TheRev

Luckily for me, all my spare cash has been spent on impending nuptials, otherwise I'd be on my way to Lincoln.

That's got to be some sort of world record!
I dropped my new MM Sterling (cased) down a flight of stairs onto a concrete floor on it's first rehearsal and dented the body of my Eminence EUB on it's second gig (knocked a light fitting with the scroll), but breaking off the scroll before you even get it home? Unlucky mate....

I suppose you at least got the worst out of the way. I heard it said somewhere that double basses are just splintered wood waiting to happen. If the repair goes well, you'll never be afraid of dropping your bass again.

Hope you and your new bass are soon reunited.

Dave

Another nod for the Thomann 22 bass. A local jazz dude plays one and it plays & sounds great - and for around half your budget. Spend the excess on a really nice set of strings!

An early Hohner Arbour series bass? I can remember a Hohner bass with an identical bridge hanging in a local music shop circa 1989.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1136293' date='Feb 21 2011, 09:13 PM']I'm surprised at your TI flats story. I've always found them to sit well in the mix.[/quote]

So was I. I really, really wanted to get on with them as they felt lovely and sounded great solo but I just seemed to spend more time fiddleing with my EQ at gigs and rehearsals than I did playing. Having said that, I've changed my live rig setup so I might tgive the TIs another go and see what happens.

I've actually gone back to roundwounds after 6 months of flats. I'm playing blues and soul these days so I splashed out on a set of TI jazz flats in the hope it would take off the some of the sustain & top end from my Sterling (and to curb my gas for an American std jazz...). Solo, the TIs sounded great but I just couldn't find a tone that sat right in the band mix.... I've now put my old sunbeams back on, stuffed a roll of thin foam under the bridge and I'm right where I should be - warm, thumpy loveliness. I reckon a set of Rotosound Tru bass will give me the sound I need but I don't fancy having to hack open the nut slots to get the buggers to fit.

[quote name='Shockwave' post='1133951' date='Feb 20 2011, 01:06 AM']Hehe, any chance of giving Mr_Foxen a lift as well? We were gonna take the train to Cardiff otherwise![/quote]
Yeah, no problem. It might mean we'll have to economise on the number of basses we bring - like a limit of 3 each or something!

[quote name='Zach' post='1130611' date='Feb 17 2011, 09:25 AM'] seems for the first time i'll have a choice of bands! well, at least until they realise I'm not very good yet.[/quote]


I wouldn't let that stop you. Most 'singer guitarist' types never listen to anyone but themselves anyway so as long as you can follow the chord changes with a couple of root notes per bar they'll think you're great. Chuck in some root-fifth stuff and the odd octave-fifth-root triplets and they'll think you're the next Danny Thompson.

My electric pretty much stays in it's case these days. I have an acoustic bass guitar in the living room that I'll pick up every now again but if I'm in the mood to play, I'll move onto the Eminence pretty quickly.

[quote name='Shockwave' post='1119597' date='Feb 7 2011, 10:43 PM']I may be able to come.. Need to see if i can get time off of work. Sunday will be easier for me.

Gear i will be bringing.

Fender USA Deluxe Jazz V
Fender USA Deluxe Precision V

Might be able to bring my refinished Pedulla if its ready, though thats another gigbag to take on the train![/quote]

I can give you a lift - would be a same to miss out on the chance of have a Pedulla in the mix.

I played an absoutely stunning looking & sounding American standard Jazz (Oly white with tortie) in PMT in Bristol last month and it's seriously got me thinking about selling my MM Sterling and going the way of the Fender.
I've never owned a Jazz - partly because the sound wasn't want I was looking for (untill now) and partly because of the stories of dodgy quality control.

This was a new, 2010 model - it sounded great, much better than the Mex jazz and the VMJ I tried at the same time. The Classic Vibe jazz sounded good too but the gloss neck just wasn't as nice as the American Standard's matt finish.

The bassist in my local jazz collective plays a 22 and it sounds and looks great. I had a 30 minute diddle on it and it didn't seem significantly inferior to the £1.5K Stentor that I rented for a few months. All in all a very well put together and playable bass for £800.

FWIW, listening to the sound samples (through decent speakers, natch) on the Thomann website, I think the 22 has a better pizz sound that the 33... IMHO.

When I switched from Helicores to Garbos I didn't need to lower the action at all. I did get a bit more growl, but that's what I was looking for....

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1113177' date='Feb 2 2011, 10:53 PM']I've got a good one, The Blessing, indie Jazz / Pop band the bass player stated on Bass Guitar magazine that he only ever records and plays a very old Squier Precision as in this video

[/quote]

That's Jim Barr, who also plays in some band called Portishead.

The SWB04 is a lovely looking bass - it was a toss up between one of those and the Eminence when I upgraded from my SWB01

Hybrids - £50 posted? They were on my Aria for less than a year - then I bought the Eminence and ddin't play the Aria so much, so they're nicely played in and there's plenty of life left in them.

However, if you're feeling flush and have £120 to spend on a new set of strings, I would suggest a set of Velvet Blues


Dave

Sounds like you've got the SWB02 or 3 - solid wood body in a miniature double bass shape? If it's a hollow body you've got a SWB04.

These basses work best with orchestral or synthetic strings. Steel core (eg, spirocores) are a bit too bright for solid body EUBs. I've used Helicore Hybrids & orchestrals and Innovation Honeys on my old SWB01 LITE. The Helicore Hybrids had good definition but the Honeys had a more double bass-like sound.

Others you could try are Obligatos, Velvet Blues or Thomastik Dominants. If you keep an eye on the 'for sale' forum, second hand sets come up pretty regularly. I might even have a set of Helicores knocking around if you're interested?

Check out the Palatino modding thread over on Talkbass - some great ideas to get the best out of these basses.

I'll have a bang on one of the soft and one of the medium pots. Paypal do yer?

Dave

For bluesy stuff I'd reccommend 'Spirit of the Century' by the Five Blind Boys of Alabama with the ledgendary Danny Thompson on double bass. You know the intro music on the first series of 'The Wire'? That's Danny Thompson.

For the rockier side of things, have a listen to the 'sunrise over sea' album by The John Butler Trio. Bass dude Shannon Birchall does some very funk sounding stuff under John Butler's slide guitars.

I saw it last month in the cinema. There are some genuine classic moments where your see Lemmy as THE only pure unreconstructed rocker left on the planet and other times when you realise that he's also just an old geezer getting on with his day job.

A must see for Motorhead fans and very entertaining for anyone who's heard of Lemmy.

Cheers for the link Damo.

[quote name='Rich' post='1100397' date='Jan 24 2011, 07:50 AM']Bugger. Ah well, have a great time all! Plenty of pics plz [/quote]


I don't mind taking your Wal to the bash in your absence. I'll even bring it back. Eventually.

'Interesting' and 'simple' aren't mutually exclusive. You could play one note in a bar, which is simple, but the note you choose to play and how and wherein the bar you play it can make that note interesting.

Moondance?

[quote name='steviedee' post='1095989' date='Jan 20 2011, 09:08 AM']Cheers I'll check them out and Rev I'd need to be able to do the triplets in the first place [/quote]

They're easy mate - just string up with a set of rubber bands and away you go. Personally, I use the red ones the postie kindly leaves on my doorstep.