neilp

As I said before, Kaplans are purely arco strings. If you want sustain and brightness in your pizzicato sound, don't waste you time or money on Kaplans. I'm mainly an orchestral/chamber player, with some solo recitals occasionally (when I think I can muster an audience) and the Kaplans work beautifully with my bass (1820 ish German). I won't be bothering to try anything else now, these do it for me!

Pretty sure Bill Bailey never won Young Musician of the Year. That's a whole level or two of skill above his, much as I like him and enjoy his musical bits

If he's going to do a lot of orchestral playing, you don't really need to look past Nymans, Kolstein All Weather or Pops. If you want some variety for chamber music and solo stuff, I really Like Jade L'Opera for that. It has a clarity to it that works really well in small ensembles. I've also heard very good things about Leatherwood Amber. It's not cheap, but when you order they send two cakes, so you can have two different formulations. I haven't used it yet, but I've just ordered some, so when it arrives and I've tried it I will report back.

A friend of mine (guitarist , and therefore slippery and not to be trusted) used to regularly leave his house carrying an empty guitar case....

There are many, many worse ways to spend a redundancy cheque!

Graceland. Just pure groove, but not Western groove.... Spirit of Radio, just because....

I don't think you need to be of a particular standard to appreciate a great bow. Andrew's bows are instruments in their own right, and things of rare beauty. Just take a look at the carving of the tip. Completely stunning. If you can afford one, I say try one!

If you possibly can, always lay the bass on its back. Strap a pillow or similar under the the top bout if necessary to keep weight off the scroll or neck. If it's on its back, it is far far less likely to move around, tip over etc. If you must put it on its side, strap it thoroughly and wedge in place with blankets, pillows or whatever. That though is very much second best to having it on its back

Unfortunately for the "plucky Brits " story, there absolutely is a playbook. WHO has one that was followed by New Zealand. Anyone know what the current COVID stats are in New Zealand?

They aren't bad, but there are dozens, hundreds even, of students in music colleges up and down the country who could do better without raising a sweat. Can we make a distinction between "singers" and "vocalists" please? Because Pavarotti is the only really great singer anyone has mentioned so far... (ducks and runs)

Bozo is a Top Man. Great player, with such a lovely sound

Once a decade?????? I wear out a set of strings in 18 months at the very outside.....

If I had somewhere to keep that, it would be in the back of my car now...

I've never seen that before, but that's almost exactly how I was taught. If everything is relaxed enough, it's like flicking a loop along a skipping rope, if that makes sense? I know what I mean, anyway!!

It's a journey. I studied at the RCM, and played in the National Youth Orchestra nearly 40 years ago, and I still find tension in my bow arm and hand. Practice and mindfulness. Study how it feels, then consciously relax muscle groups, all the way from your neck to your fingers, then study how it feels again. It's more difficult with the bass than with any other string instrument, but also more worthwhile

Hive is definitely my facility of choice. Great guys, good customer service, lovely clean communal areas and really well equipped rooms

You should never support a double bass by it's neck. It's both the most fragile part AND the most difficult to repair. I'm not a fan of stands in general, my bass lives in a corner, bridge facing in, when at home. On a gig it's either in my hands or on the floor behind my stool. If it's on the floor it can't fall...

I know it's not in the spirit of things, but I have to disagree. Quite a lot of basses actually benefit from the extra weight and rigidity of a good set of tuners, just as they can benefit from the extra mass of a C extension. Not all, certainly, but not none, and the mass doesn't stop the neck moving, just moves the resonant frequency of the neck. That isn't necessarily a bad thing either! I have known a horrible wolf tone to be almost completely eliminated by a new set of tuners!

If you want tuning machines, Martyn Bailey's are as good as any on the market. He will customise them within limits too. Look no further, they are beautiful

Nor mine. Herbie Flowers might though

Bigger wheels would make a huge difference, as would pulling rather than pushing

The amount of work really shows!

I always liked the forked alloy Kramer headstock (have a hankering to this day for an 8-string. No clue what for!), but for me, this:

That bib is a work of art! Don't let Meghan (my bass) see that.....

Bear in mind that the Kaplans are an arco string - not a hint of that hybrid nonsense, entirely designed for orchestral/chamber music. That's all I do on double bass, so it's not a problem for me. As such though, they do need a fair bit of playing in before they settle. However it may be that they just don't like your bass!!