Electric bass that sounds like a double

[Tim Skaggs]

I’ve been playing upright for over 20 years and electric bass over 40 years & here’s my observation, all assuming the upright is being played pizzicato.

1. There are MORE variations in upright / double bass tone than there are differences in electric bass tone for a simple reason; uprights are played in live performances & recordings both amplified and un-amplified.

2. Finding an electric bass (amplified) that will approximate the tone of an amplified upright isn’t all that difficult. An amplified upright is not far from a fretless electric bass. Rolling off the tone and using string mutes on a fretless will get close to an AMPLIFIED upright tone.

3. The closest thing in a small transportable package that will sound most like an acoustic (un-amplified) double bass tone is some type of an amplified micro bass / uke bass with rubber strings. To me, an amplified uke bass with rubber strings sounds more like an acoustic upright than an amplified upright does. An amplified upright can have a lot of sustain unless a mute of some kind is used.

4. Getting an amplified electric bass to sound like a double bass played acoustically is the hard one. Uke bass with rubber strings is still the closest thing I’ve heard, followed by a short scale fretless with the strings muted and the tone rolled off.

That’s all I have….

 

[salmon256]

I will never understand why people get so damn defensive lmao. I play Upright bass too and I am also one of those "Bass guitar will never be an upright replacement" but you can not deny that they can get close, and yes maybe it is subjective, but holy goodness some of y'all really are so sensitive to someone just giving a view and a thought.

All the best though now to everyone.

 

[Danny O Danny]

I've been G.A.S.'ing for an NS Designs Omni Bass. You can even get one fretted and a strap system so you can play/hold it like a standard electric bass. Everything I've heard of these, they sound just like an acoustic/double bass

Omni Bass | Extraordinary 34" Scale EUB by Ned Steinberger | NS Design

I own an Omni bass, and I love it. It sounds great, but it does not sound just like an upright bass. It is its own thing, and I would say it's closer in sound to a fretless electric bass guitar than an upright. However, the Omni is designed so that it can be bowed.

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

 

[GroovinOnFunk]

Godin A4 (or A5, in my case) does a great job of getting an upright-ish tone but can also cop a more traditional electric tone too, especially the fretless version

 

[40Hz]

There’s a clear difference in timbre between the double bass and bass guitar that always gives it away. You can get fairly close with some electrics. But I don’t think it’s possible to absolutely nail it.

The other thing is how a player approaches a bassline. Upright bass players tend to approach the construction of their lines differently than their bass guitar counterparts owing to the significant physical differences between the two instruments. So a good part of simulating an upright bass vibe on bass guitar is playing your bassline like an upright bass player would. Which basically means learning how to genuinely walk a bassline rather than fake it just for openers.

FWIW I’ve found the less experience a person has hearing an actual double bass the closer a bass guitar can sound like one to them.

 

[Thumpin6string]

My 6 string Franken Fretless can get pretty close if I use mostly the bridge pickup with a slight boost to bass and mids and plucking on the fingerboard.

 

[Dabndug]

View attachment 5224066

Yup. I play a ply upright in a swing/jazz band. In a mix with vocals, a horn section, keys, guitar, and drums, the Hofner does a great job of mimicking that ply upright. I suspect it won't work quite as well in a sparser setting.

I use the Hofner when stage space is tight...

 

[Burmoss]

I've never got a chance to play it myself, but in my experience the Marcustico bass had the most similar sound to double bass. However, if you already have enough budget to buy this bass, you might as well buy a real double bass instead.
https://www.marcoguitarsbass.com/

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

My trusty maple P bass, fitted with Dunlop flats, a strategically placed foam under the bridge, and boosted bass and treble settings, allows me to tread the waters of the baby bass sound. It's been my reliable companion for countless Cuba/Salsa gigs.

Yet, the call to replace an upright bassist in a jazz ensemble hasn't come my way - and I don't expect any. Except some unforeseeable emergency, maybe. It's not just about the sound; the upright bass embodies a unique vibe of its own, an aura that adds a touch of magic.

