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Double Bass Kolstein Travel Bass

#81
@peterpalmieri The thread about the FC situation is here: Full Circle resonances: Fit, or soundpost? (long and detailed)

I got it working ok by turning the pickup 180 degrees and jiggling the bass bridge foot around a bit, but on the gig when things got stoopid loud there was some resonance that isn't usually there with any other FC I've ever used, and I've been using them for 15 years now over 4 different basses. The Planet Wing sounded fine, but it's just not my sound if that makes sense. The FC has always been a very "dry" signal that can be played in louder situations if needed, and at this point that sound (and how to deal with it) are just hard wired into my hands and ear. It's also the best pickup I've found for dynamic range and doesn't mind when you dig deep and crush the strings when the spirit moves you.

I'm going to be running the bass up to the shop tomorrow to get the installation tweaked. They were totally cool about it and I take responsibility for not testing it more carefully before I left. On a travel bass especially, I want to make sure it's totally right because there likely won't be resources in many of the places I'm going. I'll also be taking the Planet Wing and Kremona DB-1 as backups when I fly.
 
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#82
Just read through that thread, thanks.

Back on the review. I don’t think there is any shame in the fact that you prefer your full size bass. Imagine if Barrie made a travel bass that sounded as good as the best set up jazz bass. Just not going to happen. But man when you compare it to an Eminence or an NS or a rob Allen. I’m pretty certain this is by far the top of the list when it comes to something more compact.

Will be interested 6 months from now after the strings break in, you know the bass well and have done the breakdown and set up many times. Beyond your travel I’m sure you’ll find bad weather, long walks etc where it just makes so much sense.
 
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#83
Yes, I'm still in that famous "hmmm, what to do about that spiro G?" place, but it's funny because all of a sudden I have more "chops", as though the scale was noticeably shorter and the setup markedly lighter, except it isn't. I'm not sure why that is - maybe the angles of my arms not having to reach around the body of a regular size bass, or? - but it's still kind of fun.

I'll figure the G string thing out eventually (maybe a 3/4 G? dunno...time to find the threads that go down that rabbit hole :bag:), but the bottom three sound great and really pop and the E string growls like a tiger when I ask for it. I'm so glad I stopped in Barrie's booth right at the end of ISB in Ithaca and sat down to try one of these right before he shut his booth down. I remember thinking about the busetto as I walked toward it, "that thing is cute but I bet it feels like a toy"...and then playing it and being proven wrong. My education continues, it seems.[/QUOTE]




this particular thing I call the ergonomic advantage. My old bass was huge super wide and deep with large upper bout. With my Contrabassetto, I had it made with the exact same string length 41.5 and action and strings were the same, but the moment I got it I could fly. I came to realize that (and looking at your video I can easily see) getting in close and tight to the instrument is a huge advantage to both the left hand arm and right hand arm. Also the shoulder, upper and lower back all work in a MUCH different way. What happens when you can suddenly (without changing much else) reach every part of the bass easily and have a multiple factor of pressure and angle options? Speed, accuracy, intonation, ease of play. All of it opens up. Play footprints up on the neck, and you are not reaching around so much as pulling in to your body, a different experience, a different endurance, a different balance, in essence a different experiential dynamic. I love it (I am just under six feet ) and it feels like I am playing an instrument sized to my body. That it is fully carved (like the Busetto) means that it plays and sounds like a real instrument (less over all acoustic sound yes, and a higher mean harmonic emphasis) but totally satisfying, less stress less adjusting more fun.....I miss my big bass like mad, but when I buy another larger bass I am going to shop for one (I think I am going to have Andrea Spada build me a 5/8 that is sized for me when I win the lottery) that has all these characteristics, no more basses built for giants for me. From all I have heard (and played one for a few minutes) the Busetto is rockin.
 
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#84
@flatback Agree about the ergonomics - it's a different animal. I can play faster and more fluidly, but so far without the weight and impact of the big bass; this may also be an ergonomic issue. It's entirely possible that the tight-in-ness to the body also affects the way the force and leverage is applied to the strings. I feel like I can play on it now, but in an ensemble it takes up a slightly different space and I will need to get used to that over time. For a time I will be trying to figure out how to make it sound and feel as much like my regular bass as possible, but at some point I will have to learn to think of it as its own instrument and learn to use what it has to offer for what it is.

As always, time and lots of practice will decide.
 
