Does anybody recognize my EUB?!

Charling · #1 03-31-2005, 09:02 AM

Hey! Can anybody give me any information on my bass? I bought it from a pawn shop type place a few weeks ago because it was a bit of a bargain, but i can't find ANY info on it anywhere.

the guy in the shop said it was of the Artisan range from Honer, I can't find a honer website and a search for artisan only seems to yield Artisan GUITARS. I'd like to know what it is and where it came from, not least for after sales support etc! It's a great bass, and an absolute bargain.

Eggman · #2 03-31-2005, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charling

Hey! Can anybody give me any information on my bass? I bought it from a pawn shop type place a few weeks ago because it was a bit of a bargain, but i can't find ANY info on it anywhere.

the guy in the shop said it was of the Artisan range from Honer, I can't find a honer website and a search for artisan only seems to yield Artisan GUITARS. I'd like to know what it is and where it came from, not least for after sales support etc! It's a great bass, and an absolute bargain.

www.hohnerusa.com

WoJ · #3 03-31-2005, 09:11 AM

Looks like a nice bass, how does it sound/play?

...and how much did u pay 4 it? if u dont mind me asking...

Hope you enjoy playin it, i just ordered a bassix hi-tech r which should be ready in a couple o weeks! i cant wait!

WoJ

Charling · #4 03-31-2005, 10:02 AM

Cheers eggman, checked out the link but theres nothing about my bass on the hohner site... strange

I can't compare feelwise to a URB, I was 16 when I had my one (and only, so far!) go on one but it feels less like a BG than others I have tried. it feels great to play, its got a really rich bassy sound that needs very little amp tweakage to 'make good'. I think the hollow body adds a bit of URBness to it but it hasn't quite got the acoustic warmth and growl.

I paid £600 for it, it's new but has a little chip out of the side. The guy in the shop said it was a prerelease bass, hence low price but hey, he said it was made by hohner...

mikjans · #5 04-01-2005, 02:26 AM

The Artisan EUB is sold in Europe under a number of names, mostly by mail order houses. I have seen these basses advertised under a.o. the names Wing Lee, Carisch, Arrow, B Bass, and Harley Benton. I´m quite sure it is made in S. Korea.

Mikael

Charling · #6 04-03-2005, 10:43 AM

well, perhaps it was'nt quite the bargain I thought! but hey, it's served me well so far and I don't think i could afford much better a model.

Looking foreward to next year though when I should be able to splash out on a real double bass!

cheers

owen

mikjans · #7 04-03-2005, 12:01 PM

Depends on what you paid - if you paid less than EUR 1,000, I´d say you´re home.

Charling · #8 04-05-2005, 04:16 PM

I paid EUR 870, so not too bad I guess!

caravaggio · #9 06-05-2005, 05:36 AM

hey!
I'm glad I can find some info about that instrument, I might be ebout to get one from my local dealer for Eur 625. Would you recommend it or will it just break after a couple gigs.
I do play accoustic upright on stage and am quite worried about not having a spare instrument and not being able to take my UB on a train or a plane.
Do you think the artisan might be some kind of cheap solution for me?
I couldn't really test it in the sop, they only had a crappy Laney Amp and I gues the battery was empty in the instrument (anyway is it active electronics? or is the battery only for headphones monitoring?)
I'd be happy if you could tell me more about the Artisan.

Thanx.
keep on rocking...!

Charling · #10 06-09-2005, 09:40 AM

Hey!

Firstly, I've had no troubles with it so far, apart from the tailgut wire snapped - not entirely sure why but i replaced it with a higher quality piece and it's been fine ever since. The finish is definately the worst part of the insstrument, it chips easily if your'e not careful. Personally, I like to have an instrument that I'm not afraid to put a few dent's in as I'm gigging/travelling so much but it may be an issue for some people.

The electronics are active, but a battery normally lasts a fair while.

