Ajoten

I have only ever played with one bow (and don't know what I'm doing with that) so have nothing to compare with. Now, I don't deny different bows make a different sound, but I don't understand the physics of why that should be. (I am considering getting a new one ONLY because mine looks a bit battered and is a decades old ex-school freebie item. Which makes me fear it's rubbish, but I have no evidence why that should be.)

What's going on though? Do they just "go" for no reason sometimes?

So there I was, putting some strings on for the first time ever. G D A all on relatively smoothly, started winding up the E... a few clicks and creaks... then TWANG everything fell apart. Luckily I see it's not too catastrophic a failure as it seems you can buy them quite cheaply and easily, but for a mo I thought I'd completely trashed it. But was I doing something wrong? All the higher 3 strings were on and vaguely in tune, but the E wasn't anywhere near concert pitch so I don't see how it could have been putting so much strain on the cable. Bugger

Reckon perhaps getting one posh string every other month might help me get a set without alerting The Chancellor...

Have to say I was somewhat taken aback at the price of strings. Only "cheap" ones are of an Alice brand which no doubt the old DB lags will try and steer me clear of. [quote name='Lazurus' timestamp='1489406049' post='3256588']...Try a cheapy set of steel strings of Fleabay... [/quote]

I've been playing DB a mere 2 weeks so am at a loss re several things, but I am finding arco HARD (but fun). I find that when I pluck the strings I can intonate *fairly* well, but when bowing tuning sounds well off. Also, particularly on G string, I struggle to get a nice clean sound, and it's always squealy/squeaky/harmonicky (is that a word?) Now, I'm well aware I currently have no technique or knowledge, but how much, if any, of these issues are due to the person I bought the bass off stringing it with slap strings? I read that gut strings aren't "good" for bowing, but I don't know how that manifests itself. For all I know I'll put orchestral strings on and have the same problem coz it's the workman not the tools. Apparently the current strings are Innovation Silver Slap. (Note - yes I am having lessons, but have only had one so far and for domestic reasons it'll be a while before the next... and waiting is no fun compared to forum ;-) ) Any comments welcome.

[quote name='tinyd' timestamp='1487189407' post='3237960'] Not sure if it's just a mic you're looking for but if you're considering pickups as well I've got one of these [url="http://r.ebay.com/rA6sak"]http://r.ebay.com/rA6sak[/url] and it's not half bad for the money. [/quote] Oo, interesting. Does that fit in a non-destructive way? I don't know anything about DB pickups, but I assume you don't need metal strings for that to work (mine has come with slappers).

I've only been playing DB a week, so have nil knowledge of anything, and no doubt am repeating a question many have asked in the past. I'm ultimately going to do some open mic nights with my mate and need to amplify my bass. We tried a £3 clip-on mic on the bridge but it picked up the slightest scratchy squeaky noise even before I played a note and was unusable. Dunno if that's the nature of clip-on mics or just cheap rubbish generally. So I presume the cheapest, bare minimum, strategy for amplifying is a basic mic and stand, but are some cheap ones more suitable than other cheap ones? Are some clip-ons actually all right? Let's say a budget of £40. On a hiding to nothing?

Great post! I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

The wife's amateur musical company is performing Gypsy next spring and I am debating about volunteering to play bass in the pit. Perhaps some forumeers have done so already... Does anyone either have the bass part I could look at to gauge the difficulty, and/or tell me if (as presumably it's a double bass score) one is expected to have the C extension wotsit i.e. force me to go and look at shiny new things with 5 strings? Ta.

Blimey £££. And here's me hoping there some £100 pracky amp that might do.

Hmm. I do visit a buddy in Gunnersbury on occasion but prob not regularly enough to do anything substantial re lessons.

Probably... but where's your nearest tube station?

I am looking for an amp I can carry easily (on the train, walking to rehearsals) that can keep me heard above a dozen acoustic instruments of various sorts. Any ideas? I'm guessing there is no "easily", and portability is measured in how much one is prepared to suffer...

