cupples

Thanks guys, I've been lurking for a while, looking at advice for DBs. Geoff Chalmers' videos are great, I'm just trying to get the stance and hand positions and actions heading the right direction, then hopefully get some fine tuning with Rod. I've had a good look at the bass, and from what I can tell, it's solid wood, not ply, so I think it's worth spending a few quid on getting it set up, and we'll see if it's a keeper; and whether, more to the point, I can play the thing. It's good to see a couple of other bassists nearby! Rod recommended another luthier who would have a go at DBs - Michael Barkley in Carrick - I know he'll work on guitars and electric basses, anybody used him for DBs?

Hi everyone, I've picked up a double bass after a few years playing fretless, and messing about with a Dean Pace EUB. I got what seems to be a reasonably nice Romanian (Reghin 3/4 size) bass locally, in good nick - it's going to need the action lowered by about 3 feet - string height for the E is nearly 25mm, down to about 15mm for the G, which I'm sure would be fine if I was going to use the bow all the time, but I plan to play it pizzicato mostly. A couple of questions though - - the E string is really, really dull. Open or otherwise. Barely there. I suspect the strings are a couple of decades old. The high action probably isn't helping here, but I'm assuming it's new string time? - the fingerboard appears to be separating from the neck, just a fraction - I can see daylight through the gap - I'll put a picture up later. Is this a problem? It appears to be well attached at the top and bottom, and ok when checking with a straight edge. - I'll be taking to a local luthier, Richard Glynn in Bangor, to get the action lowered at least, and get a bit of a once over, maybe new strings in the not too distant future. What should I expect to pay for getting the action taken down, assuming the nut and the bridge need a bit taken off? All in all, I'm pretty excited! Once all gets sorted out, I'm planning to get some lessons from Rod Patterson in Belfast, any locals out there know of this chap? Thanks Andrew

Hi, interesting thread - your situation mirrors my own in a number of ways. PM sent. Andrew

I recently picked up a Vintage fretless bass for £129 secondhand - it's a grand instrument. I've been busy with it since though - put a bone nut on it, flatwounds and EMG pickups and tone controls. Mine has a plywood body, so might be different from what you're looking at, and certainly not as solid-looking as ead's. But definitely a much nicer fingerboard than the Squier fretless I had a go on the other day, yuck!

Yeah, go to GP, and make sure that they do something like Tinel's or Phalen's tests ([url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ1GE4RiJLw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ1GE4RiJLw[/url]) which seem to be fairly sensitive for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, albeit not terribly specific. I would second ubassman's suggestion of Alexander Technique. I wouldn't be terribly worried about Rheumatoid Arthritis, unless you're getting some sort of morning stiffness (in the hands, the hands....) and joint swelling, but it can be a difficult one to pin down sometimes, as BobVBass says. But it sounds like something to do with your bass playing is giving you pain - this sounds like a technique or warm up issue, or possibly an injury, that may be causing an anatomical problem, rather than a condition of itself that is starting to cause you problems. Rest and avoidance of the thing that hurts is a good place to start, though it's hard advice to take.

Naproxen is the current NSAID du jour because it is the safest (for the circulatory system) of the commonly used ones. Unfortunately, it's not that good. Ibuprofen and (especially) diclofenac are better for most people; but naproxen's what you'll usually get from most GPs, at least first time; until you go back and complain that it's not working, and persuade them that you're not likely to keel over from a stroke or heart attack anytime soon.

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1385548807' post='2289472'] I've been badly let down by the medical profession on many occasions. The last one was going to the doctor about finger pain and being told it was wear and tear. [/quote] Yeah, I was getting those vibes from what you were saying. You sound like you've been burnt. Unfortunately that's a risk we all face when dealing with other humans, whether purporting to be professionals or not. There is, or there should be, room for collaboration on diagnosis. Not everyone wants this - some people just want to be told what the problem is, and given meds for it, job's done. Other people want to understand their illness and get to grips with what's going on in their body - and that's great; know your enemy is a good strategy, a lot of the time. But it's also very difficult to be objective about what's going on in your own body. People quite often invest a lot of time and emotional effort in what they believe their diagnosis to be; and that makes it very difficult to start from first principles and work out, from the ground up, that it's something very different from what they themselves thought. Not all docs like people challenging their opinion - I'm afraid some of them live in an older world, where docs had authority above what they have now, and were not disagreed with - but this is not the rule. They'd rather see someone interacting and trying to understand, rather than rolling over and just acting sick. You sound like you're fortunate to have a level of expertise at a great many things - not all have this facility. My advice is, when you do have a medical need - find a GP that you can challenge and have a debate with, who knows their stuff, who isn't too solidly planted in a Western worldview of health and causation of disease. But most of all - someone who knows the limits of their own knowledge; when to say "I don't know, but this other professional ought to".

