Staggering on

Definite improvement in sound and volume, mostly due to getting the sound post back to where it belongs. There was some damage about ten years ago when the original owner had it and I believe the sound post fell and was put in the the wrong place by the person who did the repairs, almost two inches from where it is now. The bridge feet were also contoured for a better fit to the top and that may have affected the sound too. The new adjusters work well and the top profile of the bridge was reworked for better bowing although I only bow while practicing at home, I can't inflict my poor technique and scratchy sound on anyone yet. The volume and tone from string to string are more uniform now and the E and A sound "like a real bass" instead of a dull thud, especially when played without the amp, while the D and G sound clearer than they did, particularly at the G to B on the D string and C to F on the G, not the dull "woody" way they sounded before the work was done. Although no work was done on the nut and the bridge height is about the same it just feels better to play, more sensitive and easier on my left hand. Perhaps not quite "like butter" but I can still make some adjustments with the bridge now and find the perfect height for me. He did some sanding on the fingerboard and that may be why it feels different. It also sounds better through my amp as I had hoped, cleaner and clearer than it was. All in all a good investment, now I know why so many on here have urged us to have a good luthier do a set up based on how we as individuals play so we can get the most out of our instruments. One very important thing is that Paul, the luthier, treated me and my cheap ply bass with respect and didn't trash talk my bass and try to sell me one of the Shens or other basses that I tried in his shop, although he was certainly aware there was a strong aura of GAS around me. So two trips of 780km each and $320CD and I am a happy old guy, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to play my "new" bass. 😊

Not going to happen, that band was so long ago('70's) there was no way to video, probably a good thing actually.🙂

Love it, reminds me of a band I was in where the vocalist played a snare with brushes and a hi hat, and we were also a Canadian band! 👏🇨🇦

Just got the word my Engelhardt Swingmaster ES 9 will be ready for me to bring home from the luthier tomorrow. Among other things the bridge has been fitted with adjusters, the sound post has been moved quite a distance, and some work was done on the fingerboard. I have had it for over a year and a half now and have used it on a lot of gigs and decided it was time for someone to do some work on it. Unfortunately there is no one near me so I took it to Stand Up Guy Bass, a one man operation in Toronto which is a 4.5 hour trip each way from here. He sells and repairs basses only and seems to be reasonable person and didn't make any of the usual comments when I told him what kind of bass I had, saying if it works for me that's all that matters. So I'll be on the road early tomorrow and be back tomorrow evening to give it a workout and see what it sounds like through my own amp...pretty exciting stuff for an old guy.😊

The phrase "contrary bugger" in the previous post pretty much fits me I think, and of course the fact that bass is 'different'. Edit: The "contrary" part also applies to my choice of instruments I guess. Engelhardt DB(one of those love it or loathe it things), a Yamaha SLB 200 EUB( "you paid how much for that thing?"), Yamaha RBX750A EB( anyone ever even heard of these?) AND(wait for it!) I play tenor banjo in one band I'm in.

Steady now, there are a few banjo players on here, well at least there's one...me.😉

Good one, but does anyone know what language the writing is? Surely that would be a guide to the origins of the bass...or am I missing something here.

That looks like a good idea. I love the Planet waves micro and have several and use them on my EB,EUB,DB, guitar, banjo and mandolin and have never had a problem. I occasionally use a pedal tuner but most of the time I prefer the D'Addario which is almost invisible to everyone but me, I don't like big things stuck on my instruments and I find them distracting when I see people using them at gigs, but that's just me. Another good thing is that I can leave them on the instruments when I put them in their cases or gig bags.

This is me but I've never been able to put it into words. Thank you and I am going to try to use it to make 2020 a very good year, or at least a more satisfying year...so many things to do and at 73 I need to get going.

