URB with piezo vs. EUB?

[Konabob]

I play a 3 string fretless stick bass with a piezo pickup. I am using nylon strings, and I get a lot of nice complements from other musicians. It has a sweet acoustic sound.

Last month I was on stage at the Maui Slack Key Festival, and they had the monitors turned up quite high. Since we were standing on a plywood stage, the vibrations were traveling up the leg of my upright, and while not full fledged feedback, it did annoy me. Fortunately here in Hawaii, we wear rubber sandals instead of shoes. I simply slipped off my sandal and set the leg of the bass on it. Bingo! No feedback. The crowd loved it!

[hdiddy]

Hrm... hey anybody ever tried sticking your shoes in the F-Holes?

[junglebike]

As promised, I took a trip to the Azola's place and wrote up a report on what I found. Here's the thread -- Enjoy!

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Konabob

I play a 3 string fretless stick bass with a piezo pickup. I am using nylon strings, and I get a lot of nice complements from other musicians. It has a sweet acoustic sound.

Last month I was on stage at the Maui Slack Key Festival, and they had the monitors turned up quite high. Since we were standing on a plywood stage, the vibrations were traveling up the leg of my upright, and while not full fledged feedback, it did annoy me. Fortunately here in Hawaii, we wear rubber sandals instead of shoes. I simply slipped off my sandal and set the leg of the bass on it. Bingo! No feedback. The crowd loved it!

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Konabob

I play a 3 string fretless stick bass with a piezo pickup. I am using nylon strings, and I get a lot of nice complements from other musicians. It has a sweet acoustic sound.

Last month I was on stage at the Maui Slack Key Festival, and they had the monitors turned up quite high. Since we were standing on a plywood stage, the vibrations were traveling up the leg of my upright, and while not full fledged feedback, it did annoy me. Fortunately here in Hawaii, we wear rubber sandals instead of shoes. I simply slipped off my sandal and set the leg of the bass on it. Bingo! No feedback. The crowd loved it!

Hah! I did that once, too, when my endpin tip disintegrated in the middle of a set.

Rubbah Slippahs are one of the main reasons that I will never leave Hawai'i .

[Konabob]

Marcus, are you also a TaroPatch.Net guy? Sounds so familliah!
I didn't realize you live here in Hawaii. What island?
What kine music you play, brah?

Aloha,
-Konabob

[Marcus Johnson]

Nope, my PC is aka "the TalkBass Machine" . I live on Maui.

Mostly jazz, some classical. I've done a lot of Hawaiian live work and recording. Most notably, I'm on several Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom CDs, a coupla Willie K's, but I've worked at some time with pretty much everyone out here. I'm the bassist with Gypsy Pacific, there's a partial bio on their website.

[Konabob]

I found a lot of references to you on the web, but not "your" web site. Anyway, sounds like you have a really nice life over there on Maui. I play with Don Kauli'a who lived over there for 15 years or so. Mostly Hawaiian, mostly weddings, parties, and once a month at the Kona Brew Pub. Have you ever had trouble taking your bass inter-island? Poncho Graham had one destroyed by United a few years ago when he come to play a gig with Ken Emerson.

-KB

[Marcus Johnson]

www.gypsypacific.com (Sorry, Chris, it's just easier than typing up my bio again. I'm really not trying to spam you guys.)

I use an Azola Bug for road work, or obtain a bass at the other end, so my DB just stays here.

[armybass]

I use an Azola Acoustic Baby Bass with a 40 Army Band and it is wonderful. I used to have an Azola Baby Bass and I loved it too but the Acoustic Baby Bass has a sound that is better than any mic'd acoustic bass that I have ever had. I probably don't have as much experience with amplifying an acoustic as some of you but I can tell you that, from my perspective, the Azola bass provides a much more workable situation when it comes to amplifying an acoustic bass for live performances.

[Jim Mass]

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Thanks for the tip. The Spiro Weich's that came with the bass are a killer on my fingers. I had Orchs on my Chrissy and it seemed like not much diff in tension than my Corelli's. But the strings on the Ergo... they make my RH fingers go numb, but it sounds cool when I can get a strong pull and growl. But that just hurts too much. I know, I'm a wimp.

I'll try some 1/2 size Flexocors on the Ergo.

Hi Did you ever try the better strings on your Ergo? What was the result?

[hdiddy]

Originally Posted by Jim Mass

Hi Did you ever try the better strings on your Ergo? What was the result?

Yep, I didn't go with the Flexocors cuz I was cheap and other reasons (see below). I dunno, I found the quality of my Ergo so-so and it did what i sorta needed to (I needed a practice instrument for late nights). It feels more like a DB than a fretless BG does, but I miss having a real fingerboard, not to mention that the neck is really thick.

Anyhow, I went with a set of Corelli's anyway simply cuz a set of 1/2 size (the correct size for an Ergo that Jessie told me) strings from SouthWest Strings ran for $50. I use Corelli's on my REALBASS and am happy with them and wanted something with a similar feel on the Ergo.

Unfortunately, the Corelli's, like Francois' experience, made the bass sound REALLY thin and nasal. It sounds close to that Gregory Bruce Campbell clip sample I posted a while back. But what the hey, like I said, it does what I wanted it to do. Had I had more money and was more invested in playing an EUB I would've gone with an Azola Bugbass. Your needs may be different. If you're looking for this to be your main axe, you're asking the wrong guy. But IMO, the Ergo wouldn't be it.

EDIT: If anyone is thinking about buying an Ergo before buying a REALBASS because you might go play a REALBASS someday - don't. Tonally and physically, the Ergo can't match a REALBASS. I enjoy playing my Chrissy and will take it over the Ergo any day of the week.