Beer of the Bass

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1397067720' post='2420376'] Didn't realise New Urban Frontier were still on the go. Gigged with them a bit when I was in college. Seemed a bit more politically intense than I was up for at the time, but the music was interesting. Good luck with the hunt. [/quote] Wow, that's three NUF bassists on basschat, as LawrenceH was in the band too. I'm playing guitar, but I guess it would have been Farhad while you were there. It's a fun band musically, nice and eclectic. Regarding the political angle, I toyed with the idea of getting one of these t-shirts for gigging. It's perhaps a good thing that I didn't...

I would say yes in many cases, but it depends on what speakers you're using, how loud your band is and what sort of sound you're going for. I use a 15 watt valve combo with an efficient Eminence Copperhead 10", and I have only played two gigs where I felt it was not enough. Both of those had the drums miked, minimal or no monitors and at one the guitar amp was unmiked. In a miked up situation with a decent PA or a smaller room where the drums are unmiked it's more than adequate, and in fact I've often been asked to turn down. I like a bright, sparkly sound that's fairly light on the low end, and I'm quite happy if it breaks up a little. If you need to be squeaky clean or have chunky bass, you'll want to go larger.

The preamp looks well designed, but why do they feel the need to have the valves sticking out of the top? On any piece of gigging gear, I'd want more than a thin glass tube between me and a couple of hundred volts!

Andy bought a double bass pickup from me. Again, he was swift and pleasant to deal with.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1396859313' post='2417911'] Coming up with basslines that sound natural, not forced, for even simple time signatures such as 5/4 and 7/4 is quite a challenge though. I seem to end up with something that sounds like it's naturally 4/4 but is either missing a beat, or has an additional spurious beat. But, I'm happy to at least be aware of what I'm not able to do so that I can work on it. [/quote] Yeah, it's always fun, that. I play double bass with a guitarist who's addicted to odd meters. I've given up trying to count all of them and just try and feel where the pulse is, as it feels more natural that way. It keeps me on my toes though; there's one tune where I'm playing with the bow in 5/4 and singing a harmony at the same time...

I'd agree that Studio 24 is one of the toughest rooms in town for sound, so if it sounded good there I'd say you're on to a good thing!

[quote name='Rabbie' timestamp='1396695025' post='2416477'] Guts [/quote] How do you find the guts with a bow? I tried a plain gut G and D for about a week, and just couldn't get on with the arco response. They bow easily enough, but that raspy, reedy sound is a bit of an acquired taste outside of a baroque ensemble! Although I guess wound guts will be different.

Yes, that talkbass thread was what gave me the idea of trying the NT3. Though I haven't tried it live yet, the signal from it sounds very good when listened to on headphones. If it works for me, I may still look for a lighter small diaphragm condenser, as the Rode is more than 350g and there's a subtle but noticeable muting affect with it mounted between the bridge legs. Some of the smaller ones are closer to 100g, which seems like a better idea...

I've tried the VM but not the J Mascis, and I play a home built parts jazzmaster myself. The quality of the VMs seems fine to me and the necks are very nice, though they don't always have the prettiest wood on the sunburst finishes. The original type jazzmaster bridge on the VM annoys some players, and it would be a good idea to check one out in person to see if you get any problems with this bridge and your playing style. The VM pickups are closer to the original Jazzmaster style (though with a hotter bridge pickup) while the JM pickups are more like P90s. So the VM will get you closer if you're going for Elvis Costello's sound.

Having had a quick play around, rather than try the Ovid straight away I'm going to experiment with my Rode NT3 shockmounted between the bridge legs. It sounds very good through my Zoom H4n, nicely balanced and not too harsh arco but with enough detail and air played pizz. It's behaviour at gig volume may be quite different, but it's got to be worth a go. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that earlier! If it works out, I'll change the thread title...

Could it be the valve power amp being affected by the impedance curve of a ported cab (which increases either side of the porting frequency) when driven hard? I've heard of this as a potential issue with valve amps and modern cabs, but have no idea what it would sound like.