Afternoon NYE gig for the jazz standards quartet at a nursing home. We have done this several years now and start at 1:30PM after the residents/patients make their way to the big recreation room. With staff and family members at least 120 people and some are able to dance, some are in wheelchairs and some are brought in right in their beds. It's a bit bizarre but we are used to it now and have a good time as the audience sings, taps, claps ,nods or dances(even in wheelchairs!) as we move through our carefully chosen two sets. We play less than an hour and a half and then the balloons come down and they break out some bubbly and we launch into Auld Lang Syne and then munch on cookies and other treats as we socialize with the staff and residents and pack up. It's a bit sad since some are in very poor health but everyone enjoys it and it has become a tradition to have us on NYE and it makes us realize how lucky we are to be healthy enough to be able to play the gig and bring some fun into the day. We also are paid so that makes the hour drive better but I know we would do this one for free. Count your blessings folks and have a great 2020.

It was on TV over here a month or two ago and I watched the whole series. I also saw the segment that showed how the film was made and also watched the concert at the Ryman Auditorium that was shown here before the actual series started.Excellent material and well done, typical Ken Burns work. Not as long or as in as much depth as his earlier Jazz production but I learned a lot and was well entertained.

Our jazz standards quartet played a gig yesterday providing background music from 8:30 to 11:30 for an investment company's annual Christmas party and meal for staff and clients and families, a gig we've played at least five times now. About 300 attendees and lots of nice comments and kids seeing live music for a change and the venue staff doing some nice moves to our music as they went about their work. It's a nice venue, we get well paid, easy load in/out and a nice meal as well.We had a relaxed time playing some of our "wallpaper" music with a couple of dozen Christmas/seasonal tunes mixed in, all in all a good gig. About the only drawback is that it is 8:30 to 11:30 AM, a Christmas breakfast party which means leave home at 6:30AM, set up and sound check at 7:30. You gotta love it!

I started with a Stagg but when I found a used Yamaha SLB 200 at a great price I grabbed it fast. It is much better(IMO) than the Stagg and I gigged with it until I bought a DB for gigs although in cramped quarters I still use the Yamaha.As said above, try as many as you can but as you will find, not many stores have them in stock. There are some good suggestions in the earlier posts. As with many other instrument purchases if you get a very basic cheaper model you may get serious GAS for something better so it might be a good idea to get the best you can afford. Check out the for sale listings on this site, you might get lucky. What type of music are you going to use it for? Will you use just an amp or DI into a PA? Check out reviews of the various brands of EUB and you may get an idea of what's available and which ones are best for you. Good luck! Edit: I just looked and there are several EUB's listed in the for sale listings.

How about this? Something to throw back at them!

5'7" ...and at 73 getting shorter every year.

So do I and I think it might work for the baby bass because the neck and endpin supports are both adjustable. Would the Ingles stand fit the Ampeg, lots of height possibilities.

Absolutely, but I was thinking of "playing by ear" in terms of hearing a melody and then playing it or figuring out a melody without having it written out. I would also include being able to hear and play basic chord change patterns like blues and many jazz standards without having to see them on paper.

For some it is read only. I play in two bands (jazz charts/big band/swing) with several university music graduates that also teach or have taught music in secondary schools and can all read like the wind and can improvise to a degree but absolutely cannot play anything by ear.This includes the reed, brass and keyboard players but the drummer with a similar background is quite flexible, but that is part of his job and he also reads well. We play gigs and work on new charts all the time and these people can sight read some difficult charts. The good thing is that my reading has improved a lot just to be able to keep up with the rest of the band.

