI, I have a c.15 year old Andreas Zeller 3/4 bass (carved front, rest is laminate) with Thomastick Spirocore strings and a Shadow 950 pickup and am currently playing through my TC 450 head and TC 1x12 cab - have feedback/volume problems with this so am after a Fishman Platinum preamp.

Two trades with HJ in last month or so for high end basses. Jack is a gent and a stickler for detail (like me). There are two screws I need for the scratchplate. Both reside in a manila envelope that Jack has stored and is in the process of getting to me. Super BassChatter!

'Wolf like me' by TV on the Radio Fantastic three chord thrash!

Thanks Jake - not got a teacher and I could definitely do with a technique brush up. After two hours of practice on Saturday my left forefinger kept curling up involuntarily Don't suppose you are in the London area any time soon with an hour or two to kill?

As I will be gigging a DB for the first time next month I need to sort out my live gear. I am told (by Mark at BassDirect) that my TC 450 head plus TC 12" cab should work fine with a DB, so I don't need to buy an acoustic specific amp/combo. However, when I plugged in the DB (which has a Shadow 950 pickup) unless the gain was almost completely down I got feedback. This in turn meant I had to have master volume almost to the max and even then it wasn't at all loud. So do I need some kind of preamp, like a Fishman Platinum, to control the EQ - and if I do, do I plug into the front of the amp or do I bypass the amp EQ altogether and plug into the effects send/return (I forget what its called!) socket at the rear of the amp? More generally should a DB player have a preamp like a Fishman Platinum in their gig bag for differing back line situations?