I have been meaning to post an update to the original article for a while.  The constant buzz of a humbucking pickup, coupled with dirty power at bar after bar led me to rethink my amplification setup.  That, and when playing the upright slap style I had a tendency to hit the exposed poles on the pickup–not a good way to make friends with the sound engineer (spiking the input on the board to +12db, that is.)

So it was back to finding a pickup that worked.  I settled on the K&K BassMax pickup, it offers decent sound–not nearly as warm as the Realist–and sounds reasonably well Arco.  For low volume venues I will definitely be sticking with the Realist.  But when cranking the volume, the K&K BassMax was hard to beat.

I saw that people were using the drumkit from rockband to create drumkits for use with garageband.  Well I wanted to do this with logic, and I wanted a full kit–so I got a couple of rockband kits for the Wii (about $30 each) and set it up.  It was pretty easy.  Here is what you need:

• Two USB Wii Rock band drum kits.
• Powered USB Hub
• Logic (With drum kits installed–ESX24 or Ultrabeat)
• Junxion v4

Right now I just have the two kits haphazardly placed near each other.  The plan is to get some PVC and set this thing up more like a real kit.  Here is a picture:

One downside to the drums is that they aren’t pressure sensitive, so every hit is the same volume.  Another problem is that each kit doesn’t use unique USB device identifiers–so they can show up as different device numbers depending on how you connect them, and in what order.  Getting the mappings correct in Junxion took a few minutes to figure out.  The hardest part was getting the high-hat correct.  I wanted it to work like a real high hat, making a sound when you stomped on it, and sounding different when closed versus open.  I figured that out, and it was pretty easy once you learn how variables work in Junxion.  Here is a quick tutorial on how to map two Wii Rockband Kits using Junxion on a mac:

Download the mapping file created in the demo video: indie-kit-input-10-11.j4xml

I recently started playing in a punk/psychobilly band.  Playing punk on an upright is hard, and I haven’t quite nailed down the slap technique.  But the hardest and most expensive part was dealing with feedback.  When I joined the band I had to use my Ergo electric upright that I bought for night practicing just to be amplified enough to be heard over the drummer.  Unfortunately, I am a bit of a purist and really don’t like the sound of an EUB–besides it lacks the stage presence that a big bass has.

So I began on a journey to eliminate feedback.  This is a frequent topic on many upright bass related discussion boards.  Many rockabilly and psychobilly bassists simply tape the F-holes on their bass with duct tape to reduce ambient resonance.  I think it looks really dumb, and shows an unwillingness to understand the dynamics of the instrument they choose.  Really, if you don’t care why not just play an electric?

There are several things that can be done to prevent feedback at ear-splitting volume levels:

• Use a laminate or hybrid bass, fully carved basses are much more susceptible to feedback.  The carved surface vibrates more freely.  At one point during a band practice I got that familiar low frequency feedback loop that upright players dread and looked down to see the top plate on my fully carved Calin Wultur moving almost a full inch!  Not good for creating cracks and really not good for sound post placement.
• Get a good pre-amp with phase inversion abilities.  If you can get the signal coming from you bass out of phase with your amp it will not feedback as much.  One downside is that the bass loses a bit of the warmth through the amp, but it works in a pinch.  Better to sound thuddy than not be able to play at all.
• Turn down the volume.  Duh.  Not an option when playing with a punk drummer though.
• Feedback eliminators.  These are digital signal processors that detect feedback and eliminate it.  I tried a Behringer model, and it was rather inexpensive.  It works really well.  There are several ways to use it.  One way is to set it to automatically eliminate feedback.  I don’t recommend using this method because it will start to cut frequencies that you need to sound good, and if you play arco forget it–it will think it is hearing feedback not music.  The second way is to “train” it.  You set up, crank the volume and tell it to locate feedback.  Once you start playing and get feedback it will lock that frequency out.  Doing it this way only required five or so frequencies before it was totally eliminated.  Remember though, this is a band-aid and is really not the best option–besides these devices were designed for vocal use, not bass.  And another thing to consider is that because it is a DSP you are going from analog to digital and back to analog.  It will slightly degrade the sound and add a small (barely noticeable) amount of delay to the signal.
• Get a magnetic pickup.  I picked up a KRIVO on eBay, based upon reviews from the talkbass forums.  It sounds well.  But there are a few gotchas.  It requires a steel-core string to pickup the signal, so strings like Obligatos won’t work.  Also it requires a metallic outer casing on the string for grounding–so you can’t use something like a Eurosonic string either.  I can’t even begin to explain how much money I spent on strings during this experiment.  The two major problems I have with the humbucking style magnetic pickup is that it doesn’t work well playing arco, and there is an ambient hum noise–the whole setup is very sensitive to proper, clean power.  Not always available at bars and practice areas.

