tinyd

Just saw this great tune:
 

Whole band are excellent, and Russell Hall (the usual bass player on these sessions) is one of my favourites, but I love Larry Grenadier's playing here and his solo is a great example of keeping the groove going with a lot of walking....

Anyway, just wanted to share.

This is the one I have

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204165492972?hash=item2f893630ec:g:jwYAAMXQn11RfS6F

It's very solid and reliable. I use a Realist now as it's a bit more natural sounding, but the J-tone gives a good even tone.

This probably isn't helpful, but I bought a J-tone pickup after owning a BassMax, and I found that the J-tone was similar in terms of sound and feedback resistance, but better and cheaper.

If I was to start in one place, it would be to learn chord tones (and closely-related concept of arpeggios). So pick a straightforward tune (ideally one that stays on one chord for a while) that you like, find the first chord, and then work out the chord tones. Then, play those notes over that first chord and see how they sound to you and try and come up with a bassline using only those notes.

Do the same for the next chord in the tune and try and work out which notes (if any) are shared between the chords, and see if you can figure out ways to connect them.

A lot of music theory involves talking about scales and modes, which have their place, and are also closely related to the above, but I think that it's easy for beginners to get bogged down with scales and their somewhat exotic names. Whereas learning the notes of a chord provides you with a smaller set of notes to play with.

I also have an aging GK MB150 combo that I'd like to replace with something lighter. The Micromark looks interesting - as well as jazz gigs I play in a rockabilly band, but we're comparatively quiet so I'm wondering if it'll be loud enough. 

The other option I think is a TC BAM200 and BC208 which I think will be louder and still portable.

I don't really want to spend more than €400-500 either so some of the nicer PJB etc gear is probably out of my range...

If anyone has any thoughts on these or any other small, light and relatively cheap setups that would be great!

I think if I were buying a new small DB amp today I'd consider a Phil Jones Compact 2 (or 4) cab with a small amp like a TC BAM 200 - wins in terms of portability, anyway, but not sure about volume.

22 hours ago, Paddy Morris said:

I thought I'd ask this here, instead of starting yet another amp thread.

 

Does anyone have experience of using GK amps for upright bass? Positive or negative?  I have a little PJ two-four which is great. Also I have a brute of a 15" TC Electronics amp. This TC can sound great under ideal circumstances.  Very clean, and I don't come remotely close to clipping ever.  But it is just very prone to boominess, and I have to mess about with graphics and placing it on chairs and away from corners in most indoor venues, just to get it to sound acceptable.

 

Someone on this thread said that a physically smaller amp might be better.  And I'm looking at a 12" GK combo on ebay.  I know they are very tailored to a certain type of electric bass sound, but was just wondering if anyone had tried one for upright?

I have a MB150E - it's old and I'm sure that there are better small amps for DB out there, but I'm not convinced that there will be enough of an advantage to justify spending a load of cash. I use mine on upright all the time and I like it - it's loud enough for jazz gigs and a three piece rockabilly gig. I have a preamp, but I never use it because I can usually get the sound I want by tweaking the GK's EQ. One criticism I'd have is that it can sound a bit "boxy" but with EQ work I can usually get this to go away. I really also like the portability - there's a lot in there for such a small amp.

The general impression I have is that it used to be "the" small combo for upright bass players but lots of competitors have come along since. Not sure what budget you have but if you can get the GK at a good price then I don't think it'll be a bad investment.

Hey there - is this still available?

On this topic, has anyone tried a PJB Compact C2? Very small but I'm thinking it'll be good for smallish gigs with an amp like a TC BAM200. Trying to figure out the most portable but usable setup....

I have a GK amp (12") and a Realist pickup and it definitely requires spending time with the amp's EQ to get rid of those nasty frequencies, especially as they can be a lot more "specific" than on BG.

13 hours ago, Bassfingers said:

I ended up going with a K&K Bass Max  - had to file and shim the bridge for a good fit but the results are pretty good. Sounds a little too percussive at times - I'm going to try the Realist Copper at some point. 

Bass Max isn't bad but on my bass it sounded a bit too "nasal" (which is common for all piezo pickups). The J-Tone pickups are good as well, and cheap.

The search for the best pickup is neverending, I think it's more a case of finding something that's usable in a gig situation and that isn't too fussy in terms of setup and EQ.

Anyway, happy hunting!

I have a Realist copper which is the best of the various piezo pickups I've tried. Not perfect, but with careful EQ it can sound pretty natural at high volumes and doesn't require an adjustable bridge.

