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Double Bass Dean Pace EUB megathread

#241
jdwilliams said:
we were under the impression it came with a buffer preamp and we would be able to plug in to the hartke he has.. is this not the case?
Click to expand...

I may be wrong, but the Hartke probably has a low input impedance.
Plugging a piezo pickup in a low impedance gets weird results.

I see nothing about a preamp here: Invalid Link Removed

You should use a preamp for this. (like a Fishman BII, K&K, etc.)
 
#244
See, here's my situation.

I'm a guitarist, though I have in my time been both a bass guitarist and a double bass player. However, I play guitar as my main instrument in various jazz groups; but in recent times, have found a couple of those bands being short of a bassist of any variety - DB, BG, whatever. So I thought about getting an EUB to play 1) 'cos I like playing bass 2) to pitch in and make sure that these bands have a plan B.

Now I've tried a Stagg EUB a couple of times and got on OK-ish with it, but it means relearning a whole bunch of stuff about technique, posture, etc., that would be taking time away from my guitar playing. On the other hand, with the Dean I tried, the shorter scale meant that I could get to grips with almost straight away, so I shouldn't take long to get in the swing with that (no pun intended :rollno:). Granted, I needed to work hard to get a decent sound from it; but got there or thereabouts in the end.

I appreciate that DB is the sound, but I really don't have enough time to study to acquire the proper technique; nor do I have the storage space in my house for a DB, nor the inclination to revisit the days of carting all that lot around. It was just about OK when I was 19; I'm 53 now and really don't need the agg.

Now I know that the Jazz Police are never going to approve, but if I can double on the Pace and help out when needed and hopefully enjoy playing it too, without the distraction from my main instrument, then what's the problem, maaaaaan? Sorry not to have such a purist attitude, but......

Mind you, if any bass players want to play guitar on their cheap acoustic with a bolt-on pickup, don't be expecting too much tolerance from me...... :p
 
#246
To be honest with you, M. Blais, I didn't originally intend to look at the Dean - I went looking for a Palatino to try. But all that was there was the Pace. And I was (and still may be) contemplating committing myself to all the time and effort required to get an EUB up and running. I haven't bought anything yet, and may not do so for a while. It's just that this may seem like a better use of my time and effort and money, for the amount of time that I'm going to be playing the instrument.

Fretless BG - Yeh, I had one of those back in ’81, before going over to the Guitar Side. Used to alternate between that and DB with (in those archaic days) a Di Marzio Acoustic pickup stuck on the bridge. A few times, when we were pressed for space in the van and on the stage, for the numbers where I would normally switch to DB, it was left at home and I played the BG (a Shergold Marathon, if anyone remembers those!) on a stand in an upright position, using right hand DB technique. And it did sound different, to my and the band’s ears at least (“why don’t you play like that all the time?”) :(

So I have some history with all that. But, the look of something that is upright appeals to me in this context, and also to others who see that sort of thing. Yes it’s a compromise, but it may be good enough.

Now I’m not one of those who needs a particular form for a particular music – for instance, I have no sympathy with those who tell my fellow guitarists that they need to have a jazz guitar, when they turn up to a gig with a Telecaster. If my ears tell me something works sonically, and an instrument suits my eye, then I’m good.

I remember at one jazz gig being paid off at the interval because the pub owner was expecting “a proper jazz band, not keyboards and all that b******s”. Seriously. Our line-up was guitar, bass, drums, keys – but because we didn’t have horns, or play “Stranger on the Shore”, or a bunch of Trad stuff, we clearly weren’t a “proper jazz band”. Well, he got what he deserved – within a quarter of an hour, people had voted with their feet (and their beer money!) and the place was empty before we’d even packed up our gear. On a wet Monday night, instead of having 75 people in there until closing time, he had two men and a dog. Not a great move.

Of course, if I were a REAL traditionalist, I’d be playing a banjo, and the bassist would be a Tuba player. And then where would we be?;)
 
#250
the G and a strings only make sound when you lightly touch the piezo part of their saddles. which leads me to think it's a grounding problem. i'm thinking it may be the bridge ground but that would affect all stirngs i'd think. anyone else have a similar problem with their pace bass? thanks
 
#252
Bought it gutted on eBay sometime in the fall of 2009 for a couple hundred bucks. Chinese construction, the tuning pegs are funky, and not in a good sense.

Worked with Walter Wood a couple years back to shield the interior cavity and install a pre-amp he recommended. Torture as it was my first soldering job in years, I managed with Mr. Woods email help. He's a great guy.

There are several problems with the fretboard. The action, by EBG standards is high, and it still buzzes (listen to the attached clips).

I double on it whenever I can get away with it, like my Sunday PM Bowling Alley gig that I just loaded out. It's main feature is portability, and it's cons are everywhere else, from the drum stand base, no belly bar, the screwy tuning pegs, and the bumpy fretboard. It's passable, but then so is hot gas.

Strung with steel flat wounds currently, have tried TI's and even roto halfs. Any advice is welcomed.

PS - the clips aren't great playing either. Didn't warm up, just having fun with my Tascam recording headset output from my Fender 15B.
 

