Staggering on

Many(most?) punters" hear what they see "to a certain extent.The last sentence in the quote above is what it's all about.

I have found the same thing happens when I play different music.I am in two bands that play essentially the same type of jazz/swing music but one is a quartet where we just use a lead sheet for melody and chords and the other band is a seven piece swing band where we play professional arrangements from charts and that demands real concentration and accuracy.Each band requires a different type of playing, in the quartet I can be more creative and in the septet I have to be right on the money or the arrangement doesn't work.One result is that my reading skills have gone up a lot and using some ideas from the arrangements I have started to be more inventive in the quartet. I also feel better playing bass after a session where I play guitar or banjo, like you, bass is the right instrument. And we are all so lucky that we have music in our lives!

It was NOT this Canadian! ...and Canadians rarely get irate... Bob

Your persistence paid off...and you were right, medium it is. Much as I love my SLB200 I have found it very frustrating when I have contacted Yamaha and asked any technical questions (ex."should I use a preamp?")so you have done well. Bob in Canada

This is his only appearance in the UK and should be a great show.I will be back in Canada by then(poor timing) so I'll miss it but you can find ticket sources easily online.Lucky you!

Yup,probably medium but it will be nice to hear what they say. I just checked the string ID chart at Gollihur Music(https://www.gollihurmusic.com/faq/57-STRINGS_STRING_IDENTIFICATION_CHART.html) and it seems that string is only shown as light or heavy.The plot thickens.... ...a few minutes later... I went to the Gollihur site again and found that they sell that string in light, heavy AND medium!There is also a video from the manufacturer and they mention the three weights too.This is getting interesting.

That would be great,I would love to hear an Eminence in a live setting, it's hard to tell what they really sound like on videos.I want to hear how it compares to my Yamaha SLB200, which I will be leaving at home in Canada unfortunately. Bob

My SLB 200 has the stock strings the same as yours.Not sure of the gauge but here are the colours of the silks on mine if that's any help. Tailpiece-red and gold Pegbox-E green,A black,D gold,G red There are sites where you can use the colours to identify your strings and there are other sites that deal with the Yamaha SLB200(Talkbass...oops,sorry about that BC). I'm in Canada and there is a phone contact on the Yamaha website but nobody seemed to know much about the instrument.I have the owners manual but it does not give any details about the strings other than how to change them and tune.In the specifications it says "contra bass strings" with no names or gauges. Good luck!

I started with a Stagg and it was a good intro to upright for me and the neck is similar to many DBs (being careful here...).A few months later I came across a Yamaha SLB 200 at a price that I couldn't resist and I have been using it for about 3 years for gigs.It has a better sound and can be set up pretty much like a DB and although some would disagree, it is a really good instrument, at least for me.Because it is not usually very easy to try out several EUBs at one time since most stores carry a limited stock, it might a good idea to take your time and try as many as you can,it seems what is great for one person doesn't work for others. I'm sure you'll get lots of ideas on BC and there might be other threads on here to check out.The Double Bass Bash in April near Bicester(see Events) could be a good source of advice and there may be some EUBs there to try out. Good luck and happy hunting!

And here we are... p

First outing for our seven piece swing band Sunday afternoon.Most of the two swing sets were charts by the arranger and composer Dave Wolpe and I would recommend them-good arrangements and a good challenge with lots of key changes and interesting timings.All but two of us have music degrees and everyone reads well with me as the weakest link but I managed to get through with only a few minor problems.I was using my Yamaha SLB 200 EUB and went straight into our Bose PA along with the piano.I had a busy time as I am also the frontman and did the between song chatter. The third set was a Dixieland/Trad set and I switched to tenor banjo and one of the horn players switched to tuba. All in all a good afternoon with a sold out hall(OK,it was small but packed with close to 100 people)and we got a standing O at the end of the gig and are being booked back in June. Trying to keep live music alive here in Canada... Bob

Thomann also has the Stagg stand.

What kind of EUB do you have? I use a Stagg EUB stand for my Yamaha SLB 200.The stand came with a Stagg EUB that I had for a year or two and I kept the stand after I sold the bass.There are a lot of bits to adjust so you might be able to make it work for you,my Yamaha fits well on it and the stand is quite sturdy.

