guyl

[quote name='pete.young' post='451939' date='Apr 1 2009, 09:01 PM']I don't think the VL110 has transmission line gubbins. It seems to have a divider down between the front and back (with a hole for cables ) and a port from the back to the front at the top of the cab. I'll take some pictures of it while it's in bits.[/quote] Did you manage to take pictures? The transmission line was a big selling point for these cabs - it'd be interesting to see if it was just marketing boxxxxks!

DB plays completely different - you end up approaching it in a different way. Not sure why you would go EUB route if it's the "proper" upright that you like. Perhaps you could borrow or rent one to see how you get on with it?

[quote name='alexclaber' post='448012' date='Mar 28 2009, 12:28 PM']I initially thought that maybe a BP102 would work but I think the Fs and sensitivity are too low and Vas is too high. If you can find something with Vas ~ 50 litres, Fs ~ 45Hz, Qts ~ 0.35, sensitivity ~ 92dB and midrange good to about 700Hz it should work.[/quote] Once again Alex baffles us with science - this time in greek!! Gary at EA is really helpful - I'm sure he will be able to sort this out for you!

Clean your ears out - those folkies aren't into sheet music. "it's in D..2,3,4"

[quote name='teej' post='405475' date='Feb 10 2009, 04:27 PM']... with all 3 of us and kit travelling in the drummer's sierra).[/quote] Rock n' Roll lifestyle! Seriously - are those silver slaps good allrounders? Can you use a bow with them?

The 2 9v batteries in my onboard aguilar preamp seem to last forever and I kinda forgot they were even in there! The last couple of gigs, my sound has been a bit dull. It never distorted or faded, so I just assumed I desparately needed new strings/lead/ear wax removing/amp service etc. Changed the batteries last night and WOW! what a difference! So ..... I know it's ultra obvious but ...... don't forget to change your batteries!

You have a couple of tasty fretlesses there, so no point in getting an EUB that sounds like an electric. I liked my old Bridge Cetus, because it had "proper" upright fingerboard, bridge, tuners, strings etc and sounded like a good old UB. I'm sure you'll have to try a few to work out what sound you're after...! Or buy an upright !! Good luck

[quote name='mike257' post='429161' date='Mar 9 2009, 11:16 AM']He offered me it for £700 at the time though, so I kick myself now every time I see one sell for a couple of grand on here [/quote] Same here - The Bass Centre in Manchester had a pair of 5's for a while. The fretted one didn't last long, but the fretless hung around with an £800 price tag. I thought that the electronics suited the fretless great, but £800 seemed a lot at the time ........ I thought that Laurence Cottle's sound was down to the Wal he used for years. I've seen him live a couple of times recently and he wasn't playing a Wal - and still sounded the same (and awesome). Don't think I'd pay £2-£3k for a Wal, but I'd definitely pay £2-£3k for Cottle's fingers!!

Don't forget to rub a bit of soft pencil in your newly filed grooves to keep the string happy!

I've done quite a few gigs in a band that uses 2 towers and 4 bass bins as a PA. Brilliantly portable and for it's size, it's a superb piece of kit. I think the way it deals with bass is to emphasises certain frequencies. Loads of clever folk on this forum can explain the science, but it felt like it boosts that certain "bass drum kick in your stomach" type of low mid. I found that this is quite a specific frequency that on my bass coinsides with the lowest B and C. Literally it makes these notes way louder than the rest of the bass: E, F, G, A, BOOM, BOOM, D, E. I tailor my playing with this in mind - careful eq at first, and put those notes up the octave, or deliberately play them softer in a ballad. In short - you can't beat it for weight, size and setup. I would try it very carefully before buying, and am sure at that price there are lots of bass-specific alternatives.

