Beer of the Bass

I've just put a 45-130 set of these on my five string and so far I'm enjoying them. Apparently they're made for Sadowsky by LaBella but are made to their spec rather than simply being a Labella set re-badged. Mine aren't played in yet, but they tend a little more towards the old-school flatwound thing than D'Addario Chromes or Ernie Ball, but still have decent sustain and detail to them. The B-string is quite dark but workable, certainly at least as good as the Chromes B and the lower notes sound huge. They're very smoothly polished and a little less stiff feeling than Chromes of the same gauge. Using the neck pickup on my bass has a satisfying earthiness about it that's a lot of fun to play. Has anyone else tried these and what did you think of them? I'm curious about how they compare to the regular LaBellas too - though I'm not going to try any more strings in the near future as I want to see how these settle in over a few months. I haven't seen much mention of these on Basschat, though I guess that could be because you have to order them from the US.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1407794133' post='2524162'] Last time I did a rig share the guy looked a bit upset when I finished my sound check with the all singing all dancing Shuttlemax 9.2 head with Genz 2x12T cab then popped the little shuttle 3.0 on top and swapped the power lead and speakon lead over for him, "there you go mate you can fiddle with that all you like and leave it where you want as I will only need to use it if mine goes pear shaped later". If he could afford a silly hair cut and a vintage Fender P bass then he can afford a little MB200 head to put in his gig bag can't he? They nearly did not go on as their drummer refused to play our drummers kit because he normally uses one with with two rack toms instead of one! They finally went on after moaning about having to turn our drummers left handed drum kit around before and after their set and it not being up to their standard (Pearl Export with Remo skins and a full set of Zildgian (sp) cymbals), a few Nirvana covers and they were done [/quote] Ah yes, the guys who rock up with no gear expecting to use yours (but don't discuss it in advance), then express disappointment that what you've brought doesn't suit their particular requirements. That drives me nuts! I've had it a couple of times - one was with my bass rig when a guitarist in the other band brought a Marshall and 4x12" cab and cranked it. I don't carry a rig that can keep up with that and I don't need to as the guitarists in my band use 1x12" combos. I've had some moans about my guitar amp too - it's a 1x10" 15 watt valve combo which I built myself. It gets fairly loud but doesn't have the biggest bottom end in the world and it has only one channel which is clean when played quietly and gritty at volume, so it really doesn't suit every style but it's perfect for my needs. I feel like I shouldn't have to select gear for anyone else's tastes but mine. On the occasions where I've arranged in advance to use somebody else's gear and not liked it, I've kept my mouth shut, made the best of it and thanked them after the gig. And I'd have been pleased to arrive to a Genz rig in that situation, whatever the model!

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1407769883' post='2523787'] I've one of these I use when the full rig isn't required.... It's getting an outing Thursday night along with the Wizzy 10, I can take the whole set up on the tube. [/quote] I took my MB200/Wizzy 10 setup out for a gig last night. It's got to be the nicest sounding rig of that size that I've heard. It won't fill a huge room with deep bass but in small rooms or with PA support it's very useful, and being able to sling it over my shoulder in a padded cajon bag and hop on the bus makes city centre gigging a lot easier.

I've recently built new neck for my 34" bolt-on five string. The new neck uses the same woods as the old neck, but has carbon-fibre rods under the fingerboard, a slightly deeper profile and a double-action truss rod. When setting up the bass I have the distinct impression that the new neck is a fair bit stiffer, as the truss rod requires relatively little tightening to bring the neck close to straight. While I haven't done a straight A/B of the two necks, it does seem that the B string has better sustain and is a little clearer sounding on the new neck. The clarity of the B string could still be improved further up the neck, but I'm going to try a tapered B to see whether that helps. This makes me wonder whether neck stiffness is as important as anything else to a good sounding B-string.

If I'm sharing my gear I'd usually prefer that the head and cab were used together, since I'm using a GK MB200 at the moment which would have a hard time blowing the drivers in my larger cab. Lately I've been going off the idea of sharing (except in specific situations with bands I know), both from having my gear abused and from turning up and finding that backline the other band offered to share was a 20 watt practice combo at a gig with vocal PA only!