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1385505923' post='2289208'] No they don't. They just know what to try first based on probabilities and are only as good as their research and knowledge of the patient. No one knows me like I do. [/quote] You're right in some ways. The doc's knowledge is of people in general, of patterns of disease, what people usually complain of and manifest when they have certain well-defined (or sometimes not well-defined) conditions. Their job is to enquire of the patient in a systematic matter to understand better what they are complaining of, and then to examine appropriately to rule in or out potential diagnoses. And then to arrive at options for treatment, from which the patient and the doc can agree on a suitable and hopefully mutually acceptable course of treatment. That's the current patient-centred model of a GP consultation which is taught. Sure, there are flaws in that, docs are only human and make mistakes. Let me suggest an illustration though. I know my car fairly well - all the marks on the paintwork, why some of them are there; its foibles, how it responds when cornering in the wet, why there's a little bit of horse manure in the boot - that's a fairly intimate knowledge, I would say. But I'm not going to attempt to diagnose a major problem, or even an annoying but hard to find problem, because I don't have the time, experience or skills to do it. I could look up on the net, and spend time trying, in theory, to troubleshoot based on other non-experts', or potential experts' wide-ranging opinions, and then look on youtube about how to fix it. That may work; on the other hand, I might make a huge mess. I do not consider myself competent to do these things. Maybe you're different, and can do everything well, in which case I envy you. Generally speaking, though, rather than spend hours digging info out of the hive mind and applying it to a problem, I would prefer to spend 10mins speaking to a professional, and come away with a more reliable solution. I would be inclined to trust someone who has seen an illness 10's or 100's of times before, and has followed each case through to resolution or stability or whatever the conclusion might be. But I know not everyone likes to seek help - there's a certain male pride in being able to fix everything without asking for outside help. Until you flood the basement, or whatever. To the OP - it's a common presentation, finger pain. There are a few well-defined causes, and various appropriate treatments, which often work well. Go see someone who sees people with hand and finger pain every single week day - a GP.

Somebody's making a lot of cash! As a GP, there is the option to do private medical work, for which the BMA publish a suggested list of charges, usually a range. HGV medicals, for instance, could be anywhere between £30 to £120 for a reasonably in-depth going over. Things like fostering medicals, which have the potential to be complex and need a lot of detail, especially if there are concerns about child abuse, are usually about £30. This sounds like there is a special 'arrangement' to bleed you of as much cash as possible (Unless they're going to MRI your fingers, or something); and it sounds like you can't do much about it, frankly. Kick up a fuss and complain, write letters to the GMC certainly, but I wouldn't expect that they would then employ you... Edit: I assume that these people will then request access to your own GP-held medical record - if they don't, then it's quite obviously indiscriminate shafting.

No, I don't think doing yourself more damage is really an issue with taking painkillers - you're more likely to hold yourself awkwardly and sit or lift improperly if you're sore - at this stage if it is a muscular or tendon problem, gentle exercise and early mobilisation is usually helpful, and painkillers/anti-inflammatories tend to promote that. But, like I say, it's best getting a hands-on diagnosis to confirm that.

When I say 6 months, that's because I spent most of the time sleeping on his floor at night after our second was born... common sense applies here. Anti-inflammatories, changing posture, regular exercise - nah, those are for wimps! If that sort of injury lasts for longer than a few weeks you're generally doing something daft that stops it settling down.

Hi, I can sympathise - I put my neck out throwing my son in the air a couple of years back, and it lasted for months! It sounds like you have some sort of acute muscular or injury - they usually feel worse a couple of days after whatever it was you might have done. Things like carpal tunnel syndrome and sarcoidosis have a much slower onset, and you'd be unlucky for them to start on both sides at the same time. My advice - go to see your GP, preferably one who knows what they're talking about when it comes to muscles and joints (if in doubt, ask the receptionists if one of them does joint injections - they will usually be the most skilled at this type of problem). You could certainly go to a physio and spend £30 + for some good diagnosis and advice also. DOI - I'm a GP.

Hi, a bit late to this thread. if money is truly not a concern, and you like the sound of the AER bass amp, how about the AER PA kit? Their prices are eye-watering, but I'm sure the kit is compact and powerful - something like the AER AS 550 top and sub would run you around USD12000 for two of each... I have no idea if they have a UK dealer, but it would be fun having a play with them :-)

As long as you're not asthmatic or have a bad stomach, dissolve two 300mg aspirins in water, gargle and swallow. Also try steaming - get some nearly boiling water and inhale the vapours for a while, that'll soothe your larynx. Lots of water, honey and lemon, no talking. You'll probably be able to get through it, but you'll suffer afterwards! The sensible thing to do is not sing, some way or another...

We had been using a headset for her, but she has big hair so it doesn't fit that well, plus I seem to spend all my paycheck on 9v batteries! And it still sounds a bit dodgy in the upper ranges. I think what's really needed is someone on the desk +/- an effects unit, but I'd love to keep it simple...

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a bit of advice for a new mic for one of our singers - she's currently using a Shure Beta 58, but plays keys, so tends to move about, which doesn't work so well. Also, she has a lower range, but tends to sing beyond her range, and sounds a bit shrill. It's tricky trying to rein this in via the desk (due to lack of sound guy most of the time...), so I was wondering if anyone could recommend a dynamic, cardioid pattern mic, but forgiving in the high frequencies and upper mids, and under about £100? Thanks Andrew

As a sound guy using Beta 58's - the singer needs to be right on that mic - any lateral movement and it drops away completely. It doesn't work for our keyboard player, as the moment she looks down or reaches up or down the keyboard, it doesn't pick her up nearly as well. That's the supercardioid pattern. It's a great mic otherwise, but unless you're eating the mic all the time, the 58 might be be a better bet. If feedback from monitors is a problem, it would also work well (I've never had any bother with feedback with them). Andrew