EUB for a Newbie!

RenzB · #1 10-14-2005, 11:29 PM

I have been playing bass guitar for about 10 years or so. My new bride, who happens to be a vocalist, introduced me to the world of jazz and standards. I decided to learn how to play an upright for that kind of music. Right now, DB's are out of the question. I would like to know what kind of EUB's, you guys would suggest. I've heard a lot of good things about Azolas, Eminence and Alter Ego's. Of course price is a major consideration. My price range would be about $3000, give or take. Just need something decent I can use with a 4-5 piece band. Thanks for the help in advance.

charmicarmicat · #2 10-15-2005, 09:25 PM

not that there's anything wrong with an eub, quite on the contrary, but in case you wanted to know, you can get a very decent beginners double bass for 3k. if you are interested check out these basses: shen, upton, bob gollihur has a fully carved bass for a little over 2k, eastman and christopher. but back to the eub. the bsx allegro bass seems to get some good reviews as well as the czeck-ease from david gage.

fat paul · #3 10-15-2005, 09:29 PM

I have an azola made ampeg baby bass that I use in a 7 piece r&b, blues and soul band. We get very loud but this bass keeps up with no signs of feedback. You might look for used one of these
fat paul

RenzB · #4 10-16-2005, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charmicarmicat

not that there's anything wrong with an eub, quite on the contrary, but in case you wanted to know, you can get a very decent beginners double bass for 3k. if you are interested check out these basses: shen, upton, bob gollihur has a fully carved bass for a little over 2k, eastman and christopher. but back to the eub. the bsx allegro bass seems to get some good reviews as well as the czeck-ease from david gage.

Thanks for your feedback. The thing that I'm avoiding is to spend money on a beginner instrument then having to purchase an upgrade later on. I'm willing to spend the money on an instrument that I can learn on, be proficient at and use on regular gigs. I'm checking on your suggestions right now. Thanks again!

RenzB · #5 10-16-2005, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fat paul

I have an azola made ampeg baby bass that I use in a 7 piece r&b, blues and soul band. We get very loud but this bass keeps up with no signs of feedback. You might look for used one of these
fat paul

Thanks for the suggestion, FP. I'll be sure to add this to my "need to check out list" Thanks again!

hdiddy · #6 10-17-2005, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RenzB

The thing that I'm avoiding is to spend money on a beginner instrument then having to purchase an upgrade later on. I'm willing to spend the money on an instrument that I can learn on, be proficient at and use on regular gigs.

Just because a bass is worth < $3K doesn't mean it's not gig-worthy. There are used basses (like old Czech and German basses) that you might be able to find in that price range. Good chinese makes like Christopher or Shen) produce good quality and relatively inexpensive instruments for the $2-3K range. From other TB insiders, apparently Michael Moore has dumped his expensive basses for an $1800 Christopher Laminate.

But IMO, having a bass feel like a real DB is most critical if you are seriously thinking about going the DB route eventually. EUB's are physically and sonically different. Once you go to the real thing (even the cheap ones) you may not want to go back. For another grand, I'd just plunk my cash into a New Standard bass and call it a day.

And if you do buy another and more expensive bass in the futuer, sometimes you want to keep a second bass around as a "beater" bass.

But if you must have an EUB or similar, then I'd seriously consider a David Gage Czech Ease (pretty much a real DB but not) or one of Bill Merchant's Vertical Basses.

charmicarmicat · #7 10-17-2005, 04:33 PM

forgot to mention one eub that's getting some good feedback: the eminence bass that can be found on bob gollihur's site for under 3 k.

thejimfactor · #8 10-17-2005, 04:34 PM

I'll chime in to recommend the NS Design double basses. Coming from an electric bass background myself, I was looking for something that offered a DB scale/interface, a unique sound with a DB flavor, a comfortable playing experience, flexibility in tone, ease of maintenance, and a builder that stands behind their product.

I got every one of those things in truckloads with my EU6. With its concentric laminate neck and radical design, it may not be for everyone so you'll want to evaluate it for yourself. I also love the string spacing on the six-string; not purist oriented. The more 'standard' neck design comes in the CR line of basses (which is also more in your price range) if you are so inclined. It's still a different feel from a DB, but you'll have to see what you think.

I could go along with some who have described its sound as having a strong DB flavor in the lower registers that gradually ascends into more slab-like sounds the higher you go. I enjoy that aspect. They have lots of varying sound samples at the NS Design site. Here's a nice sample from another TB thread.

On that customer service aspect, I must say that in my experience, NS has gone further than any company I've dealt to provide a great purchasing experience. When I had a couple issues, they went out of their way to listen, diagnose the problem and address it in a timely manner. They really care about your experience as a player.

I too have heard great things about the Azolas' customer service from the player who introduced me to EUB's.

I also can recommend Bass Central --> Great customer service.

RenzB · #9 10-17-2005, 10:20 PM

Guess I have a lot of homework to do. Thank you all for the usefull feedbacks. I'm definitely going to look into all your suggestions. Since I live here in Cal, I think I will be giving the Azolas a call and see if I can drop by to check out their stuff. I hope they can help me sort this out. I heard a lot nice things about the them. Again, thank you all.

Renz