Beer of the Bass

dismisseth us?

As far as I can remember, [url="http://www.brandoniguitars.co.uk"]Brandoni guitars[/url] used to have Hayman parts in their catalogue a few years back. I've no idea whether they still have them, but it might be worth getting in touch to see if they have a bridge or two stashed away.

[quote]As an non-double bassist but someone who is interested in the amplification of them, in what frequency ranges does feedback tend to manifest?

Alex[/quote]

At the last gig where I had feedback troubles, the frequency was close to my lowest C. So that'd be somewhere in the range of sixty-something Hz? The exact frequency varies, but i find it's usually somewhere around there for me.

I'm also using EA gear - a single Wizzy 10 cabinet, with an Acoustic Image Clarus amp. My band situation is kind of transitory at the moment, so I'm not using it for a steady gig currently, but I've used it in a number of different situations.
In small venue gigs, with an unmiked drum kit, and other instruments miked through the PA it generally does a great job. With one particular drummer (who comes from a metal background), I feel as if I'm about at the limit of this rig though. On larger stages with a DI output to the PA, it provides plenty of level as a monitor, unless the sound guy has put lots of drums in the wedges, at which point it struggles a little. Provided I'm in a situation where the volume is sufficient, I'm very happy with the sound of this setup - it's very clear but not overly harsh in the high end. I think my ideal situation would be to have two of these, and leave one at home for smaller gigs.
I get the impression that the fundamentals of the lowest few notes are a little shy with this cab (compared to listening to a recording of my bass pickup signal through studio monitors), but those frequencies aren't that prominent in the acoustic sound either. So the low-end roll off of the cab probably helps to tame the pickup sound somewhat.

If, for whatever reason, the loud drums are something you have to live with, I've had some success by dampening the afterlength of the strings (between bridge and tailpiece) to reduce feedback. If the amp is already off the floor, that's a good start, and there are also a couple of things you can do with EQ - make sure you're not boosting low end, and if the EQ of your amp allows, taking the very low frequencies (below 40hz) down a bit can reduce the boom.
I played a loud gig on Friday, with heavily amplified drums, and ended up having to use the notch filter on my amp (an Acoustic Image Clarus/ EA wizzy 10 cab) to get rid of the boominess and feedback around one note.
Sadly, all of this takes you further from your acoustic sound, but it can get you through the gig if all else fails.
Some people reckon that the Realist isn't the best option for higher volumes - I haven't used one myself, so can't really comment on that.

Another vote for the pencil.
I used 8B pencil marks on the upper positions for a little while, until they wore off. I think pencil is the way to go if you want to do this, as it's only a very temporary crutch. I found that while the marks lasted, it gave me that little bit of extra confidence to start moving around positions a little more, and once you've got to that point, you'll quickly stop needing it. The trick is having the willpower not to keep re-applying it!

Is that the one advertised on here? The stentors are among the nicer of the cheapish new basses, so if it's in good health and has had proper setup work, you'll be doing well. Good luck finding a smoky bar since the ban though!

Hi stevie, that does look quite nice. The low bridge position makes it look like quite a long scale for its body size - what's the string length like? Did you go with Ken in Portobello for the repairs then?

Just noticed - If you did go for the latter one, it's cheaper direct from the makers [url="http://www.dick.biz/dick/product/433070/detail.jsf"]here[/url]. I'm looking around for a new wheel myself, as my current bass has a larger tubular endpin that my 10mm wheel doesn't fit.

It'd be nice if they gave more detailed dimensions - I have a wheel identical to [url="http://www.vivaceviolin.com/pp/Accessories/Bass/BassWheel10mmInflatable.html"]this one[/url]. It's huge! It makes it very hard to get through doorways, into the lift to my flat or onto trains. I've seen other bassists with smaller wheels (inflatable or solid), which look more practical. It's another thing to carry around when it's off the bass, also. So check the diameter of the wheel before ordering.
If you're happy to order from Germany (should be free from import duty), there is also [url="http://jazz.bassico.eu/128/302?l=en"]this one[/url], with 8mm shaft and inflatable tyre.

Eliza Carthy rocked! Did nobody notice?

I've got the amp! That was fast. It's in great condition - I guess an amp like this hasn't had to put up with too many rockn'roll gigs. It's a little later in the evening than I'd want to crank it up with the double bass, but I've given it a quick check with my fretless electric. It's very, very clean and flat sounding, like DIing into a desk, so much so that it really shows up the deadness of my strings! Good high end clarity though. I can imagine using some kind of preamp to get a more characterful sound for electric, but I reckon it'll be great with the double bass. Reverb is nice too, i can picture using it with bowed DB.

I started gigging and rehearsing with a selmer treble n'bass 50 watt amp. In case this makes me sound like an old git, this was mid 1990's. It was loud enough to keep up with a fairly hard-hitting unmiked drummer, albeit with that "early Jack Bruce" style overdrive. If I'd actually wanted that sound at the time, it would have been great! As it was, I traded it in for an unexciting Peavey MK3 after a few gigs.

This is slightly OT for a bass forum, but I reckon you could make a killer lap-steel guitar using that concept!

Hello! Just registered on here. I'm a double bassist mostly, though I do play some electric bass too. I've been playing various basses for around 12 years ( double bass for about half that). I'm based in Edinburgh.
Just thought I should introduce myself...
Martin

Hello, this is my first post here. Would you believe, I BIN'd this very amp today, then later in the afternoon, registered on Basschat and saw this thread. What are the odds?
I'm curious to hear how it sounds too. IMO, much of the colouration in amplified double bass comes from the pickup and speaker system, so a transparent amp, while desirable, isn't a cure-all. I was attracted to the clarus because of it's size and power, and DB specific features like the high Z inputs and notch/LP filter. It'll be used with an EA wizzy 10 cab. I'll let you know how I get on...