Attachments

#253
steeve85 said:
To be honest with you, M. Blais, I didn't originally intend to look at the Dean - I went looking for a Palatino to try. But all that was there was the Pace. And I was (and still may be) contemplating committing myself to all the time and effort required to get an EUB up and running. I haven't bought anything yet, and may not do so for a while. It's just that this may seem like a better use of my time and effort and money, for the amount of time that I'm going to be playing the instrument.

Fretless BG - Yeh, I had one of those back in ’81, before going over to the Guitar Side. Used to alternate between that and DB with (in those archaic days) a Di Marzio Acoustic pickup stuck on the bridge. A few times, when we were pressed for space in the van and on the stage, for the numbers where I would normally switch to DB, it was left at home and I played the BG (a Shergold Marathon, if anyone remembers those!) on a stand in an upright position, using right hand DB technique. And it did sound different, to my and the band’s ears at least (“why don’t you play like that all the time?”) :(

So I have some history with all that. But, the look of something that is upright appeals to me in this context, and also to others who see that sort of thing. Yes it’s a compromise, but it may be good enough.

Now I’m not one of those who needs a particular form for a particular music – for instance, I have no sympathy with those who tell my fellow guitarists that they need to have a jazz guitar, when they turn up to a gig with a Telecaster. If my ears tell me something works sonically, and an instrument suits my eye, then I’m good.

I remember at one jazz gig being paid off at the interval because the pub owner was expecting “a proper jazz band, not keyboards and all that b******s”. Seriously. Our line-up was guitar, bass, drums, keys – but because we didn’t have horns, or play “Stranger on the Shore”, or a bunch of Trad stuff, we clearly weren’t a “proper jazz band”. Well, he got what he deserved – within a quarter of an hour, people had voted with their feet (and their beer money!) and the place was empty before we’d even packed up our gear. On a wet Monday night, instead of having 75 people in there until closing time, he had two men and a dog. Not a great move.

Of course, if I were a REAL traditionalist, I’d be playing a banjo, and the bassist would be a Tuba player. And then where would we be?;)
Click to expand...

Well, I finally bought one for a very good price. And no, it's not a double bass. It's only an EUB in the loosest sense of the word. But I was able to play it within minutes and produce a reasonable sound that was reasonably in tune. A little work and it will be a viable prospect. All in all, I'm pleased. :)
 
#256
Reviving an old one here cuz of something that occurred to me before almost selling the PACE I have.

Not sure whether or not I've already contributed to this thread or not, and this may have already been stated, but anyhow...

It occurred to me right before letting this go that the PACE if one of the only electric uprights that CAN sound like an electric fretless, which makes it fitting for a lot of settings that other EUBs would be out of place. While I'm sure much of this thread (haven't reread it) is about how unlike an upright this bass is, for my purposes that has actually been a good thing. I do think with some foam under the strings and the right treble and bass settings it can fake an upright also, enough for me at least. :) Anyhow, just wanted to throw this out there in case anyone else is thinking about letting theirs go. I'm happy I reconsidered. The warwick triumph lite almost got me, till I realized that was very close to the real thing. Too close. A plus for most, but it wouldn't sound so great on anything I'd be using it for.
 
#257
Hey, I have a Dean pace EUB with the grounding issue, it is the one with just one knob (passive piezo), and the A string buzzes horribly. Put a nicely worn set of Daddario Chromes on it, I have heard there are bridge grounding issues. The piezo pickups by themselves sounds horrible and clanky, I can tame it with a sansamp para DI. Did the passive system come with batteries, they claim it is buffered, but I see no capacitor or anything, just hard wired to the 1/4 jack. I have to cut all treble off and boost bass, I guess this is typical of non buffered piezo;s

One of your posts mentioned Mick Donner and the Ghost Electronics/Graph Tech solution. Is there still contact info or is he strictly working locally?

I did contact Ghost/Graph tech/ Hipshot, apparently they offer the ghost bridge, but its $270 and the preamp another $80, are there any other solutions out there that folks here have used to remedy the cheap bridge/grounding/non buffered system Dean now sells.

Whew! Thanks in advance

Phil Anderson
Tucson, AZ
 
#258
Passive piezos should directly be connected to a high impedance (at least 1 MegOhms) input. No passive components in between, no volume pot and never a tone pot. THis will ruin the sound.

I don't have a Dean Pace, but my old Clevnger was passive with volme and tone pots and the sound gets so much better when the piezo was directly connected, ypassing the internal electronics.
Now I have put in an impedance buffer in front of the volume and tone pots and it is better that way with the ability to use the volume pot (the tone pot is still rather unusable).
 
#259
Phil (Andertone) PM'ed me to ask if Mick Donner is still upgrading the passive Paces. I had not been in touch with Mick in some years, but was able to reach him via his old Juno email.

Mick is nowadays the co-owner of Guitar Repair of Tampa Bay. Here's their Facebook.

Mick said he is indeed still doing Pace Bass upgrades, so those of you who are owners of the passive Paces and are unhappy with the sound should contact him. Mick will also work on the setup.
 

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