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hubrad

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Posts posted by hubrad

  1. 57 minutes ago, 6feet7 said:

    The catches are short and pretty bendable soft metal. A push on the offending catch with a screwdriver should bend it enough to be able to open it.

    Or the similar screwdriver action and you can probably prise it apart around the brass pivot pin and open it that way.

    You said the key doesn't operate the lock.. when you turn it, can you hear/feel a little click as it tries to do so? Might be the key worn, so could well be worth picking open anyway.

  2. 12 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

    Speaking as a fretless player myself, that video perfectly encapsulates why some folks actively dislike fretless bass!

    Decent tone, mind you. 

  3. You can try the bridge part of things by putting a sliver of card under the E foot, folded if you need extra height. If it works well you could replace it with a sliver of maple or similar,  or leave it for a few years as 'temporary'! (Never done that myself, oh no, never guv!)

    A higher tension E will rattle less. Some folks mix sets to get their desired result. 

  4. On 07/02/2020 at 12:13, Richard R said:

    I'm not sure here who was brave and who was foolish! I presume you had some prior musical experience Mr Hale was aware of?  Did he say " I'll shout out the chord changes,  it's in 6/8, aaaand  off-we-go..."?

    Haha, prior form! We were both regulars at the same folk club, and he did say judging by my guitar playing I'd be fine.

    I took it as a compliment!

    • Like 1
  5. Sounds pretty normal.. part exchange is convenient, but then the shop has to take on all the risk and work of selling your gear, usually with some warranty and involving covering some VAT.

    For the best deal, sell privately and offer cash/debit card. When I worked in a shop i always advised such, although some folks were happy or desperate enough (you're not coming home with another guitar!) to take the hit.

    Plan C. . Get a part exchange value, pay cash for the new item but take your gear home and do a mate a nice favour!

    • Like 1
  6. 4 minutes ago, NickA said:

     

    Hmm .. did a bow maker tell you that? 

    I have a really nice Arcus S4 Carbon bow that more than meets my needs and abilities, but "only" cost about 1/7 the value of my bass. 

    For 1/2 the price (though probably not the "value") of a bass I'm thinking of buying I could have any bow that Thwaites or the Contrabasse Shoppe are currently selling (and will state a price for) or get the fanciest Arcus and enough change for a holiday!

    £1000 will get an excellent bow.  £2000 will get a superb bow made by a first class maker to your own requirements, more than that gets antiques and collectables (and gold fittings).

    You could probably spend £250,000 on a double bass, but I doubt you could spend £100,000 on a bass bow ;¬)

    IIRC it was a couple of violin specialists, one of whom was quite sceptical about the price tags put on some instruments!

    Yes, I suppose once you're getting into mega price tags the game is different, but I was given that advice as rule of thumb at 'mere mortal' levels and in order to be getting the best out of each of them.

     

  7. On 20/01/2020 at 20:03, Burns-bass said:

    That’s what I’ve been advised, but even then I’m still stuck on the appropriate size and just how cheap to go. If you have any links or personal recommendations that would be great!

    I remember it being said some while ago that the ideal balance of bow to bass is the bow should be worth about 1/3 - 1/2 the value of the bass.

    If, as it sounds, you're just after something for experimentation and practice then grab whatever you can afford and feels ok!

  8. I spoke to a French DB player who lived in Leeds quite some years back, and he didn't like the Realist (I love mine, and have for a long time.) as he said it was so natural that on his 'dark sounding' bass it was just too dark! Of all the transducer pickups I've tried so far, I really like that natural-as-possible vibe. It probably does, as he said, depend on your bass. I sometimes drop the bottom end a wee bit, but mostly just set everything flat.

    Even though DG recommend putting the pickup under the bass foot, on my first bass - Andreas Zeller Romanian 3/4 - a friend who's a violin specialist luthier said DBs need all the help they can get so, while sorting me a new bridge and soundpost, put the Realist under the treble foot. Sounded every bit as good, with possible a little more articulation.. it was 15 or so years ago!

  9. 45 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

    Wasn't aware you could do that. Thought the account was tied to your email address.

    Does that mean a 2nd email address. Do these people have issues or split personalities running 2 different identities ?

    Is that Identity Theft or just cloning.

    I guess i could argue with myself and i would always win.

    Don't see the point in it to be honest. 

    Dave

    I have more than one email address for particular purposes, but a second BC profile? I'd be on here for twice the time!

  10. The active preamp doesn't take its power from the gk, but there's a switch on the board which you can use so that powering up the gk also makes the necessary contact to switch on the active. When not using the gk, the active is switched as usual, ie the jack.

    • Like 1
  11. I left a band a while back.. didn't really want to stop playing the music, and got on really well with the folks, but was too busy with the first priority and hated the occasional need to let them down.

    I had a few conversations with the BL, saying if he found a regular bassist I'd happily be on his dep roster. Months down the line he contacted me later on a Friday night asking if I really meant it.. 'grab him' says I.

    Everyone is happy and still on fine terms, in fact I ended up depping for the new guy on his first gig!

    I suppose if you never intend seeing the folks again you could play it differently, but as said above a burned bridge might turn out to have teeth with which to come back and bite you!

    In fact, same band, a previous bassist had just not got on with the BL, but rather than being the grownup and saying 'look, guys, it's just not working for me' he emailed the rest of the band, telling them what a dangerous nutter said BL was. Obviously he'd missed the fact they were all best mates and they just showed him the emails! 😄

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