So what was my final solution?  I ended up getting a 1960’s Knilling Hybrid 3/4 Bass (yes, that is my third double-bass and yes I know I have a problem,) and blending the Krivo pickup with a Realist transducer via a K&K pre-amp.  This allows incredible volume levels without feedback.  I am running through a Gallien Kruger 800RB head into a Trace Elliot 4×10 cabinet.  At almost full volume there is no feedback, and the blending allows me to play arco.  One really interesting side effect is that at really high volumes the strings will vibrate as if they are being bowed just through conducting the sound from the amplifier–it provides an uncanny amount of sustain for a double bass.

Back in the day if you wanted to work on your II-V-I technique or some Jazz standards you would pick up an Aebersold* CD or tape. But times have changed! With a couple of computer programs you can get access to an entire fakebook worth of musical accompaniment, change the key at will, speed it up, slow it down, add or remove instruments, and loop any section for as long as you like.

Sorry Windows users, this article focuses on the Mac, but most of the information should carry over to similar windows programs. The process is pretty simple. Here is the short summary:

• Get good instruments for Garageband (optional, but recommended.)
• Download “Band in a Box” standards off the internet.
• Convert the files to Midi format.
• Play them in GarageBand using good instruments.

Here is a demonstration:

• One of literally dozens of websites with Band in a Box Jazz standards is Les Gorven’s Midistudio.
• Ben Boldt offers a bunch of high quality instruments for Garageband if you don’t want to pay for one of the instrument packs, he requests a donation, but doesn’t require it.

Be sure to search on Google for more places that have Band in a Box files, because many of them are different, and some are much better in terms of accompaniment and melody. Have fun!

* Jamey Aebersold’s work is still great, and highly recommended.

A lot of the string instruments, and associated accessories coming over from China have a bad reputation. But, does it deserve this stigma? Some of it does, I have seen some poorly made gear, but there are also a few great bargains to be had. I purchased a couple of German Double Bass bows off of eBay; one was a great deal, but the other was a disappointment.

With the cost of a nice bow often exceeding that of an entry level instrument, it is tempting to try and save some money on your bow. What a lot of bassists don’t realize though is that the bow emanates sound just like your bass and is a key part of the sound texture that you produce. A cheap bow can make your bass sound dull, and muted. If a bow is too heavy, or too light it will affect how you hold it and how much pressure you are required to produce outside of the bow’s weight–potentially leading to bad technique, or even worse repetitive motion damage. I find 135 grams to feel just-right (for a German bow, that would be unwieldy on a French!) but from my decidedly non-scientific poll of a handful of other bassists, I think most bassists like lighter bows. Whatever you do, don’t buy a fiberglass bow (such as the Glasser Standard Fiberglass.) The grips are uncomfortable, the bows sound awful, they are inconsistently balanced and will negatively affect your right hand technique.

The bows I bought were both from the same eBay seller–”yitamusic”. The first I bought was their #D35 German Style Carbon Fiber bow. The quality is quite stunning. The carbon fiber is gorgeous, a very nicely laid checkerboard pattern. They sell cheaper graphite bows that lack the pattern at the same eBay store, but I feel that the visual effect is worth the extra money. The hair that came with the bow was acceptable, but not as grippy as I prefer. It is a mongolian white horse hair, and ranges on the fine and smooth side. I dropped the bow off at Eggen’s Violin Shop in Denver (the best place in town for a re-hair) and got some of their standard “grey” hair–which is actually slightly red in color. The hole through the shaft of the bow had to be enlarged for the re-hair, but that only added $20 or so to the cost (I honestly can’t remember the exact amount it has been almost a year ago.) After putting the new hair on the bow it sounds wonderful. I paid about $180 after shipping etc. The seller is based in China, and because of the international fraud rate being higher Paypal took an extra week for processing, after that the shipping took about a week–I believe the main delay was customs. So ordering one of these takes a few weeks–I have recomended these bows to a lot of people and a few have had even longer delays.

Here is an eBay link to yitamusic’s carbon fiber double bass bows:

The second bow I bought was so that I could leave my Carbon bow in the case when I bought an electric upright for nighttime practice. I was afraid that if I was using the bow on two basses that I would arrive at a performance and not have a bow! I know that most people consider Pernambucco to be the optimal bow material, so I bought a second bow from the same seller. I presume that it isn’t the same manufacturer for the wood bows they sell, because this bow was a let down. The wrapping is loose, and if bumped will slide down the shaft, the finish isn’t as smooth or as intricately shaped as the CF bow I bought from them. The sound is not as lively as the CF bow either–I haven’t re-haired this bow yet, I don’t use it very often, but I don’t expect the hair to make it much better.

In summary, there are some good deals out there, but it is best to ask around on forums to find out if someone has dealt with a certain seller before and what to expect of their products.

