Things you love and things you wish you could change on your EUB.

[NickyBass]

For your particular instrument, what are some things that you would change and what are some things that you love? I am starting to look around at higher end options and I want to be armed with all the details.

Here's my list for the NS WAV4.

Love.
-Straight forward, no nonsense design. (I like this design over all the others that I've seen.)
-The full scale length.
-The ability to use Orchestral strings.
-The fact that the board sits on the 'body.'
-The two way piezo bridge system.

Wish I could change:
-I want the tuners to go all the way through the headstock (like an upright.)
-The neck is way too wide and bulky. I'd rather have an upright profiled neck.
-The thick poly is...well...thick poly.
-The strings wrap around the bottom, but I wish that there was something there so that they don't rub against the body.
-I wish the strings (on back) anchored onto solid wood.
-I would like more control over the eq. Can get harsh with the tone knob all the way up.

So, what is your list????

[Rvl]

Wish list ( mine is a Aria EUB)
-an ebony fingerboard
-a bass body that can lean against me (stick types havent worked well with me)and steadies itself on my left knee

Thanks

Robert VanLane

[Marcus Johnson]

I wouldn't change a thing on my NS Bass cello.

[longfinger]

I have an Aria SWB-04

Like:
- look from the front
- 105cm string length
- pre-amp controls on the bass shoulder
- magnetic and piezo p/u, good sound when paired with the right amp.
- easily portable

to change:
- wish the back and sides had the same look as the front
- the piezo p/u under the bridge can get jostled during transport and not contact clearly, giving poor piezo sound. The piezo contact are two thin wires, I wish they were flat plates so they were more resilient to transport movement.
- the bridge adjusters could have been better designed.
- the gig bag is very thin, wish it came with a better gig bag.

[tornadobass]

Mine's an original model BugBass. I wouldn't change anything except I wish it sounded better for arco. Wouldn't mind if it was the hollow version, although this has been a solid bass for about 10 years.

[hdiddy]

my SLB-200:
*Good feel, love the upper bouts
* Plays like the real time most of the time
* Folds up nicely.
* Gets lots of curious looks and comments

Complaints:
* Hard to amplify evenly.
* Materials could've been better
* Endpin I'm using has a tendency to slip sometimes

[Leeners]

AlterEgo Acoustic Figaro (4 -string)
Spirocore Weich strings

I have owned this instrument for one and a half years. It is my first EUB and double bass of any kind. I think this is a great instrument.

Things I Love:
- Other than change the strings from Helicore Hybrids to Spirocore Weichs, I have not had to do a single thing to modify this instrument to improve its playability
- It balances just like an acoustic instrument on my hip and left leg
- Because of the "shoulders" I can feel the whole body vibrate against me when I play
- The neck and fingerboard feel fantastic everywhere
- It is very solid and feels like you are holding a real instrument when you handle it
- Arco : no problem
- The neck unbolts so you can fly with it
- Amplification is easy and stress-free. No feedback! It is a plug-and-play instrument
- Materials are great: highly flamed maple neck/back and spruce top

Things I wish I could change:
(Mostly minor issues, actually)
- There is a very quiet rattle/buzz somewhere in my preamp that can't make go away
- Endpin is infinitely adjustable and slips if I don't tighten the screw hard enough
- Endpin sometimes rattles against the body in some orientations. I use a thin piece of foam/neoprene wedged in between to stop this.
- my case stitching is coming apart in some areas, and I will need this repaired or replaced eventually


Despite many warnings on this forum against learning how to play a double bass on an EUB, I don't think this is an issue with this instrument. If I didn't have this instrument, I would never have been able to make it to my bass lessons and ensemble rehearsals easily from work where it would have been impossible to take a full sized acoustic DB.

I recently went shopping for my first acoustic DB and I was THRILLED to find that I could adjust to the acoustic instrument easily. When my new bass arrives, I don't think there will be much of a transition. I will let you know in March...