A Question - EUB sound

[thirstynomad]

Hello all,

A quick question which I hope someone can help me with. I've been playing (a borrowed) double bass for a few years in a country/folk group, and now have to give it back to its rightful owner. I'm considering buying an Elecric upright bass for the convenience (carrying, miking up, lack of feedback, etc). As I've never played one before, will it sound the same as a "real" double bass, or more like a fretless bass guitar?

Thanks for your help

Mike

[danhorne]

I beleive for the most part it will sound more like a fretless. Some may come pretty close when setup properly, but nothing will beat that true upright sound.

[tornadobass]

I play a Bugbass and would say it doesn't sound like a fretless bass guitar, but not quite like an upright either.

Something that makes a difference is how you play it...think upright and it will sound closer to one.

[wateroftyne]

Here's a clip of my EUB in a folk/country setting (ignore the ragged, drunken performance )

Although, as has already been said, you will never get it to sound just like the real thing, this sounds much closer to a real URB than most EUBs (in my opinion).

It's got a great pickup system and an acoustic chamber, which really helps.

[Basso Musico]

No audio clips for you yet, but I posted a fairly detailed review of my new EUB - an AlterEGO Figaro - on my blog:

http://mrpcbass.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/my-new-bass/

It's for real, no fretless nonsense here. It's the real deal.

Thanks,
Rick McLaughlin

[dkpawlowski]

You can get pretty close for pizzicato. Try orchestra strings and playing around with EQ. I use Helicore mediums and cut the 1100-1600 HZ range. Getting a good arco sound is tough.

[Bob Gollihur]

Originally Posted by thirstynomad

Hello all,

A quick question which I hope someone can help me with. I've been playing (a borrowed) double bass for a few years in a country/folk group, and now have to give it back to its rightful owner. I'm considering buying an Elecric upright bass for the convenience (carrying, miking up, lack of feedback, etc). As I've never played one before, will it sound the same as a "real" double bass, or more like a fretless bass guitar?

Thanks for your help

Mike

It depends on the EUB. There are FEBGOAS (fretless electric bass guitars on a stick) style instruments and there are nearly pure acoustic instruments, and many in-between. And even considering that, you have to accept the fact that even the best EUB can only hope to sound like a string bass with a pickup on it.

Strings and techinque as well as pickup and amp (and its settings) also play a big part. I'd suggest reviewing a lot of past posts here, I know there have been past discussions on natural URB sound.

I chose an Eminence (link to my own site) for my own gigging use, my criteria was finding something that had the most URB-like feel and sound in a more compact package.

[thirstynomad]

Thanks for all the comments - very useful.

Mike

[ToneRanger]

Originally Posted by wateroftyne

Although, as has already been said, you will never get it to sound just like the real thing, this sounds much closer to a real URB than most EUBs (in my opinion).

My EUB sounds exactly like a real EUB!

Trying to make one kind of instrument sound like another is an exercise in futility. My EUB will never sound quite like a URB, but it does have a very fine sound. IMO the sound is more useful that a natural URB sound in the blues/rock context that I play it - I'm able to punch through the mix more easily.

[abaguer]

I would recommend the Eminence if you're coming from upright and are used to that sound, especially if you want to continue the sound that you had on the borrowed bass. Strings matter a lot on the Eminence. I've found the Velvet Garbos on the Eminence to sound most like upright bass. This setup through an Acme B1 and AI Focus sounds the most "upright like" of all the EUB setups I've tried.