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douglas viola bass?
- Thread starter wyattlstk
- Start date
ive been looking for a bass for my girlfriend. shes a total hipster so i think shell like the viola bass. but the other models are very spendy. is the douglas any good? and if i get strings and better pickups for it will it be decent? please help me.
I had a couple of Douglas bass guitars in my quest for the right bass for me. I found no difference in any of the lower end violinbasses (Rogue, Epiphone, Jay Turser, Hofner Icon). I think your gal will be very satisfied.
Jack
I bought one and I'm happy with it. Put on some LaBella flats and get some cool, thumpy sounds. I think I paid around $175 shipped, hard to beat that.
A good set of strings. For the rest, play it stock for a while, and decide if some pieces need to be changed.
I bought one of the Douglas violin basses shortly after Rondo started selling them. I put on flatwound strings and lowered the pickups to get more of a natural woody sound. The quality of the bass is impressive for the low price. I didn't have to make any changes to it other than add another strap button on the side of the neck heel to help the balance.
Rick B.
Rick B.
I have an Epiphone Viola with chromes. It sounds and plays fine. I'm too lazy to try to find the post, but there was/is one that says that the Douglas bass is made in the same factory and is the same bass with a different badge. If that is the case, I can recommend it highly, especially at that price. One of my freinds who has played professionally for decades thinks it's built better than a Hofner.
BTW, that fretless clip is impressive.
BTW, that fretless clip is impressive.
whoops, to clarify, that clip wasn't meant to be part of the post, its just my signature
I recorded it on a Squier VM fretless, but I didn't care for it too much, I've been thinking the Douglas might be a cool alternative. I've only played the Epi Viola (and liked it) but Ive seen the same comments about them and Douglas being made in the same factory, if they are on par, than they are a great deal. I'm just curious if the fretless is a quality instrument or if I should look elsewhere
As I always recommend, get good strings and a pro level setup, play with it for at least 6 months and THEN decide if you want any mods.
One of my students plays one. We put LaBella Beatle Bass strings on it (760FHBB flats), it sounds great. No pickup changes needed. Good choice.
I own three Hofner Icons. Another good choice, more accurate to Sir Paul's control array.
There are 3 screws on each side of the pickup ring. The outer 2 hold the ring to the bass, the center one (on each side) controls pickup height. To lower the pickup, turn the center screw(s) counter-closkwise.
