Double Bass Aria EUB megathread

[bassmangotdbluz]

I just bought a used Aria SWB Lite One (which has only the piezo pick-up ... No BIS) and am thus far pleased with this purchase. I had a Carruthers SUB-1 for ten years and though it was a beautifully built instrument and it played with ease, I never got a sound out of it that I liked. I'm going to try this SWB in various combinations with my amps and speaker cabinets to see what I like best before I weigh in and say much more.

 

[jwaage]

Hey all!
Another happy SWB-lite owner here!
I'm really dissatisfied with the bag that came with the bass, and I'm considering bying the Stagg hard case suggested by a previous poster - did anyone try this out, and does it fit?

Greetings from the shed,
JW

 

[flatcat]

Long-time lurker here. Just wanted to thank everyone for the opinions. I tried one today at a store in Yokohama and walked out with it for a very good price. I'll be spending some time with it this week; I have a recording I want to give it a spin on.

I've wanted an EUB for a long, long while. I think this is a nice instrument at a good price. Thanks again for all the opinions, it helped a lot.

 

[Burg]

Hi all,

I just purchased an Aria SWB-04. Enjoying it so far, need to get a shoulder rest thingy so I'm not balancing it with my left hand all the time. Anyone know where to get hold of one of these from? I've emailed Aria UK but no response so far.

My SWB came with a very very low action, which was nice but meant the sound was more fretless bass than upright bass. I've adjusted this using Rufus Reid's setup guide for double basses and the sound is now much more full and upright sounding, the intonation at the octave has gone a bit off though. Anyone know how I can correct this and any comments about string height and setup on EUBs in general. Am I better going for low action like on a BG or high action like on a DB? Haven't been able to find anything useful myself so far on the web.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Plutonium244]

So, I happened to see an Aria EUB on Cl today, link below. I wasn't familiar with Arias but kind of passively looking for an EUB of some kind. This doesn't look like a SWB-3 since it seems to lack the requisite 3 knobs but is solid body like a SWB-03. IS anyone familiar with this particular Aria, and what do they go for? This guy wants $750. Kinda interested, but am out of my element with assessing EUB's as I do not presently play upright. I just ent a message to the seller requesting more info such as a model number, but thought I would ask my TB friends now without waiting for the reply. Opinions appreciated, thanks.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Patr007]

Hi,
I'm a new owner of Aria SBW Lite One BIS EUB. I'm quite satisfied with the instrument, but I solve three standard problems/questions related to this bass:
1. How to reduce the hiss of in-built electronics?
2. What stand is suitable for this bass and my purposes?
3. What hard case is suitable for this bass?
The "hiss problem" I partly solve by internal pots, treble knob and some external pedals (bass equalizer and noise gate) and I'm thinking about rewiring the bass into a passive mode.
The "stand problem" was solved by using a common photo/camera tripod. I'm really satisified with this solution and I recommend to try it, if you are solving the same thing. You can read a bit more and see some pictures [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].
The "hard case problem" is still open. I think that Stagg hard case is not suitable for Aria due to its dimensions, but I didn't try it as well as some sport/fishing etc. hard cases. So, I asked a hard case manufacturer here in the Czech Republic. Now I'm waiting for his response.

I appreciate any alternative experiences related to all questions.

 

[ltownbass]

Hi,
I'm a new owner of Aria SBW Lite One BIS EUB. I'm quite satisfied with the instrument, but I solve three standard problems/questions related to this bass:
1. How to reduce the hiss of in-built electronics?
2. What stand is suitable for this bass and my purposes?
3. What hard case is suitable for this bass?
The "hiss problem" I partly solve by internal pots, treble knob and some external pedals (bass equalizer and noise gate) and I'm thinking about rewiring the bass into a passive mode.
The "stand problem" was solved by using a common photo/camera tripod. I'm really satisified with this solution and I recommend to try it, if you are solving the same thing. You can read a bit more and see some pictures [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].
The "hard case problem" is still open. I think that Stagg hard case is not suitable for Aria due to its dimensions, but I didn't try it as well as some sport/fishing etc. hard cases. So, I asked a hard case manufacturer here in the Czech Republic. Now I'm waiting for his response.

I appreciate any alternative experiences related to all questions.

I've got a Stagg EUB case for my Aria SWB Lite. It's not the BIS version but the hard case works fine.
The locks on the case are rubbish and can be forced open easilly but may prevent it from being opened by accident in transport.

I bought the Aria SWB second hand and it was shipped to me in the Stagg hard case and it arrived intact.