I tried a G 10 a couple of years ago with my EB and EUB(both active) and had problems so returned it. Recently I bought a WL 20 and have used it at home, at rehearsals and on about 10 gigs and I love it. So far I have only used it on my DB with a KNA DB 1 pickup and go from the pickup to a Schatten Design Mini Pre that I have mounted on a bracket that will clamp to a mic stand or music stand and I use that to control volume and then cable to the amp or PA as required. It's great not having cables underfoot and I can move the DB around as I play and even spin it if I want( I don't!) and have no wires on me or the bass. From the reviews I have read it seems that the main criticism is that the batteries can't be replaced when they wear out so you have to buy the whole kit instead of just batteries but it seems they have a fairly long life so I'm OK with that. I have never run the batteries right down and have logged my time and get about 5 hours before the first warning light comes on and at that point Boss claims there is still 30 minutes of life left in the batteries.I suppose that time may change as the unit gets older. Small, easy to charge and it works consistently so I would recommend it based on my experience.

Plus one for the DB.👍 I have been playing guitar, banjo and bass and have been gigging at various levels from six nights a week to just few gigs a year since I was 16.I was playing EB in a little jazz quartet about 5 or 6 years ago when I decided to get an EUB and that was the start of a whole new world. I upgraded to a better EUB and then finally got a DB about 18 months ago and use it in two bands and I love it. As has been said it is a whole new instrument and different technique and will make you really work. If you get some lessons and are a decent reader everything from classical to jazz and rockabilly and many other things are open to you and it is FUN to play the beast. At 73 I'm in two bands that both rehearse weekly but I now only play 20 to 40 gigs a year and spend lots of time practicing and informal jamming with friends. I have also played in some pit bands/orchestras to add some more variety. You will find that even if you continue with originals the DB will surprise you and you will find yourself doing things that you would not have thought of on DB. Good luck and keep us posted as things unfold.

The recesses hold it in the correct location but it will still tilt if bumped or when changing strings and sometimes when tuning, just like a DB. It is also a tall bridge (unlike a lot of EUBs ) which makes it more susceptible to bumps. There is a section in the owner's manual about the proper set up for the bridge including the angle. Sounds like you are having a good time with the MK, I like my Yamaha and use it for rehearsals and gigs where space is limited and my DB is too big but I'd love to try the MK. Are you planning to gig with it?

The SLB 200 doesn't have a fixed bridge and it does tilt, I have one and check and adjust it occasionally.

Good info, thanks. Your time line is very interesting and I'm happy so far with the progress I've made, not startling but things are gradually getting better and I'm OK with that. Good point about the breathing, I've been working on this for years with some success but I still have to think about it. I have found that the breathing helps me relax whole groups of muscles so I can do the exercises more comfortably and with less stress on my body and that makes the exercises much more effective. For some of the routines I have to consciously relax my shoulders for example and then the rest of my arm works the way it should. Good work for the body and the brain.

This is my tenth day of using the exercises in the book and I'm doing them daily. It's still early days but I have noticed some changes, most notably less wrist pain and hand/finger numbness, especially at night, and some other parts of my body(neck especially) have loosened up. So far so good.😊 The introductory chapters are very informative and I've gone back to reread a couple of sections to make sure I'm doing things the correct way. Instead of working only on the wrist/hand/fingers exercises I start with the upper body section and then do all the exercises up to the thumb section which I am not doing yet since my thumbs aren't as much of a problem. This approach makes sense to me since in the intro she stresses the importance of the connection of all of your body parts and this gives a workout to the entire upper body. Two things are a bit difficult for me at this stage. For years I have worked and exercised in a more strenuous manner than these exercises demand and I have to consciously move carefully to prevent over stretching or pushing a bit too far. The good part of this is that I have to really pay attention to my body and forget about the "no pain, no gain" philosophy that I tend to use when doing other exercises. This is very gentle and the body responses are very subtle and it takes some time to learn how to feel them. The second thing is feeling the stretch point and release. At only ten days in, I'm still wondering if I'm doing things correctly because it is all very new to me but seems to be helping so I must be doing some things correctly. As has been pointed out in posts and in the book, this is not an instant cure program and so far it seems to be working and I'm hoping for more relief as I continue on with it and will update as I progress. I would like to hear from anyone else using the book and thanks again for recommending it.

KNA DB-1. Works for me and is easy to install, straight into amp or PA.