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Double Bass Shen Owner's Club

#146
Actually, no. My sister-in-law is a foster parent, and a lot of those kids have never seen a musician or an instrument in their lives. Amazing, right?

So of course I have to put a bass in one hand and a stick in the other and see what they can do with them.

So how else can we derail this poor thread? :D
 
#147
A couple of tips, if I may, for Ernie and anyone else suffering from volume issues:

1, Spirocores. Why the hell do I bother messing with anything else?

2, Consider your endpin. Mine has what I assume is the stock Shen endpin assembly (ebony, brass collar, brass thumbscrew). The pin itself is two feet long, which is twice what I needed, and I'm fairly tall. With half the pin sawed off, I can hear more response from the instrument and the endpin barely peeks out of the collar into the box.
 
#149
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
A couple of tips, if I may, for Ernie and anyone else suffering from volume issues:

1, Spirocores. Why the hell do I bother messing with anything else?...
Click to expand...

Well, for sheer power, the Evah Pirazzis really do have the edge, although, if one can't get decent power from Spiros, then I'd look to setup and/or technique. :)
 
#151
I'm in! Picked up this SB-180 from Upton Bass.

Shen.gif
 
#152
Well I am glad to say that I had my bass issues addressed yesterday and all is well with my SB150. My concerns were real to a point and the fingerboard was dressed a bit to address that and, I think, the individual heights of the strings in relation to each other. I am not sure about that but the height of the G in relation to the E is better. Don't know how to describe that or if it was done thru fingerboard dressing or bridge work. I also have to accept some things about the double bass that are intrinsic to the double bass. Mainly that they do buzz and that sound is what we think of, sometimes, when we think double bass. I was able to make all of the basses that I played in the shop buzz to some degree or another. If you listen to other players playing pizz they are getting the same thing from their basses.

Also, there are ways of fingering and plucking that low G so that it does not buzz if I don't want it to. Two teachers told me that also but I needed to hear it several times. So it could be thought of as an effect.

And, the player is not in the best position to hear the bass. The bass will sound better and louder over time. My bass was as loud if not louder than other basses in the shop and I played an older SB150 that is a rental and it sounded pretty good and so I realized if that that is something to look forward to in my bass.

Anyway, my bass is sounding good and playing well. It is a relief that now I can stop obsessing and get down to the business of learning to play this giant quirky ever changing box with strings that fills up most of my car and people mistake for a cello and that I can't rip about on like an electric guitar, very easily anyway and thankfully, but still has me captivated nonetheless.

Ernie
 
#153
erniej said:
...Mainly that they do buzz and that sound is what we think of, sometimes, when we think double bass. I was able to make all of the basses that I played in the shop buzz to some degree or another. If you listen to other players playing pizz they are getting the same thing from their basses.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you are referring to "growl" or "buzz." The former, given a specific type of fingerboard dressing, can be controlled with the left hand and is often both intentional and desirable. Buzz, for me, is another matter entirely and is not desirable. Given proper technique, buzz is often the result of a worn or improperly dressed fingerboard. With a properly dressed board, I suppose that shortcomings in technique can result in buzzing. Depending on string height and technique, yes, you will hear fine players produce rattles, especially from the E string. All this is to say that, IMO, buzzing is not endemic to the double bass, even when used for jazz pizz.

erniej said:
Also, there are ways of fingering and plucking that low G so that it does not buzz if I don't want it to. Two teachers told me that also but I needed to hear it several times. So it could be thought of as an effect.
Click to expand...

Yes, there are.

erniej said:
And, the player is not in the best position to hear the bass.
Click to expand...

True, but an experienced player will have a very good notion of what the bass sounds like "out there."

erniej said:
The bass will sound better and louder over time.
Click to expand...

This is not necessarily true. It depends on the bass and is far more of a factor with carved tops. What's been stated here many times and what is true is that any bass will pretty much sound the way it does throughout its life. That is, it will retain its general voice. Time will not turn a mediocre bass into a masterpiece. For carved basses especially, there is often a "maturing" and refinement of the sound. This is why the advice given is to buy a bass, the sound of which you like when you take possession.

erniej said:
Anyway, my bass is sounding good and playing well.
Click to expand...

This is really all that's important. It's fun to see that you've discovered some of these bass truths. Many more to come! Enjoy!
 
#156
Just got my new Shen 190 Rogeri from Wayne Holmes. Link Removed It is a beautiful bass with a good strong direct sound, not too round but not too sharp either. Wayne did a great job with the setup. Super comfortable.
 

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