Inexpensive eub recommendations?

[gimmeagig]

Hi,
I've tried a search but eub is not anything the search engine likes.
Anyway, i'm a very experienced electric player but i want to give the eub a try.I've been listening to Brian bromberg a lot lately and I love his sound.
I'm just not sure if I will be able to really get into the eub because it might take me a few years to be able to play what I can play on the electric already.
How much would I have to spend to get a halfway decent eub.
I'm looking for one who's shape resembles the acoustic because when a client request a Jazz trio the look seems to be more important than the sound.I saw the paladinos on e-bay but they seem to get bad reviews.What else is there with that look in that price range?

[Francois Blais]

The Eminence is possibly the nearest to a real DB, in terms of shape, and tone.
See this:
http://www.gollihurmusic.com/product...fm?ProdID=1430

Don't know if it fits your inexpensive definition though.

In general, you get what you pay for.
If you want something good at an affordable price, better check the second-hand market than buying new.

Keep an eye on the Classifieds here on Talkbass:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f144/

Azola makes very nice EUBs too, and some have a more DB-ish shape.
http://www.azola.com/sys-tmpl/door/

Their back-order log seems quite loaded though.

But most EUBs are stick-like I'm afraid.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by gimmeagig

I've been listening to Brian bromberg a lot lately and I love his sound.

I'm just not sure if I will be able to really get into the eub because it might take me a few years to be able to play what I can play on the electric already.

I'm looking for one who's shape resembles the acoustic because when a client request a Jazz trio the look seems to be more important than the sound.

These statements are problematic for me in the context of your question. If you're listing to and enjoying Brian Bromberg, it's most likely that he's playing double bass or bass guitar. I don't recall him using an EUB. He posts here on occasion, so maybe he can pop in and correct me if I'm wrong.

To me, the only reason to undertake a new instrument is because your ears and you heart and soul are telling you to do so. If you are inspired by the sound of the double bass, no EUB will satisfy you in the long term. In addition, buying a DB in order to get the look that you want is perhaps a skewed view, although I do recognize that the visual aspect of the real thing is something that some clients are attracted to. Looking at learning the double bass in terms of a few years shouldn't stop you from wanting to do it if you're hearing it in your head. Most of the double bassists that i know see the act of learning the double bass as a lifetime pursuit.

I am not trying to bust your chops here ... just curious as to your motivation for buying an EUB, when it may be a double bass that you're actually hearing in your head

[gimmeagig]

To be honest i love the electric bass and i only like the sound of the upright when you can actually hear it well.So I'm a little reluctant about making the move toward the EUB.
Most standup bassists show up with these tiny little amps that practically do nothing.What you end up with is total mud, no definition and no punch.
Brian Bromberg seems to be the exeption there.I saw him a few years back in a trio setting with Cobham on drums.Brian had a rack of amps and was playing through two stacks of 8 10"s with tweeters.His sound was incredible.It wasn't super loud, just full and realistic and all his subtleties came out.
Anyway because of the crappy sound a lot of upright players have( and I have seen very many great players),I have never developed a real love for the upright.I do hear what the instrument should be doing and on electric I have all the skills to get that Upright vibe.
I live in Northern Idaho now and there are not that many gigs available.I'm also 52 years old and that eliminates some of the younger groups for me.I want to keep playing and growing as a musician so that is why I'm thinking about the EUB.Regular uprights are too cumbersome and fragile for my taste.
My fretless sounds a lot like Brian's upright but like I said for some situations it is more about the look than the sound.I'm really good on the electric and i'm sure I would suck on the upright for quite some time.But I love latin music and that i could handle fairly quickly I think.So the bass I would want should also be able to get that Ampeg Baby Bass tone a little bit.I wonder if that could be gotten by putting a piece of foam under the strings somewhere to dampen the notes a bit.
So inexpensive,sounding growly and rich at the same time capable of the Salsa bass sound, nice acoustic bass like shape.
Maybe that's a little too much to ask?

[Francois Blais]

Originally Posted by gimmeagig

So inexpensive,sounding growly and rich at the same time capable of the Salsa bass sound, nice acoustic bass like shape.
Maybe that's a little too much to ask?

I think there are too much mutually exclusive elements in that statement.
Growly and rich sounds like sustain to me, while the Salsa bass sound (Ampeg Baby Bass) is all thud and percussive tone.
Top that with a nice acoustic shape, and want it to be inexpensive?
If you find it, let us know!

There are some crossover instruments available, with short scales like a BG.
Did you look at the EUB list here?:
How about a list of EUB's?

best regards,
François

[buddyro57]

This in reply to Marcus' comment:

these statements are problematic for me in the context of your question. If you're listing to and enjoying Brian Bromberg, it's most likely that he's playing double bass or bass guitar. I don't recall him using an EUB.

Bromberg has a few clips on Youtube where he's playing a BSX Allegro. Bromberg is the textbook example of a guy who can play just about anything, brings something slightly different to the table with each instrument, and is apparently unconcerned wth what the purists think. So- to gimmieagig, go forth, find your self an EUB and prosper-
I do agree with Francois though, you may have a tricky time finding one instrument that will give you a "baby bass" sound and a real growly sustaining sound. The NSD basses with piezo and magnetic pickups claim to do that, but i have no personal experience with them.
JS

[Marcus Johnson]

Gimmeagig..... you might want to give Jill Azola a call if you decide to get an EUB. She and her husband Steve are terrific in the service department, and their basses are top notch. My five string Bugbass was very versatile. Jill offered to help me find a buyer for it when I sold (even after I jumped ship and bought an NS Bass Cello), and she often has a line on used Azolas for sale. And some of their newer offerings may have the look you want.

Buddyro, thanks for correcting me. And you're right...Brian could put rubber bands on a pingpong paddle and make it sound great.

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by gimmeagig

....
Most standup bassists show up with these tiny little amps that practically do nothing.What you end up with is total mud, no definition and no punch......

I don't agree with any of this. It's dismissive and overgeneralized.

I do know bass players that sound terrible. They don't do their homework, they don't spend the money, they don't know what's possible or they don't care. It's especially prevalent in jazz guys that have been doing the same thing for a long time. They are far from the state of the art. They are slowly becoming extinct.

In the last 15 years I've seen an increasing number of string bass players (myself included) get a huge sound usable at almost any volume out of a real double bass that is not possible to achieve with a Solidbody EB or an EUB. Clear, big, loud, articulate, all the things you want out of a bass. Just because some people you have seen aren't doing it yet doesn't mean it can't be done. Bromberg doesn't have a monopoly on that.

I appreciate not wanting to embark on learning the double bass. It's a pain in the ass. If a person don't have a passion for it I'd suggest they leave it alone too. EUBs are a good way to get close without doing all the work.

As a side note nothing sounds like an old Baby Bass but a Baby Bass. That metal bridge is part of it's sound. Nobody touches that anymore.

The most recent Azola Baby Bass reissue is one acceptable alternative that has both the old sound and the new. It's wood bridge and piezo K&K pickup sound very modern and the Baby Bass style pickup is very close to the original given it lacks the metal bridge. They blend well and are the best middle ground between the two sounds I've had so far.

I currently use an original Baby Bass in it's stock form when I'm playing salsa. I used to use the wood bridge with the K&K pickup from Azola on it for mixed gigs when I wanted a EUB tone however these days I just take my string bass to all those gigs. The real mccoy seems to work way better for me than the EUB.