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1407681800' post='2522927'] Whether the guard in question is a 'nice' guard or not is kinda immaterial to the specific issue. If one chooses an item from a picture posted by a seller then the finished product should at least come close. This guard doesn't. As for Spitfire's business practices, the general sense I get from posts around the different threads is 'His T&C's are clear upfront - but 35% is well on the steep side'. I suppose what it comes down to is the balance between a maker's desire to protect his own sense of 'creativity' and the need to compromise with the buyer's wishes. Some makers err one way (the Michelangelo syndrome) and others are more pragmatic, though rarely have I seen such reinforcement of self-esteem as in Mr Spitfire's various broadcasts. [/quote] I think the 150 page thread of mutual congratulation over on offset guitars is one of the desired outcomes of Mr Spitfire's activities just as much as the actual pickguards are. You're not just buying a pickguard, you're buying into a club where you can sit around praising one another's exquisite taste and discernment and Spitfire's artistry in a kind of reciprocal ego massage. I think that might be what he was getting at in his comments about becoming the customers friend, but if you just want to purchase a good looking pickguard and call it done I suspect you don't have very high priority in his world. This would explain the lack of traditional customer service values.

You brought it home on the train? That's dedication!

I noticed that you started similar threads on a couple of other forums. The difference in culture between the different forums is quite telling, especially where the guys on offset guitars praised Spitfire for his "classy and respectful" response and compared you to somebody criticising the Mona Lisa for not having a beard! On reflection, I think I like it better here...

There's a lot of Spiro enthusiasm on this thread! As a kid I first became aware of the double bass by listening to Danny Thompson on various records my parents had around, so that steel-string growl has probably shaped my perception of how a double bass is supposed to sound from an early age. Since this thread was started, I've changed from Mittels to Weichs (both in the 3/4 length). This was initially because I had the beginnings of a carpal tunnel problem with my left wrist which appeared to be triggered by playing guitar and electric bass. Even though the wrist pain has stopped since I revised my posture a little, the Weichs seem to suit my bass better so I think I'll be sticking with them. My bass has a thinner top than many and seems to respond best with a little less tension. On my bass, they're a little less bright and stringy and a little woodier sounding than the Mittels. With the string height a little higher, they get about as loud as the Mittels on my bass although it takes a different pizz stroke to bring it out of them. They respond much better with the bow too, which I'm using more and more with the project I'm playing with at the moment.

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1407429265' post='2520490'] I think his question was if the impedance you're driving remains the same, but one cab has two drivers (total impedance 8 ohm), and the other has one (Also 8 Ohm), then is the 2 driver cab louder and, if so, why? [/quote] I've seen it suggested elsewhere (and in older forum posts by BFM) that the increase in sensitivity from coupling closely spaced woofers is 3dB, though only where they are spaced at less than 1/4 of the wavelength. So the quoted 6dB increase in SPL when adding a second cab or driver to a solid-state amp is 3dB from doubling the amps power output and 3dB from the increased sensitivity, if I've understood this correctly (and if I haven't, feel free to explain why!).

I love it! Shame I can't afford it...

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1407247361' post='2518722'] Would it not be the case that if you put it in 4 ohm mode and presented it with an 8 ohm load it wouldn't mind, just be less output, as per most other amps out there? The reduction in output would be more marked if it was in 2 ohm mode and you gave it 8 ohms to play through? Or am I showing my limited knowledge of valve amps - would it blow up and let the magic smoke out? Do people still make equipment that you need a doctorate in the care and usage of cranky, unpredictable machines to operate? [/quote] People do run SVTs into 8 ohm cabs and generally get away with it, but there is an increased risk attached. Running a valve amp from the 4 ohm tap into an 8 ohm load stresses the output transformer more than usual in addition to losing power, especially if you're driving the amp hard. Some amps will cope better with a mismatch than others, and too low a speaker impedance is generally safer than too high, unlike with solid state amps.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1407178527' post='2518119'] Ooh, I do like hatpegs! [/quote] More hatpegs!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1407230451' post='2518471'] If I knew what this was about, I would moderate it's ass!! [/quote] Surely if you're looking at this thread, you must know!

