Travel Bass update

Mike Carr · #1 03-14-2007, 05:00 AM

Regular readers may have noticed that I post from time to time reporting on my adventures and sometimes mis-adventures dealing with basses suitable for air-travel. I've done a lot of this in recent years. The brief history of my bass purchases for this purpose has been, first, EUB's, Carruthers and Eminence, then an 18 month period with the David Gage Czech-Ease, then back to an EUB recently, the Azola Lightning Bug. My usual pattern has been "The Honeymoon", when I'm all caught up in the rapture of having a new bass to play, and I post glowing reports describing these basses and telling you all how much I love them. After a while, the shortcoming of these instuments becomes apparent to me and I'm on to the "next perfect bass for travel" and post my often glowing review of it, only to move on to the "next bass", and so it goes...All of this has gotten pretty expensive!
Well, here's the latest news, should anyone care. I'm back on the Czech-Ease!
Why?
My last "road bass", the Azola Lightning Bug is wonderful EUB, it gives a very convincing appoximation of an amplified double bass sound, it's very well made, plays great and is very portable. I don't have one bad word to say about it, save that since it's body is small, it can want "get away from you" when playing in thumb position, it will spin a bit if you throw it's neck on your shoulder while playing up high, so you have to be careful. Still, it's a terrific little "stick bass".
But, after playing it nightly for several months in Hong Kong I found myself suffering from an insatisable craving for "bass flesh", that good feeling that only comes from having a real acoustic body viberating against you and that good sound that we bassists all love that emininates from an acoustic chamber. Feeling a real double bass in your hands and against your body is quite different from feeling a solid-bodied EUB, even a fine one like the Azola. The Czech-Ease, while certainly not quite perfect, is indeed a "real" double bass and I missed it very, very much!
So, I had a flash of inspiration, a real good idea!
I decided to contact the gentleman who had bought my old Czech-Ease from me last year to see if he might consider selling it back to me.
Oh boy! I am a fortunate fellow!
The fellow who had bought the bass was happy enough with it. He had paid me $3000 for the bass, along with it's gig bag and flight case, not a bad deal for him as I had paid $4500 for the package brand new in 2005. He liked the tone and his bass teacher liked the bass too. This fellow, also a TB'er bought the Czech-Ease as a first double bass, coming from electric and not being very tall he thought it might be an easier move going from electric to a small bass like the C-E. However, he did indicate to me that he felt he might be ready to move up to a 3/4 bass. Bingo! I've got several DB's and since I'm on the road all the time these basses don't see a lot of action. I'd been thinking for a while about thining out the heard. So, perhaps we could work out a trade for one of my other basses!
I offered him a choice of two of my basses, an older German factory hybrid bass labeled "Anton Schuster" that I had paid $3000 for several years ago. A pretty nice bass that sports a superb set-up by Lisa Gass. Or an almost brand new Shen SB-150 hybrid bass that I had picked up in China the last time I was there. Just a basic set-up on that one, but still a real nice bass! Straight trade on the German or a trade plus some from me for the Shen, since new they sell for under $3000 in America. I'm a big fan of Shen Basses, but would not nessasarly miss this particular one, I've got a Shen 3/4 Willow at home, that is fully carved and has been set-up the way I like it, it's a keeper for sure!
He decided the German bass suited him best, so I happily exchanged this bass for my old Czech-Ease, which was kept in exactly the same condition it was in when he bought it, not to mention he had put some new strings on it recently! I did'nt have to put out any extra cash to retrieve my Czech-Ease, and he's now got a good bass with a carved top that he can grow with. A total win-win transaction between two TB'ers.
So I'm OK now. I'll have the "big wood" sound and feeling from the Czech-Ease that I was missing on the road and some very nice "in town" options in the two Shen's and Azola. So yeah, I'm OK now!

foldingbassman · #2 11-10-2008, 10:48 AM

have you checked out www.foldingbass.com ?

Steve Clark · #3 11-10-2008, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foldingbassman

have you checked out www.foldingbass.com ?

Very well thought out. Wonder how it sounds?

Marcus Johnson · #4 11-10-2008, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Clark

Very well thought out. Wonder how it sounds?

I dunno, but I guess you could ask the guy with the username "foldingbassman".

basmansam · #5 11-10-2008, 02:10 PM

That's AWESOME!!

LouisF · #6 11-10-2008, 02:15 PM

My friends in Argentina also make a bass with a removable neck:

http://www.auday-giormenti.com.ar/modelodesmonte.htm

Louis

Steve Clark · #7 11-10-2008, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

I dunno, but I guess you could ask the guy with the username "foldingbassman".

Missed that part. The same foldingbassman who only has 1 post?

Marcus Johnson · #8 11-10-2008, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Clark

Missed that part. The same foldingbassman who only has 1 post?

