electric vs acoustic?

[ChasFL]

Originally Posted by BigBeatNut

Chas what IS that bass ? Looks amazing

Thanks BigBeat, it's a model from a Chinese company called Sojing I found on eBay. Here it is with myself in the picture. I'm 6'4" so the picture gives you an idea of the size of it. I had to bring the action down quite a bit by bringing down the bridge to give it a feasible playing action after I first received it, but it sounds and plays great now. Plus it gets noticed and questioned all the time since it's not something you see everyday.

I noticed a few posts after ours from bloggers who are saying that they don't care what the instrument looks like, as long as it sounds OK. That's just a personal preference I guess, but personally I think that the appearance of the instrument is just as important as well, especially when trying to make a mark for yourself when playing to an audience to give an extra something to get yourself noticed.

Here's a link I found that had some interesting looking EUB's when I looked up the Caruthers bass from Francois's post, especially that first one (the Barry Ford) that looks like an oversized Mandolin that I've never seen before. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...and/dbass1.htm

Although playability and tone are both very important, I think especially with the variance of appearances of the different kinds of EUB's, the aethetic aspect is equally as significant.

[BigBeatNut]

That mandolin-bass looks like a bit of a beast to handle.

Have to agree with you about the aesthetics of basses ... I don't think I could buy a bass (BG, EUB, or URB) that I thought was ugly, even if it sounded great. It has to score well in both departments for me.

Thanks for the info on your EUB ... I tracked it down in the end and I see they turn up regularly on ebay.

Andy

[ToneRanger]

Originally Posted by tornadobass

OTOH, a URB is so much more scenic than a EUB, and when sound conditions are right, produces a nicer, more organic sound

A well amplified URB sounds wonderful, but it's a rare thing. I find it much easier to get a solid, warm sound from my EUB, and feedback is never an issue.
Regarding the visuals, I've been surprised at how much attention my 'minimalist' EUB gets ( www.fittell.id.au/eub ) - much more than URB. Although it does have nice design and very pretty woods IMO.

ChasFL wrote:

But I find the larger size EUB's tend to give a more deeper, warmer tone than the walking stick and smaller size EUB's do.

The opposite of my experience. I guess it comes down to the individual instrument, pickup choice & setup.

[ChasFL]

Originally Posted by ToneRanger

A well amplified URB sounds wonderful, but it's a rare thing. I find it much easier to get a solid, warm sound from my EUB, and feedback is never an issue.
Regarding the visuals, I've been surprised at how much attention my 'minimalist' EUB gets ( www.fittell.id.au/eub ) - much more than URB. Although it does have nice design and very pretty woods IMO..

Since the URB was never originally meant to be amplified, having to go through the effort to amplify it seems reasonable that something would be a little lost in the translation as opposed to the direct route of a EUB or EB.

I'm sure that any EUB will get a fair amount of attention since they are so infrequently seen. Your EUB is an admirable looking instrument as far having a beautiful wood tone. As far as design, I think it's just a matter of personal preference. I think the true test would to put them side by side (a larger sized EUB next to a smaller one) and see what the majority consensus would be in a large group of people as to which appears more aestetically pleasing.

Originally Posted by ChasFL

ChasFL wrote:But I find the larger size EUB's tend to give a more deeper, warmer tone than the walking stick and smaller size EUB's do.
-------------
ToneRanger wrote:
The opposite of my experience. I guess it comes down to the individual instrument, pickup choice & setup.

Again, I think it's just a matter of personal experience. I just seem to have found that generally, the less substantial the body of the instrument, the less depth of the tone.

[Marc Piane]

Everything is different about the instruments in question. I don't see why we are even trying to compare. Each has its strengths.

OP buy the bass that you love. If not save your money.

[radapaw]

I'm generally of the opinion that if your starting out on a new instrument your better off starting on the acoustic version of it. Little nuances seem to get lost somewhere between pickups and amps.... usually somewhere in the EQ section..... I find acoustic instrument more honest about when your slopping out or getting lazy technique wise.

[ChasFL]

Originally Posted by fingers

Everything is different about the instruments in question. I don't see why we are even trying to compare. Each has its strengths.

That is why the discussion on comparing EUB's has more merit than say discussing the differences in acoustic upright basses in general. There are far less differences in acoustic uprights, but there is such a spance of differences in EUB's that, IMO, it's worthwhile to discuss and compare to see which styles of EUB's are more popular and why.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by fingers

Everything is different about the instruments in question. I don't see why we are even trying to compare. Each has its strengths.

OP buy the bass that you love. If not save your money.

We are getting to the point where they are comparable. You can get a very nice EUB for the price of very crappy plywood.
With the right amp settings and technique you can get a rich complex tone out of an EUB that would be tough to get from a plywood bass.

Also, I think most people will find a lot of uses for them when they get a nice carved instrument.

[ChasFL]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

We are getting to the point where they are comparable. You can get a very nice EUB for the price of very crappy plywood.
With the right amp settings and technique you can get a rich complex tone out of an EUB that would be tough to get from a plywood bass.

Also, I think most people will find a lot of uses for them when they get a nice carved instrument.

It's still interesting how some of the minimalist EUB's as far as body substance (a.k.a. necks on a stand, walking sticks) can also be the most expensive.

I know there is obviously more to an EUB than just its body mass, but the reduction in material needed to make some of these smaller ones almost seems to increase the retail value based on the intricacy it takes to make one this small both functional as well as be able to get an adequate tone.

[damonsmith]

I use the Ergo which is, minimal, cheap and sounds amazing.