Does upright get you more gigs than EUB?

[guitarist4bass]

I'm a guitarist (jazz and blues primarily), and I'm considering picking up bass to get some more gigs, and for home recording reasons. I would be interested to know whether, at least when it comes to jazz gigs, many people wouldn't hire someone with an electric upright because it doesn't sound or look traditional enough?

Thanks!
-Andrew

 

[JohnDavisNYC]

can't speak for all scenes, but here in nyc i've never seen an eub on a jazz gig...

john

 

[ninefingerbass]

In Hawaii, a guitarist asked me if I wanted to play in his band, I responded yes and then he asked if I had a DB. I told him no and he made it a point that he was looking for a upright only for the look, saying it would be "cool". I thought it was ridiculous because most the stages he played on would barely fit a 3 piece band. The scene in that area are hipsters/skaters and they played alot of garage punk so there was really no need for the upright. I plainly told him that he's going to have a hard time finding an upright player for numerous reasons and then just left.

 

[Jazzkuma]

EUB is usually seen in salsa bands, latin stuff.

If you got good latin chops then I think it would get you gigs in that scene.

But in general upright bass should give you more gigs not only because of the sound of the instrument but also the looks.

 

[user3653753]

Being a good musician and a good person gets you more gigs. I would never like to think that I got called for a gig just because of a piece of gear I owned.

Janek

 

[JohnDavisNYC]

OC2?

 

[user3653753]

HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHA.

you've uncovered my secret to all the gigs I've ever played. Stern only calls me because of the OC-2... you know how he loves that modern electronica sound on a minor blues...

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Being a good musician and a good person gets you more gigs. I would never like to think that I got called for a gig just because of a piece of gear I owned.

Janek

This is very, very true but it's also a given and kinda sidesteps the OP's question. And as good as you are there are leaders like Jarrett who are NEVER gonna call you to play the the slab or an EUB. A lot of bread and butter gigs (especially for us "no name") guys require you to bring the appropriate instrument to the gig and if a leader is expecting a real double bass you may as well bring a Pre as an EUB for how well received it won't be.

To the OP's question from a mercenary point of view I think you may as well stick to the EBG as get an EUB. The two aren't seen as being much different by a lot of players and audiences. I dunno how it would work for you and I hesitate to give this as advise but I find that playing the ABG is better received by acoustic purists than an EUB ever was. That said the last couple of years I always use a pick in the vein of Swallow and Benevent so the few jazz gigs I get these days probably aren't indicative of many other folk's situations. It does however tell me loud and clear that the instrument you play does make a difference to some leaders.

Bottom line is if you follow your heart you'll be more satisfied in the long run. Buying gear or learning techniques I wasn't interested in has never brought me riches or happiness. People know when they're being bullshitted.

 

[Snarf]

This is very, very true but it's also a given and kinda sidesteps the OP's question. And as good as you are there are leaders like Jarrett who are NEVER gonna call you to play the the slab or an EUB. A lot of bread and butter gigs (especially for us "no name") guys require you to bring the appropriate instrument to the gig and if a leader is expecting a real double bass you may as well bring a Pre as an EUB for how well received it won't be.

To the OP's question from a mercenary point of view I think you may as well stick to the EBG as get an EUB. The two aren't seen as being much different by a lot of players and audiences. I dunno how it would work for you and I hesitate to give this as advise but I find that playing the ABG is better received by acoustic purists than an EUB ever was. That said the last couple of years I always use a pick in the vein of Swallow and Benevent so the few jazz gigs I get these days probably aren't indicative of many other folk's situations. It does however tell me loud and clear that the instrument you play does make a difference to some leaders.

Bottom line is if you follow your heart you'll be more satisfied in the long run. Buying gear or learning techniques I wasn't interested in has never brought me riches or happiness. People know when they're being bullshitted.

Pretty much this.

