TheRev

[quote name='steviedee' post='524759' date='Jun 26 2009, 12:07 PM']Yeah the bloke did that you know its quite a nice looking thing really...[/quote]


Yeah, of the cheapies it's the nicest looking one. I was tempted myself but the length of the modding thread on TB just put me off.

[quote name='steviedee' post='524515' date='Jun 26 2009, 07:45 AM']I know I saw it I was just too lazy to read it [/quote]


Apparently the easiest and most effective modification is to remove the bridge, cut a piece of bicycle inner tube to the size of the channel the pickup lies in and lay it underneath the pickup so it lies between the pickup and the bass body. It takes away a lot of the brightness and brittleness of the Palatino's sound.

Unfortunatley chaps, you gets what you pays for. Cheap strings (especially THAT cheap) probably aren't going to do a lot for your sound.

As with yer electric bass, string choice is a major part of your sound and good sounding strings cost money.

As a general rule of thumb, steel core strings (eg, spirocores) are brighter and have more sustain than gut or synthetic core (eg, Obligatos or Velvets). So if you're a jazzer, go steel core, if you're playing a lot of arco or want low down thump for bluegrass or rockabilly go synthetic.

However, this changes a bit when it comes to EUB. The naturally brighter response and greater sustain of yer typical stick bass means that if you want to get that typical jazz pizz sound then you ned to choose a string that's a step darker that you would typically use on a proper DB.

So, if you want the typical jazz sound (usually Thomastik spirocores or similar) then avoid pizz strings and go for hybrids or orchestrals (e.g D'addario helicore hybrids) or use something with a synthetic core like Obigatos to get a really warm organic sound.

I changed the stock steel core string on my Aria Lite to Helicore hybrids and they made a huge difference. The sound was smoother, the response more even and the tension was lower making the bass much easier to play.

A decent set of 'cheap' double bass strings will cost you about £100, which is a lot compared to electric bass srtings but as you'll only change them once a year or so, they kinda work out the same (unless you're from the James Jamerson school of string changing).

Assuming you want to get a more double bass sound from your electric upright, I'd suggest Helicore Hybrids or Orchestrals, Pirastro Oblicatos or Corelli 370 (a particular favourite over on TB at the moment). Any of these will cost under £130 per set and will sound great. If you really want to splash out, get a set of Velvet Aminas or Compass - yes they're about £260 per set but they sound fecking amazing on electric uprights.

Dave

Dear Nervous/excited.

Well done! you've taken the first step towards a whole new world of bass frontiers. And GAS ^_^


I bought an Aria SWB lite on a whim two years ago and haven't looked back since. My interest in bass playing and music theory has been totally invigorated and since then I've played more gigs in more bands than I can count.

The first thing you will need is patience. You won't be able to play stuff on the EUB that you can play on your BG so don't even try. Start out just gorking on intonation and tone. If you're going to be using it in a band straight away then forget about flashy runs and stick to roots/fifths 4 notes to the bar kind of stuff - less is most definitley more when it comes to the double bass sound.

Secondly, book a lesson with a sympathetic teacher, preferably a regular gigger who does the odd lesson rather than the 'proper' music teacher who teaches grades and have them show you the proper stance and left and right hand technique. You don't have to have loads of lessons, one or two should do, and it will save you a lot of literal pain later on. I didn't do this and after 6 months of playing I was experiencing loss of sensation in my right hand and shooting pains up my forearm caused by poor stance and crappy plucking. I had one £35 lesson and I was completely sorted.

Thirdly, save a wee bit of money for a new set of strings in about 6 months time. The stock strings that come with the Aria are pretty stiff and make it sound a bit glassy and like a big fretless (IMHO). Replacing them with a set of Helicore hybrids or Corellis or Obligatos will mke it play and sound much nicer. Experimenting with double bass strings is a very expensive hobby though so get a good idea of what sort of sound you want (thump/growl/click etc) before you choose.


Enjoy!

Dave

Finally got around to taking some pictures. I've spent most of today working on my bowing and it really does sound great on this bass.




Check out that flame!











Finally, in use at a wee acoustic session last week

Since taking it up 2 years ago, the DB has become my main instrument - so much so that I joined a band with no interest in the DB sound just so my electric gets some use. ^_^

+1 on 'love cats' - it's my soundcheck tune and always gets a bit of attention....

Yep, it has a phase switch and the feedback was drastically reduced in one of the positions.

The real problem I has was being wedged in between my rig and the harmonica player's amp - with gig time approaching and the bass holwing like a banshee, panic started to set in! I managed to tweak the EQ to keep the feedback down to acceptable levels but it was all on the fly.

Next gig, now that I'm forewarned, I'll get set up earlier and I'll definitley try your method. Do you play your bass while tweaking or just wait untill it starts to howl all on it's own?

Dave

My Eminence (now christened 'barbara') and I had our first gig on Saturday night - a two hour swing blues set at a local rugby club.