Yup, that's the one. Some people might get ticked about that. Don't bother me none.

BUT... I have to say, I think it's a pretty ingenious design. The breakdown video is pretty fun to watch.

78bass · #9 11-10-2008, 05:12 PM

Glad to hear your happy with your ease. I love mine. Great travel bass.
How would you rate the case? Is your mind at ease traveling?
I'm considering one but the price is a little much for me right now.

Paul Warburton · #10 11-10-2008, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Yup, that's the one. Some people might get ticked about that. Don't bother me none.

BUT... I have to say, I think it's a pretty ingenious design. The breakdown video is pretty fun to watch.

Wait...Where's the god damn sound post??

Paul Warburton · #11 11-10-2008, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Clark

Missed that part. The same foldingbassman who only has 1 post?

Uh Oh....
I'll get the pop corn.

Marcus Johnson · #12 11-10-2008, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

Wait...Where's the god damn sound post??

It's in there, apparently. From what I gather, he pins it to the plates front and back.

It would probably be good if he posted back again and introduced himself... then he could answer any questions himself. Maybe a thread of its own, since Mike's thread went off the tracks in the first thirty feet.

hdiddy · #13 11-10-2008, 05:43 PM

I dunno... seems like a bit of overdesign if you ask me. You still need a case for the whole shebang anyway. When I saw that the back panel door slides in and out - I can't see that lasting for a long long time without eventually rattling. The typical removable neck design seems so much better in terms of simplicity. You also lose the effect of the back also being a tone generator. Less is more IMO.

Gufenov · #14 11-10-2008, 06:22 PM

I suspect Foldingbassman might need to read this: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/faq.ph...policy#faq_cup He COULD be a satisfied customer, but didn't complete his profile.

Marcus Johnson · #15 11-10-2008, 06:29 PM

On the other hand... many (not all) of the basses that have been rented for me while on the road have not been much of a tone generator in any sense. If it weren't for concert amplification, some of them would barely be audible. There are a lot of well meaning folks out there who rent basses from the back rooms of middle schools, with "vintage" strings and no professional setup, and you smile and accept them graciously, and then suffer through it. If I were more famous, that might not be the case.

So it's possible that it might be better to travel with a bass that feels decent, has something other than a BP-100 or an SM-58 in the bridge for amplification, and performs more or less the same night after night. I've played a bunch of EUBs, but I've never been completely comfortable on any of them. So maybe this might work for someone like me.

I hardly ever hit the road any more anyway, so it's all moot at this point.

Mike Carr · #16 11-11-2008, 03:03 AM

78 Bass,
The C-E flight case has been sufficent. I flew from Hong Kong to Bangkok last month for a concert, part of The Bangkok International Festival. The case and bass made it fine. Marcus, I've not done too many other flying gigs lately either, but the C-E comes in handy here. It's great in taxis and the subway. I've been in a group playing 6 nights in one of the big hotels here the last few months, my carved Shen lives there for now. The C-E gets played at home and for one-off gigs, funtions and such.
It's a decent sound, most of the gigs are with amps anyway. Nobody here has ever said, your bass sounds "small" or anything like that. I like it, for it's purposes.
I do think "Foldingbassman" is on to something good, I admire all the thought that must have gone into his design. I send good wishes to anyone that desires to introduce a new product into a marketplace as small as the double bass world. Maybe not the best of times to do that with the world's ecomomic woes and all. It doesn't sound like he's asking too much money for his bass. I'd love to have a look at one in person.

drurb · #17 11-11-2008, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Carr

...I found myself suffering from an insatisable craving for "bass flesh", that good feeling that only comes from having a real acoustic body viberating against you and that good sound that we bassists all love that emininates from an acoustic chamber.

Exactly! Have you seen this?

Phil Smith · #18 11-11-2008, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foldingbassman

have you checked out www.foldingbass.com ?

Love that video and it's a pretty slick design.

Treyzer · #19 11-11-2008, 08:29 AM

I feel like I just watched some sort of magic trick!

mheintz · #20 11-11-2008, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

Exactly! Have you seen this?

I saw and heard a prototype in Bill's shop. It had a surprisingly big sound. I didn't hear it side-by-side with another bass and the person playing didn't play with a bow, but my impression was that it sounded very close to a full size. Surprising. According to Bill, deep ribs aren't as critical as one would think for volume, so a big decrease in rib depth doesn't necessarily mean a big decrease in volume. For jazz, I think that it would be a fantastic option.

On a related note, Patrick Charton's B21 looks to be one of the most thought-out designs for travelling.

On another thread in another forum, Martin Sheridan asked players what they want in a bass and I think that ease of travel is definitely up there on the wish list. Hopefully, Mike Carr will continue taking a hit for the team and trying out all of the options for us.