Author Topic: Theatre Gig (Read 181 times)

fmm · « **on:** April 12, 2005, 05:57:30 AM »

My Spoiler and I will be playing in the pit for the Buffalo MN High School's production of the musical Honk next week, April 21-24. This is either my 104th or 105th production, and my 96th in the pit.

My stepson has a part in the childrens' chorus, which is how I got drafted into the show (I had played for the musical director for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat several years ago).

The string bass & fretless parts are going to be played on my Ashbory. That should be interesting.

After I agreed to play the show the let me know that the entire pit will be wearing hats that look like lilly pads for one of the numbers.

stoney · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2005, 06:13:26 AM »

Michael
Cool, another Ashbory player. How do you like it? Do you loosen the strings for storage? Mine keep breaking if I leave them strung in tune.
Hats are cool!!!

Break a few legs!!!
Stoney

fmm · « **Reply #2 on:** April 12, 2005, 10:04:45 AM »

I got the Ashbory about 2 months ago. I started using it at church, which is easy, as there's plenty of time to sneak a peak at my fingers. That is not the case during this show, but I think I'm doing rather well.

I do not loosen the strings, and I have not yet had a problem. I transport it in the soft case, but I'm not taking extraordinary care. No breakage so far, I must be lucky.

I have found that my index finger hits the G string edge of the nut when I play 1st fret notes on the D & G. I'm considering filing the nut down to about half of what it is above the D & G.

effclef · « **Reply #3 on:** April 12, 2005, 11:19:38 AM »

Breaking G strings on the Ashbory are a known problem... I would think it is caused by the sharp edge of the tuning pegs as the string exits and starts winding around the post. I bet if you took a Dremel tool and rounded off the edge of the slot so the string exits more gracefully, it would solve the breakage.

McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) has silicone cord (it's orange!) which could be good substitutes for Ashbory strings. See page 3238 of the catalog online for the round cross section cord.

They didn't have the exact Ashbory thickness (my Ashbory is long gone so I can't check) but I would think that when stretched to pitch, approximate would do.

Someone could probably do a nice cottage industry selling Ashbory sets made from McMaster reels of cord!

Lily pad hat not included!

EffClef

effclef · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2005, 11:44:59 AM »

Direct link to the McMaster page:

http://www.mcmaster.com/nav/enter.asp?pagenum=3238

stoney · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2005, 12:16:11 PM »

Very interesting observation, I'll have to check that out as well as the McMaster silicone. My strings, however, are breaking ABOVE the bridge, like just south of where the pickup should be. Fortunately, I've been able to knot the string and use it again...for a while. The 'Ashbory Gods' have recommended releasing the teneion.

thanks,
stoney

effclef · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2005, 12:44:11 PM »

Oh - OK, Stoney. I think mine broke more often at the pegs.

Well that would make me suspect sharp fingernails in your case. ;-)

Might be worth making sure the bridge comb doesn't have a sharp edge to it.

The Ashbory is a neat little design but very hard to get used to. Amazing sound, though. Kind of makes you want to take the bridge and electronics out and graft it into some cheapo 30 scale bass, or even a guitar, with frets. Or even get a Warmoth guitar body and rout out a socket for the bottom of the Ashbory to sit into, for strapping it on properly.

EffClef

fmm · « **Reply #7 on:** April 14, 2005, 07:24:58 AM »

Now it's a three bass gig. There's one song that calls for a fretless where my de-fretted Kramer 450B sounds great! I really need to get a 1 space or 1/2 space rack mixer.

fmm · « **Reply #8 on:** April 25, 2005, 08:45:48 AM »

The gig is now over. I think the high school & junior high kids did a remarkable job. My biggest complaint was with the main piano player (a high school para, or teacher's assistant) who could not seem to count to save her life.

The Ashbory performed remarkably well. I've heard about problems keeping them in tune, but it only seemed to slip about a quarter of a half step between shows. I did find (by tuning to a very nice chromatic strobe tuner) that by the time you're up to the 5th fret, the lines are pretty much useless. Also, the octave harmonic is not in tune with the open string. I'm puzzled by how this can be, but I suspect it has something to do with the greater string diameter-to-length ratio on an Ashbory.

All of the bass players who came up to the pit were students of mine, so I didn't get many questions on my Spoiler as I usually do. I did get a great many questions on the Ashbory. Many were from small children. This is puzzling. Normally I scare small children away.

The next potential theatre gig would be Nunsense in October. I told the pit director I would play in the show if I could convince my wife to try out for an acting spot. I've played that show before: the orchestra dressed up as priests on vacation: black shirts & clerical collars and Hawaiian shirts. The show was a dinner theatre at a local hotel, and the pit members spend pre show and intermissions in the bar, where we confused a great many people.