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Double Bass Baby Bass megathread

#1,261
DoubleMIDI said:
Yes, should have the silk and best also is a bit more flexible. This is where the windings under the silk are spread and the surface is a bit rough.
The 4/4 strings might be a bit long, but try to make three or four windings only. Then you see if and where you might have room for another winding (or not).
Worst case you can put shrink tube over the part that goes into the peg hole and bends. That will hold the windings in place if they break at the peg.
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Yes, quite the dilemma with these strings on the Ampeg bb ... surprisingly it’s what everyone uses. Since the 3/4’s are somewhat hard to source, part of me wants to sell these and just go with a 3/4 set such as the one La Bella makes for the bb. I didn’t expect these strings to require so much effort to get them to fit. :unsure:
 
#1,263
Francois Blais said:
The LaBella « baby bass » set is actually longer than standard 3/4.
I know because I bought a set long ago.
This lenght is aimed at the Baby Basses which have a small metal string holder at the bottom of the body.
Yours have a small DB-style tailpiece if I remember well.
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Good to know! Yes, those were the late 60's basses with the holder at the very bottom of the body. In that case I think I'll just feed these through the peg holes some more and let the strings stick out the back of the pegbox, or cut them. Still undecided, but something needs to be done. :)

Out of curiosity, is there another set that you'd recommend? Most people love these and I can see why - they sound great and feel great, but I'd consider any other deep-sounding, low-tension string suitable for pizz (I don't plan on bowing with the baby bass, just latin and maybe some jazz here and there).
 
#1,266
Spiro Solos work for me on a Azola Ampeg re-issue. I used the Baby Bass string size because I was concerned about the pegbox issue. I really like the Spiro Solo sound. The feel took a bit of time to get used to. But I like'm now and, at this point, I even have an extra set in case of breakage. I haven't had any problems although I did rewind a string that was initially buzzing acoustically. Similar to your problem, I wasn't hearing any buzzing through the amp but when it's right by your ear of course you care about buzzes : )
 
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#1,267
redwookie said:
Spiro Solos work for me on a Azola Ampeg re-issue. I used the Baby Bass string size because I was concerned about the pegbox issue. I really like the Spiro Solo sound. The feel took a bit of time to get used to. But I like'm now and, at this point, I even have an extra set in case of breakage. I haven't had any problems although I did rewind a string that was initially buzzing acoustically. Similar to your problem, I wasn't hearing any buzzing through the amp but when it's right by your ear of course you care about buzzes : )
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Good to know! Did you have to cut the 3/4 size strings at all and where did you source that set? When I was looking, only 4/4's seemed readily available. How busy do your peg posts look?

Thanks!
 
#1,270
DoubleMIDI said:
3/4 Spiros are higher tension than 4/4 Spiros when used on the Same scale length.

Have a look at the excel file in my Dropbox (link below in the signature or in one of the string stickies.
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I just looked at the data and it makes sense - the S43's were designed to span across a longer interval and therefore require more tension to bring them up to pitch on a 4/4 bass. Take the same strings and bring them to pitch over a shorter interval and you end up with a lower tension experience; add orchestra tuning and the tension is reduced further. In this case, even though I have no experience with the 3/4 Solos, the S43 may still be my preferred set - I like lower tension.
 
#1,271
E07B0CB5-CDB4-418B-B349-DD6447F2A104.jpeg
My pegbox with Spiro Solos (elec upright size). The E string is a little crowded but it works. Not sure where I bought them; I’m not finding the receipt in the binder : /
 
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#1,272
redwookie said:
View attachment 3437788 My pegbox with Spiro Solos (elec upright size). The E string is a little crowded but it works. Not sure where I bought them; I’m not finding the receipt in the binder : /
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Thank you for the pic. No, your pegbox doesn’t look crowded at all - in your case there are two things that reduce the need for cutting the strings: 1) shorter strings (3/4 length), and 2) the Azola tailpiece is similar to that of the later Ampeg BB model, which is found all the way at the bottom of the bass, whereas mine has the tailpiece that extends upward towards the bridge.
 
#1,273
Another idea, decide yourself if it makes sense in your case:

Put the ball end behind the tailpiece as normal but instead of going straight to the nut wind the string back under the tailpiece behind the ball end and fiddle it through the slot again and then go to the nut with the string. Check if that works with the silk staying outside of the playable part. Would also be better if there is still silk in the tailpiece slot so the blank wound part doesn't need to bend at the tailpiece slot.
 
#1,274
DoubleMIDI said:
Another idea, decide yourself if it makes sense in your case:

Put the ball end behind the tailpiece as normal but instead of going straight to the nut wind the string back under the tailpiece behind the ball end and fiddle it through the slot again and then go to the nut with the string. Check if that works with the silk staying outside of the playable part. Would also be better if there is still silk in the tailpiece slot so the blank wound part doesn't need to bend at the tailpiece slot.
Click to expand...

This would have been awesome to try, unfortunately the tailpiece on the Ampeg BB is a bit different in that it doesn’t have slots, they are strictly holes and once the string has been fed through once, there’s no space for a second pass. I can see this working on a regular double bass, given the way the tailpiece slots are designed. Thank you for thinking of this though, very creative.
 
#1,275
Cutting the strings and rewinding them yielded a much nicer result. I noticed that doing this affected the noise I was hearing, but it didn’t go away entirely; however, after playing the bass regularly, it has started to go away - I feel that part of it has to do with stretching, as previously suggested.
 

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#1,276
Francois Blais said:
I can't talk about the newly reissued Baby Bass, but I've owned an old (made in the '60s) one for several years.
The plastic body was made of uvex and was definitely subject to warping because of the heat and pressure in the long term.
The tone with the original bridge and magnetic pickup (under the bridge feet) was quite thud-like.
Very little sustain but very percussive and dark.
It's considered the best for cuban/salsa music, but I'm not sure this is the kind of tone you're seeking.
I myself had replaced the bridge/pickup system with a maple bridge plus Underwood bass pickup and I had a nice tone very suitable for jazz.

Now, as I said, maybe the new model is a different beast with a different tone though.

I sold mine for $US1500 and it was in top shape, but you could find some for maybe US$1000.

Hope this helps!
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Hello from Montreal
My Baby Bass cracked open today and would like to know if you are aware of ways to repair the Uvex body. Thank you
 
#1,279
talkbasser said:
Hello from Montreal
My Baby Bass cracked open today and would like to know if you are aware of ways to repair the Uvex body. Thank you
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I hope I’m wrong, but all of the information I read leading up to the point when I purchased my baby bass indicated that once the uvex body opens up, it is not possible to glue back together, as nothing adheres to it (at least not long term). This is the reason for which I’m paranoid about not exposing my bass to heat/direct sunlight. Having said that, Ray Ramirez is an awesome guy - I have purchased accessories from him and spoken with him before; I hope he has a remedy for your baby bass.
 
#1,280
I can't speak to its application to Uvex, but for other plastics I have had a good experience with a product called Plastex. It isn't an adhesive; it is a powder and a solvent, and becomes part of the plastic that is being repaired. One of the powders is clear (others are white and black). If it came down to a last resort, were my BB to split open, I would give it a try. But definitely search out answers from anyone with experience repairing Uvex before resorting to Plastex.
 

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