Double Bass Bowing the Azola?

[Rick McLaughlin]

Hello esteemed colleagues:

I have a student who owns an Azola bass, perhaps an older Acoustic MiniBass. It has no shoulder extension. Nice instrument. Sounds great.

For you double bassists, standing with this instrument is not very similar to double bass because the body is so much thinner and the shoulders so much more tapered. So balancing the instrument against one's stomach is not really working out. She has adopted a stance that works great for pizz. It's not a very conventional stance, but it works - she is able to play the instrument rather than having to hold & play the instrument.

Here's the question. This stance doesn't work for arco. Her right leg is in the way. She is experimenting with various other stances, but having a tough time coming up with anything that works. And, again, the conventional way of holding this instrument is not really an option.

Do any of you have this bass? Do you play arco? How do you stand?

Thanks for the help,

Rick McLaughlin

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Having wrestled with this through three EUB's the only satisfactory solution for me was the Azola Bugbass on a tripod stand. Has your student contacted Steve Azola? Someone else may have had and solved this problem with help from him. He's very creative.

Another idea I had but never tried was a brace that would fit to a stool that the bass could lean against to keep it at the comfortable distance. Also I always wondered how an endpin with a T instead of a spike to keep the bass from spinning away would work. I think Bill Merchant uses this.

 

[Rick McLaughlin]

I own an Azola Acoustic Bug Bass, and I played it exclusively for my first six months of study with the "double bass". I had difficulty playing the bass standing with and w/o the stand. For me it was better to play seated. Steve Azola made me a custom support that was bent differently than the one that came with the instrument. This worked quite well.

Jim

Do you have a photo you could send? Either by PM or upload to the forum? And thanks for the reply (to both of y'all!).

Thanks,
Rick

 

[Steve Azola]

Hi Rick,

I just wanted to let you know that we sent a PM to you regarding Charlotte's early model Acoustic Baby Bass. I've noticed that sometimes people don't realize when they have Private Messages on this Forum. Please feel free to contact us directly if you wish.

Thanks.

Sincerely,
Jill Azola
Link Removed

 

[Rick McLaughlin]

Hi Rick,

I just wanted to let you know that we sent a PM to you regarding Charlotte's early model Acoustic Baby Bass. I've noticed that sometimes people don't realize when they have Private Messages on this Forum. Please feel free to contact us directly if you wish.

Thanks.

Sincerely,
Jill Azola
Link Removed

Got it! Thanks, and back at you with a PM!

Rick