Baby Bass megathread

[mauroconga]

now, i`m sanding the neck and the body to give the first finish session ...

[Bruce Johnson]

Originally Posted by Tark

Thank you nick,
I understand AUB-1 pickup.
I will trying to disassemble my AUB-1

Hello Tark;

I specialize in Ampeg Scroll Basses. I can help you get your mystery pickup working again, and supply you with any parts that you need. But, lets not discuss it here. This thread is about Baby Basses.

Come over to this thread: love of Ampeg and other Scroll Basses

We'll talk there.

[Bruce Johnson]

Originally Posted by mauroconga

A SILLY ASK:
why ,if these basses have the same system like the BB, not sounds with the same punch ? (i`m listened any records ,and ...no ...)
perhaps ,the punch is given by the attack of the fingers ...?

The pickup system in the Ampeg Baby Bass and the "mystery" pickup in the Ampeg Scroll Basses (AEB-1, AUB-1 and Devil Basses) are similar in construction, but they work a little different. It has to do with the geometry. Like Nicky said, they both have coils and magnets mounted down in the body. Right over the magnets are flexible steel diaphragms, and the bridge is mounted to the top of the diaphragm. When you pluck the strings, the oscillating motion is transmitted down to the diaphragm, which wiggles within the magnetic field and creates the signal in the coil. The diaphragm takes the place of the string over a normal magnetic pickup. The Baby Bass and the Scroll Bass each have two coils, which are hooked up as a humbucking pair. The magnets are opposite polarity, and the coils are wired in series, but with the winding in opposite directions. The Baby Bass has two separate coils; on the Scroll Bass the two coils are cast into an epoxy block.

The difference in how they sound comes from the geometry. On the Baby Bass, the two coils are spaced fairly far apart, each with its own small round diaphragm. Also, the bridge is fairly tall. And, you have a tight, about 4" radius across the fingerboard and the strings. When you pluck the strings hard, you're mostly pulling the string sideways, and the bridge is twitching side-to-side, rolling about an axis. As it does this, one foot of the bridge is pushing down on one diaphragm, while the other is lifting up on the other diaphragm. Because the two coils are wired as humbuckers, the two signals end up adding together. You get a powerful "Pop" pulse at the beginning of the signal, which comes directly from that side-to-side snap of the bridge. That's the percussive attack on each note that makes the Baby Bass tone so distinctive. You Salsa guys love that sound!

In comparison, the "mystery" pickup on the Scroll Bass has a single diaphragm about 5" square over the two coils, which are close together. The bridge is mounted down low over the diaphragm. It has to be; on an electric bass you don't have the thickness to work with. As a result, there's hardly any side-to-side rolling motion of the bridge or the diaphragm. It primarily just bounces up and down like a drum head. When you pluck an AEB-1, some of that plucking motion gets transferred into the vertical motion of the diaphragm, but it's not as direct as on the Baby Bass. The AEB-1 has a percussive pulse in its notes, but the effect isn't as dramatic as it is on the Baby Bass.

Going even further with this type of pickup, Nicky posted a picture above of the "percussive" pickup that I developed for my Series IV Scroll Basses. I got rid of the diaphragms and mounted the bridge on a frame of spring steel rods. I worked with the geometry of the rods so that the bridge can snap and roll side-to-side, in the confined space available. My pickup actually does both the rolling motion and the vertical motion. I found by experimentation how to control the ratio of the spring rates in the rolling direction and in the vertical direction. The rolling motion creates that heavy "pop" at the start of the note, like the Baby Bass. The vertical motion creates a softer "warble" for a couple of cycles just behind it. This Pop and Warble in the attack profile of the note is part of the character of an upright bass, caused by the rolling motion of the bridge and the flexing of the top. With my pickup, I'm trying to approximate that motion in a compact spring steel assembly, in the confines of an electric bass body. That why all that stuff is crammed into there!

[mauroconga]

if you are capable to copy in a 100% the BB sound in your basses ,i buy this bass to add in my collection ...
sure !