 

[Oldscoolfool]

I have a couple of candidates worth mentioning.
The Ibanez Sh05 (it's called something very close to that, I forget exactly) is a semi hollow body bass, I used to have one, and with tapewound strings, it sounds pretty close, it sounds a lot more like it if you play with your right hand over the neck rather than over where the pickups usually are... It has no visible pickups actually, all it has is a peizo pick up in the bridge. This sounds more like an upright than Ibanez own electric upright badd when you compare one next to the other. But if course you can't bow the Sh05.

I used to have a traveler bass guitar, man I forget the name, this was like 20 years ago, but that little thing had true nylon strings, as opposed to nylon tape on steel strings like are tapewound. In fact it could be that all there was to the sound was the strings, but it thumped like an upright, and it sounded better than one. That little bass had a truly unique sound, I wish I remembered what it was, I ended up selling mine for like 100 bucks when I was in the throes of a heroin habit.

Today I have a Warwick pro series corvette fretless, and with tapewound, and I don't know that it sounds like an upright, but it is one awesome sounding fretless bass, just as a by the way kind of thing.

 

[djmay]

Yamaha SLB300

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Not all DBs and playing techniques sound the same so there's definitely an area of something approaching overlap that, in a full band context with no points at which bass is solo, you could get by with an electric if you pick a fretless with suitable strings and don't play like Jaco. YMMV IMHO, etc.

I seem to make things sound passable with a Jazz with relatively dark pickups and tape wounds but my fretless ABG with Trubass on sounds better. But there are sounds you can get out of a DB I can't readily get due to equipment or technique limitations.

No bowing, of course.

 

[dutchwife]

The strings on it are two years old. The owner's been told to get D'Addario Chromes.

Anyone who "told" me what strings to use would be treated with the contempt they deserve. Happy to accept advice however, and doubly happy to ignore it.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Totally different instruments so they're never gonna sound the same, but to get anywhere remotely close it has to be an electric with a PIEZO pickup IMO. Preferrably a hollow/chambered body for a bit more "organic" tone.

The closest I've gotten is an Ibanez SRH500F (chambered/piezo) with TI Jazz Flats. I know lots of people think tapewounds are best for a double bass(ish) tone but I find them too clacky. I guess it depends on what style of double bass tone you're trying to imitate. Tapewounds are probably better for rockabilly stuff. For me, the "orchestral" quality of the TI Jazz flats, combined with a piezo, is the closest I've gotten for a more "jazzy" double bass(ish) tone. But it's still pretty far from the real thing. Maybe more comparable to an ELECTRIC upright but with a softer attack, more sustain and a lighter tone overall. The difference is perhaps more about dynamics than tone... Which just now made me realize I've never tried muting the strings on my SRH550F with a sponge... That might close the gap... a tiny bit.

 

[albertus]

I've never got a chance to play it myself, but in my experience the Marcustico bass had the most similar sound to double bass. However, if you already have enough budget to buy this bass, you might as well buy a real double bass instead.
https://www.marcoguitarsbass.com/

I had the pleasure to play one some years ago. I was astonished of how close of a double bass it is. It has a unique system in which you can change the angle of the neck with an allen wrench and go back to the electric fretless sound we all love.

you can hear it pretty well here

 

[themickster]

Anyone who "told" me what strings to use would be treated with the contempt they deserve. Happy to accept advice however, and doubly happy to ignore it.

You didn't hear the tone of voice in the advice.

 

[jamro217]

Not to open a can of worms, but any discussion of what a particular instrument sounds like in contrast to another has a long list of factors involved in the process. Which context are we judging, live or in the studio? Amplified or not? Which kind of amp? Any effects? Pick, bow or fingers? Size of the room... If we're talking about a convincing facsimile of a recognizable signature tone, it should be fairly easy. Most bass guitars have the capability of producing a tone that is somewhat reminiscent of a DB. Much more so than, say, a flute can. Maybe we can all agree on that and go from there. Have a nice day.

 

[kevmoga]

No snarkiness intended, I’ve chased this unicorn too.

Amusing how this same thread theme comes around every couple of years. Do a search, get some xxxx flats, buy new basses………carry on

 

[cujodos]

A Rob Allen Mouse, Tape wounds, and a piece of foam next to the bridge for a mute. As close as I could ever get.