I had a few lessons with a UB player when I got it and he commented on how similar it was to the feel of a UB. It's definately not just a big fretless! The string spacing is very large as well, larger than most UB's i've played

It's got a nice sound, it's a hollow body with some sort of pickup or mic combo inside (there are no electronics etc. on the ouside, apart from the knobs, switch and battery compartment). This gives it a sound more akin to the acoustic than most EUB's. It has a good, high output, and does'nt feedback much but it is an issue in very close conditions at high volumes!

Overall, I am very happy with it, for me it was a great bargain. The overall quality is lacking a little, but I expected that from the price. It sounds and feels great, ALOT better (if you want it to feel like an UB) than many EUB's twice the price!

Oh yeah, the E on the A string position had a little 'dent' on my bass causing it to buzz, but it was easily fixed by a luthier.

Hope that helps!

caravaggio · #11 06-10-2005, 04:02 AM

Thanx Charling!

i think i'll go back to the store and demo that instrument again keeping in mind your advice and experiences.
but I think I'll settle on this, now it's more a budget issue for me than a real question of right choice.
The store is selling it for EUR625 and says the public price is EUR1100.
The "cosmetic" flaws are not a problem for me: I currently play an old UB that actually looks great on stage with its cracks and dents, as long as the Artisan sounds (a bit) and feels like an accoustic UB for rehearsal or as spare instrument, it may be a bargain.
Thank you again for your advice I think you've experienced how hard it is to find info on that EUB, I'll sure let you know how it turns out as soon as I get hold of the money, tune it up, mount real (thomastik spirocore) strings on it and plug it in!

Greetz.

Blaine · #12 08-03-2005, 10:23 PM

does anyone know if this one is available in the US? looks kind of cool to me.

mauffa · #13 06-16-2006, 03:04 AM

Hello!
this is my new EUB!
It looks the same, but diferent name. My is ARROW

phatbassdood · #14 06-17-2006, 10:42 AM

I have just got my hands on one of these -mine is an 'artisan', and like everyone else in this thread, I love it. Mine is probably in need of some setting up and a bit of tinkering with the bridge, but I'm in the process of finding a teacher so I'll make do for now and wait till Ive had an expert opinion

DaBassman · #15 06-18-2006, 01:07 PM

Where did you guys get these EUB's (the Arrow/Artisian)??

phatbassdood · #16 06-19-2006, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaBassman

Where did you guys get these EUB's (the Arrow/Artisian)??

got mine of ebay.co.uk, from a bloke in Scotland. He claimed on the listing (and I have no reason to doubt him) that they aren't making them anymore. Ive just got back from my first lesson with it and my tutor seemed quite positive about it

Juneau · #17 06-19-2006, 02:43 PM

Its one of the more attractive EUB's I've seen to be honest.

Tomasito · #18 06-19-2006, 04:59 PM

Phatbassdood, did your bass come with the 'shoulders' like mauffa's? In the pictures that the chap in Scotland uses on his site, they don't appear to be present. Cheers

phatbassdood · #19 06-20-2006, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomasito

Phatbassdood, did your bass come with the 'shoulders' like mauffa's? In the pictures that the chap in Scotland uses on his site, they don't appear to be present. Cheers

yeah, it did. The shoulders are removable, and are secured with a peg and a bolt - the bolt that came with mine was too short and the nut in the back of the bass doesn't line up with the hole in the shoulders for the bolt. I have to keep checking the shoulders are secure on the peg but it's only a minor inconvenience.

When it first arrived, I couldn't work out what they were for (thanks to Mauffa's pic for clearing that up), but they help a lot with getting the bass at something like the right position for playing. At the moment I have the corner sticking in my belly button - I'll be glad when I develop a callous there

Tomasito · #20 06-20-2006, 06:33 PM

Cool, thanks phatbassdood.

Belly button callouses?! That'd have the potential to make some already disgusting threads about a bajillion times worse! *Shudder*