adding a body to a "stick" EUB

[inasilentway]

Hello all,
Though I've been playing BG for 8 years, I've had serious gas for an upright for a long time. My circumstances, however, make it a bad time to have an upright (live in apartment w/ roommates, no car, not enough money, etc), plus the logistics of amplification (I would like to be able to play gigs without feedback problems) so I would like an EUB.

The problem is, I absolutely need to have something I can hold. A stick on a stand is out of the question, I need something with a body to it. I tried a WAV4 and liked the sound but the feeling of playing something with no body was unpleasant. On BG I really like basses with substantial body to them (hence playing a semi-hollowbody), so it stands to reason that I would want the same on a EUB. The problem is, it seems that to get a body with your EUB, you have to shell out big bucks.

So here is my idea: What if I bought, say, an Ergo, and then a really crappy $99 cello from ebay? I would then, obviously, remove the actual playing bits from the cello and cut out a space for the Ergo, so as to have an actual body I can rest against but that had no actual acoustic function? The idea would be to end up with something looking along the lines of an Azola Acoustic Baby Bass.

Good idea? Bad idea? Anyone tried it?

[canshaker]

the warwick triumph has a lil shoehorn looking thing the you can adjust to approximate where the "body" would lean against you.
(It works a lot better than it looks in the pic)

[DownLow]

Originally Posted by inasilentway

A stick on a stand is out of the question, I need something with a body to it.

I agree with you. I own a WAV4 and bought the endpin stand ($130). It's a much nicer stand and works well with the bass. I didn't like the hiprest, but it can be removed with one bolt.

I had a nice scrap of African Padauk (a red and orange wood that matches the bass perfectly) and made a small hip rest similar to what BSX and other EUB makers do. I could have made something larger and more ornate. Maybe simulate the shoulder of an acoustic DB like a Warwick Triumph, or Yamaha Silent Bass does, but my hip rest doesn't draw attention and fits nicely in the gig bag.

I've owned an Ergo and was not happy. In my opinion the WAV is the best EUB available for less than $1000.

[damonsmith]

Ergos are great with a few basic mods. Also, the more recent Ergo the better. I play double bass and found it easy to get used to a sick on a stand. You should just get one, replace the strings and stand, get used to it and start studying it until you can get a double bass.
Extra body could cause feedback and portability issues, two of the few advantages an EUB has over a DB.

[catty]

Originally Posted by DownLow

In my opinion the WAV is the best EUB available for less than $1000.

Amazing what China is producing these days--with fretted instruments, $500-$600 will get you what some 2K instruments offer.