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Double Bass Baby Bass megathread

#481
To answer the orig. questions...
The "thud" of the Baby Bass is a very short sustain that has a strong attack. It is percussive, like hitting a wooden cajone...with lots of tone range. I liken it to a good bass singer in a doowop quartet, too.

The pickups are unique and need to be pre-amp'd, just as if you were dealing with an acoustic. I run a Pure pre-amp to get my input levels nice n strong. Then, I run out of a BBE dual compressor. I can adjust the delay to get a more natural, long decay to my note like I would on an acoustic. Also, it helps to grab all of the fun moving tones and gets them just as strong as the naturally boomy open E and A. After I got a pre-amp on it, I fell in love all over with the Baby Bass.

The "foam filled" body knocks just like wood. Upon close examination, you can tell the grain is just a contact paper print with a chocolate brown fade out to the outer shell color. I've heard horror stories of people leaving them in hot cars and them popping apart. Mine? 2nd owner, and always been in a conditioned indoor environment, never been in a hot car. No seam activity at all.

I moved to TN from TX. In TX, there were latin gigs galore, and the Baby Bass was busy. In TN, no latin gig scene to speak of, so I'm doing the unthinkable: I want to trade it for a Kay C-1 or M-1. After talking with Gruhn in Nashville, Atlanta Bass Gallery, and Fretwell in VA, I've decided the smart route is to go directly to a bassist who cares, courtesy good ol' TalkBass. I have lots of pics. It's either a late '67 or very early '68, ser#002239 (anybody have the book to help me verify the prod. date?).

Msg. me with any questions or ideas on a trade. Keep lovin' the TalkBass.
 
#482
Hi everyone. Swedish bass player here, new on the forum. I ordered and owned a Ramirez BB some years ago and was pretty satisfied, but because of a period of more or less no salsagigs, I sold it (!). After having read all threads I finally decided to order a BB from M.O.G, and guess if I'm biting my nails off, hoping the Swedish customers does no harm on the package... I will definately let ya'll know how it went, and of course share my opinon on the bass once I have received and tried it.
 
#483
Bruce Johnson (Ampeg Scroll Bass Guru) is now offering an adjustable bridge for the Baby Bass. I have no affiliation with Bruce, just thought I would share.

Quote from Bruce:

"The bridge is made from hard maple, routed in from both sides to keep it light and stiff. The saddles are machined from aluminum and each is adjustable in height over a 1/8" range. The saddles are retained to the bridge with silicone rubber sleeves. Each saddle also has three string notches, so you can also adjust the string spacing somewhat. The size and top contour are made to match the original Baby Bass bridge. The maple is coated with clear polyurethane. A 5/64" Allen wrench is included for adjusting the saddles."

"How does this bridge sound in comparison the original? Well, that's what I'd like to find out! This is the first batch of prototypes, and I'd like some Baby Bass owners to try them out and tell me how they fit and sound. I've installed these bridges on two local Baby Basses so far, and both of those guys are happy. They particularly liked the ability to fine-tune the action on each string. They both said that the tone was about equal to, or slightly brighter than the original bridge."

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#484
I now own a Blady Freddy Combo model Baby Bass. I am impressed with this bass. The construction is nice and the finish is durable and well done. The tone is similar to the originals, but it is a lot bass-ier and a bit less punchy. The lows are wider and it can be set up to be super hot. I tend to favor the pickup to be a little softer than it's loudest point because I think it sounds closer to the original. There is a certain thuddy punch that the originals have that none of the copies can duplicate. However, this bass really delivers a nice Baby Bass tone with a great feeling neck.

The bass is super light. It is super easy to transport due to the size and weight. The finish on the bass is better than alot of the other Baby Bass copies that I've played. It isn't 100% perfect, but it's really nice. This is important to me because I will be using the bass at outdoor festivals and it will be seeing a lot of abuse. I feel comfortable bringing this into the heat and carrying it through the crowds.

It is very comfortable to play. I really like the neck. I thought the downsized body would be harder to adjust to, but I really don't notice it that much.
 
#488
The one gripe I have with the MOG is the finish. The finish on the Blady is much nicer. It is hard, even, clean and attractive. The finish on my MOG is a bit rough and not as durable. The bass already has a few dings. However, I did see a picture of another TBer's brand new MOG, and the finish on his looks nicer than mine.

Tonally, they sound very similiar, but I find myself slightly favoring the MOG. It is a little bit closer to the tone of the originals. It is thuddy and thick with a short sustain and a nice punch. It isn't exact, but it is close enough. Of course, the Blady has a wooden bridge, smaller body and different strings, so the tonal differences might be due to alot of different factors. They are slight differences though---I doubt anyone could hear the difference in a live setting. I would like to get a metal bridge with a rubber topper for the Blady. Don't get me wrong, the Blady sounds great, and the tonal differences are minor.

