Seems like it would be interesting to have an upright as another flavor in the bass collection. I imagine that hauling an upright double bass around to gigs would not be practical, but perhaps an electric one might be if they can get a sound close to an acoustic upright? Just looking to start a discussion on the ins and outs on uprights. I have been playing guitars - bass and regular - for the last 50+ years and this is one road I have not explored.
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Double Bass Any thoughts on adding an upright to the collection?
- Thread starter SB300
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Luckily, there is an entire forum dedicated to that exact topic! 
Electric Upright Basses (EUB's) [DB]
I have a feeling everyone over there will tell you it's a great idea
Electric Upright Basses (EUB's) [DB]
I have a feeling everyone over there will tell you it's a great idea
I got a Stagg EUB over the weekend for a great price and love it. Tbh, I am already wondering if I’ll touch my bass guitars again
"Adding an upright to the collection" is not the right way to approach this. Playing double bass requires a completely different set of technique from playing electric bass or guitar. You will be a beginner in need of instruction and serious woodshedding. You will need to sacrifice time away from your other instruments to begin to become proficient at it. But if you seriously want to play double bass, it's worth it, IMO.
One doesn’t really get a double bass simply to have “another flavor” of bass, it’s too expensive and too much of a commitment to learn simply for that. Quite honestly it’s best to think of it as a completely and totally different instrument than a bass guitar. The technique and approach are different. It’s also a beast to play, it’s not something you can keep in the corner and pick up casually like an acoustic guitar, and the stakes are higher, bad technique will lead to injuries. And this is to say nothing of using a bow.
You might think I’m being discouraging, but I’m not, I want you to play, the more of us the better, and it’s an absolutely gorgeous sounding instrument, but it is expensive and difficult, you should know that going in.
All of that being said, Electric Upright Basses are often set up with much lower action, because they can be, and are much easier to play, it’s a much easier hurdle to clear. The Yamaha is regarded as the most like a Double Bass in sound and feel, Eminence does a good job as well, The NS Designs are their own animal but are high quality, sound great, and are easy to play. Double Bass is usually around 42” string length, NS Designs and Ibanez both have standard electric bass 34” stringed instruments. There’s also the Stagg and Palatino which can be had for less than $1k I believe, they have their fans and their place.
let us know if you take the dive!
You might think I’m being discouraging, but I’m not, I want you to play, the more of us the better, and it’s an absolutely gorgeous sounding instrument, but it is expensive and difficult, you should know that going in.
All of that being said, Electric Upright Basses are often set up with much lower action, because they can be, and are much easier to play, it’s a much easier hurdle to clear. The Yamaha is regarded as the most like a Double Bass in sound and feel, Eminence does a good job as well, The NS Designs are their own animal but are high quality, sound great, and are easy to play. Double Bass is usually around 42” string length, NS Designs and Ibanez both have standard electric bass 34” stringed instruments. There’s also the Stagg and Palatino which can be had for less than $1k I believe, they have their fans and their place.
let us know if you take the dive!
Lol @Lee Moses and I had the same thought at the same time about it.
This is a great point. My transition to EUB was a lot harder than I expected after 15 years on bass guitar. Even just the larger scale threw me off, like I literally had to scratch my head for 5 minutes to think of how to play a one octave G Major scale on my first day lol
I concur with the above posters. Playing upright is a long-term commitment that requires daily practice.
DBs are expensive, heavy, bulky, fragile, and hard to play. Lessons are basically necessary not just to get the technique right, but also to avoid injury.
It's difficult to amplify, and you generally won't be able to get anywhere near as loud as an electric bass or EUB.
The main reason to play DB is because it has a unique sound. If you're into it, you should do it. If your interest is casual, you may be better off with a fretless EB.
The greatest Double Bass player on the planet have spent all their lives trying to master the Double Bass and have not succeeded. I have heard it said that when using the bow, 80% of double bass performance is with the Right arm.
Comparing double bass to electric is like comparing a 18 wheeler semi to a pickup. Both are trucks and can haul things, but driving one vs. the other is a completely different experience.
That being said, when you need a semi, you need a semi, and a pickup doesn't carry the same load. Same with a double bass...it just moves the air and the music differently than the electric.
That being said, when you need a semi, you need a semi, and a pickup doesn't carry the same load. Same with a double bass...it just moves the air and the music differently than the electric.
Look into the 34" scale uprights - they should be more or less immediately familiar to a bass guitar player, and most of them can also be played with the bow. Check out the NS Design Omni Bass or the Ibanez Upswing models, for instance.
You add Beanie Babies to a collection.