I think it's a better solution than using a golf-bag or ski-case like I've seen people suggest before.

Regards

 

[Taffronaut]

New Aria SWB Lite One BIS owner - several years late to the party. Thanks to all the folks who contributed their wisdom to this thread.

Mine sounded lousy when I got it - lots of quack and real ugly resonances on a couple of notes. That's been fixed by straightening up the (leaning) bridge, lowering the action and fitting a spare set of light Spirocores (what I had lying around). I'm fine with the string focussed sound that gives, plus the magnetic pickup works well. It seems giggable at a pinch and a happy throwback to a sound I associate with the 80's. I can pretend I'm George Mraz.

Oddly I don't have a hiss problem.The pots certainly haven't got better with age and if I was going to use it seriously I'd probably replace them all (incl the trimmers). I can't actually make sense of the trimmers even with the advice in the thread. Maybe they're too old. Anyhow, all set to max works for me.

 

[FretlessTodd]

Hi all, I’ve recently purchased a SWB-Lite 2. It has both a magnetic and piezo pickup. Does anyone have a picture or pdf of the original manual? I am having an issue getting a satisfactory sound from the magnetic pickup. I’m trying to track down the issue. Does anyone happen to know who made the BIS2 pickups? This has turned out to be quite a ‘hunt’ for Information.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Hi all, I’ve recently purchased a SWB-Lite 2. It has both a magnetic and piezo pickup. Does anyone have a picture or pdf of the original manual? I am having an issue getting a satisfactory sound from the magnetic pickup. I’m trying to track down the issue. Does anyone happen to know who made the BIS2 pickups? This has turned out to be quite a ‘hunt’ for Information.

No really knowing the answer, but it might be a Biesele, which is an upright magnetic pickup.

 

[Francois Blais]

Picture?

 

[FretlessTodd]

Picture?

Here are some pics.

 

[Francois Blais]

It's not a Biesele.

Maybe a weak battery?

 

[FretlessTodd]

It's not a Biesele.

Maybe a weak battery?

Thank you. I’ll swap the battery out and see if there is any improvement.
The G string sounds fine, but the D, A, and E all sound weak. I’m predominantly an electric bass player. The strings are metal, but I read somewhere that not all upright bass strings lend themselves to being good strings to be used with magnetic pickups. I’m gonna grab a magnet and see how magnetic they are.

 

[FretlessTodd]

Update: I learned something new today. Just because a string is metallic, doesn’t mean the string is magnetic. I think I got my answer to my earlier question. LOL! I guess I’ll be in the market for some strings with the right core soon.

 

[Francois Blais]

Great!
What are the colors of the strings silk at the tailpiece and tuners so we can ID them please?

 

[FretlessTodd]

Great!
What are the colors of the strings silk at the tailpiece and tuners so we can ID them please?

Tail windings - black silk with green stripe
The nut end are black, brown, red, and blue, bluish teal
I looked on Gollihur music and I think they are probably: Pirastro Evah Pirazzi and Evah Pirazzi Slap (minimal metallic content)

Magnetic Pickups - Compatibility with Common Upright Bass Strings

Magnetic pickups for upright bass aren't too common, but if you're using one, you'll need to know what strings will work with it. Here are some tips.

gollihurmusic.com

 

[Francois Blais]

The Slaps are yellow stripe on black.
The nut silks are a bit off.
Should be, for Pirastro strings in orchestra tuning:
E: green
A: black
D: red
G: brown
A blue silk there would be solo F#.
Can you post a picture of the inside of the bass head?

That said, synthetic core strings are indeed not great for magnetic pickups.

 

[FretlessTodd]

The Slaps are yellow stripe on black.
The nut silks are a bit off.
Should be, for Pirastro strings in orchestra tuning:
E: green
A: black
D: red
G: brown
A blue silk there would be solo F#.
Can you post a picture of the inside of the bass head?

That said, synthetic core strings are indeed not great for magnetic pickups.

Who said a picture is worth a thousand words?

I believe they are Pirastro Evan Pirazzi Orchestra Mittel.
I must admit, coming from an electric bass background, there is more to the EUB, as a combination of electric and doublebass, than I had realized. Very interesting.

 

[Francois Blais]

I believe they are Pirastro Evan Pirazzi Orchestra Mittel.

Yes, but weich (light) gauge.
There's a pink silk ring at the beginning of the silk at the junction of the metal wound part.
Good strings, but as I said, not very magnetic pickup friendly.
T-I Spirocores would provide a much hotter output, but many (metal core) others too.