bornagainbass65

[attachment=202983:squier katana.png] Never seen one of these before. https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/fender-squier-katana-bass-guitar-vintage-and-rare-made-in-japan-cheap-quick-sale-/1138271621 Someone is asking 200 quid for it, near Birmingham.

I 100% agree with Fatback's post above. If you are prepared to make a serious commitment to practice then get your self an EUB and a bow. If money is tight you could start with a cheap and cheerful Harley Benton EUB (there is currently one on Ebay with a starting price of 100 quid). I can fit mine in the back of a Fiat Panda. If you are prepared to spend then the Yamaha SBs have a great reputation. Or if you want a compact acoustic DB, and you are prepared to spend, you could try the David Gage 'Czech Ease' one that Marc S has up for sale on the EUB forum (I'm not on commission). Go for it, it's great fun!

Does this qualify for this thread? Sort of a snot-burst with a fire-glo pick guard... What were Fender thinking in 1969?

My third-hand Harley Benton came to me with steel strings (decent quality, I think, definitely not the stock ones) but I swapped the G for an Innovation Honey, as an experiment. It sounds good to my unqualified ears, certainly more gut-like than the steel. It can't claim that it sounds radically different, but then my EUB is very much at the cheap and cheerful end of the market - and my playing equally basic - so a better instrument and player might deliver a bigger contrast. I think I have read on this forum that synthetic strings are good for pizz, and some are clearly designed for slap, but some are not so good for arco. So it might depend on what you want to play. Ordering a single string seems like a good way of experimenting, given the cost of a full set of strings.

Nice work, Sir.

Hi LowlandTrees, I've recently started learning to play an EUB and my intonation is dodgy, to say the least. Have decided that putting dots on the side of the neck is a lesser evil than playing out of tune.

I've also got myself a Harley Benton to experiment with, and as I got a it third-hand it certainly ticks the box as a cheap and cheerful introduction to playing upright. (And yes, if I keep going much further with it I'm going to start wanting a real DB. Better start saving now...) Anyone tried playing one arco? (As with many EUBs I'm not sure the string spacing on the bridge is good enough for arco, but maybe I can modify (bodge ) the bridge) David.

Re: practice with a drone. I found a website called [url="http://www.dronetonetool.com/"]http://www.dronetonetool.com/[/url] The drone sounds go on and on for as long as you can stand it and there is a built in metronome. It says it is a natural cello sound but it sounds more like a the cello setting on a church organ to my woolly ears.

Came across this video - [b]Little Caged Bird by Melissa James[/b] (I don't know how to make the link work but it's on youtube and on the Cheltenham Jazz Festival site, under Fringe Showcase, where I saw it) (While you are there check out Hattie Briggs - lovely young songwriter in my humble opinion) Once the video gets going the camera stays on the double bass player throughout the song. I'm only a beginner but it looks like good left hand technique to me - I found it helpful to watch. Doesn't look ridiculously difficult either - until he flies up the neck! www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SRgXWNxZLY I don't know the bass player - maybe one of you guys does?

Now it makes complete sense!

Just saw this on gumtree... I don't quite see the need... www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/double-neck-bass-guitar-with-fitted-soft-case/1098389879 (hope the link works) [b] Double neck bass guitar with fitted soft case [size=4]Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf[/size][/b]

Very impressive - great to have the dots and hear them played so well.