Advice Request for relative NOOB!

[Chebass88]

Good afternoon (morning) everyone,

My name is Ian Peek, and I am a regular poster over in the electric bass side of TB. I recently was approached to join a new project where I will have to play double bass exclusively, and have several questions, if I may. I searched through the sticky (for new members), but did not directly see the answers - If I'm wrong - sorry for a redundant post! Also, I'm not too sure where to post yet, so forgive me if this is in the wrong space!

A bit of background: I own a 1940s German 3/4 size plywood DB, equipped with a David Gage Realist pickup. I played in orchestra & jazz band at UD (1998 & 1999) & briefly after college (2003), but have mostly played electric since then.

My DB is currently strung with a mix of used Thomastik Spirocores (the A, D, & G), and a lone D'Addario Helicore (E) - I had wound the Spirocore improperly & it snapped when I tightened it. The E string was put on in June 1998 & the others were put on in mid-2004 & I am unaware of the age prior to that. I will be playing my bass a lot for this upcoming project - do you recommend new strings? If this was one of my electrics, I'd definitely replace the strings - I just need some advice from experienced DBers. I was thinking about Thomastik Spirocores.

Action - The action on my bass seems really high - I have an adjustable bridge - and it is completely lowered. Folks who have tried my bass like it & say it plays nice. Should I just re-learn to play it with this relatively high action? I know I'm comparing it to 6+ years of dedicated electric playing & that they are really two different beasts. Is it merely a question of growing the muscle again & getting used to the DB?

Lastly, I need to get up to speed relatively quickly. I've been spending time playing along with itunes about an hour or more per day - to get used to playing again with a constant meter, etc. Mostly R&B & classic soul (Booker T & MGs, James Brown, etc.) Are there any recommendations for getting up to speed within 2 weeks? I have all the appropriate method books (Simandl, Ray Brown method, etc.). The upcoming project will be mostly pizz / jazz style - should I spend some time doing arco, or work on developing the strength in my plucking fingers?

Sorry to ask so many questions - I really need some help here! Since this is TB & basses don't exist without pictures, here's my family. Thanks in advance for all of your help!

Best,

imp.

[Steve Killingsworth]

Originally Posted by Chebass88

My DB is currently strung with a mix of used Thomastik Spirocores (the A, D, & G), and a lone D'Addario Helicore (E) - I had wound the Spirocore improperly & it snapped when I tightened it. The E string was put on in June 1998 & the others were put on in mid-2004 & I am unaware of the age prior to that. I will be playing my bass a lot for this upcoming project - do you recommend new strings? If this was one of my electrics, I'd definitely replace the strings - I just need some advice from experienced DBers. I was thinking about Thomastik Spirocores.

If you haven't played the bass much, I imagine the spircores are just beginning to sound good. There are numerous posters here who will attest to their lasting 5-8 years with heavy use. Unless you are looking for a different sound (brighter / darker), you would probably be better off keeping the current set on.

Originally Posted by Chebass88

Action - The action on my bass seems really high - I have an adjustable bridge - and it is completely lowered. Folks who have tried my bass like it & say it plays nice. Should I just re-learn to play it with this relatively high action? I know I'm comparing it to 6+ years of dedicated electric playing & that they are really two different beasts. Is it merely a question of growing the muscle again & getting used to the DB?

High compared to what? If you have spent most of your recent playing time on an EB, even a low DB action might seem high. If you get the action too low, it becomes harder to pull a big sound out of the bass--especially, if you are not used to playing a DB. Will you be playing amplified or strictly acoustic? That would also factor into the mix.

Originally Posted by Chebass88

Lastly, I need to get up to speed relatively quickly. I've been spending time playing along with itunes about an hour or more per day - to get used to playing again with a constant meter, etc. Mostly R&B & classic soul (Booker T & MGs, James Brown, etc.) Are there any recommendations for getting up to speed within 2 weeks? I have all the appropriate method books (Simandl, Ray Brown method, etc.). The upcoming project will be mostly pizz / jazz style - should I spend some time doing arco, or work on developing the strength in my plucking fingers?

Arco practice is great for working on intonation. As someone once said "The bow don't lie." Ray Parker, who used to post here regularly, called it the stick-o-pain for a reason. Even if you never play arco in a performance situation, practicing it yields many benefits.

Pizz wise, it is not a question of "strong" plucking fingers. You need to learn to pull with your arm and shoulders.

If I were in your situation, I would see if I could get a quick lesson or two with a teacher. With one good lesson, he or she could probably do more to help you prepare than dozens of replies on an internet forum.

BTW, nice looking collection of basses!

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Steve Killingsworth

...If I were in your situation, I would see if I could get a quick lesson or two with a teacher. With one good lesson, he or she could probably do more to help you prepare than dozens of replies on an internet forum.

BTW, nice looking collection of basses!

...or dozens of hours with those books. Steve's advice re a teacher is about the best you'll ever get!

[Chebass88]

Thanks for the repliess! I'll look into having a lesson soon.

imp.

[nathanmcnathan]

Steve's right on about the action - what would be high action on an electric turns out to be really low action on acoustic.

[drurb]

On this side, we call it "string height."

[Andrew McGregor]

Quantify the action... how much clearance under the strings is there at the end of the fingerboard (use millimeters to measure, they're about the right size to say something useful...)