Double Bass Baby Bass megathread

[Court Crawford]

Are you pulling hard on the strings? I think that there’s definitely a sweet spot with regard to the response of the pickup. I wonder if changing the touch might help? Are you using synthetic strings?

Hi Dylan, I've found the right solution with a super fast attack and release on the 1176 compressor emulator in the mixer. The tone is really good now. Also, sometimes I do pull the strings very strong but the in-ears are helping tremendously with that because I can finally hear all the nuances of the bass without blasting volume or being buried in the mix.

 

[dylanjohnson]

That's great!

 

[Fast Freddie]

Anybody know the reason why later ABB's had this done to the bridge end of the fingerboard, and the concept of adjustment? I know Bruce Johnson probably does. Maybe he'll shine in. I built this because the original FB snapped way back in time, and the new one a luthier put in did not have it. And I think it's old enough now that it may have developed an up-bow. Not too bad, but I'm older now, and I can't press as hard anymore, so my action has to come down.

 

[dylanjohnson]

My guess was that it was used to keep the fingerboards thinner, thereby, making them less expensive. The tension on that rod keeps the lower part of the fingerboard from bending. You are right, @Bruce Johnson or Carlos Guzman would know. Maybe even Carlos Henriquez.... @BAJO

 

[dylanjohnson]

Here's a cool interview with Jess Oliver, the creator of the BB. I should have known that they made the 5 string BB for Chubby Jackson, just like Kay did! Fascinating.... So it had a high C. I just missed getting a deal on one a few years ago.

Jess Oliver | NAMM.org

Jess Oliver was the inventor of the Ampeg Baby Bass, the first electronic upright bass instrument. The fiberglass body and unique design was key to projecting the sound of a double bass into an electric amplifier. His idea was one of the many used by the Ampeg Company. When the Baby Bass was...

www.namm.org

 

[BAJO]

It was used to help the fingerboard's curvature, since most were thinner than usual. You would adjust the bowing of the neck/fingerboard based on how much was turned at the bottom of the fingerboard.

 

[dylanjohnson]

It was used to help the fingerboard's curvature, since most were thinner than usual. You would adjust the bowing of the neck/fingerboard based on how much was turned at the bottom of the fingerboard.

Thank you, Carlos!

 

[Rick Cole]

Anybody have a baby bass collecting dust they might want to sell? Doesn't have to be Ampeg, but would like something with the Ampeg magnetic pick-ups. Azola, South American copies, etc. OK. Would consider either 41.5" scale or 34" scale. Might also consider a scroll bass. It's a new year and time to thin the herd. Time to let that baby go!

 

[Fast Freddie]

.....Doesn't have to be Ampeg, ......

I don't know about:... 'Doesn't have to be an Ampeg', since quite a few newcomers are out there today and the ABB phased out about '69, I think, (although back in the day you could still get a brand new one at the Ampeg company right up through the late 70's). They didn't sell very well. I've not seen anybody crazy enough to part ways with an ABB for less than 2500 nowadays. So no matter how dusty or unused, they command a hefty price for a discontinued product. Darn, I remember they cost about a $1,000.00 brand new from Ampeg back in the day when they existed in New Jersey, (I couldn't afford it back then, but in 85 I bought mine for 1000). By today's standard, Ray Ramirez's baby basses are sold at a huge premium, so if you got deep pockets, try him. I'm not sure if KK-BB's are reasonably priced, but if I had to, I would try them too. There are others, but I personally don't think they're as well-made as Ampeg, RRBB, or KKBB. But who knows, you might luck out and find an old ABB for about $2,500, which will be relatively less than some of what the recent upstarts are selling for. Just my opinion...

 

[Fast Freddie]

Here's a cool interview with Jess Oliver, the creator of the BB. I should have known that they made the 5 string BB for Chubby Jackson, just like Kay did! Fascinating.... So it had a high C. I just missed getting a deal on one a few years ago.

Jess Oliver | NAMM.org

Jess Oliver was the inventor of the Ampeg Baby Bass, the first electronic upright bass instrument. The fiberglass body and unique design was key to projecting the sound of a double bass into an electric amplifier. His idea was one of the many used by the Ampeg Company. When the Baby Bass was...

www.namm.org

Damn, I guess Namm.org wasnt listening. The Ampeg is not made from fiberglass, (at least the later ones aren't, since Ampeg bought out the last Zorkos with the fiberglass bodies). Perhaps the confusion is that the Zorko body, which was made by the Dopyera brothers, was fiberglass.

 

[dylanjohnson]

Damn, I guess Namm.org wasnt listening. The Ampeg is not made from fiberglass, (at least the later ones aren't, since Ampeg bought out the last Zorkos with the fiberglass bodies). Perhaps the confusion is that the Zorko body, which was made by the Dopyera brothers, was fiberglass.

This is what Jess is talking about in the video. Cellulose acetate butyrate - Wikipedia
Don't let it get too hot or it smells like vomit!

 

[Fast Freddie]

View attachment 7403300
This is what Jess is talking about in the video. Cellulose acetate butyrate - Wikipedia
Don't let it get too hot or it smells like vomit!

Yep. Stinks more like a** crack. I always wondered about why, and I think I read about it in the Ampeg book, Ampeg: The Story Behind the Sound.

On a hot day, the stank!​

 

[ddbassGA]

Anybody have a baby bass collecting dust they might want to sell? Doesn't have to be Ampeg, but would like something with the Ampeg magnetic pick-ups. Azola, South American copies, etc. OK. Would consider either 41.5" scale or 34" scale. Might also consider a scroll bass. It's a new year and time to thin the herd. Time to let that baby go!

Rick, I have one in Athens, GA. I'd consider selling it or trading for an Eminence.

 

[Rick Cole]

Rick, I have one in Athens, GA. I'd consider selling it or trading for an Eminence.

Messaged you. I have an Eminence I would consider trading.

 

[DJ Bebop]

 

[leona1]

To be young and full of life!! This kid sure feels it.

 

[DJ Bebop]

To be young and full of life!! This kid sure feels it.

The kid is going to be a monster!

 

[bpabon]

Maybe I should have posted here. I was wondering about alternatives to the Takamine TB10:

Post in thread 'Acoustic bass fetish club Part 2'

Mar 25, 2026

I'm downsizing most of my possessions and since I only play for myself, I was wondering about something like the Takamine TB10 as alternative to an upright acoustic (ie. Could be bowed or plucked, optional amplification, transported like a guitar).
Are there similar (fretless, of course) ABG with the option of bowing?

I think Breedloves are solid wood.
Also Takamine B/TB10, but good luck finding one - discontinued.

• bpabon

 

[dylanjohnson]

Hi all. Sad day for me!
Does anyone know what other screws I need to remove to get the pickup off from my picture? I'm going to look at the pots to get the year of this thing before I send it off to be repaired.
So sad. This was my graduation present to myself I bought when I finished college (and probably the first thing I bought on Ebay around
1999).
I've kept it in such good shape but it took a bad fall the other night at my gig.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Hi all. Sad day for me!
Does anyone know what other screws I need to remove to get the pickup off from my picture? I'm going to look at the pots to get the year of this thing before I send it off to be repaired.
So sad. This was my graduation present to myself I bought when I finished college (and probably the first thing I bought on Ebay around
1999).
I've kept it in such good shape but it took a bad fall the other night at my gig.


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