[Bruce Johnson]

Well, I won't say that it's 100%, because the Scroll Bass is only 35" scale length, and uses steel core strings. A Baby Bass, being an upright with rope-core strings, can be plucked harder. But it's very, very close in the sound. I had a local Jazz and Salsa player here in my shop last night. He owns a Baby Bass and several of my basses. We were messing around trying different amps, and he was wailing away on one of my Series IV Scroll Basses (with that percussive pickup under the bridge). With the blend control all the way over on the percussive pickup, he said that it's just about like a Baby Bass, but with a little more frequency range and slightly better definition. I think the better definition is mostly from the stiffer steel core strings.

He brought over a neat little combo amp. It was an old Polytone keyboard amp, about 90W, which he had refitted with some kind of Fender 15" speaker. That little amp sounded great for that percussive Salsa-style music. I may have to find one like it for my test bench. Right now, I mostly use a little Carvin combo with a single 10" speaker.

[El Loco]

Hello everybody.
I recently fell in love with slap bass technique commonly used by rockabilly double bass players.
Someone here have tried to play rockabilly slap bass technique with a BB?
Ampeg Baby Bass is out of my budget,but i found a used Sendel here in Italy.
Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

[davidhellbilly]

Hi Loco, i'm using a Mog Baby Bass in my rockabilly and psychobilly bands... I have to upgrade the bridge, and maybe change the pick up (needs more output), but i think when i finish the upgrades will be one of my favourite basses :-)

[El Loco]

Hi David
Thanks for all your inputs on my threads.
That guy who sell the Sendel used to have a MOG also,selled for the your same reason,he needs more output,but he is a Salsa player and he don't know how a BB respond played in a Rockabilly context.
I saw a Psychobilly band here with an Ampeg BB player,and i start to think if i can do the trick with a BB,instead of an heavy cheap and unamplified DB.

[mauroconga]

Originally Posted by El Loco

Hi David
Thanks for all your inputs on my threads.
That guy who sell the Sendel used to have a MOG also,selled for the your same reason,he needs more output,but he is a Salsa player and he don't know how a BB respond played in a Rockabilly context.
I saw a Psychobilly band here with an Ampeg BB player,and i start to think if i can do the trick with a BB,instead of an heavy cheap and unamplified DB.

this is very very strange ear this ,because this BB have a 10 years of warranty ,and i not received any notification about this ...
please ,and talk with your friend to notify me about this via email....

[El Loco]

Hello Mauro
I do not intend to bashing your product,i just contacted a private seller after read an advert,and asked info about Baby Basses,since i don't know much about that.

[mauroconga]

Originally Posted by El Loco

Hello Mauro
I do not intend to bashing your product,i just contacted a private seller after read an advert,and asked info about Baby Basses,since i don't know much about that.

hi ...
ok, i understand ...
some clients don`t understand ,i give warranties (10 years) in the instrument ...and i never receive a call, or an email asking for this ...

[El Loco]

Hi Mauro
He told me that he owned 2 BB's,one of your instruments,and a Sendel BB.
He sold the MOG and he's tryin' to sell the Sendel cause he's playin' Salsa no more.
He spoke about differences in volume output between the 2 BB's,and this could be also a matter of personal taste i think.
Hope this cleans things up.
Regards and keep up the good work.

[NickyBass]

Mauro sent some more pics of the wood BB. Thought I would share. It still needs another finish session:

[NickyBass]

Mauro, have you made any basses with an onboard preamp?

[mauroconga]

Originally Posted by NickyBass

Mauro, have you made any basses with an onboard preamp?

hi ...
i never use a preamp...i don`t know how to use this ...i supose ,the steps are easily to use ...
a ask:
you know a link to see the batt. boxes used in this systems ...?

[NickyBass]

I think Ray Ramirez is using a battery box on the back of the bass.


You can purchase them here.
Bass Battery Boxes

[Funkfaker]

Originally Posted by NickyBass

Mauro sent some more pics of the wood BB. Thought I would share. It still needs another finish session:

How much heavier are the wood BBs compared to the fiberglass?

Looks great, btw!

[mauroconga]

a easy perspective is ...
a bass guitar ,with a plastic body ,and a bass maked in wood...
is more easy and cheap, make a body in plastic or fiber glass... and the differences in the finish are obiously.

[NickyBass]

Mauro, se le pregunta cuánto pesa el bajo de madera en comparación con la fibra de vidrio.

[mauroconga]

the wood BB is 15 kg. aprox...the weight of the ampeg is 12 kg. aprox. ( we don`t work the Lb.)