PTB

Church? That's how I got started on the bass. I was a below-average teenage guitar player not good enough for the church band when one Sunday, the bass player didn't turn up. A bass was found and pressed into my hands and the rest is history. Now I've got kids of my own and I run a youth band each week with 7-10 teenagers. I'm trying to help them get a set together for various church events - lots of Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman stuff. We've done a couple of events so far and its great to see them making progress and enjoying working together. The irony is that we don't have anyone to play the bass at the moment so I may have to be the oldest teenager in town for a while! Where's my hoodie? Just had a great time yesterday at an event for all the churches in Croydon, 1000 people in a marquee at Selhurst Park. They put together a gospel choir and a band from different churches across the town and I was honoured to be asked to do it. There's some great players out there and my funk muscles had a workout and are begging for more! Interesting to read about the big stacks you're using. I got my GK 700 and 4x10 out for this event which I hadn't used for about 4 years (my bad back = small combo usually) but quickly got to love the power of the big rig again. Perhaps my next purchase needs to be a big but lightweight cab.

Yes, I love 'em too. I have a 4 and really want a 5 in the future. I will trade or buy second-hand though, always do.

It was a good gig last night at George IV in Chiswick, only our second one with a new drummer. That meant a lot of nodding and cueing and failed lip-reading for me - I really should be better at it by now...... We went down well and there was a good crowd including our own Happy Jack. The night before, we were at Ain't Nothing But the Blues in Soho. There's a Behringer combo as the house bass amp which I use because you can't park near enough to make it practical to take a double bass and your own amp. After wrestling to carry it upstairs from the store room and struggling through the crowd, it packed up in the middle of set 2. I plugged into the PA between songs and got a much better sound so I know what I'll be doing next time! Glad of a rest today!

I'm at the George IV on Chiswick High Road with Gentleman Tim & The Contenders, one of our regular monthly gigs. Any Basschatters who come, please make yourself known! It would be good to meet you. To those also gigging tonight, I wish you all large appreciative crowds and (most of all) good drummers!

My old bass teacher, Laurence Canty, suggested using a lighter gauge on my fretless than on my fretted. The reasons are lost in the mists of time but are probably related to vibrato & expression. I've stuck with it for 20+ years now and it works for me. So, I use 0.40-0.95 D'Addario XLs. I might try the ProSteels next time.

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='195860' date='May 10 2008, 10:01 AM']i really like my Tom and Will double bass bag which has wheels......saying that i also have to carry a stool.......[/quote] +1 for the Tom & Will bag. I couldn't manage without it !

Go for it & show them why they should have given you the gig the first time. I agree with the others - there's far more pros than cons here. It sounds right up your street! Keep us posted!

It's always good to hear of companies who take customer support seriously. I've had two good experiences over the years. G-K replaced my 700-RB II when it conked out just outside the warranty period. Also, B-Band replaced my DB p/up when it disintegrated despite me having bought it s/h via TB. Both left me feeling good about both companies and I've told others & recommended their stuff over the years as a result. They do say word of mouth is the best advertising!

A much more experienced player showed me the variety of tones available through changing the balance of p/up volumes around 20 years ago when I was starting out. I found that I usually keep one on full and back the other one off to 85%ish. As you roll it back, you'll hear the tone change & find your personal preference. I now use a Sadowsky with a blend pot which makes it easier to change from 100% neck & 85% bridge to the opposite. I do use the neck alone for reggae etc but I don't think I have ever used just the bridge p/up or both on full.

That's very cool - congrats. I have a 4 string JJ one so I know how good this is gonna sound! Is it a metro or a NY?

It does feel like you're the only one sometimes & finding other musos who can play this stuff well is v hard IME. My dear wife is a fiddle player & we had a nice western swing band for a while. We did some Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel plus some jazz swing too. It was the old story of very hard to get gigs but a great reaction when we did them & repeat bookings. Her main foil was a great Tele player - he could do the Albert Lee style but could also do the swing & django too. When he left, it was impossible to find a decent replacement (and we're in South London not Sark!) and it petered out. She's still looking albeit discouraged so pm me if you know any suitable guitarists. Equally let me know if anyone is looking for a fiddle player. Sorry for slight hijacking but I share the OPs frustration.

I found my Reverend 5L while browsing the BassNW Used section about 6 or 7 years ago and I bought it on a whim and had it shipped over. It's got a fat sound and I use it a lot. I've never seen another one in the UK. I have relatives near Banbury so this gives me a great excuse to visit Oxford for a look at the new range soon.

I'll give you lot a vote, you're a great band! I saw a video of you recently - was it T Bone Boogie? I also have the pleasure of playing with Rob Pokorny in my two bands, and Mal deps with us too. It doesn't get much better IMHO. PS - just voted but it says nominations are closed?!

I also use Innovation Silver Slaps. Eurosonic strings are good too for this style IMO. I use a MarkBass CMD121P combo which sounds great and is easy to schlep around.

If I were you, I'd hunt out a used Sadowsky outboard pre amp. That should give the sort of sound you describe at a good price.

Have you tried Peter Tyler? I bought my first Db from him a few years back for that sort of money. He's in Maidenhead so not too far from you and is very knowledgeable & good to deal with. WWW.Tylerbasses.co.uk

On my way home from the show for the best of reasons.....a gig tonight. Overall, I enjoyed it. Had coffee with Mark from Bass Direct & a long chat with Sheldon Dingwall, two of the nicest gents you could wish to meet. Lots of great gear to see. On the downside, those who suggested taking ear plugs were spot on. Also, it seems that slap is alive & well..... I didn't have time to attend any of the worships, masterclasses, etc. Did I miss much?

I've just retired my SR5 for the same reason. I have replaced it with a Dingwall which I found cheap on e-bay & took a chance. It's very light and I'm having no issues with the fanned frets until I go above the octave - which isn't often! If funds allow, I'd recommend you try one. The other option I have is double bass which I find much easier on my neck & back. If that doesn't suit you, an EUB perhaps? Good luck! PTB

Well, its mine now....or will be when my payment clears. Have enjoyed reading the various Dingwall posts & was thinking of trying a Combustion. Let's hope I get on with it!

Long scale XLs fit my 35" Reverend just fine. I once had a 36" Overwater & think I used them on that too but it was many years ago. P T B

I use the little MarkBass 1x12 combo and think it's the business. It's easy to get a great sound - so many amps leave me thinking there's a great sound in there if only I could work out how to tease it out. The Mark works fine flat with 40% of the mid cut filter (VPF) & I only tinker more if the room needs it. It's also light - I can push the bass along with one hand and carry the amp in the other. I would echo the other comments about a pre-amp. This is true for any piezo pick-up and I've experienced the difference on DB and heard the difference it's made to my wife's violin pick-ups. As others have said, you don't need one with lots of knobs, buttons and eq, just something that matches the impedence of the pick-up to the input of your amp. Fishman do several and the simplest one will do this fine. If you haven't got one, I'd wager this will make the biggest improvement to your sound vs a new amp. Good luck!

Add me to the list! Sounds great.

Thanks Tom, great to meet you too, I'm pleased the cab has gone to such a good home! Cheers, Paul