Double Bass Azola EUBs Megathread

[Francois Blais]

There should be a bolt on the upper part of the body, just behind the neck heel.
Maybe you need to remove a small button to have access to it.
If you want to increase the angle to get higher action, I suggest you slack the strings somewhat before turning the bolt.
If you want to reduce the angle to decrease the action there's no need to slack the strings, but no harm in doing so.

 

[jesperhansen]

Hi.

Is there anybody who has or know where I can buy a magnetic pickup for a Azola baby bass (ampeg style). It was build without, but I really want that extra punch.

Kind regards Jesper Hansen (Copenhagen, Denmark)

 

[Court Crawford]

If you want to increase the angle to get higher action, I suggest you slack the strings somewhat before turning the bolt.

Francois, raising the action worked like a charm. Thank you for the excellent advice - I now am getting the sound I was looking for.

 

[Francois Blais]

My pleasure!

 

[armybass]

Anyone have any idea where I could find a replacement for the tubular insert on the Bugbass that serves as the upper bout?

 

[fretless714]

Anyone have any idea where I could find a replacement for the tubular insert on the Bugbass that serves as the upper bout?

I don't know where you can get one, but there's a series of videos on youtube showing a guy making a replacement. First video is here:



hope this helps!

 

[armybass]

LOL yeah I watched that this morning. Really cool. I don't have those tools or know how but he did a great job.

 

[59jazz]

Hey Army bass..... Pm me tonight. I'm on my way home. I can make you one just like mine.

 

[armybass]

Great! Thanks!

 

[59jazz]

Like this?

 

[armybass]

Yes!!!!!!

 

[armybass]

That looks awesome!!!!!!!

 

[armybass]

Loving my Bug! Thanks so much to Steve for the replacement upper bout! What a great job sir! Also just put some Jargar strings on it. SO far I really like the feel and tone.... really tames the nasal quality of the K&K. Cant wait to start gigging this puppy regularly.

 

[Court Crawford]

Azola Baby Bass Players:
I made the transition from pure acoustic to the baby bass in March 2015. I have solo gage strings on it, tuned down a whole step to EADG. I'm finding when I really dig into the axe, the bridge falls over after about 15 minutes of playing. It happened on stage last night. There's no permanent damage, but to get the bridge back in place I have to loosen the strings considerably: getting it back in place is not realistic during a set on stage. My questions to you are:

1) has this happened to you?
2) is there a defect in my bridge, or am I just plucking too hard? Photo of the bridge feet attached

 

[Francois Blais]

Not normal at all.
Please post a pic of the bridge mounted on the bass.
A well-crafted bridge is not symmetrical.
There's a right angle between the side toward the tailpiece versus the top.

My guess is the the bridge is mounted in the other way.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Sometimes the angle on both sides of the bridge is very different on EUBs, because the shortened instrument can result in a large angle difference, so the bridge tends to fall towards the fingerboard. If Francois hint doesn't help, you might modify the instrument with a raised saddle to make the difference smaller but this also reduces the pressure on bridge and pickup.

Maybe it's just a simple thing: If you put the bridge straight when the strings have very low tension, tuning them up will pull the bridge towards the fingerboard. So when tuning up, correct the bridge angle often enough. You can even lean the bridge a bit towards the tailpiece when you have tuned the strings a wholetone below the final pitch, so that the last upturning gets the string straight up.

My solution (for my Clevinger) won't help you: I made two angled pieces of wood that I screwed to the solid body so that the bridge leans towards the tailpiece if it stands on there, dividing the string angle at the bridge in half. But you cannot do this with the diaphragm pickups. Before the bridge was screwed to a plastic square that was screwed to the solid body, so effectively the bridge was screwed to the body to avoid a falling bridge.
Other (later?) models of the Clevinger have a raised saddle.

 

[basss]

IIRC my bug has a rod going into the foot of the bridge. Could be wrong about that though - it's been years since I've had the bridge off. In your pic it looks like there was glue on the bottom of the bridge feet. I wonder if that was to hold the bridge on?

 

[El Thumpo]

Loving my Bug! Thanks so much to Steve for the replacement upper bout! What a great job sir! Also just put some Jargar strings on it. SO far I really like the feel and tone.... really tames the nasal quality of the K&K. Cant wait to start gigging this puppy regularly.

I have refrained from publicly praising Steve because I don't know if he wants to make a cottage industry out of providing these bouts. But I have to say he raised the playability of my floating top Bug Bass by about 1000%. I'm deeply indebted to him, and couldn't recommend him more highly.

 

[armybass]

Yes sir.... might need to ask for a few spares to keep on hand

 

[59jazz]

Thanks guys! Be it known...I am not Steve Azola, as I have been mistaken for lately. I have contacted Steve Azola to see if he is interested in building new upper bouts. Until then, I am here to help.
Steve Thompson