Double Bass Bowing sample clips

[Maaak]

Is there anywhere I could go to hear some sample clips of bowing on an EUB?

Also, I've been looking into an EUB as a viable alternative to a regular double bass, since they take up less space. I'm concerned about the sound though, since there isnt really anywhere I can go around here to just play a whole bunch of them. Could any of you recommend EUBs that sound particularly similar to a conventional double bass...or are they just a different beast?

 

[Francois Blais]

Hi.
The Eminence, which is semi-acoustic, is known to sound relatively similar to a real DB.

 

[Jeremy Allen]

Could any of you recommend EUBs that sound particularly similar to a conventional double bass...or are they just a different beast?

They're just a different beast, and I think only heartache and headache are in store for someone who tries to convince themselves and the world of music (and employers) that an EUB is a stand-in for a double bass. It kind of does disservice to both instruments to think of them as interchangeable; a good EUB is a worthy instrument in its own right, just like a double bass, but neither one is a replacement for the other.

That said, the Eminence (with a Realist) sounds pretty good bowed, and I did some klezmer gigs on a Knutson Messenger and it worked quite well ("authentic" klezmer has arco basslines, or so I was told--no thumpin' away there). Also, Ray Parker has posted his quite positive experiences with the Alter Ego EUB elsewhere on this site; if I recall, he was playing in an orchestra or something with one, so it was definitely an arco situation.

 

[Maaak]

They're just a different beast, and I think only heartache and headache are in store for someone who tries to convince themselves and the world of music (and employers) that an EUB is a stand-in for a double bass. It kind of does disservice to both instruments to think of them as interchangeable; a good EUB is a worthy instrument in its own right, just like a double bass, but neither one is a replacement for the other.

That said, the Eminence (with a Realist) sounds pretty good bowed, and I did some klezmer gigs on a Knutson Messenger and it worked quite well ("authentic" klezmer has arco basslines, or so I was told--no thumpin' away there). Also, Ray Parker has posted his quite positive experiences with the Alter Ego EUB elsewhere on this site; if I recall, he was playing in an orchestra or something with one, so it was definitely an arco situation.

Thanks for the info guys. I'll have to delve further into Eminence and Messenger EUBs. Yeah, I've been gathering that EUBs are their own thing. I listened to some of the clips that Knutson has on the Messenger website and it sounds really nice pizz. I suppose I wouldn't need a truly authentic bowing sound since I'm not in an orchestral situation too often; I just wanted to see if they sounded unbearably nasal with a bow. I'll have to get my hands on one somewhere

 

[abaguer]

I've got both the Eminence and Knutson. The Knutson has a better hi fi sound because of the Barbera bridge and John Knutson has upgraded the preamp and electronics since I got mine (about 13 years ago). The Eminence sounds like a good plywood acoustic bass through an amp. With a healthy raising of the strings it really sounds a lot like an upright in that it gets air in the sound and a good note decay. The arco sound is good and more natural. The Messenger has a very good sounding arco, it's just a bit more modern sounding.

 

[bassgeek]

I saw the great bassist Marc Johnson play in a trio with Eliane Elias last summer. It was about 100 degrees outside (outdoor gig) and Marc was playing the Eminence through the P.A. I couldn't tell what he was using onstage, amp-wise, if anything. He may have just been going through monitors and the P.A.

Anyways, the Eminence sounded more like an upright than most do at such outdoor events, through a P.A. and "loud". Not only that, he bowed some nice solos and it sounded quite well, almost like a cello. Of course, it was Marc Johnson playing...