I agree, you're not going to drop from dehydration on stage(or anywhere else probably) and having a sip of water every few minutes is totally unnecessary for most of us but seems to be "the thing to do" these days.Most people use commercial bottles of water and I think marketing has more to do with it than necessity, the same as energy drinks.Even here in Canada where water is abundant and cheap I can't believe how many people buy cases of water for use at home as well as other places.Depending on what is on sale here water can be more expensive than gasoline(petrol) in some situations...crazy! I have a drink of water between sets sometimes but not on stage unless I really need it due to throat problems,I do a few vocals and backups.

I think any upright bass is welcome according to other posts in this thread,also anyone interested in uprights from what I can see.I won't be bringing a bass but I want to see and hear what other people have. Bob in Canada,but I'll be at the bash in April...

Double bass bash April 14 near Bicester.I will be bassless but I'll be there.Too far to bring my EUB since I'll be coming from Canada. Check the Events forum for info about this and other bass bashes.

So if you hadn't heard of them they didn't exist?Pretty sketchy argument. I think I'm finished with this thread,Dad was right about the blinkers.

Not to be rude, but I assume you have heard of Carol Kay and James Jamerson.

Breaking news!We have booked our flight to Heathrow and will arrive April 12 and head to Bicester by bus. We have booked a room at the Travelodge in Bicester and will use it to recover from jet lag so I will be in reasonable shape for the Double Bass Bash on the 14th.We won't have a car so I'm not sure how I will get to the venue,I guess a cab is possible unless anyone has other suggestions.I won't have an instrument, the EUB will be at home in Canada so there will just be one old guy to transport.Getting pretty pumped about this! Bob

Is it just me or is there something odd here?I always like a bargain but it seems that at least half of the people who order these tuners have had some sort of problem with delivery or performance or both.What do you expect for the price?I can't imagine having instruments worth thousands, not to mention other gear, and using such "iffy" tuners. Isn't being in tune important? I have a Korg Pitchblack Advance and several D'Addario tiny unobtrusive clip on tuners and as long as the batteries are OK they are great, never had a problem and I use them on my EUB,BG,acoustic guitar, banjo and mandolin.They weren't cheap but they always work well and are reliable, I don't want to have problems tuning at gigs or at home,I have enough issues just trying to play the right notes!I also like the fact that I don't have some big piece of plastic clamped onto the headstock of my instruments but maybe that's just me. Sorry if this seems like a rant but I've been following the topic from the first post and can't stop wondering why anyone buys these things when there are so many bad experiences with them.

I heard an interview with the guitar builder on CBC(the Canadian version of BBC) a couple of weeks ago and he sounded sincere about this project but as I listened to him I couldn't help but feel a little creepy about the idea and was wondering who will buy these things.The Hendrix family situation never occurred to me,I was trying to picture what the guitar would look like.We in Canada have also seen guitars made from many bits of hockey sticks that were used by famous players so I guess we have a bit of a history of this sort of thing and it seems pretty weird to me but I imagine things like this are going on all over.Could cricket bats be turned into fine guitars?Hmmmmm....how about oars from the Oxford crew...

I think your last sentence is a great summary and can be used when others claim that reading music destroys their creativity.I have a friend who is a fine guitar player but uses that excuse constantly and I don't want to argue the point with him too much and perhaps harm our friendship.Ironically, the other half of the folk duo he is in(his wife) is a good musician who can read well and could teach him if he wanted to learn.I guess whatever works for you and this is not intended as a put down for those who can't read music,I can't read TAB.

I am so lucky!I live out in the boonies in northern Ontario and my nearest neighbour is over 1/4 mile away and it is dense forest between us.I can play anything at any volume at any time and not bother anyone.So whether I'm listening to something loud or playing I can do what I want.Paradise...real estate information on request...Canada will welcome you!

Assuming my travel plans work out I will be there to add an international presence to the affair.Looking forward to a good time and I am already looking to book accommodation in Bicester or vicinity, currently looking at B and B's in the area.Any suggestions?If things go as planned I will arrive in England on 12 April and head to Bicester area(train) and stay until the 15th...and even though I am just one of those rough Canadian colonials I know that it is not "BYSESTER",but I had to look it up to be sure. Looking forward to lovely spring and a good time at the bash. Bob

Vibraphone-definitely bad vibes for me, very cold sounding.I can appreciate the skills of the players but the sound is, for lack of a better word, bland, and does nothing for me.