tinyd

7 hours ago, MuddBass said:

I'd say no, it's far too quiet for that in my experience.

Thanks - I figured that might be the case alright....

@MuddBass Is the Earbox enough on its own for the job of hearing yourself? i.e. if the bass is going into the PA, does the Earbox make enough noise that you don't also need another speaker for the job of personal monitoring? I'm thinking of a small class D amp head with DI out to PA and an Earbox as the only speaker...

Not sure about your particular EUB, but middle frequencies with piezo pickups on DB often need to be cut drastically and you'll want to be careful with lows as well as they can quickly become "boomy". 

Thanks @Paddy Morris - I'll keep an eye out for one of those. If I was going for a new cab, this looks like it might offer more bottom end than the C2 while still being light:

https://www.thomann.de/ie/peavey_trace_elliot_bassbox_110.htm

Thing is, I currently use an old (but working fine) GK MB150 combo which is OK in terms of volume etc but to me it's always sounded a bit "boxy" and as I said above, doesn't give me much clarity. So I'm looking for something that's about as loud as the GK, but with a more "hi fi" sound, plus cheap and light. I'm prepared to concede that this combination may not exist

Thanks @NickA - that's kind of what I was thinking too (i.e. 2x5 not pushing enough bass into the room). Thing is, the thing that most bothers me when gigging is that I can't hear myself that well, and the C2 seems like it would do this part pretty well. Plus the acoustic sound of the bass itself is often pretty good for smaller / quieter gigs in terms of bass projection.

I guess the good thing about going for an amp + cab means that I can always get a bigger cab for the gigs where I need it....

Does anyone have any experience or opinions of using one of these for DB gigs? I play either a regular rockabilly gig but with a quiet-ish drummer, or jazz gigs without a drummer at all. I really like small/light gear so I'm going to pair it with a TC BAM200 head, but I don't want to get one of these if it just can't keep up. For reference, I currently have an (old) GK MB150 that I want to replace with the new rig. The other alternative is to get the TC BC208 cab, which is much bigger. But if I can get away with the C2 then that will make me happy

On 23/08/2023 at 11:26, JPJ said:

The one that always amazes me is the little TC Electronics BG250 208 - a 2 x 8” combo that just loves my NS NXT EUB. I’ve used mine for personal monitoring and for back line on ‘acoustic’ gigs and I am constantly amazed by how open and natural it makes the NS sound. They often pop up on here used for not a lot of money and are well worth the outlay. I have upgraded the speakers in mine to get the full 250W in a one hand lift small box. 

There's a guy on Talkbass who recommended a Warwick Gnome + TC BC208, which is along the lines of what you're describing. I reckon I'm going to try that combination when I scrape some cash together....

3 hours ago, JoeEvans said:

My Roth and Junius bag, bought for £90 or so a few years back (not sure of model or reference number) is now falling to bits at a fair rate, starting with the handles coming off at inconvenient times. So won't be buying one of theirs again...

For what it's worth, I've had my Westbury for 6 years and there are no obvious signs of it coming apart anywhere. Can't guarantee anything, but might be worth taking into account @Richard Jinman

I've got one of these and it's excellent - well made with decent padding and pockets plus loads of handles which makes it easy to get it in and out of cars etc

https://www.gear4music.ie/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Westbury-Deluxe-Padded-3-4-Double-Bass-Gig-Bag-with-Wheels/1MBI?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=order-confirmation&utm_content=ord-line&utm_source=txn-email

(It's got wheels as well.....)

In terms of the action/string height, if you measure at the end of the fingerboard you'll be able to compare with what other people use. Mine go from about 6mm on the G to about 10mm on the E which is probably fairly typical for pizz/jazz playing. If yours are significantly higher than this then it might be worth reducing.

There's a good video somewhere from Victor Wooten where he plays a bassline along to a metronome and he increases the gaps between the clicks so it starts on every two beats, then once per bar, then every two bars etc. I tried it and it's hard, especially when you get to one click every four bars, but it probably does wonders for your internal time if done regularly.

Yep, lie bass on it's back etc and you should be fine!

I really like my Realist Copperhead btw - it's the best of the pickups I've tried

It's pretty easy as long as you take all the sensible precautions around preventing the soundpost from slipping by not removing all strings etc.

1 hour ago, Richard Jinman said:

Something I'm struggling with is when to use a two feel and when to walk. When I got a grasp of walking I tended to see everything as a chance to walk ... until my teacher reigned me in. He suggested a two feel is often more appropriate for ballads for example. I guess it's often the case when you're learning an instrument - the tendency to paint every inch of the canvas because you can. All part of the fascination of learning...