Actually I would still use your biggest rig, because you will have more flexibility. Set up with it pointing directly at your head - then you can get an onstage volume and sound that you are happy with, without getting too loud all over tha stage. Roll lots of bass out of your onstage mix - let the sound guy put the bass back into the FOH as the limiter will allow. Most importantly, I would stress that if you spend the entire gig worrying about sound and the limiter, you will end up being rubbish. Of course the sound will be a compromise, but you can't play the gig and do sound. Give the sound guy a fighting chance with a low onstage volume and let him sort it! Next week people will discuss that your band was tight and played well. They will remember your rock and roll bass solo when you danced on top table, set fire to your bass and gyrated with the brides old mother. They might remember that the sound was difficult because of the room, but that you did a good, entertaining job. ...... or they might remember that the band spent the whole night twiddling knobs, shaking/sctraching their heads, playing bum notes and generally looking unhappy .... and sounded rubbish!

Thanks for the heads up! Genuinely enjoyed something a bit different, but was also a bit disappointed. It was almost a reminder - there's only so much you can do with an upright ...!

The best sound I ever got was a B-Band statement into a EA iAmp 600 with one or two EA 1x10 cabs. Very natural, feedback-free, plenty loud enough for most gigs, equally good for arco and pizz etc... After 4 or 5 years the B-band started to deteriorate - sounding "honky", with lots of buzz. Can't find anyone that can service it and got no response when I contacted B-Band. It was very expensive - not something to replace every few years! I now have a Wilson (bought from Jon Thorne actually). Its the one where you drill into the bridge. It also needs a dampener on the strings to kill feedback. Installing it (with the dampener) has affected the acoustic sound of my bass, but I always play amplified live so not too much of an issue! Same as funkmunky said - sounds electric to me, but seems to sit nicely in the overall mix. iAMP died on one too many gigs and is now replaced with a GK1001. Better for electric bass than upright, but it'll do until I can get some saving done. Tend to use a Markbass 4x10 for electric, so if it's in the car or its a louder doubling gig, that does for upright gigs too, although the EA cabs sound more "natural".

Saw Vic live with the Flecktones last time they came to UK. He was extremely sensitive and supportive to the rest of the band. I don't think you can judge whether he is a rounded musician on the basis of a few YouTube clips and totally recommend seeing him live if you ever get the chance.

I'm sure you're busy shedding rather than reading this, but good luck!

+1 for OBBM -1 for the only muting right-angled jack plug I ever tried, Planet Waves. A great idea in theory but just something else to worry about in a real-life situation. Maybe OBBM's source is better than the Planet Waves plugs? Personally - I'd keep it simple!

[quote name='jake_tenfloors' post='384214' date='Jan 18 2009, 06:11 PM']Have you tried speaking to flightcase companies about light weight solutions?? There's alot out there interms of light weight materials nowerdays![/quote] Sound like a good idea. Flightcase warehouse are really approachable

A quick plug for my CDs listed on ebay which start ending tonight. Lots of great bass players amongst there! [url="http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/292guy_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ"]http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/292guy_W0Q...QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ[/url] Cheers!

[quote name='Merton' post='382470' date='Jan 16 2009, 03:00 PM']Too many knobs for me [/quote] The same allegation has been made about our band. Reckon this bit of gear would fit in nicely!

Markbass bass holder - so simple yet effective - why did no-one think of it before?

Basschatters are saying good things about 12" speakers, so need to review in 2009. Would like to improve my upright sound. This probably requires new hands or fingers, or at least a load of practice. Of course I won't bother with this and 2009 GAS list includes (but is not limited to) new bass, new pickup, new loud and light amp and cab!

+1 on the critical fit thing. Had similar problems with the tiniest pickup movement making a massive difference to sound and output. Can be difficult to avoid if you're putting a cover on and off the bass regularly. "Shims" are the way forward - cork from a wine bottle is easy to cut to correct size. The cigar wood sounds very classy! Don't pack it too tight though, because this kills sound and stops p'up working properly. Also, the very small signal that comes from these pickups can be prone to other issues that affect signal loss. Perhaps it would be worth investing in a quality lead - as short as you need. You could even change your 1/4" jack connector for a phono or locking xlr type connection to reduce signal loss at that critical point. I don't think you'll get hard and fast answers to your questions because every bass is different. You might have to experiment a bit!