[quote name='Jecklin' timestamp='1396368432' post='2412773'] There is a guy who sells through ebay who will do full size xlr wired mini clip on mics. I'll see if I can dig out his details [/quote] Would that be something like this one? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/48V-PHANTOM-POWER-MINI-TIE-CLIP-ON-LAPEL-LAVALIER-MICROPHONE-XLR-3P-PANTOM-POWE-/231087519248?pt=UK_Music_Instruments_Microphones_MJ&hash=item35cde3b610"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item35cde3b610[/url] I feel like the gooseneck arrangement on the Ovid might be worth the extra, and I wonder if the cardioid pattern might give me a little more volume before feedback compared to an omni mic. Although I've just had a bit of a brainwave; I've seen players using SM57s and similar mounted between the bridge legs using elastic bands or hair ties. I think I'll try this with the Rode NT3 I already have before thinking about spending money on anything...

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1396289512' post='2411924'] I've found a better buy are Status Nylon Tapewounds - come in "sensible" gauges - 40-100 and 45-105 - and only £13.99. [url="http://www.status-graphite.com/status/frames/index_home.html"]http://www.status-gr...index_home.html[/url] You also have the privilege of knowing that your money goes to a British company, hand building exquisite basses and that Rob and Dawn are serious contenders for nicest couple in the world... [/quote] What's the tension like on the Status tapewounds? My D'Adarrio 0.050" set are quite soft feeling, so I could imagine that 0.045" or 0.040" gauge would be even more so.

At present I play in a fairly quiet acoustic outfit without a kit drummer, and around a third of our tunes use the bow. I have a Revolution Solo II bridge wing pickup and an AKG C411 condensor contact mic. The AKG is more natural sounding and is listenable for arco playing but lacks a little detail for pizz work, though it can work with the right EQ. The RSII is not my favourite on this bass, as even when run into high impedance inputs it has too much direct string sound, like that DI'd pickup sound which was fashionable in the 70s. I can't get enough body on the G string either, and it's seriously unflattering for arco work. I think this might be a consequence of the tall bridge on my particular bass, as I've heard it sounds more natural on other basses. I think it just doesn't suit mine. So I'm looking around for other options, and wondering if a microphone would be a good addition. I often run straight to FOH rather than using a backline amp with my current band, so I may be one of the people that a mic could work for. Has anyone tried one of these; [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_tbone_ovid_system_bass_bundle.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...bass_bundle.htm[/url] It looks like it's been "inspired" by the DPA 4099 mic, but is obviously much cheaper. If I did try one, I would probably keep the AKG as a backup (and for louder applications) but move the RSII on.

Aren't you a couple of hours early in announcing this?

I have gone ahead and insured it with Allianz for £2750. It only comes to a bit over six quid a month, which seems worth it.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1396179446' post='2410637'] [/quote] Which one's you?

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1396131897' post='2410345'] The Jazz looks quite amazing - and at that price it would be worth me getting one and keeping it in a cupboard just to stop me from buying Jazz basses and selling them again because I don't get on with the necks! Yes, I know. [/quote] You could buy both a J and a P, swap the necks then sell the leftover P with a J neck to someone who likes skinny necks...

Here are some pictures of the bass in question, it has that big, detailed old-bass sound but it's really not pretty. In some ways I'm quite glad it's so rough looking as I would never have been able to afford a similar bass in better cosmetic condition. The case, pickup and strings would add several hundred to the replacement value, admittedly. [url="http://s1076.photobucket.com/user/MJBeer/slideshow/Double%20bass"]http://s1076.photobucket.com/user/MJBeer/slideshow/Double%20bass[/url]

I got the impression that the OP wasn't really trying to make a political point. It's just an amusing clip of someone making a fool of themselves discussing their musical tastes with a group of kids. I think everyone who regularly has to communicate with teenagers has had moments like this - you can never look cool, it's just not possible!

I'll get quotes from Allianz and Endsleigh, who I was already aware of, and try Newmoon too. I'll have a look at the MU also. I'm not absolutely certain what value to insure the bass for - it's a late 19th century German flat-backed bass with no makers name. It's all solid woods with plain maple back and sides, a grafted maple neck and the original hatpeg tuners. It's been extensively repaired over the years and has a terrible varnish job, but it's solid and stable and all of the repairs have been done competently. I have about £1000 in it (including what I spent getting a new fingerboard, bridge and soundpost done), though the last owner had it insured for £2750. Is it a common practice to insure for a somewhat optimistic amount like that?

I don't have any insurance on my double bass at the moment, and I need to get that sorted out, as I couldn't afford to replace it or have major repairs carried out if needed. I had a policy with Allianz a few years ago with a different bass but I let that lapse. Which companies would BCers recommend? Should I get a written valuation of the bass done before I apply? The previous owner of the bass had it insured for £2750, but I suspect that its market value may not be as high as that.