[quote name='The Jaywalker' timestamp='1407170134' post='2518020'] I've heard bassists at polar opposite ends of the sonic scale, eg Arild Andersen and a US Grenadier acolyte (who assured me with pride that his action was "much higher") play my bass and get "their" sound with no difficulty. My action is 4mm on the g-side up to about 9mm on the e. Turns out it's almost identical to Arild's setup - and no-one can accuse him of having a small or weak tone! String height doesn't affect tone as much as volume. [/quote] That's definitely on the low side of things, but to be quite honest when I've heard you play I wouldn't have guessed it from your tone. It's certainly not that "exaggerated growl and lots of amp" kind of sound that was fashionable in the 70s. I've had mine a little below 6mm on the G when I had Spiro Mittels on, but for whatever reason I like my current Spiro Weichs a little higher at 8-10.5mm.

I like the shape - it's halfway between a BC Rich and something out of the Jetsons! What sort of pickups is it getting? Extra points for the rainbow flag backdrop too.

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1407155305' post='2517818'] Is there any particular blend of waxes which is advisable, or is just plain candle wax acceptable? [/quote] 80% paraffin wax to 20% beeswax is the standard mixture. The beeswax keeps it a bit softer and less brittle once set.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1407151439' post='2517744'] But this guy seems like he could be untouchable by what I've read here. And he's backed by the Lord. [/quote] I would hope nobody is seen as untouchable, and threads like this are useful to have for information purposes. For me the terms and conditions combined with the prices and apparent eccentricity mean I wouldn't consider his stuff (I can only attach so much importance to a part of the instrument that doesn't make any noise), but I presume the priorities are different for some.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1407147262' post='2517681'] Man, I'm in the wrong business. I'm off to buy a router and a drill. [/quote] To give the Spitfire guy some credit he does appear to be concocting the tort material himself in small batches, so I guess it's inevitable that the prices will be higher than companies who simply cut them out from ready made sheets. And a lot of his stuff looks great, even if his website copy is frankly bizzare in places! [url="http://spitfiretortoiseshellpickguards.wordpress.com/about/"]http://spitfiretortoiseshellpickguards.wordpress.com/about/[/url]

Is this for totally acoustic settings or mostly amplified? If it's the latter I'd suggest getting the most old-school magnetic pickup you can find as that will have a low-mid thickness that a piezo pickup or straight acoustic guitar doesn't have. Acoustically I'd seek out something with a large body, jumbo or dreadnought. You might want to experiment with different strings too, as nickel acoustic strings like the John Pearse pure nickel sets have a thick earthiness about them that's less zingy than bronze.

So you've got no ground wire going to the bridge at the moment? I strongly suspect that the buzz will go after you've fixed that. The polepieces on Jazz bass pickups are not grounded, and your body acts as an antenna for interference. When you touch the poles this is induced into the pickup windings. It's worse on one pickup than the other because on most pairs of Jazz pickups one has the hot end of the coil on the inside (close to the poles) while the other is connected the other way round. When the bridge ground is connected, your body is earthed via the strings and there is much less noise when touching the poles. The same thing can happen when using nylon tapewounds as those are non conductive on the outside and leave you un-grounded.

0.6mm veneer does the job very well. eBay has lots of small packs sold as samples or offcuts for a couple of pounds and you don't need very much of the stuff.

He'll be lucky to find somebody willing to pay that much, comply with his unusually demanding terms and conditions and collect it from Dumfries & Galloway on one day only...

That's a lot better preserved than my German flatback of similar vintage. There's a patch on the back of mine where the dark brown varnish has flaked off that suggests it was once a similar colour to yours. It's a good sounding bass though, better than anything else that was within my budget. It's had a new fingerboard and bridge since this photo was taken. It's wearing Spiro Weichs now, which seem to suit it better than the Mittels.

The one I can recall struggling with is Billy Cobham's Stratus. It's a simple line and not that hard to play, but it's constant 8th notes without a pause and keeping that up for five minutes while people solo is surprisingly taxing!