My sight reading is pretty rubbish and I can get a bit panicky in the heat of battle, so am looking for a bass whisperer in the Chilterns area to teach me properly. (Actually wondered if a double bass tutor would be prepared to take me on so I could follow a proper ABRSM grade system - obviously not with the exams - rather than newfangled "rock/pop" thingy like Trinity.) Anyone know such a person?

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1476142722' post='3151787'] ...they also have that distinctive "Thumb" sound... [/quote] Any examples? I'm intrigued by the Thumb look but didn't realise they had a particular sound.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1476816420' post='3157569']So do you guys who prefer one tone control, with all the limitations that brings, hanker after 1950s style recording, listening to music on early transistor radios and Dansette record players also, because bass and treble controls for instance, for listening to music, are more confusing? [/quote] No, believe it or not. But most of my music listening these days occurs through headphones in the mobile phone, and I don't even know whether tone controls are available on a basic music player app. Also I always use the bypass button on the graphic EQ of my amp. Because otherwise I'd be relentlessly faffing and tweaking and not being sure and thinking something wasn't quite right and that I could never nail it and generally be frustrated and disappointed. In a thread elsewhere on this website someone referred to "option paralysis". I'd rather try to use my fingers to create the sound I want (although of course I fail with that too). Perhaps I phrased my original post poorly, as it wasn't supposed to be any musing on the superiority of passive over active or vice versa. I really don't care.

Here are some stats from Thomann: Misc 5 string: - Active 114 - Active/passive 69 - Passive 25 J-bass: - Active 15 - Active/passive 48 - Passive 19 P-bass: - Active 1 - Active/passive 3 - Passive 6 Of the P basses, apart from the Harley Benton there are just 3 models... Fender, Squire and the Sandberg California which is nothing like a P bass. So it seems there is very little appetite for non-active 5 strings. And even if you ignore the type of electrics, there is very little appetite for 1-knob oo er 5 strings. Given that 4 string P-basses are quite popular, I surmise that either that a low B simply sounds "better" when active or 1. Your average 1-pickup-with-1-tone-control chooser doesn't want a low B 2. Most people who want a low B also are happy to faff about with tone a lot more 3. Any P-bassist who insists on a low B is fiercely loyal to the Fender brand Or at least that's how manufacturers and their marketing departments perceive things.

FWIW my question arose from casting an eye around for a nice 5 string, and most are active. I don't care if active or passive TBH, I care about a lack of complication.

@walbassist I was meaning "off the shelf" basses really, as if I had a passive bass I wouldn't change it to active. And reading up on it that East preamp is terrifyingly complicated: "the upper knob allows either a mid boost, or a combined bass/treble boost. The lower knob sets the variable frequency points for either mode." is exactly what I don't want!

Being a bear of very little brain who likes Precisions, if I had to buy something with active electronics I wouldn't want 25 knobs to faff about EQ. 1x tone control to change from bassy to trebly please. Never seen such a thing. Have you?

Incorrect string number, but [url="http://sonntag-guitars.com/english/Archtops/Archtop-Acoustic-Bass.php"]THIS[/url] is awesome!

Hmm. Anyone want a kidney?

Given I'm usually a P-bass player... I recently got an acoustic bass which I enjoy playing when sat about at home. One thing I particularly like are the dimensions of the body re resting securely on one's thigh, and generally having a big thing to put my arm over. Oo er missis, no really, shut up at the back. In fact I can imagine having something like that as my main bass, BUT I wouldn't be comfy having an acoustic as the #1. So I'm wondering if there are more electricky basses with a nice 3" or so depth. And on top of that I'd want a 5 string as I could more easily justify it as an additional member of the clan. Dream bass is a Warwick Jonas Hellborg, but I'd rather keep my 2nd kidney for emergencies. So far I have a shortlist of [url="http://www.ibanez.com/products/u_eb_detail.php?year=2016&cat_id=2&series_id=57&data_id=63&color=CL01"]one[/url] (and I fear it's a bit too slim to be different, dunno). Are there alternatives? Andrew.