Chuck Treager, bass luthier and author, has published a new book: Coda to “Setup and Repair of the Double bass” – New Sound Setup Discoveries & Repair Tips.
With it’s 64 pages, Coda is a much thinner book than Traeger’s first volume, but also filled to bursting with Double Bass know-how, too. Many chapters reference to the first volume, but feature many new ideas and observations. In some issues, Traeger even correct himself or specify particular details. Being written as a sequel, Coda can also be read without knowing the first volume – for inspiratition and fresh ideas for double bassrepairs and sound optimization.
Contents:
The endpin – mightier than the sound post
How to make the bass louder and responsive
Simplifying mode matching
making a bass brighter or darker
more about sound posts
and many more ….
Chuck Traeger: “About the title, the dictionary definition of the word “coda” is:
music; A: a concluding passage, the function of which is to bring a composition to a cogent and well-proportioned close. My wife, June, suggested this title because that is exactly what I am doing here. This booklet is the conclusion of my research and my writing. It is not that there is no more to be done. It is that at eighty three I am running out of the time to do it.”
The book is available from Henry Strobel’s website, or (in Europe) also at www.JonasLohse.de.
Edit: I accidentally found an ooold photo of the author Chuck Traeger, which was taken in 1948 for the Down Beat magazine: http://memory.loc.gov
Published on September 28, 2009
in Jazz.
Today’s free mp3 download at AllAboutJazz.com: I hear a rhapsody from Piece of Jade with Scott LaFaro (bass), Don Friedman (piano), Pete LaRoca (drums); recorded in New York City 1961.
Published on September 27, 2009
in Event.
| October 12, 2009 | to | October 21, 2009 |
The Encuentro Internacional de Contrabajo, a double bass festival, will take place in october at Bogota (Columbia). “We are extremly honoured and happy since Maestro Gary Karr will not only be among our invited Doublebassists but we will be dedicating the encouter to him!” says Moisès Bertran, Director Conservatorio de Música/Universidad Nacional de Colombia. The Filarmonic Orchestra of Bogotá will host the National Doublebass Competition during that time, too. Beside Gary Karr, the Universtity of Bogota has invited the double bassists Ivan Sztankov, Bernard Cazauran, Ilko Rusev, Hernando Segura and Jonathan Camps.
The bass’ (and cello’s) endpins usually don’t get glued in – as both the plug and the hole are conical, the endpin gets just plugged into the body. But some endpin plugs are really a challenge to get loose again. The best way I found so far is to use a hammer without handle. I screw the rubber tip off, slide the hammer onto the endpin, and screw on a large washer (as I don’t want to damage the rubber tip). Usually, it takes just two or three blows with the hammer to get the whole endpin assembly out off the bass’ body again.
Phil Jones’ briefcase was already an unconventional bass amp before: with its two 5″ speakers and a variety of powering options, it is already quite different to other amps on the market. You can run the Briefcase from 110/220V, from your car’s battery or a internal battery. The built-in battery gives you about an hour of playing time. To charge the battery, simply plug the Briefcase into an AC power supply.
Phil Jones’ newest version of the Briefcase goes one step further: it’s solar powered. It uses solar panels, instead of your electrical outlet, to charge the internal battery. Charge time is 10 hours of sunlight to get the battery ready for 1 hour of playing time. Of course, it still runs with 110V/220V, too.
The picture shows Phil Jones’ prototype, but he plans to built about 10 solar powered Briefcases to start: “There has to be at least 10 people in the world who want to be totally off the grid and play bass!”
The Briefcase is available at www.kontrabass-atelier.de
Published on August 29, 2009
in Event.
| September 5, 2009 11:00 am | to | September 6, 2009 5:00 pm |
Next weekend, a great double bass event will take place at Scandinavia: the 1. Swedish Bass Days. From Sept. 5.–6., many basses (e. g. Christopher and Eminence), strings (Presto and others), pickups and amps can be tried and compared at Torsåkers Bygdegård (near Gävle). Visitors can register at the website of Nils Palm/Bontracasso.
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