The first thing I noticed was feedback - lots and lots of feedback. It's been some time since I've played any sort of acoustic instrument on stage so I'd forgotten how much of a pain this is. There wasn't a lot of room onstage to move out of the firing line of my amp (or the harmonica player's Bassman amp....) so I had to make do with some judicious tweaking of the gain on my preamp (Fishman Pro EQ) and standing at 90 degrees to the axis of my cabs to present as little of the soundboard as possible. It worked, as long as I stayed glued to the spot and kept open strings damped. Next time I'll blag a bit more stage room and have my amp further to one side.

The second thing I noticed was just how incredibly double bass sounding this instrument is. The sustain and thump is just right and it has that proper DB presence in the mix - not exactly cutting through with defined notes but that 'you'd miss it if it wasn't there' type quality. It sings very nicely on the G though and all the notes are even sounding with none of the notes booming or becomming nasal.

It's pretty comforatble to play too. The 'steady foot' endpin (an articulated T-bar arrangement) does a great job of stopping the bass from spinning away from you but still allows you to move freely with the bass. The waist extension, (nicely carved from solid wood rather than cast from plastic - a nice touch, I thought) can be inserted to point inwards and behind or outwards and to the side, depemding on wether you like to play from behind the bass or from the side. I'm still experimenting with this but so far, 'from behind' seems to be favourite


So, was it worth the money?

Definitley.

Dave

There's no big rush Chris, just let me know when you're free and we'll sort it.

Dave

[quote name='Beedster' post='512223' date='Jun 12 2009, 03:36 PM']Is this good news for me also Dave?[/quote]


Yes indeedy! My poor Aria's looking very abandoned today... I've told her she's going to a good home.

The next two weekends are looking good for me at the moment - what's good for you?

Dave

It's finally here and it truly is a thing of beauty. The pictures on the GELbass website don't really do it justice.

It feels very natural to play, the neck has a really nice feel and there's a beautiful big proper ebony fingerboard.

It's doesn't sound particularly impressive played acoustically, but plugged in it's georgeous - a big, full woody double bass sound. If anyone is considering buying an Eminence, do it now -you won't be dissapointed with the sound.

It'll have its first gig tomorrow night - review and porn shots to follow........

I'm off to play some more.

Dave

That's just plain wrong......

I've seen a couple of Staggs recently and I have to say that the quality control leaves a lot to be desired. I supose you gets what you pays for.

I'd suggest Helicore hybrids or Corellis (370s). Both are around the £100 mark and will make a marked improvement in your sound.

Update. It's being delivered on Thursday!

I feel a sickie coming.......

It didn't arrive

Apparently there was some damage when the bass was shipped over from the USA so the Distributor has ordered a replacement. Looking at Tuesday/Wednesday next week for delivery.

At least the damage was found before it reached me - imaginge how miffed you'd be to unwrap your new bass to find a dirty big boot print in it.

One of [url="http://www.gelbass.com/bass/bass4FN.html"]these[/url].

I've not even so much as seen one in the flesh but they've got such a good reputation that I don't think I'll be disappointed. Only one more sleep......

My new EUB is being delivered on Wendesday and I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas day.... Only two more sleeps!

I've just ordered an Eminence - I'll let you know what it's like when it arrives next week.....

HI Steve.

We all set for the 30th?

I have the Thomastik nylon ocre strings on my acoustic and although they sound much more mellow than steel core strings, they certainly don't sound like a double bass.

I'd go for either the Thomastik flatwounds or the Rotosound black nylon wrapped jobbies - the latter in particular will give you loads of doghouse style thump.

Try giving it a thump somewhere around the rear left corner. Mine has a dry joint or a dodgy connection somewhere betwen the power amp and the speaker out sockets, a bit of a twatting gets it going but you'll need to take it to a proper amp tech for a long term solution.

[quote name='51m0n' post='477011' date='May 1 2009, 01:50 PM']Crikey if that works for arco that might be the answer...

Of course all you bods in the now are going to tell me I'm off my loaf at this point aren't you [/quote]


Have a butchers at the [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=303366"]Palatino modification thread [/url]over on Talkbass:


By all accounts the stock Pally is a bit rubbish, but with a bit of bicycle inner tube and a decent preamp it can be made to sound half decent.

Have you tried using a mute?

Or, there's the Eminence EUB - the most DB -like EUB you'll get.

The mute's cheaper though....

For Bristol, your best bets are the Fleece and Firkin, The Thekla, The Louisanna and The Croft - all have myspace pages and the Fleece has a website.

You could also have a look at bristolrocks.co.uk for gigshares and other venues.

The GK MB150 is the standard DB combo plus it's stupidly light. However, as others have pointed out it's only really got one sound but if you like that one sound then it's not really a problem. Plus, they're not cheap.

I'd recommend a lightweight head + 12" Neo cab setup (e.g. Markbass/Genz Benz/Ashdown Green giant + Genz Benz neox 112/Aguilar GS 112)

If small, light and reasonably cheap are what you're looking for then I wonder if one of these:

[url="http://line6.com/lowdownstudio110/"]http://line6.com/lowdownstudio110/[/url]

might fit the bill?