Woodwind

Lower action is by no means essential 🙂 I bet you get your instruments to sound the way you want them to and that's what matters. I only use a low set up and light touch to take as much tension out of my playing as possible to avoid the risk of irritating old tendon injuries.

I like using coins as reference. Out of interest I Just rummaged through my pocket for shrapnel and can't fit a penny under my E string at the 10th fret position (fretless fingerboard)

Perhaps not bass related 😂

I'm curious on your thoughts as to why this would be the case. I've heard/read this before and on the face of it it doesn't make sense. The radius effects string to string height relative to each other, but string to fingerboard/fretboard height is unique. I can see how plucking on the G and D string pulls the string into the radius, so with a tighter curve it could choke more, but then A and E etc are being pulled away from the radius (obviously this is reversed for plectrum downstrokes ) Is this what you mean by struggling to get a low action? that the tone becomes too inconsistent? I've never played a tight radius board so I'm from a position of ignorance.

I LOATH ebay. sorry you had to deal with this.

Sorry ignore my post (edited out now). Prime example of why I shouldn't be reading about new basses post pub.

Yes thank you for the reminder, I had forgotten about this trick. If All else fails before the critical day, this is a great idea

Alas no, ok atleast not something I can beg/steal/borrow before when required

The buzz goes away when I touch any metal part, which implies the bridge earth is working, but googling around on this and it is not an uncommon buzz issue is on rays. I'll check the bridge earth first and then look at shielding 😎

This is for a stingray, but that's a great tip and I might do something similar joing the ray pickup to the control plate

Great thank you both!

I've got some recording coming up where I could really do without the buzz that comes from my bass when I'm not touching the strings. I presume this is a shielding issue. For those that have done DIY shielding would you rate copper tape as better than conductive paint? What's a good UK based source for tape with conductive glue? I don't need a huge amount as I'm only doing the one bass. Cheers Thomas

Go even further and turn it into two 2x10 cabs.

I think it would be an excellent thing to do. The head won't weigh a huge amount and would partner well with any other cab you have or may use. I've seen 4x10 combos by various makes going for so little money that I've often thought of getting one just for the amplifier section and would ditch the rest

A photograph doesn't quite work as well on a fretless to indicate string height as it lacks the helpful reference of the fret shape. Since reading this thread I've become a bit obsessed where was a few days ago it was adjust as low as I needed and forget 😂 Turns out my action has gone up a bit today as the neck has moved in the weather to give slightly more relief.

I can absolutely understand!

Just measured my set up (haven't done that for a while) at regular 440 tuning and my normal relief. I've been over estimating how high my action is!! Just under 1mm in the G and about 1.25mm on the E. So I dread to think how low it went on Saturday in the cold room.

I play with a low action and lighter strings as a way to take stress off old tendon injuries. I also use a very light touch. Considerations of tone were secondary. Over the weekend I was rehearsing with some woodwind players in a cold room so tuning was coming in under 440. As I loosened my strings the truss rod pulled the neck even flatter so I would guess my E string was down to just over 1mm. I usually play with a tad over 1.5mm at the 12th "fret" - This is on a fretless. I was able to play by lightening my touch even more and turning the amp up. I wouldn't want it like that the whole time, but it was fine for this rehearsal.

do you play in this band regularly? Have you played this venue before? For a big baby being driven hard I fear for how loud your stage volume is. How does this set up normally perform? Was it a hollow box stage robbing you of frequencies? Sorry, more questions than answers

when I was 20 ( I had moved to Norwich for the art school) A drummer I'd befriended and I went along to what was then the main sunday jazz jam. we introduced ourselves then decided to go back the next week and play. We were a little dismayed that it was exactly the same bunch of late middle age plus musicians playing exactly the same music as the week before. I took out my 5 string and was told rather hurriedly that it would be best if we just listened this week to "see how the sessions work". Drummer and I never went back. The other music scenes I encountered there were very progressive across all ages though.

I was trying to express this same point albeit far less concisely and elegantly. The events I play at in the UK are because of the music I make. I'm not losing gigs to EU bands, rather events happen that I am booked to play at in the UK sometimes because an EU act is coming over. I've been encouraging a few of the promoters and venues I work with to pay to get the license to be a sponsor for EU acts. These are tiny venues or operations and the outlay for a a Visa License will be a serious concern, but having non UK acts coming is a way to curate a whole season of shows.

The original Kick Backs were fantastic! I used to use a borrowed Kick Back 15 in a big band I played in when I couldn't get transport for my hartke traveller 15 and HA3500. Which pirate studios were you using? I'm attending a rehearsal at their Earlsfield place soon so will hopefully get a go on a KB

Happened to an acquaintance of mine coming from Japan. doing some "holiday" gigs in the uk. Immigration queried the 20 identical records with his name on the cover in his bag. The excuse of presents for friends wasn't allowed so If he wanted to be admitted through customs he was told he had to ditch them right there!

I haven't read the thing, is it £244 for an annual EU visa or £244 for each EU country you work in?

Quoting this before having finished the thread so apologies of any thematic repeats etc. The few times I've been to Europe musically or theatrically Ie in a professional capacity where a visa will now be required won't be situations where a visa will be granted. Fringe, small scale, club level, start up, etc etc venues, artists, bands & performers won't get visa's granted. The American performers I've played with here haven't come with a visa they've turbed up on "holiday" and borrowed everything they need. Payment is cash and just goes into the "holiday" kitty. This will be the same situation now for Eu artists coming here and be extension us going over to mainland European. Exactly as you say PeteB club level gigs in mainland Europe were financially viable, perhaps even moreso than in the UK. This simply will not be the case from 2021 onwards