There WILL be more work available to you if you double. Buying and learning the DB was one of the best decisions I've ever made. And yes, the EUB is a poor choice, unless you're someone like Tony Levin or Ric Fierabracci where they are already names and they can bring whatever gear they damn well please. But for us in the trenches, the appearance definitely matters. Not only that, but EUB's sound terrible.

 

[Ed Goode]

Just an opinion from an old journeyman bassist ..... learn to play DB if you really WANT to learn the instrument, not simply for the sake of "getting more gigs". (Of course, that could be a poor example if music is your only income; there have been times I would have played a chain link fence post if it meant I was going to get paid )

I know way too many bassists that are poor DB players with bad technique, bad tone, bad intonation. They would have been far better off playing a slab and sounding good. As stated above, no leader (or sideman) wants to deal with BS, especially once you get past the hobbiest stage of gigging. Appearances are all well and good, but sounding like *** is the worst thing you can do ....

I've been playing DB longer than most of the guys on this forum have been alive, but I also use ERB's and EUB's extensively. The guys in my circle don't care what I walk in with, they trust me to do what will be good for the gig. Lately I have been using a Barker Vertical Bass on almost every jazz date I do and I've never been been taken to task for using the bass .... and on paper, the BVB has everything that all leaders are supposed to hate . It has a standard EB neck, it's electric, it's "upright" in appearance but does not look like a DB, and in my case, it has 6 strings

BUT, the bass sounds phenominal, has excellent stage presence, sits "well in the mix" (Lord, I hate that stupid phrase), and has a very unique tone that is well suited to the music. AND, from my own self-centered viewpoint, it is an easy load-in/load-out ....

Like I said before, IMO don't get a DB unless you're willing to commit to really learning to be proficient. There is nothing that sounds worse than a poorly played upright

 

[FretlessMainly]

I've never known someone to get a classical gig without a DB. I'm primarily a progger, but I've also played hard rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, classical, and punk, all on DB. Much of that on fretted and fretless bass too. In my experience, the axe matters.

 

[Jazzkuma]

I've never known someone to get a classical gig without a DB. I'm primarily a progger, but I've also played hard rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, classical, and punk, all on DB. Much of that on fretted and fretless bass too. In my experience, the axe matters.

The axe matters but its up to the musician to be able to play each one of them with their respective techniques.
These are very different instruments, you can't really just wake up one day and expect that buying a DB will suddenly give you more gigs.
Or just because you play DB you can't expect to be able to play well on the BG.

 

[RBrownBass]

In Hawaii, a guitarist asked me if I wanted to play in his band, I responded yes and then he asked if I had a DB. I told him no and he made it a point that he was looking for a upright only for the look, saying it would be "cool". I thought it was ridiculous because most the stages he played on would barely fit a 3 piece band. The scene in that area are hipsters/skaters and they played alot of garage punk so there was really no need for the upright. I plainly told him that he's going to have a hard time finding an upright player for numerous reasons and then just left.

If you can visualize someone standing and playing an EBG, draw an imaginary vertical line from the tip of that player's headstock to the sky and to the ground. My guess is you'll discover that even with allowing for different straplengths and heights, a DB doesn't take up any more space than a EBG when it's being played.

 

[FretlessMainly]

The axe matters but its up to the musician to be able to play each one of them with their respective techniques.
These are very different instruments, you can't really just wake up one day and expect that buying a DB will suddenly give you more gigs.
Or just because you play DB you can't expect to be able to play well on the BG.

I never implied otherwise. The OP asked if a DB will get you more gigs than an EUB. Implicit in the question is the ability to play the instruments.

 

[Jazzkuma]

I never implied otherwise. The OP asked if a DB will get you more gigs than an EUB. Implicit in the question is the ability to play the instruments.

Yeah i wasn't disagreeing with you, just adding something else because some people say they want to buy a DB just because of this reason but have no intent in being good at it.

 

[FretlessMainly]

Wow, really? That's a pretty expensive investment if one has no plans to become, at the very least, proficient. Plus, if you aren't any good, you might get a few gigs, but you'll never get enough to justify the purchase as a tool as opposed to a toy.