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Double Bass Sound

#41
lburton2 said:
to be honest.. the easiest way I find to get a great upright sound on electric (fretless or not) is to play with your thumb while partially palm muting w/ your right hand. it's a bit tricky but you get that thump and small resonance like an upright.. balanced with the right EQ and flatwounds.. it's a GREAT upright sound. Good if you want the Baby Bass sound for Latin music also.
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Mm, when I do that, it sounds like a muted electric with flatwounds, lol :ninja:
 
#44
Dave Muscato said:
That said, the best way to get a *similar* tone is with a Line6 Variax. Rob Allen, Godin A4 (although both higher quality instruments - Line6 is made in Korea by Samick) etc don't even come close. Click the link, and then the second-from-the-bottom link on the right, where it says "Acoustic," with the red dot next to it.
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I dunno, I think both the Rob Allen and the Wendler sound a lot closer. The tone in those clips sounds like it is being played under water...
 
#48
Interesting thread. Here's my take. I've just gone through the same quest. I actually own and play a DB and am having ergonomic issues with vertical bass so I've been exploring a BG substitute. To my ears listening to all the samples online and what I've been able to audition the Rob Allen mouse is the closest you can get. Sort of defies the laws of physics that a 30 inch scale BG best mimics a 41 inch scale 3/4 upright.

Now to the larger question: do you really want to "sound exactly like an upright." To my ears, the DB sounds the most DB when its not amplified at all or slightly helped. Frankly, with most drummers I jam with, this isn't possible. Therefore, I end up cranking the amp and get into piezo "honk."

In moving back to BG for Jazz, I've been using a Warmoth J fret-less I cobbled together and have noticed that not only is it more comfortable to play but is more defined and is easier to hear in the band mix. No, I can't get that DB "DOM" envelope but with flat wounds, high action, right hand technique and position, and pickup selection, it is very "natural" sounding. But in many ways it has better definition than DB.

On a final note, let me say that every time I show up to a gig or a new jam with the BG, I see the look of disappointment in the eyes of the other players but more importantly at a gig, the audience. There is a great perception in Jazz these days that if you're not playing DB, its not "real" Jazz. In fact, I'm convinced that I get called for gigs because I do play DB. The audience doesn't know anything about "band mix" and really doesn't care if my shoulder and back aches after playing for two hours. It is after all show business. They hire a live band because they want the "look" of a Jazz combo as well as the sound. Otherwise, they'd just put in a CD.

So for my gig this coming up weekend, I'm doing my stretches working on my arm positioning and sucking it up and taking the doghouse.:bawl:
 
#50
"On a final note, let me say that every time I show up to a gig or a new jam with the BG, I see the look of disappointment in the eyes of the other players but more importantly at a gig, the audience. There is a great perception in Jazz these days that if you're not playing DB, its not "real" Jazz."

+1 unfortunately.
 
#51
bh2 said:
"On a final note, let me say that every time I show up to a gig or a new jam with the BG, I see the look of disappointment in the eyes of the other players but more importantly at a gig, the audience. There is a great perception in Jazz these days that if you're not playing DB, its not "real" Jazz."

+1 unfortunately.
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I once told a band leader that a seem opened on my DB when I showed up with my electric. I do agree about the electric bass having a bit more definition in a mix, I also prefer DB without an amp. That is why I bring my electric to gigs where I know an amp is needed.
 
#52
spade2you said:
+2, just make sure your rig is set up to encourage nice low end. I once did a gig without my 15" and the low end was nice, but not nearly as deep with the 15" speaker.

DSC00017.jpg
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+more
 
#53
We've been talking about tone.

Another big factor is playing lines similar to what DB players would do. When faking a DB tone, I tend to play lots of half- and whole-notes, letting the muted tone die before the next pluck. No sustain unless we're talking about bowed notes, which are few and far between: perhaps only the final chord.

With pop and many country tunes, there isn't the opportunity to play the "interesting" arpeggios, due to the lack of augmented and diminished chords in the tune. But wherever possible, finding these arpeggios (arpeggia?) makes your part sound more like a DB, and that helps with the illusion.
 

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