I re-learned something on my trip to San Diego; I prefer low action to high action. It's true that I've always set the action on my bass guitars low, but I've not been sure how to set up my upright. Anecdotally it's a given that higher action on an upright bass translates into a bigger sound. The flip, for me anyway, is that I'm so busy trying to overcome the physical obstacle that I have difficulty focusing on letting the music flow. This isn't a problem for me on my bass guitars as they have a very soft and buttery feel.
So back to San Diego...While I was out west I hooked up with a
Tim Nunnink, a buddy of mine who recently returned home to CA. Long story short, while he was out here on the east coast we did some gigs together—check him out, he plays a mean tenor. When I pinged him he mentioned a jazz jam hosted at
Rosie O'Grady's Pub. So we met up and played and it was a gas. If you're out there on a Tuesday night, drop in, the house band sounds great.
I was nervous when I got there and noticed that there weren't any bass guitarists. For logistical reasons I was unable to bring my axe with me. But heck I figured a couple of tunes on the upright wouldn't be bad. I haven't been playing much upright lately due to an elbow injury that I sustained due to playing my upright. When I was called up to play however, I quickly noticed that the supplied bass played like a dream come true. It was soft and buttery and the sound didn't seem to suffer at all. I was stunned, everything that I had taken as a given was apparently wrong. While my playing didn't magically improve, I was not held back by a physical barrier, and as a result I was able to focus more on swinging and grooving.
The following day a little research on the internet revealed that I could with a little effort tweak my upright. Last night after some tweaks I have found that my upright is new again. Now I only need worry about intonation and geography...
Is Papelbon going to remain in 'pen, or will he return to the rotation? One thing's for sure, he has the stuff of a top-shelf pitcher.
Dick Radatz emerged as one of the most dominant relievers of the 60's.
