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The BIG Reason

Music, opinions, and portfolio of Mark Eagleton, musician and web developer in Northern CA.

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This is where I tell you what I really think. This website doesn’t support comments by design, that is what your blog is for!

Viewing articles tagged with “double bass.”

Double bass, also known as standup bass, doghouse bass, string bass, and bass fiddle is the instrument I play. The name double bass comes from classical music, where it often doubles the cello parts an octave below.

  1. Mesa Walkabout amp chassis on a work bench
  2. Screen capture of a Rational Funk episode with Dave King pointing at the camera holding a drumstick. The caption, “And that’s how you get the gig.” appears at the bottom of the image.

    How I Manage A Busy Gig Schedule

    I played 100 shows last year, and I’m on track to play at least that many again this year. These aren’t back-to-back touring shows with the same band every night. There is no tour manager, itinerary, or even a single set list to memorize. This is by far the busiest I have ever been, and it’s really quite challenging to manage a schedule like this. I get asked quite frequently how I do it. This is the answer.

  3. Pedalboard on workbench with a tuner, A/B box, boost pedal and bass preamp
  4. Broken DC in jack on StroboStomp tuner
  5. Modded K&K preamp on top of amplifier
  6. The repaired neck heel of my double bass
  7. Crack in the heal of a double bass neck joint

    Drop

    I dropped my bass the other night. It was in its heavily-padded bag, but it took a pretty solid hit to the back of the scroll on the cement. The glue line at neck joint is cracked, and the heal cap is splintered a bit, but it still holds tension. I can’t move the neck even when the string tension off, so I don’t think it’s super bad, but I plan to have it checked out before I play it again.

  8. I Joined Another Band

    Well, I recently got myself joined up with another bluegrass band. I’m not really one to go joining bands all willy nilly. I have a good track record of sticking around in bands for a long time, so it’s important to me that everyone is easy-going, but takes professionalism as seriously as I do. And of course they need to be, you know, good. The folks in Red Dog Ash check those boxes for me.

  9. K&K Bass Master Preamp

    Curse of the Clicky

    I have been on a quest for the perfect double bass preamp for years. There are a lot of options, but almost nothing properly suited for a slap player who wants a clicky but doesn’t want to strap a giant metal box to their tailpiece or their waist. 

  10. Jake Erwin plays bass on the same stage as me
  11. Mesa Walkabout bass amp, King Moretone double bass, and K&K preamp

    My Bass Rig 2016

    The Upright Bass Players Union is one of the few reasons I keep a Facebook account. It’s an awesome group of working class rockabilly and honky tonk players who share tips and talk a lot of shit. Amplifying the double bass isn’t easy, so it is incredibly helpful to see such a diverse range of rigs and setups. I think I have some pretty unique things going on in my rig, so I thought I should share it with the group. I like to own my mojo, though, so I’m posting it here as well.

  12. I’d Be Astonished If I Were Amused album cover
  13. Bottom Dwellers with Andy Lentz

    Rotator Cuff Injuries and the Double Bass

    In early February of this year, I got a flu shot in my right shoulder. The medical assistant who stuck me said, “oh, your muscle didn’t like that” and warned me that it would likely be sore for a few days.

    Fast-forward nearly two months later and I still can’t raise my right arm without significant pain. There are days when it hurts less than others, but the performance isn’t even close to where it used to be.

  14. Bass with full gut strings

    Pros and Cons of Gut Strings

    A friend of mine who has recently gotten back into the double bass, asked me about gut strings the other day. Like most bass players, I struggled (and still do) with choosing strings for my instrument. I don’t know if classical or jazz players struggle as much with this issue, but for Americana music, string choice can directly affect what styles of music you can effectively play on your instrument, and how long you can physically endure playing it.