Making and electric sound like a double bass

[Rumblejohn]

I havd been asked to fill in for string bass in a local community orchestra, any suggestions. Brushing up on my sight reading skills after 40yrs is a challenge, but so far it has been fun. I have a Fender Jazz, and Gibson Ripper, so far I've favored the Jazz because the single coils seem to offer a wider range of volume and dynamics, but when you dig in it really starts to sound like a Jazz and not an Englehardt.

John

[ba55i5t]

Yeah, definitely the jazz bass over the Ripper. I have a fretless MIM jazz bass and if I want to try to sound more like a DB I use more open strings and sometimes do a little vibrato. In your case though, I would just use the open strings and more bridge pick up. Not too much bridge pick up though.

[Alun]

A bit of palm muting can help, or pick over the end of the fingerboard to get a deeper tone.

Although it goes against usual bass thinking, a tiny bit of reverb or short delay can add a little "air" to the tone too. Will lee has been known to use a little slapback delay in this way.

Cheers,
Alun

[Koki]

I would do like this. Put your jazz on neck pup and play really close to the neck or on the neck. Don't attack strings too hard and don't boost mids on your amp. Mids have too attacky tone. The best thing is to have fretless.

[jsbass]

You could put a rag or something in between the bridge and the bridge pickup to act as a mute so it sounds a bit thumpier, and then also pick closer to the fretboard with that.

[Lowtonejoe]

Originally Posted by Rumblejohn

I havd been asked to fill in for string bass in a local community orchestra, any suggestions. Brushing up on my sight reading skills after 40yrs is a challenge, but so far it has been fun. I have a Fender Jazz, and Gibson Ripper, so far I've favored the Jazz because the single coils seem to offer a wider range of volume and dynamics, but when you dig in it really starts to sound like a Jazz and not an Englehardt.

John

1. Use the neck pickup only.

2. Use the fleshy side of your finger to pluck the string.

3. Roll back on the tone/treble a little bit.

4. Use a bit of foam under the strings at the bridge.

5. Think like you are really playing a DB.

The only way to get an authentic DB sound is ti use a DB...and then that authenticity goes away once you start amplifying anyway.

These things will give you a really convincing DB 'feel' in the mix.



Joe.

[skaismyhero]

flat wounds too

[Aaron Saunders]

...you're filling in for an orchestra with an electric bass?

I can't even wrap my head around this.

[bassist15]

If they asked you to play electric , Im sure they are wanting an electric bass. Im thinking if they wouldve wanted an upright they wouldve got one. But I echo some of the other posts , play with light touch , maybe some black rotosound nylon strings.

[Rumblejohn]

Originally Posted by bassist15

If they asked you to play electric , Im sure they are wanting an electric bass. Im thinking if they wouldve wanted an upright they wouldve got one. But I echo some of the other posts , play with light touch , maybe some black rotosound nylon strings.

This is a community orchestra that is just starting out, and I'm sure they would prefer string bass, but I'm all that showed up. There is a young lady, who I guess to be a sophmore in high school, who plays tuba quite well. The low brass parts quite often counter the low strings, and the effect is pretty cool. The skill level of the musicians involved vary from a retired symphony orchestra violinist, to some who are confused as I am.

Thanks for the advice,

John

[geoffkhan]

Also, instead of fretting the 12th string, play the harmonic at the 12th string.

[Jeff Moote]

This sounds like it is not going to end well.

Are you playing pops type material, or "serious" music? If not the former, then the orchestra is better off with no bassist than an electric bassist.

[ibnzneksrul]

Originally Posted by skaismyhero

flat wounds too

Yes, a must.

[Luke73]

Originally Posted by Jeff Moote

This sounds like it is not going to end well.

Are you playing pops type material, or "serious" music? If not the former, then the orchestra is better off with no bassist than an electric bassist.

I'm not sure that I understand this post.

What is "serious" music?

Can electric bass not play "serious" music?

[Phil Smith]

Originally Posted by Luke73

I'm not sure that I understand this post.

What is "serious" music?

Can electric bass not play "serious" music?

EBG can play "serious" music of course, but you can't emulate DB arco with an EBG.

[Jeff Moote]

Originally Posted by Luke73

I'm not sure that I understand this post.

What is "serious" music?

Can electric bass not play "serious" music?

I think you might be confused because you have no idea what kind of repertoire an orchestra plays. I don't know what type of group the OP is talking about, but if they are playing standard orchestral repertoire ("classical" music) then EBG has no place being involved:

Originally Posted by Phil Smith

EBG can play "serious" music of course, but you can't emulate DB arco with an EBG.

[Luke73]

Originally Posted by Jeff Moote

I think you might be confused because you have no idea what kind of repertoire an orchestra plays. I don't know what type of group the OP is talking about, but if they are playing standard orchestral repertoire ("classical" music) then EBG has no place being involved:

That's true that an electric bass does not fit in a classical orchestra, and if the part calls for arco upright playing, he has no place in it.

I just wasn't aware that the only "serious" music was classical.

[DemoEtc]

You could also try a volume pedal to do swells; not quite a bowed sound but in live situations it can sometimes fool the audience.

If there's any long sustaining sections, you can also sometimes press the bottom strap button into the side of your amp/cab to create a feedback loop; that, plus the volume pedal can get you sounding pretty bowed, if not organish.

[BassChuck]

Originally Posted by Jeff Moote

This sounds like it is not going to end well.

Are you playing pops type material, or "serious" music? If not the former, then the orchestra is better off with no bassist than an electric bassist.

So if I understand what you are saying, if there is a group of musicians who can play the classical rep well (and here I'm thinking of the late Mozart, Haydn and Schubert symphonys) and yet there is no bass except an electric bass, then there is to be no playing of the classical rep because the bass is electric? Even if there is considerable work done on tone and balance?

You are right to express your opinion, but I would interject here that this music has every right to be heard... even if it is not done as we 'think' the classical composers intended.

Remember there was no electric bass for Haydn to even try. But if you read some of his life (here I would reccommend the H. Robbins Landon biography of Haydn) you'll see that he was a real fanatic about getting new sounds in the orchestra. Constant confrontations with Prince Esterhazy about suppling instruments and players to augment the palace orchestra.

I would just ask that we always keep an open mind about things like this and be ready to make a few sacrifices for the benefit of the music. "Switched On Bach" may have brought the synthesizer to a lot of people... but it also brough Bach to a lot of electronic musicians who might not have heard his music.

[Erick Lam]

Electric bass is not that uncommon in small orchestras (amateur, school), although usually in wind orchestras. If they don't like it, they can always send you home. It's their problem. Your problem is playing the parts.