If you're playing jazz, I reckon that listening to when Paul Chambers changes between two-feel and walking on albums like Relaxin', Steamin', Cookin' etc is a great starting point, as these are pretty close to being "canonical" small-band jazz recordings.

Although it sounds slightly counterintutive (less notes, so must be easier, right?), two-feel can often be harder than walking as well (which might be another reason why you prefer to walk).

In general it's a good skill to be able to switch between the two at will over any particular tune, particularly because when you're playing with other people switching might be the most appropriate choice.
 

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

You are not wrong, endless walking lines can be wearing on the ears, not to mention fingers, and make everything sound the same.

 

There is an awful lot to be said for concentrating on playing, rather than gear. However, I think a satisfying tone and the right feel under the fingers encourages you to play and practise more. 

I agree completely except the "wearing on the fingers" bit - I find that playing root/fifth two-feel stuff is harder on the hands than walking. Something about shifting position and fingers more frequently means that I'm less likely to "cramp up"....

@Richard Jinman "are yours low or medium tension?"

The message quoting got a bit messed-up, but mine are lights (as were the Spiros that I had previously)

On 01/08/2023 at 18:55, TheRev said:

For a more traditional sound, try Evah Pirazzi Weich.

I got a set of these after starting off with Spiros - they're similar but as @TheRev says, a bit more traditional, sound wonderful and slightly easier on the fingers. Not cheap though, but I've had the same set on for years and they still sound pretty good.

18 hours ago, Smanth said:

This is rather nice!

S'manth x

 

That's a decent review. I think you'll get a very similar sound from any uke-bass with those strings since unlike a DB, the body is so small that it contributes very little to the overall sound.

Yep, I agree on going DB if that's what you want. Somebody here (sorry, can't remember who) phrased it something like "there's nothing like pulling a note out of a big piece of wood" and I have to say that it was bang on. You will also end up getting gigs (and you can debate about how shallow this is) based purely on the look of a DB.

Of course, EUBs are great and if I had room and money I'd get one as well....

17 hours ago, iamtheelvy said:

I love my fretted uke, but somewhat wish I’d gone for the fretless model…

I think it depends on what you're looking for, but for me I was interested in the  "mini-DB" aspect so fretless made sense and I do (kind of) play it like DB in terms of shifting and fingering, although obviously I just use the first three fingers rather than 1, 2 & 4

19 hours ago, paul_5 said:

I mainly play fretless bass anyway, so maybe a fretless is the way to go.

+1. If you're already familiar with fretless BG or DB I think fretless is the way to go alright as you can compensate in real time for any intonation weirdness.

20 hours ago, paul_5 said:

I played one for the first time at my local ukulele club last week. Obviously it sounded better through the PA, but the strings were really, really 'grabby' and the intonation was way off! Are they all like this?

 

I have a Laka bass (it's a nice quality instrument, with decent Fishman electronics). The intonation at the bottom end of the E string is off because of the fatness of the string itself, but the rest of the neck is fine and because I went for a fretless I can compensate down on the E. Strings are very weird alright and I have to remember to play very softly otherwise I get a slightly "twangy" tone. But EQd right it can sound fairly DB-like in the mix, although playing the DB afterwards makes it apparent that the u-bass doesn't have any of the richness that you get with a massive lump of wood 10 times the size....who'd have thought?

I reckon if I had a really tight restaurant / coffee shop gig I'd consider using it....

On 25/06/2023 at 15:25, JoeEvans said:

I've recently - finally - got the double bass sound of my dreams using a Prodipe BL21 mic into an Art Tube preamp then into a Turbosound iP300 active PA speaker. My bass but louder and a bit smoother and sexier. 

That's very interesting - do you have any thoughts about other, smaller, PA speakers? I know nothing about them but I don't think I'd need one as powerful as the Turbosound.....

I've read a few good things about the TC BC208 cab paired with either the TC BAM200 or Warwick Gnome head. The cab weighs about 10KG and the heads are tiny so weight probably won't be an issue. I have an aging GK MB150 combo but I'm thinking of replacing it with this setup. 

I like her playing and the band in general but the bass seemed to get a bit lost when she started walking (but then this also often happens with bass guitar playing in a "straightahead" jazz setting).

I have a U-bass and it's a great "noodling about on the sofa" instrument - good for working out tunes when I can't be bothered to play the DB, but the tone can be a bit suspect alright.