Travel Bass: Kolstein - Emenince - Czech Ease

[Bret Higgins]

Wondering why the Kolstein travel bass hasen't entered the fray regarding discussions about travel basses.

I've tried the Czech-eased in store and don't like the sound. Additionally, it doesn't seem to be a life saver regarding travel. Does one still pay oversize costs with it? Does it go as checked luggage? How about flying to East Asia, the Middle East or Eastern Europe? Anybody reporting problems?

The Eminence is a fine travel solution, but it doesn't sound great. I've used it a few times with no tmuch luck getting a good tone from it.

What are peoples thought about the Kolstein? I see Tony Scherr plays one with Bill Frisell. Sounds pretty good. Thoughts? Travel issues with it? Is it usually problem free checked luggage?

Thanks!

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Bret Higgins

Wondering why the Kolstein travel bass hasen't entered the fray regarding discussions about travel basses.

Price point?

[AMJBASS]

Agreed. I would strongly consider getting one if it wasn't so expensive. Its nearing $6K with the flight case...

[Phil Rowan]

Originally Posted by Adrian Juras

$6K with the flight case...

Yikes

[mr.hughes]

I've had an Eminence for about 6-7 years and it's Realist pickup just died. The replacement I got for it, an Apt-Flex, has turned it into a different instrument altogether - a far more responsive sound and closer to a real upright than before. I also just had the neck re-shaped, which has helped playability and tone immensely. IMO it's the Realist that lets the Eminence down, and it still rocks from a touring standpoint. I'm about to pack mine up for a tour beginning two days from now, and it's reassuring having a case that is manageable through an airport whilst also dragging your luggage behind.

So, +1 for the Eminence.

[Mark Perna]

I have one and it's, with a couple of caveats, great. It's a short scale bass (39.5 inch mensur) so that severely limits your string choices. I can put Mittels on it and not worry about them breaking. Any short scale string will work and it comes with Kolstein Heritage strings which I didn't care for. Forget about using EP, Dominants or any other 3/4 size hybrid string-they'd break in a heartbeat. I've used Mittels on it since I got it in '06. I've been toying with the idea of putting guts on the D and G but haven't done it yet.

That said, it sounds exactly like what it is, a very small, fully carved, upright bass. The resonant cavity is small so it doesn't have a lot of acoustic volume and it doesn't have the bottom end, acoustically, that a bigger bass will have (that's just physics though). As an aside, I played it acoustically on a gig once with sax and drums when the power went out. I couldn't solo and be heard but I could be heard walking a line well enough that we could finish the gig. Wouldn't want to make a habit of it but try that with an Eminence.

Other oddities, the short scale means that any adjustments you make produce magnified results, a tiny change of the bridge adjusters can make bigger than expected changes in string height. Also, minor changes in string height can produce huge changes in playability as the bass can really stiffen up. These are things you can get used to though once you know they are different than on a 3/4 bass. It can make the initial setup pretty challenging.

The other issue is getting used to a short scale bass. EVERYTHING changes with your left hand. Playing four finger technique just about anywhere on the neck is a snap though. Even if you have small hands, you can play four finger technique above 5th position without having to shift. Once you have the thing set up, you can really fly on it.

I also have a Czech Ease and the Kolstein is, hands down, the better bass. It sounds better, it plays better, it is clearly better constructed. And well it should because it costs more than twice as much.

For travel purposes, the flight case is still pretty big and the Eminence clearly beats the snot out of it here. It is design to fall (barely) below the airline height and weight restrictions so you can take in on an airplane as luggage but it would still be a drag to haul it around an airport. I've not tried to travel with it (nor do I own a flight case for that matter) so I don't have any war stories. I use mine primarily for outside playing and for use when I have to travel in bad weather and I don't want to risk the good bass. The padded case that comes with it is similar to a Mooradian case.

mark

[Mike Arnopol]

I've owned and/or played the Alter Ego, Czech Ease (which is technically oversized) Merchant, Kolstein, Eminence and others. I travel a lot, and if what you are looking for is emulating a good amplified DB in terms of sound and feel, I think the Volante form France is by far the best . It completely diassembles and fits into a hard shell golf club case. I've never been charged extra in hundreds of flights around the world. It takes 5 minutes to assemble and set up. It's the first EUB where drummers say it feels the same as my DB when walking. It has a bass bar and a sound post, so it really emulates a DB feel.It's really made playing on the road a pleasure. I don't get any kickbacks for recommending it---I just feel that it's the best around. Look up Musique Location---that's the guy who makes and distributes it. Nice guy. And he speaks English.

[Bret Higgins]

Thanks for the info. Anybody done much traveling with the Kolstein to vouch for it's "travel-ability"?

[bribass]

Originally Posted by calivox

For travel purposes, the flight case is still pretty big and the Eminence clearly beats the snot out of it here. It is design to fall (barely) below the airline height and weight restrictions so you can take in on an airplane as luggage but it would still be a drag to haul it around an airport. I've not tried to travel with it (nor do I own a flight case for that matter) so I don't have any war stories.
mark

It's made in a removable neck model now and the flight case for that is a very compelling small package.

http://kolstein.cybrhost.com/mm5/mer...gory_Code=bass

i borrowed a Kolstein travel bass once for a concert and once I got used to the smaller scale I liked it well enough, but there was a bit of that rotation issue. because of its small size there was a feeling that it was getting away from you, rotating a bit, but not terribly. Probably something that could be gotten used to. Do have this problem w/ it Mark?

[Mark Perna]

I haven't seen the new ones. Mine's closing in on 4 years old.

I haven't used mine in a while but for a short time it was my main bass. Once you get used to it, it feels totally comfortable (you just figure out how to hold it--it's a little different than a regular upright as you can't lay it against your body). The short scale becomes incredibly addicting. You can just pull off with ease things that would be extremely hard if not impossible on the big bass. Obviously, it doesn't have the depth of tone that a bigger bass has but the playability made the trade off worth it for regular gigs where a little loss of acoustic low end wasn't that apparent. For recording though, the small sound becomes glaringly apparent--it didn't suck but it was clearly inferior to a big bass. I started doing more recording work and I had to get used to the big bass again. There is also the rub, once you play the small scale for a while, it becomes hard to play the longer scale instrument with anything approaching decent intonation. For that reason, it's challenging to switch back and forth between the big and small basses. It can be done but intonation suffers on both.

I put gut strings on the big bass back in March and haven't touched the Kolstein since though. I'm so invested in gut now that I don't want to mess with Spiros even on the Kolstein. I've thought about putting gut on the D and G on the Kolstein and seeing how it sounded but I haven't tried it yet. Soon.

mark

[Matthew Tucker]

You guys might be interested to follow Bill Paulin's latest build, he just started posting today:

http://www.ozbassforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2169