Lazybirdpete

Yes have removed castors now. Here's photos of the inside as requested. Will be addiing some feet to replace the castors otherwise the hole for the end pin becomes redundant.

Made this low budget stand for double bass using some left over plywood and other odds and ends lying about in the shed. I did buy a metre of faux leather to stick on the two ribs which support the bass and the glue to stick it on. Began by sticking two sheets of 9mm ply together with wood glue; cut the curved shape and built a rigid box frame using screws and wood glue. It was designed so that the bass just fits in front to back. Fitted the two ribs to support the bass and played around with various heights for these until the bass could sit on the stand with end pin fully extended. There is a hole in the bottom of the box for the end pin. I fitted some castors I bought for another purpose and never used but I'm thinking I'll take these off to reduce the overall height. The advantage of this stand is that the bass sits vertically using up the minimum floor space in my studio.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1400583319' post='2455062'] Hi Pete I have seen several Martin basses and they are nicely finished. Not too sure what happened to mine. It's completely matt, there are lumps and bumps in the applied stain and I don't think there are very many coats so the thin finish is very vulnerable to rubbing and scuffing. That said it plays very well. Is yours fully set up or will they have it back to adjust? Their best luthier took mine back in and reduced the string height at the nut after it had been played in. Then he reprofiled the fingerboard where there was a bit of resulting buzzing. He did a good job while I waited. A very nice bass indeed - just as long as you get a well finished one. You can easily get rid of any rosin cake by cleaning the strings with industrial alcohol which you can get from Maplin. Wishing you a lot of joy with a very nice bass. Roger [/quote] Hi Roger. It has been set up and has been settling there in the workshop for about 6-8 weeks since it was finished. I didn't arrange to go back at any particular time but they said any issues just get back to them. As I live in Exeter I would probably get any minor adjustments done by a local luthier. I've gently cleaned off the rosin with very fine steel wool and a cloth and that seems to have done the job. I'll get some alcohol though. Thanks for the tip. It's playing nicely, certainly better than my old G4M. I'm having to adjust to the standard Evah Pirazzi strings as I was playing the Weichs before. Next job is to make a stand. I had the old one lashed to a couple of hooks with a bungee round the scroll - don't think that will do for this one! Will post a photo if I manage it. Pete

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1400350102' post='2453149'] Well done, Pete, you'll get a very nice bass. The Martins thin the table down quite a lot which means the bass has a great punch to it. Just tell George to make sure that your bass is finished a lot better than mine - which is probably the worst looking bass around. For miles. [/quote] Would be interested to know what was wrong with the finish on your bass? Collected mine yesterday and it looks great but then I'd already seen it in the shop. It had been made for someone overseas who failed to come up with the dosh. Only problem is some rosin caked on the strings: someone obviously couldn't resist playing it!

Thanks for this very useful thread: it led me to the door of Thomas & George Martin and I'm collecting a 3/4 Concert later this week, very excited at the prospect. Also sold my G4M today so temporarily bass-less! Pete

I managed to get a replacement end-pin from Ebay which just slid straight in. I checked the diameter of the rod with the seller before buying and luckily it was the same as the old one. Cheers Pete

[quote name='Owencf' timestamp='1392838222' post='2373386'] Bad experiences from G4M are common, and you ended up spending about the same as a cheap second hand preloved bass I was looking at the basses on G4M and got advice from this very helpful forum and found a Bass going on the Classified section here [/quote] I wasn't really trying to make out that it was any cheaper in the end but that G4M basses can end up playing well if they are set up correctly

I'm no expert but I had similar problems with a new bow. It seems to take a while before the rosin will stick. Getting some Nyman rosin also made a big difference.

I have one of the dreaded G4M basses which I picked up very cheaply (£250) and then spent £300 odd getting a new sound post, bridge and work on the nut and fretboard. New strings and It now sounds great and is easy to play. My guess is that any cheap mass produced bass will need money spent on it.

I also come from a jazz background (as a sax player) but I'm concentrating on classical playing with the bass on which I'm pretty much a beginner. I'm having monthly lessons, aiming to go in for exams at some point starting at about grade 5 or 6 and have also joined a very good local amateur orchestra. This is only possible because they are always desperate for bass players. Any other instrument and I wouldn't have a chance of getting in! I'm looking out for opportunities to play other styles of music and have just got myself an amp with that in mind. I'm ambivalent about the grade thing but it does seem to be important to people in the classical world. My impression is that playing a lot with the bow does have a positive effect on intonation. Pizzicato playing seems very easy in comparison and incredibly relaxing after playing with the bow.

I was lucky enough to pick up a Gear4Music DB very cheaply (£250 including a hard case which I then sold for £30). I then spent more than the original price of the bass on a good luthier to sort out the fingerboard and nut, a new soundpost and bridge (£320), new strings (£150) and ended up with a really nice sounding and playable bass. Net cost under £700 but at that initial price it was worth the punt. Good luck

Anyone played the new Acoustic Image contra S4? I'm thinking in terms of double bass playing jazz. Any opinions? How important do people think the lack of on board effects area d the fact that it has only one channel? Pete

Anyone played the new Acoustic Image contra S4? I'm thinking in terms of double bass playing jazz. Any opinions? How important do people think the lack of on board effects is and the fact that it has only one channel? Pete

Hi all. I've just signed up. I'm learning double bass and I'm focussing on classical playing. I've been playing for only about 9 months but I'm making good progress. I make my living as a sax player, teaching and gigging on the jazz scene and also play the occasional gig on drums. I've joined a good local amateur orchestra where I am one of 6 in the bass section. I am also interested in playing some jazz bass at some point and have started to think about getting an amp. The Acoustic Image Contra looks interesting but does anyone stock them in the UK? Look forward to chatting and benefitting from all the experience on here. Pete