#85
At this point I have traveled twice with the bass - once domestic, once international - and have a few observations. After a setup trip to the Bass Cellar in Cincy where the pickup was installed along with a new tailpiece wire and a couple of other minor tweaks, the bass feels great to play and sounds very nice acoustically. On the concerts in Quito it did fairly well amplified but I was unhappy with how it handled loud playing situations on the first two concerts. However, this was my fault - it turns out that the phase switch on the Fdeck filter I attached to the tailpiece had been flipped in transit (perhaps by the TSA? dunno) and I never noticed until after the second concert. Once flipped to the opposite orientation, it sounded much better.

Any ideas on whether the size of the body of the bass could/might make the phase switch a more important aspect of the chain than on a regular bass? It's funny how the little body responds to loud/tight playing situations differently than the big bass. I still have some work to do getting the amplified sound right, but this is complicated by the rather random backline situations that are encountered on the road. At any rate, the 3885 strings feel and sound great on the bass, and being able to practice in the hotel is really great, although I always worry that the neighbors will be annoyed because it puts out so much acoustic sound.

What I really need to do is take it to more local gigs while the amplification kinks get worked out. As regards the flying part, i flew free on the domestic Southwest flights, and got charged $40 for an extra bag on the Delta international flights. The flight case for the neck had to be gate checked on the international flights as it won't fit in the overheads of a 757 (which are not as wide as regular overhead compartments), but carrying it to the gate saved me the cost of the extra bag. On the flight home, both the body and neck cases came out on the conveyor.
 
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#87
NUBD!
New Used Bass Day

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Made the sacred pilgrimage to Kolstein’s and met up with my good buddy @conte2music (also a happy Bussetto owner). Pulled the trigger on a fixed neck, 39” scale bass. Getting a new set of Heritage strings, setup, Planet Wing pup, and gig bag. Should be fixed up and shipped out next week.

Surprisingly large tone from such a small body (this is one of the original models ... the newer ones are a little deeper in size).

Performance reports to follow after a respectable woodshed period.
 
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#92
In addition to his newly acquired Kolstein Busetto and the LaFaro Prescott, @Jason Hollar and I spent some time with this amazing Prescott (photos attached below). It was owned by Mr. Arvell Shaw. Arvell was Louis Armstrong's longtime bassist.

On a previous visit to the shop, Barrie Kolstein shared with me that Louis was pressured by promoters to perform 3 shorter seatings instead of the typical 2 to sell more tickets. As one set was coming to an end, a young usher misunderstood instructions and opened the wrong doors (letting in the next group prior to emptying the current audience). A riot broke out because the guests only heard an hour of Louie instead of the 90 minutes they had come to expect. The band fled the stage, but Arvell was slow to move with his bass (it probably weighs 40lbs and is just massive). Someone from the rioting crowd threw a wine bottle in his direction. He ducked behind the instrument to avoid the bottle and it went right through the bass! Arvell brought the instrument to Barrie's father Sam saying something along the lines of "I need a smaller bass. This thing nearly got me killed!"

Had he lived to play one, I imagine Arvell would have been a Kolstein busetto fan. In addition to it sounding and playing better than it has a right to, it's the best bass for making a quick get away! ;-)

Barrie completed a full restoration on that Prescott about 6 or 8 years ago. It is just unreal. It doesn't just fill the room...while playing it you get the feeling that the room practically becomes the vibrating chamber of the instrument! It is next level!
 

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#95
Jason I’ve had smaller 39” Busetto with the narrower body since 2011.

I just can’t express how happy I’ve been with her. Amplifying is a breeze and carrying it to amplified gigs is a pleasure. I’ve also had tremendous luck playing without an amp along with acoustic guitar and vocals.

I know it’s debatable but I’ve found I prefer black hair on my bow with the travel bass
 
#98
Thanks - and for the good of the lodge - per Kolstein’s recommendation I got a quote from Heritage for $250 for up to $10K - which would conveniently cover the Busetto plus my Upton Hawkes. I will keep shopping around - likely a topic for another thread ... but I did get a PM from fellow TB’er advising insurance on these.
 
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#99
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Wow - shipped yesterday - arrived this AM! A good first day getting to know the bass. The new Heritage strings are a bit zingy but those will settle down.

Overall, the acoustic volume is like a good ABG - almost like a fretless Tacoma Thunderchief. I like the Planet Wing pup. It amplifies well directly into my Markbass CMD121p - but sounds even better with my fdeck Hpf-pre.

Aside from learning how best to hold the damn thing and play in tune, it’s going to be cool on certain productions where I schlepp a carload of gear - and on tiny stages where the regular DB might be too much.
 
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