Playing the upright bass demands FOCUS.
Playing the upright bass demands FOCUS.
BobDeRosa
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I wish I could add something of value to what @Lee Moses and @BassFalcon have said, but I can't. They nailed it.
All that above. Double-bassists bristle at posts like this, hahahaha. You might have felt the tension rise a bit. But I’m going to say do it, get a proper upright. Buy a Shen 3/4. Get the nicest one you can afford. Who knows, you might just get hooked. As said above, it’s truly a different beast all together. But way back in the day I was a chops heavy electric bass player that thought I was great who suddenly got an upright bass and it changed my life. It probably saved me from being just another Guitar Center playin’ fool that makes his girlfriend listen to him play Primus licks at the mall. Starting all over on upright made me go all the way back to creating one note at a time. Upright bass demand that you learn how to “get a sound”. It isn’t just a matter of pushing down on the fret and turning up the amp. I had to totally re-examine the role of the bass and what kind of player I wanted to be. And it opened up so much music that I would have never have known if I remained an electric player exclusively. Getting an upright changed my whole life. Maybe it will change yours?
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This mirrors my experience also.
You must choose every note on the upright with INTENTION. You can't get away with "just wiggling your fingers" or "typing."
Playing upright has 100% made be a better electric player, but I have no desire to play electric ever again!
This quote should be at the top of the Double Bass forums.
I thought this simple proposition would unleash some cautionary feedback. Recently my wife and I were in a nice breakfast cafe and a DB was hanging on the wall above us. I remarked about its beauty and she said get one and we can put it in the corner of the living room. Usually at this point that is a license for us to act fast. I suspected that a true full-scale DB would be something of a beast to play. So the practical side of my thinking (which every once in a while engages) and after searching on Reverb led me to see some EUB's. I have seen an EB player switch to a EUB and liked the bass tone variety. Now whether a more practical gig solution of acquiring an EUB would qualify to meet the approval of my wife to get a DB has yet to be explored. I am doing due-diligence at this time. You have all provided the input I was needing. Thanks!
The experience of producing sound on an acoustic upright is so visceral and addictive that you might want to try it before you go with an EUB.
Guys like me who gig with uprights might disagree.
I also own an EUB which I've used strictly for road gigs where there's limited space in the vehicle.
There's a lot of variation in the sort of sound you get out of the various EUBs on the market.
I've owned three over the years, an OG Ampeg Baby Bass, a Zeta Crossover (34" scale) and now own an Azola MiniBass. Of the three, the Azola comes close enough to the amplified sound of my uprights...but the amplified sound of my uprights is a lot different than what they sound like unplugged. The Zeta sounded like a fretless bass guitar, I sent it back to the dealer. The Baby Bass uses a strange magnetic pickup design...listen to some Nuyorican jazz recordings with Andy Gonzalez (RIP) to hear the BB sound.
IME a good acoustic bass guitar can do a nice job of filling the sonic terrain often occupied by double bass in an acoustic group (without trying to pass as one in a blindfold). To your original point, it offers a very different "flavor" from magnetic pickups. It's comparatively practical both for stage logistics and for a guitarist's learning curve.
I certainly haven't tried every electric upright bass out there. I did briefly have one, a Carruthers, which was well regarded in the mid-90s. But when I got my Kay and a good pickup, it sounded SO much better, I just couldn't see myself continuing to use that EUB for anything; not even practice.
I am tempted to give EUBs another shot, because the acoustic double bass can be a PITA sometimes. But honestly, a standard 3/4 acoustic isn't that enormous. (Least it doesn't seem that way since I got a full 4/4.) I've managed over countless thousands of calls. I hate to say this, but as often as not, my client wants the look of that big fiddle as much as anything.
Speaking of clients: if your goal is to get as many gigs as you possibly can as a freelancer, then my advice would be to go ahead and get a double bass and put in the hours.
I certainly haven't tried every electric upright bass out there. I did briefly have one, a Carruthers, which was well regarded in the mid-90s. But when I got my Kay and a good pickup, it sounded SO much better, I just couldn't see myself continuing to use that EUB for anything; not even practice.
I am tempted to give EUBs another shot, because the acoustic double bass can be a PITA sometimes. But honestly, a standard 3/4 acoustic isn't that enormous. (Least it doesn't seem that way since I got a full 4/4.) I've managed over countless thousands of calls. I hate to say this, but as often as not, my client wants the look of that big fiddle as much as anything.
Speaking of clients: if your goal is to get as many gigs as you possibly can as a freelancer, then my advice would be to go ahead and get a double bass and put in the hours.
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