simon_says

Great start tinged with disappointment. The passive loom that I recently bought from John was good (see above feedback) but the socket that was included has an intermittent connection, something I noticed two weeks after it was fitted. I asked John to exchange it but got a pretty terse response including: [i]“I am not 'a business' with an exchange policy for used goods, you seriously expect me to send out replacements free of charge?”[/i] At the end of the day this is just an £8.00 socket and I can go back to the old socket that has worked reliably for the three years that I have had the bass and is possibly original from the early ‘90s. However, I was very disappointed with his response to a genuine problem and, as I am considering getting an active loom with new pickups which would cost a significant amount of money, I certainly won’t be buying any of it from John. Caveat emptor.

I bought a French carbon fibre bow from China on eBay a few years ago for about £100. It has continued to work fine and I had it rehaired about a year ago. In the last few months though it seems to have something missing and I have gone back to my well used wood bow (also around £100) as the tone and dynamics seem to be better. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is that I like / dislike about either of them.

Got John's advice on how to upgrade the knobs etc on an old Ibanez SR1500 that had been changed to passive. Many ideas back and forth later I got his new loom installed. When it arrived the loom was very well presented with detailed instructions on how to fit it without soldering. The improvement in reducing the noise level from the pots would have made it worthwhile by itself but the wide palette of sounds that I can now get makes this a whole new bass guitar. Thanks John!

UBASSMAN - this is a good idea to share some of the ideas & concepts brought up. Unfortunately I didn't make any notes for Tuesday masterclass and only a few of the suggestions have stuck (I once knew a lecturer who felt his audience would only remember a maximum of three points of the many that he made during his lecture). I will try and make the Joel Quarrington class on 25th and take some notes then to share here.

Thank you everybody, particularly Ou7shined. I will have a go with the instructions over the weekend and if I am successful it will shine a light on how the software works and I can make my own progress from then on. If not, as the Terminator would say, "I'll be back"!

Thanks for your replies. Basically I am after a blow by blow set of instructions for recording with the 2i2 into Reaper. I am sure it should be pretty straightforward but I have wasted so much time trying to get something simple recorded that I am close to giving up. I am hoping that someone has written a Dummies guide to doing this. Cheers

I bought Reaper to run on a PC to mess about with some multi tracks and get an idea how to produce a mix (classical & rock). I have found it very complicated and most times (certainly for the simpler jobs) I find myself going back to Audacity. I have got a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 with which I would like to record some double bass with a mic and electric bass via the DI out on my amp (Phil Jones Suitcase). Please can anyone point me to a straightforward "How To" using Reaper as I would like to get to grips with it. Thanks for your help

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Gabriele Ragghianti's masterclass yesterday was great, with plenty of thought provoking points from changing fingering for reducing the distance in [/font][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]shifts[/font][font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"], using parts of the bow to get more "air" into the sound and how to get more romance into a Bottessini adagio by imagining you are calling to a beautiful girl in a window with a bunch of roses in your arms (you might have to have his Italian passion for that one!). I was glad I wasn't one of the three guys who had an hour each being pulled apart and being told to change bowings etc on pieces that they had obviously learnt intimately. A good three hours spent and all for £1.95.[/font]

I find when this happens with me, particularly on quiet passages, I can help it by making sure the hair on the bow isn't too tight. On my French bow, loosening the hair so that using normal bow pressure pressing down the hair in the middle of the bow so the hair doesn't quite touch the top of the bow works for me.

Sounds great. I will book myself a ticket. See you there?

Thank you for the heads up on this. I am interested in coming to the masterclass next Tuesday. Do you know how long it normally goes on for?. I plan to arrange some client visits after it finishes so some approximate timings would be very useful. Cheers

I tried my new Sapele pin from Ben at an orchestra rehearsal yesterday. Before trying it I was very dubious that a relatively minor part of the bass would make much difference to the overall sound but it has certainly changed the tone - even my wife noticed the difference. My fellow bassist commented on an increase in volume but he was too concerned with the intricacy of Tchaikovsky 5 to say much else. Quantifying the difference compared to my metal pin is more difficult, especially while I am playing the bass and I need to hear the far field sound rather than what I can hear next to my ear. I think I will have to bribe another player to come round to the house with promises of beers and listen to them play on it to get a true picture of what is going on. So, at the moment the jury is out on whether I prefer wood or metal. However, Ben's service was good and the pin was made and sent in double quick time.

Hi My daughter has outgrown her 1/2 size so, though I can't help you with the 1/4 size, when your kids are a bit bigger get in touch if you need a bigger bass ( not that I am any where near Sheffield!). Hope you find a 1/4 size. My daughter started on a 1/8 size through the music service and had great fun progressing. Sadly, she has parked her bass playing career for the moment. Good luck and Happy Christmas Simon

I haven't used the 'Doubler but the Phil Jones Suitcase amp that I have also has two inputs each with independent EQ which is great when it comes to rehearsal & gigs when switching between my DB and EB, particularly when it comes to ad hoc songs that are added on the fly to the set. I also acquired a PJB 4B cabinet as the Suitcase really struggled trying to move enough air on its own when playing an F or E on the E string of the DB. Very happy with setup now.

I have used the Tom and Will case with wheels for about 5 years for my 3/4. Despite having to replace all the zip sliders and doing a bit of Heath Robinson sewing up on the grab handles, I have been quite pleased with it. It has very good padding to protect the instrument but the downside is that it is quite heavy - hence appreciating the wheels.

Fat - Thank you for the suggestion. I have found it on IMSLP and have printed it off. Something for the weekend when the footie is not going well. Nick - Next time I am in London I will try to get some time to browse in Chappells / Foyles. Cheers SImon

Ubassman Many thanks for your pointer to this great site that I was unaware of. I went straight to the de Fesch Sonata and I expect I will find some of the other ones as well. Excellent help from Basschat! Cheers Simon

Does anyone know where I can get printed music for small bass duets, trios etc. I have had a look on the internet and the offerings seem to be pretty sparse. In particular I am looking for: Faure Apres un Reve Eccles Sonata Gmin William de Fesch Sonata Fmaj Vivaldi Sonata #6 Bb maj I have looked on IMSLP but can't find the pieces. Any pointers to purchase or download sites or shops appreciated. Simon

Derek About 10 years ago I had lessons with Kate Addis south Reading and also Lucy Heath in Bracknell. I don't know if they are still teaching or not. For jazz I have had a couple of lessons with Andy Crowdy in Henley on Thames. Despite great tuition, what I thought would take six months to master has turned into lifetime's journey. Good luck Simon

Not a reference to the Royal baby but the fact that I have just got my bass back and it is sounding tremendous. I sent it to Peter Tyler just outside Maidenhead for 10 days and he sprinkled his magic fairy dust on it and did a fantastic job - it went away a boy and came back a man. Whether it was the new Kaplan strings, fixing a few small open joints between the front and the sides or re-hairing the bow, the combination has made it more responsive to the bow, given it a deeper resonant sound and louder too. The rattles on the E and A strings when playing [i]fff [/i]have gone and I am like a kid with a new toy and a big smile on my face! It is amazing what a good luthier can do.

I leave a Snark on the peg box as it is less obvious between the machine heads than on the bridge and doesn't get sarky comments from the conductor. I need to use harmonics rather than fundamentals though.