I have been out of the game for a while. I guess it was about a decade ago that I stopped playing–that is the topic for another day, but in the meantime I find it amazing how much technology has changed! I recently picked up a new amplifier and speaker combo for playing my upright in Jazz combo situations. Just as a frame of reference I still have from my early-90’s-heavy-metal-days a Trace Elliot full stack (4×10 cab plus 1×15 cab) and a Gallien Krueger RB800 amplifier (slightly modified for more power!) all of which weighs roughly a ton (well at least a couple hundred pounds.) I can’t believe I used to take this stuff everywhere I was playing. Well, I am older now and have neither the patience or desire to carry heavy gear with me everywhere I go (ya, I know–you are thinking, but you play upright bass: probably the least portable instrument ever invented, and maybe there is some truth in that, but I digress.) Anyways–I wanted lightweight. Turns out that isn’t so hard anymore.

My new mantra: one trip from the car. I looked at the various choices available out there and there are a few nice ones these days. The top three were Euphonic Audio (EA,) Acoustic Image, and Phil Jones Bass (PJB.) I looked over the various offerings from each–my basic requirements were portability, direct out ability, sound clarity, portability, and finally portability (seeing a trend here?)

The PJB looked the coolest–they have a couple of small offerings–a briefcase sized amp and a suitcase sized amp, named aptly after their respective size factors. I looked around for a demo amp to try, but to no avail–the only local dealer was back ordered, and remained that way for months.

The Acoustic Image amps have a great reputation, and duly so–but the combo amps that fit the portability requirements I had all had downward facing cones. This has the added benefit of making the low end sound more pronounced for a small woofer, but my lessons in the past have taught me the first thing you do to make an amp sound cleaner is decouple it from the floor (the above mentioned tower of ear-splitting amperage almost always had a weight lifiting pad placed underneath to isolate it from the floor.) It’s just my opinion, but the design goes against what little bit I know about amplifiers.

So i finally ended up choosing the EA Wizzy 10 and their Class D amplifier, which finally brings me to the topic of this post. When I was playing 10 years ago a 300 watt amplifier weighed on average (not scientific here, just what my feeble memory can recall) about 10-15lbs. My new 300 watt amplifier is roughly three. Three pounds, wow! Wikipedia has a good article on the technical details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_D_amplifier but the basics are, that by using pulse modulation, and proper switching they can eliminate giant heat sinks and energy wasting transformers. Kickass.

So, how does it sound? I like it! It is clear, punchy, and it doesn’t have the muddy nature that larger amps do (and with an upright that makes a big difference,) the 10″ wizzy wouldn’t hold its own on any rock gigs–but that’s exactly why I wanted a direct out. Let the sound guy deal with it, I just _play_ the bass And the backpack case that EA sells for it allows me to practice my mantra (not just repeat it) I only make one trip from the car.

It is pretty common as I am putting in my end pin that someone will notice that it is completely different than anything they have seen before and ask about it. Most double bassists know who Francois Rabbath is, and have heard about his method, but that is where most people’s familiarity ends. There are several upsides to using the Rabbath-style end pin (more appropriately called a Laborie end pin after the luthier that designed it with Rabbath.) The major upside is that it distributes weight differently–I can’t say how much exactly because each bass will be different, but on my bass the reduction in effort was roughly 50%. The second noticeable difference is in sound output–my theory is that a traditional end pin being made of steel doesn’t vibrate as freely as the carbon-fiber end pin I use, it results in (at least for my bass) a noticeable increase in both volume and texture (which I don’t know how to accurately describe, but you hear more of the bow’s rasp I guess.) The last real benefit is that you have a nice rubber ball that seldom slips–this is a nice change from the traditional crutch-end rubber piece, or even worse getting in trouble for sticking a sharpened point in the floor.

Here is a link to George Vance’s site–the only place I know that sells it:

http://www.slavapub.net/Accessories-Endpins.html

The major downside is that you have to put a giant hole in your bass to use it! This wasn’t such a difficult decision for me since I am playing a vintage 2006 carved bass that did not cost as much as an average German rear-engine sports car, but for a more professional player it may be a bit of a conundrum if you want to try it out. Before I made the plunge I bought an additional stainless steel end pin and bent it it roughly the correct position (Salavpub will do this for you if you aren’t as adventurous.) To pull this of you will need a few items and a lot of patience! The hardest part of course was getting the bend correct. I used a propane torch (the type you can get at your local hardware store for plumbing,) a workshop mounted vise, and a rubber mallet to get the bend in place. The pin needs to get really hot, slightly glowing, before it will bend easily. Once you have achieved the required angle, drop it in a bucket of cold water and leave it for a while–you don’t want to get burned and stainless steel will hold heat for a long time. After it is cool, you will need to put it back in the vise and use an angle grinder or something similar (don’t bother with the dremel–it will take years) to flatten the side that your tightening screw will connect on–otherwise your end pin will twist around while you are playing and will likely cause you to slam into your stand partner! Amusing, perhaps, but certainly not fun. Finally use some steel wool to clean up the discoloration on the pin.

George Vance’s books go along with the Rabbath method and are a good starting point: