hollow-body versus solid-body EUB

[fishstick666]

this may be a stupid question, but i'd be curious to hear other folks' thoughts:

how much does the body-type of an EUB influence its amplified sound. using the azola bugbass as an example, how would the amplified sound differ between a solid bug compared to a hollow-body bug?

a hollow-body (even with a relatively small body cavity) is certainly going to give more acoustic volume, but i guess i'm not really understanding how that hollowness will affect the amplified tone.

i'm in the process of researching EUB's and appreciate any insights.

[MarkRubin]

No such thing as a stupid question. Just stupid answers. (And here's one now...)

I haven't tried the Azola acoustic models so I can't comment on those in particular.

I CAN however tell you that on more than one occasion I simply miked my Eminence Bass on a gig, and did just fine. There are bluegrass festivals that have a strict "no plug in" policy (which I like BTW,) and small radio stations sometimes don't have a place to plug in so you set up a single mic for the band and go. With my set up, my bass is actually acoustically louder than some really poorly set up basses that are available to me on jobs. I can't imagine any solid body EUB being able to produce an acceptable acoustic sound that way, no matter what "acoustic" chambers it may have.

As for how that changes the amplified sound, I find that by using the same strings, set up and pickup that I'm familiar with on my traditional upright, I get the very same sound from the Eminence. One would imagine that any naturally occuring resonence will affect the amplified sound. Hopefully for the better.

However every player,situation and gig is very different and the very sound you are looking for I might find unacceptable. If you want the most acoustic sound, I would recommend looking for the most already acoustic EUB. Worked for me.

Submitted respectfully,

Mark

[Francois Blais]

Originally Posted by MarkRubin

One would imagine that any naturally occuring resonence will affect the amplified sound. Hopefully for the better.

I also think that a small acoustic chamber will affect the tone, but not necessarily result in more volume.
The influence may not always be for the better, unfortunately.
You may get peaks on some frequencies and notches on others.
If you're looking for more acoustic volume, then get an EUB with a bigger acoustic chamber, like the Eminence.

[dkpawlowski]

First off, be aware my comments concern the amplified sound when played arco. I use a Baggs para-acoustic preamp and a G-K MB150. I have owned both a solid body and floating top Bugbass. To me, there was a small difference in the amplified sound, but the pickups were also different.
I played an Emminence through my set-up and did not hear much improvement myself, in spite of other peoples rave reviews. I played a BSX Allegro through my rig and I thought that sounded the best. BTW, a NS Design through my rig was the worst- sounding to me, again played arco.
For playing pizz, they all sound pretty close to me- and all pretty good. Arco is a much more difficult sound to reproduce, I think.

[fishstick666]

it does seem logical - if you want an UB sound in an electric upright, go with what most physically "mimics" a full DB.

this confirms what i've been thinking, and makes me lean even more toward the eminence.

thank again.

[abaguer]

For travel purposes I have a Knutson Messenger and Eminence and the Eminence is definitely the closest to upright sounding. The Messenger has a really big sound through my rig (Focus 1 and VL208) but also a lot more sustain than uprights do. It's great for aggressive gigs or loud gigs but I usually take the Eminence if it's an acoustic sound I'm going for and can't, for whatever reason, bring my upright.