DanOwens

Brother I feel your pain. I had a custom routing switcher so I could split / sum multiple boards and pitch-to-midi. I was a dreadlocked DnB fanatic. I'm now a bald double bass player; make of that what you will! I wanted 5 parallel signal paths and the band were all midi-syncd so we had a lot of flexibility; my problem came in the sum / split phase and I think if I was doing it today my setup would be similar to you (I was doing it 10 bloody years ago!). Keep up the efforts!

If it's a normal BBOT bridge, or even something more fancy, you're unlikely to get anywhere near the radius of a double bass. I suppose you could add some longer grub screws to gain height, but obviously the higher the saddle, the greater angle between the saddle and the terminus, resulting in tension changes and the risk of snapping. If you were aiming for a slightly more exaggerated radius to the board than on a Fender, like maybe 7" or so, then you might get the bridge to match without modifying it too much, otherwise you're looking at a bespoke bridge solution too.

I guess I've been really lucky then as the Honeys on my NS have been on two other basses previously and I'm having no issues with windings, and before them I briefly had a pair of Silver Slaps that had been on one bass previously and had no winding issues either. It took about a week of practising before I could be confident that the Honeys would be predictable in their tuning, but that's not unreasonable in my mind since there's a lot of mass going on. Which Innovations did you try and for how long did you have them on the bass? I'd love to play about with some guts, maybe on a new bass....

I've used a few Innovation synthetics on my NS EUB, but never proper guts.

I play in an acoustic blues band and we stray into bluegrass on occasion. I mostly play EUB live, U-Bass in rehearsal, Double Bass if there's space and I got the Precision out for the last recording session. I'd focus on note choice, laying back in the pocket and having fun before i decided which instrument to choose, but then I already played DB, EUB and Slab. If I could play just DB, I certainly would, but my instrument doesn't prevent me from playing bluegrass. If you're looking for an excuse to buy a DB, though, then I wholeheartedly support your decision!

I feel open mics, jams or any number of by-the-seat-of-your-pants experiences are of such great value to our development. I used to play a lot of jazz; now I do a lot of accompaniment on the fly at open mics. I absolutely love it, and the workout of rapidly decoding whats going on whilst trying to play something that sounds good... well I'd take that over rehearsing the same tunes again and again!

PMT in Manchester have a pair of 710s in. Evidently I'll need to go plug a bass in and see. I was kinda expecting loads of suggestions, but K12s & Altos being close and Thomann being below the standard we're after is a surprise.

A later sub is a possibility. For our budget are we never going to get full range?

Yeah everything goes through the PA, including my bass. The HK LUKAS is the older one here: https://hkaudio.com/produkt/l-u-c-a-s/. It did have a sub and it was definitely welcome. Is it likely that the 710's low end will not be adequate?

What stool are you guys using? The Millenium ST-95 looks like a decent version of the K&M ones but does anyone have any experience?

I play in an acoustic blues trio. We got an XR18 last year and we're (I'm) loving it. Live our line up is usually me on EUB and Vocals on stage left (sometimes doghouse), Rob in the middle on acoustic guitar (DI), National (SM57), Banjo (DI) and Vocals, Dan on the end on acoustic guitar (DI), Mandolin (DPA4099), Kick Drum (Audix thing), Harmonica (Bulletini mic) and Vocals. So we've got a lot of mics on a stage which is often about 6mx4m, playing venues of maximum 200 at the mo (pubs, bars, etc). Our first generation HK LUKAS has failed twice recently so we're looking to replace it. One of the guys in the band has suggested a pair of RCF 710s, no sub. I'm not too fussed about huge low end as our sound isn't very subby, and I've got lots of mics in close proximity to the tops so volume is always a battle. Is a pair of 710s a good idea? I doubt I could push to more than £800 and I want the peace of mind with buying new. What would you suggest?

I play in a trio and nearly every song requires some channels muting and unmuting (new instruments). My ancient iPad crashes at least once a gig but we just handle it. If you're not messing with the desk between every tune then you'll probably be alright. If you're using a relatively decent tablet, then you'll definitely be fine.

Yeah, that's absolutely possible, but that wifi will fail pretty promptly so you'll want your cables ready to go in an emergency. If you've got the space then just go wired all the time (I would if I could!)

I like the sound of my Wegen gypsy pick on my bass but I don't use it that often as they're kinda expensive. Very sharp attack despite the bevelled edges. They're 5mm and have an innovative contour / crosshatching that means they're not going anywhere once they're gripped (even lightly)

You could consider a cheap stick-on transducer pickup. I wouldn't gig with it professionally but I'd give it a shot for teaching.

My local open mic was a gift - I quickly became embedded in the local scene and had a great time. Often showed up hungover on Monday mornings though!!!

... and there's one with a mount for sale here!

I bought a Yamaha DD65 to trigger samples through midi and I hated the playing experience. The pads were too small and the clacking of sticks on ABS plastic when you miss the centre of the pad drove me crazy. I then bought an Alesis Sample Pad and I loaded the samples onto an SD card. That was a much better playing experience as there isn't as much plastic to accidentally hit since the rubber pads are larger. It also seemed to respond to dynamics much better. They go for £70 secondhand on ebay.

I think they’re Aquilas (they’re off-white/cream). I considered changing them but my kids and the band kids love making cheese-string jokes!

I'm considering modding my bridge to add a tension screw as my Big Single is so susceptible to pressure changes that it becomes a little inconsistent in my sound. Some gigs its rich and bassy but other times its a bit thin and middy. I'm using a variety of preamps so it isn't an impedance thing.

I used to take my EUB to open mic nights but now I always take the Uke Bass! Sounds great, elicits interest, easy to set up.

String experimentation is fun! What amp/preamp are you using in your setup?

That's great! Thanks for the advice!!

I'm in the studio this weekend and I'm expecting to play a mix of doghouse, stick and maybe some slab (maybe some Uke Bass too but I don't have a cool nickname for that). Over the past month or so I've had intermittent tendinitis in my thumb and it flared up at the beginning of the week. PANIC!!!! Right? Bass player with tendinitis! *crosses fingers* "I hope it's not carpal tunnel, I hope it's not carpal tunnel...." Well I've done some thinking and a bit of research and linked the thumb trouble to the purchase of 'Assassin's Creed: Thumb Wars' about a month ago, and that de Quervain's Tenosynovitis is more commonly known as 'Gamer's Thumb'. Do you guys suffer at all? I've got some Naproxen and I'm looking at hand stretching, but have any of you been to a physio and been recommended exercises, or are there any youtube links you'd recommend?

I've put my jazzbox through all my bass amps (GSS, Eden, TechSoundsystems, Markbass) and the only bass amp tone I've enjoyed with it was a little Ibanez 10w practice amp. I'm sure there would be some combination out there that sounds great, but I just couldn't get the articulation I needed in the upper mids from a bass amp (except the Ibanez I mentioned, but that lacked volume).