Can anyone recommend an electric upright (5 or 6 string) with a 35” scale? I am an electric player in a Latin Jazz Trio, and I’ve never really studied upright but I NEED THAT SOUND. I’m looking for a bass that can be played in the upright position but has an electric scale. Above all else, it has to sound like an upright, and I’m trying to stay around $1500.

So far I've looked into the following:

Zeta Crossover http://www.zetamusic.com/products/display.asp?id=296 (sometimes you can find these on ebay for less than $1500)
Big KYDD www.kyddbass.com (they make a 30" six string which is attractive too, but i'm thinking the scale might be too small, so I'm looking more at the 35" 5 string.)
Fish www.fishguitars.com (this guy will custom build an electric upright to my exact specs (even 6 string) for $1700 with gig bag)

there are a few others (blen, vector profundo, conklin MEU) that are either out of my price range or just not quite right...

1) what do you all think of the basses mentioned above?
2) can anyone think of another bass that fits the criteria that I've missed? (35" scale, sounds more upright, easy access to upper register (i'm just not an upright player), in the $1400 to $1600 range)
4) any other suggestions, info that you think I should have regarding 35" scale electric uprights...

Thanks for your time everybody, and thank you in advance for any response you have time to give. Keep on doing what you're doing.

Mike


PS: I’m putting this in both the DB forum and the BG forum because I’m not sure where it belongs since I’m looking for an EUB that plays like an electric. Thanks.

My opinion is that it's hard to get a real upright tone even a regular upright scale EUB, so with a 35", I think it's even more difficult.
I have a Carruthers SUB-1 four strings (3/4 size scale, like most uprights) and, although it sounds good coupled with good orchestral strings, I can't imagine how it'd sound with a scale six inches shorter. (probably quite fretless bass sounding)

HTH!
François

Originally posted by kmikey
Can anyone recommend an electric upright (5 or 6 string) with a 35” scale? I am an electric player in a Latin Jazz Trio, and I’ve never really studied upright but I NEED THAT SOUND. I’m looking for a bass that can be played in the upright position but has an electric scale. Above all else, it has to sound like an upright...

I think you're kind of out of luck. None of the basses you mention sound anything like an upright. I've played the Crossover, and it's just a bass guitar with a funny body, really. Rotating an EB 90 degrees won't make it sound like an upright bass!

The one short scale bass I've heard described by someone I trust as sounding like an upright is Rick Turner's Renaissance, and that's a BG.

But then, isn't the classic Latin bass sound the old Ampeg Baby Bass sound? Nice and thuddy and percussive. Not at all like an upright.

I owned the Zeta briefly. Well made, but sounds like a fretless BG more than an upright...at least to MY ears. It sounded NOTHING like an Ampeg Baby Bass (I used to own one of those, too) which is "the" Latin EUB.

Why must it be an EUB, for the look or for the sound? There are hollow body fretless bass guitars like the Rob Allen, Rick Turner and Godin that sound as much like an upright as most EUBs. The Allens aren't cheap, but the Godin is like 1/2 the price of any EUB I've seen.

yeah, the ampeg baby bass is the sound i would prefer, but actually, since i posted my original question, I've changed my mind about a few things.

primarily, I've decided that i owe it to myself to just learn to play upright. i've tested a few of the short scale ones in person now (kydd and zeta) and I definitley think they sound "good enough" but i really think in the long run i'd benefit from a full size upright.

i'm still going to go electric though. for simplicity of amplification and for ease of travel.