Category: instruments

Over at Scott’s Bass Lessons, Ian Martin Allison has a nice series of until now 4 episodes, transcribing the greatest bass lines ever. And two of these first four weren’t even played on basses, can you imagine? But that is no reason and no excuse to not learn them. Here they are in ascending order:

Ian shows how to count *while* you play (very important to get some of these 16th syncopated notes), how to get the sound (including some gear), and he’s obviously having a lot of fun doing this. I think you’d have the greatest benefit if you’d transcribe songs like these yourself instead of taking their free pdf sheets, but you can have these as well if you like. People asked for some Joe Darts lines for instance, but really, a DIY approach would be even better.

Anyway, it was fun watching these. Good times indeed 🙂

This is the video I was *not* waiting for (well actually I was, but then decided that I needed strings, so I’ve bought some already):

Hervé compared the two sets of strings for double (or upright) basses I was most interested in – the relatively new (invented in 2019 I think) Pirastro Perpetual against the old market leader amongst steel strings, the Thomastik Spirocore Weich.

Both sound pretty good in my opinion. I bought the Thomastik, and have them on my instrument right now – you can hear them on the last two collaborations on Wikiloops, and they made my bass sound way better than it did with the nylonwound strings I had on it when I bought it. And I can also bow it now which is cool 🙂

So thanks again Hervé for that nice comparison, tho I had made up my mind even before you published that video.

See also on TalkBass.

Female:

Male:

No further comment needed, I think… except, like always, thanks for listening.

Wow. Look and listen:

Also see his home page. I’d love to visit and meet this man. Tho I’m afraid that these instruments are just ever so slightly out of my price range…

Wonderful.

My brother Willi had a double bass when we were younger – and we both would love to have one now. I have checked some locally and at Thomann’s (Europe’s biggest music store), and was always kind of put off, either by price (~2.800€ for a solid Romanian bass I loved) or by setup.

But lately I saw a review of a Thomann “Rockabilly” – one of the cheapest Chinese plywood basses they offer. That review is in Italian, but the guy can play, and that bass sounds and looks wonderful (with additional Thomastik Spirocore strings (about 160€) on it):

Miked (or picked up? Both?) a bit closer, and with a jazz standard, it sounds pretty good:

So this one is from Thomann’s plywood line of basses, and also comes in black or different shades of wood. My brother’s comment was that if that is how plywood sounds, it would be good enough for him…

I agreed (with the remark about the changed set of strings on it), but there’s a slightly more expensive hybrid model available now at Thomann’s, would love to check that out as well:

It’s the Stentor 1950 Student bass, and it indeed sounds wonderful as well:

I agree about that “melting the audience” remark – at least you could melt me with that one 🙂 Available at Thomann‘s as well, for a real good price in my opinion.

I’ll have to try that one. And maybe take my brother with me, maybe they’ll sell two of these 🙂

As always, thanks for reading.