The woodworking on the necks is similiar, but I think the fingerboard on the Blady is a better peice of lumber. The finish on the MOG's neck is nice. The Blady has a stain or tint on the fingerboard that I don't really dig. I think MOG offers this coloring too, and I'm sure it can be ordered from Blady without.

Both necks fit straight on the bodies. They are both comfortable to play. They both have a nice loud output.

I will probably find myself using the Blady more due to the smaller size, lighter weight and more durable finish---but they are both cool basses.
 
#489
NickyBass said:
The one gripe I have with the MOG is the finish. The finish on the Blady is much nicer. It is hard, even, clean and attractive. The finish on my MOG is a bit rough and not as durable. The bass already has a few dings. However, I did see a picture of another TBer's brand new MOG, and the finish on his looks nicer than mine.

Tonally, they sound very similiar, but I find myself slightly favoring the MOG. It is a little bit closer to the tone of the originals. It is thuddy and thick with a short sustain and a nice punch. It isn't exact, but it is close enough. Of course, the Blady has a wooden bridge, smaller body and different strings, so the tonal differences might be due to alot of different factors. They are slight differences though---I doubt anyone could hear the difference in a live setting. I would like to get a metal bridge with a rubber topper for the Blady. Don't get me wrong, the Blady sounds great, and the tonal differences are minor.

The woodworking on the necks is similiar, but I think the fingerboard on the Blady is a better peice of lumber. The finish on the MOG's neck is nice. The Blady has a stain or tint on the fingerboard that I don't really dig. I think MOG offers this coloring too, and I'm sure it can be ordered from Blady without.

Both necks fit straight on the bodies. They are both comfortable to play. They both have a nice loud output.

I will probably find myself using the Blady more due to the smaller size, lighter weight and more durable finish---but they are both cool basses.
Click to expand...

Hey Nick I'm glad to hear that you liked the Blady's. I'll try to get you that bridge when I al out in Colombia. I'll post some pics of my new ones when I get back. One of them is going to be mines for life. I won't get rid of it and its hard to imagine alot of people wanting to buy a baby bass painted as the Colombian flag. lol. Like I said before the mini basses are ideal for busy musciansa as yourself and I.:bassist: Take it easy brother, talk to you soon.
 
#490
Yeah, I like it alot. That would be great if you can get a metal bridge while you're there. I know you like the wooden bridges better, and it sure is classy-er, but I would like to see if the metal bridge, with a rubber damper on top will cut the sustain just a bit.
 
#492
My M.O.G. Baby Bass arrived last week. It took one week to get to Germany and I had to wait another week until customs notified me to pick it up. Since there was a long waiting list it took the bass a few months to be manufactured. Thankfully customs didn´t rip it apart or drilled holes in there. It really looks beautiful and sounds great. It sounds a bit more acoustic upright-like & has a bit more sustain than I expected , but that might be because of the wood bridge I chose. It came with La Bella Black Nylon strings, I will try Thomastic Spirocores though and see if that will have any influence on the sustain. I also consider getting an aluminium bridge although I heard that it emphasizes the treble..
Playing the Baby Bass with a more electric-bass-like technique gives me a sound pretty close to the original Ampeg sound. It´s really fat and punchy.
I had some problems centering the neck, but Mauricio from M.O.G was very helpful and showed me some moves to adjust it via Skype video chat. (No problems with adjusting the action though..) i will post some pics tomorrow.
 
#496
What cabs are you guys using with the Baby Bass? I've been playing in a few rehearsal rooms that had 2x15 cabs. I really like the Hartke VX215 and the Ampeg SVT215 cabs. My head of choice is the GK1001RB.

I have a fEarful 1515/66 in the works right now and I'm excited to hear it. Right now, I am using an Epifani UL310, which OK, but I really liked those 2x15's/
 
#497
i have some questions for those experts on the diaphragm pickup used on the ampeg baby bass. #1.- what happens if one of my coils has a resistance of 5k ohms and the other one 6k ohms? #2.- diameter of the diaphragm; what effect does it have on the sound, lets say one being 1" vs 1.5"? #3.- about the magnet what if i wanna use neodymium instead of alnicoV? how will it affect the sound?
 
#499
NickyBass said:
What cabs are you guys using with the Baby Bass? I've been playing in a few rehearsal rooms that had 2x15 cabs. I really like the Hartke VX215 and the Ampeg SVT215 cabs. My head of choice is the GK1001RB.

I have a fEarful 1515/66 in the works right now and I'm excited to hear it. Right now, I am using an Epifani UL310, which OK, but I really liked those 2x15's/
Click to expand...

For live use with my oldies project, I use mine with an Ampeg B-15 and a B-100R. At home and at practice, it goes through a V4BH and an SVT-215E.
 
#500
I'm planning to buy a 60s Baby Bass next week. The owner says I need a preamp and compressor to show the bass's full potential. He uses a K&K pure preamp.

My question is, could I use any preamp, like a Sadowsky outboard pre? Also, what suggestions could you give me for compressor?

Thanks
 

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