Recent content by Curtis Ewbank

Shen Owner's Club? Count me in. I've been a Shen owner for a while - I bought an SB80 to learn on a while back. But it always seemed like a "learning bass," and as my arco skills improved I wanted to compare it to a bass with a real piece of spruce to hear what sort of difference that makes...

Oh of course - we don't have anything to fear from them until they decide of their own accord to learn to build and play an instrument that sounds in the bass register. I wonder when AI will develop an appreciation for music. But hmm, does playing a large wooden box strung with gut or steel...

I love these threads. It is an enduring question - how to best get this large instrument down to low C? - a question that can never be fully resolved as each solution is a compromise. 5-string basses have closer spaced strings and additional tension on the top, but can be played down to low...

For what it is worth, I didn't make it 25 years with a straight endpin. As a student many years ago I started out renting a 1/2 size instrument that was probably a ply - when my teacher recommended upsizing to 3/4 I did and the shop sent me away with a nice carved German instrument they...

Well, luckily it has been a while since I've actually played the bagpipes. I'm less inclined to do so these days, as the good parts of bagpipe repertoire, like Highland Cathedral, sound so much better when played on the bass. Plus you can breathe however you want, which is nice. And earplugs...

This thread is a testament to the great resource TalkBass is, and after practicing with my RobPin for a week I wanted to leave a few of my thoughts. I started sitting with my bass to be more comfortable during long arco practice sessions, but it was never quite right as balancing the instrument...

New forum user here; I finally felt I should make an account after gleaning lots of useful information about Spirocores vs. Belcanto and other topics from this forum. I mainly play the double bass, but have dabbled with the bass guitar as well. I am not a professional musician, but as a...