Barker Basses

[GW in Ohio]

I bought this Barker upright electric bass on eBay last month.

It plays real nice, and sounds good. One of the nicest features is it minimizes the strain on your arms and shoulders.

Anybody else got a Barker? They're handmade in Oregon by a guy who's a bass player and a real craftsman.

http://www.barkerbass.com/

[bongomania]

There's actually a whole Barker forum here, check it out in the "sponsored forums" section.

[jamiefoxer]

I don't want to sound like a negative cry baby, but I've never understood the premise of the Barker Bass.

They argue strongly on the premise that the upright position is better, ergonomically-speaking, than the horizontal position of an electric bass. But, when I heard the sound clips of this bass on the website, it sounded like fretted or fretless electric basses. It did not have a double-bass tone at all.

What would be the point of learning how to play upright...just so you can have the same tone of an electric bass?

About the only persons that may benefit from the Barker Bass are people who want to have an electric bass sound, but because of body injuries, only feel comfortable playing in a vertical position...otherwise, why put the money down for an electric bass upright?

I have two electric basses...and I'm considering getting an upright...but specifically because I want to A) learn upright technique and B) get the deep upright sound that an electric bass can only emulate but not get down perfectly.

To each their own..but I just don't get what's the gimmick of the Barker Bass.

[GW in Ohio]

jamie: You raise reasonable questions.

Here is what Lee Barker says in the FAQ section of his website:

What’s the big deal about a vertical electric bass?
It plays more easily than a horizontal bass and is easier on the wrists. For players of traditional electric basses, it’s a significant upgrade and an easy transition. There are other advantages, such as incredible sound. And you can say goodbye to the strap that hangs all that weight on your left shoulder. And say hello to a relaxed right wrist.

Tell me about playing the instrument while it is resting on the stand.
Rather than bolt or screw on an appendage of some kind that allows the bass to lean against your body, I opted for the stand. Here are the benefits: First, this sustain we talk about? That’s due in part to the instrument being free to resonate its entire length without being damped by the human body. Second, your left hand is free to work the fretboard without having to do double duty holding the instrument.

[GW in Ohio]

For me personally, I alternate in my practice at home between a Shen double bass and a barker upright electric, and the two complement one another very nicely. I use the Shen to play bluegrass stuff and some jazz stuff, and I use the Barker for playing blues, rock and jazzy stuff that requires more intricate bass lines.

[pointbass]

I also recently bought a Barker, and IMO there is a fair amount of confusion by non-Barker players about what the bass can, and can not, do.

For me, the Barker is a bass in it's own unique category. It is most definitely not a DB or EUB, simply on the basis of the scale length and inability to be bowed. It is also not an electric bass guitar, primarily due to the physical configuration of the instrument.

But what the Barker is, as far as I'm concerned, is an absolute tone monster. The chambered body creates a resonance that somewhat emulates a DB, but with a clear EB sound. The tone is deep and definitive, yet it maintains a crispness and clarity that gives you that big punch in the chest.

It seems that players keep trying to pidgeon-hole the Barker into either the EB or DB category, and IMO it doesn't belong in either place. You really have to play it to fully understand what it does and how it sounds. It is quite different and really unique ....

[GW in Ohio]

You've captured the essence of the Barker. Nice job.

i.e.,

"But what the Barker is, as far as I'm concerned, is an absolute tone monster. The chambered body creates a resonance that somewhat emulates a DB, but with a clear EB sound. The tone is deep and definitive, yet it maintains a crispness and clarity that gives you that big punch in the chest.

It seems that players keep trying to pidgeon-hole the Barker into either the EB or DB category, and IMO it doesn't belong in either place. You really have to play it to fully understand what it does and how it sounds. It is quite different and really unique ...."