Thread: Hi My Name Is Bassguy

Originally Posted by bassguy

I used to play a beat up Warwick 5 string but eventually found its sound unsuitable for the blues/rock stuff I was doing at the time. I too was a Fender-Hater until someone put the P Bass in my hands and I was forced to come to terms with the incredible feel, tone, etc. I keep the P-Bass around because it was a gracious gift and I find it good for late night Bach readings now and again to get my ring finger a little workout. It's post CBS I think, so not super collectable, but it plays better than anything else I've ever held.
Some time in the last 5 years however I decided, like you did, to devote myself to just one and I've been an upright bassist ever since. My upright is an 8 year old chinese fully carved bass, their top-of-the-student-line model. I've had gut G and D (and I firmly believe every bassist needs to spend a year playing guts, period) and Velvet Garbo A and E on there for a few years now and they work well enough for me in jazz or classical situations. I recently made my own sound post, endpin socket, and a series of endpins out of hardwoods like bubinga and kingwood. It's really made my bass louder and warmer, not to mention more personal. I haven't used an amp in at least 3 years.
The next step is turning these pieces of ivory I have into nuts and saddles. I'm also experimenting with using tagua, vegetable ivory, for nuts and saddles. I think these could be a great alternative to the synthetics they use, and possibly warmer sounding than ivory, fossil, etc.
Do you play finger style? What kind of amp do you use?

Wow, sounds cool about those endpins and such. It's amazing what you can do on one of those standups with some choice wood and a few skills, eh? I have a lot of respect for upright players, and if I'd taken the bass a lot more seriously a lot earlier, I might have been able to make the same decision you did. Of course, the kind of joints my band plays in are less than condusive to something that big, but still...

Wow, ivory? If I tried to import ivory into Canada, I'd have my wrist slapped hard. I think mammoth ivory's okay, as is walrus, though... I'd have to check on that. I'd kind of like a mammoth ivory nut on my Lakland.

I play mostly fingerstyle. there are a few covers we play that kind of call for a pick, but I'm generally less comfortable on the plectrum than with my fingers. I play two slap notes on a good night... or maybe that's a bad night: I'm a crappy slappist. Heh...

For the amp, I have an older, UK-built Ashdown EVO II 500 running into a 210 cab (a matching UK-built Ashdown). The series now been moved to a Chinese factory, so my old British EVO has a *little* bit of caché these days. I'd really like to find another, matching 210 cab one day, but most of my gigs these days involve going into the board and out to the house, so I don't get to use it as much as I'd like-- and can't really justify buying another cab.

Originally Posted by Jes

Wow, sounds cool about those endpins and such. It's amazing what you can do on one of those standups with some choice wood and a few skills, eh? I have a lot of respect for upright players, and if I'd taken the bass a lot more seriously a lot earlier, I might have been able to make the same decision you did. Of course, the kind of joints my band plays in are less than condusive to something that big, but still...

Wow, ivory? If I tried to import ivory into Canada, I'd have my wrist slapped hard. I think mammoth ivory's okay, as is walrus, though... I'd have to check on that. I'd kind of like a mammoth ivory nut on my Lakland.

I play mostly fingerstyle. there are a few covers we play that kind of call for a pick, but I'm generally less comfortable on the plectrum than with my fingers. I play two slap notes on a good night... or maybe that's a bad night: I'm a crappy slappist. Heh...

For the amp, I have an older, UK-built Ashdown EVO II 500 running into a 210 cab (a matching UK-built Ashdown). The series now been moved to a Chinese factory, so my old British EVO has a *little* bit of caché these days. I'd really like to find another, matching 210 cab one day, but most of my gigs these days involve going into the board and out to the house, so I don't get to use it as much as I'd like-- and can't really justify buying another cab.

Ron Carter came into my music store a few times in the past weeks, I might offer to make an endpin for him out of a nice choice piece of Mexican granadilla. I don't do much woodworking but the little bit I've done has been incredibly rewarding. I'll see if I can dig up some pictures somewhere...
Yeah, slapping. Heh, not this guy either.
When I did use an amp I favored the Acme Low-B cabs, I had the mini 1x10 "pea shooter" and two 2x10 cabs powered by the humble Acoustic Image head or my buddy's Bassman. I have a Fender Showman and 2x15 cab back west in my parent's house in disrepair, I should probably get to that at some point.
The ivory I picked up from some crazy lady here in NYC who's dad restored brass and ivory carvings. Some of the pieces will make good wedges for scaling razors, some might make good nuts, who knows. I've been looking around for walrus ivory lately as a possible option for my bass AND scaling needs, but the export rules on it seem tough. PM me your address, I'll send you a few goodies.

If it's the ivory you showed me at the meet it's beautiful.

That was the tagua, or vegetable ivory. I've got some new stuff

I may have to hit you up for some of that so I can make finger buttons for my 1957 Mt. Vernon Bach Strad.

Originally Posted by bassguy

Ron Carter came into my music store a few times in the past weeks, I might offer to make an endpin for him out of a nice choice piece of Mexican granadilla. I don't do much woodworking but the little bit I've done has been incredibly rewarding. I'll see if I can dig up some pictures somewhere...
Yeah, slapping. Heh, not this guy either.
When I did use an amp I favored the Acme Low-B cabs, I had the mini 1x10 "pea shooter" and two 2x10 cabs powered by the humble Acoustic Image head or my buddy's Bassman. I have a Fender Showman and 2x15 cab back west in my parent's house in disrepair, I should probably get to that at some point.
The ivory I picked up from some crazy lady here in NYC who's dad restored brass and ivory carvings. Some of the pieces will make good wedges for scaling razors, some might make good nuts, who knows. I've been looking around for walrus ivory lately as a possible option for my bass AND scaling needs, but the export rules on it seem tough. PM me your address, I'll send you a few goodies.

Wow, that's a nice piece of wood.

Er, *the* Ron Carter? That's very cool. You don't see a guy like that walk into a MOntreal music store very often.

PM me about your store. I'm supposed to be headed down to MYC to visit the new Sadowsky shop and order my 40th birthday bass in Sept or Oct. I may end up havign to do it by phone instead, btu if I do go down, maybe I'll swing by your shop as well.

I hadn't realised that walrus ivory was resrtricted as well. I guess that changes things...