On 03/06/2022 at 14:19, Silvia Bluejay said:

I've only ever seen thumb position being used in solo double bass! (Lovely stuff that is, when the player is good.)

What am I missing? Why would an ordinary DB player in a band need thumb position otherwise?

Sorry, delayed reply here. I mostly agree but it's really nice to be able to walk and to keep going sometimes up into TP (NOTE: I can't do this very well, but it's fun and sounds good when other people do it)

On 01/07/2022 at 18:57, zbd1960 said:

...As a general rule, you tend to sharpen if the melodic line is ascending and flatten for descending...

As someone whose dot-reading is mainly walking bass lines this "rule" makes most sense to me as it makes the direction a bit more explicit.

Totally agree with @Clarky about EQ - the mid-highs are where the nasal stuff lives. You might need more treble than you'd otherwise want though just to help with hearing yourself for the purposes of intonation.

Get there early, get yourself setup (5 mins - we're bassists, right?) and then you'll have time to help carry drums, figure out PA, chat to bar staff and most importantly, you won't get stressed out while the guitarist is in your way while fiddling around with pedals etc.

On 07/03/2022 at 10:20, DanOwens said:

How about a J-Tone bridge-wing pickup and a Studiospares 458190 (discontinued so secondhand); that'd sort you right out!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/jtoneelectronique

https://www.studiospares.com/studiospares-di-boxpreamp-458190.htm 

 

It'd have a lot of tone shaping / phase options for a small amount of money and would (to a certain degree) mitigate the risk of feedback.

 

Thanks

I have a J-Tone pickup and while a little bit unsubtle in terms of sound, it's feedback-proof, pretty inexpensive and very usable, especially on a louder gig (I have a Realist for the quieter gigs where I want a more natural sound). I plug it straight into my amp and with some EQ fiddling I'm ready to go.

Saw this recently in the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. I'm thinking of going for a moustache....

23 hours ago, Jus Lukin said:

It's a great song, but worth noting that there is every chance that the notion of today being the unhappiest one of the year came from a campaign to sell holidays.

 

For the many who live a life of continual inexplicable emptiness and misery, there is certainly no need for a Depressive's Christmas, as it were.

 

 

Yep, fantastic song but the day itself is makey-uppy (https://www.badscience.net/2009/01/part-432-in-which-i-get-a-bit-overinterested-and-look-up-waaay-too-many-references/)

On 03/01/2022 at 10:04, jacko said:

@tinyd maybe he lives in a small flat. I have quite a big house and my DB still takes up far too much room. 

 

Absolutely. I have a DB and there are plenty of times that I wish it were smaller. Reason I asked was just because the OP mentioned DB and someone on here gave me good advice when I was looking to start that if you want to play DB and can make it work, then get a DB since there's nothing quite the same as pulling sounds out of a big piece of wood...

None of which detracts from the fact that I'd love an EUB as well if money/space allowed.

Apart from the suggestions above, Leroy Vinnegar was a great player. The "Gerry Mulligan meets Ben Webster" album is a good place to start.

On DB, Ron Carter's playing in the Miles quintet is my favourite, particularly Footprints on Miles Smiles.  I also really like Jimmy Garrison with Coltrane, particularly Crescent and A Love Supreme.

For electric, Robbie Shakespeare (loads of recordings, but his playing really cuts through on the Black Uhuru and Grace Jones stuff), Paul Jackson (Headhunters, Thrust etc)  and Jaco's first album are all stuff I keep coming back to 

4 hours ago, bassace said:

That drummer’s a bit busy isn’t he. We used to call the tune as ‘quickly as in a shop doorway’.  Takes all sorts.

Haha, he is, I was focussed on the bass so I didn't notice that, but now you've said it...they also speed up a lot.

I haven't used my ukulele bass at a gig yet, but I reckon I might give it a go in places that are tight. I haven't struggled with the strings like some people and I went for fretless which is more DB-like plus allows you to correct tuning issues a bit. My one (a Laka) has a good preamp and it sounds good amplified. This guy shows how it can be done:

So I'm not sure if that's much help, but I do think it's usable at a gig.

There are plenty of people out there that do play by feel, but they just get on with it and don't use it as an excuse for being all over the place.

The "you, with your musical 'rules' are restricted whereas I, free, let the creativity pour out of me" BS always comes from people who at the end of the day just aren't very good musicians.