i play neither electric upright bass nor acoustic bass. i have tried a few times and realized the differences between the instruments pretty much mean that i will never play one. but i love the instrument just the same. i have played electrics for over 25 years, but in reading some posts on talk bass in the last little while i am curious about something. there have been a few acoustic players wanting to buy a budget instrument that they can keep for a while and still get a decent resale on, with the future intent of getting a much better acoustic bass but needing something to play/practise with right now. would it not be practical to by one of the full scale ( 42" i believe ) electric uprights instead of purchasing a mediocre upright for possibly more money. i don't mean to offend any purists, i'm just wondering if the differences are that profound that for the sake of economics one couldn't get by on an eub.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
electric upright vs. acoustic upright bass
- Thread starter johhn smith
- Start date
I've been looking into the same thing myself and so none of the following is gospel as I don't have real-time experience.
The main problem with the Electric Upright Bass is that it's not an Upright Bass and lacks the overtones that make the UB so appealing. It will always sound like an EB/UB hybrid at best. As time moves on, the EUB is gaining more acceptance just because transporting and caring for an UB create their own nightmares. The EUB faces the same denigration that the Electric Bass did in the same circles when it appeared -- jazz and country/bluegrass -- even though big band jazz bassists were the first to snap it up. Availability, familiarity, and improved sound are making EUBs more accepted.
If you're looking at an EUB with the thought of moving into an acoustic, a main consideration is the heel of the neck where it fits in the bass body. Many EUBs do not have this and it is used for position reference on an UB. Also be aware that some EUBs do not have arced bridges for bowing.
The cheaper UBs have plywood tops and backs which aren't as resonant as solid tops and have their own care problems.
Otherwise, the fingering between the full-size EUBs and a 3/4 UB should be about the same. You may even have a bit more adjustment in usable string-height on some EUBs to make the transition from EB.
If you live in an area where such exists, you might be able to rent an UB and/or try a few in a store out to see the differences. The transition can be a real challenge. I've read EVERYwhere that lessons are a necessity but they're not always practical.
For me, a cheaper EUB is about as good as I'm going to get and I'm waiting for the WAV4 to be available for shipping. There are several very good threads on TalkBass discussing the benefits and terrors of different EUBs.
Good luck and have fun. Hope this helped.
The main problem with the Electric Upright Bass is that it's not an Upright Bass and lacks the overtones that make the UB so appealing. It will always sound like an EB/UB hybrid at best. As time moves on, the EUB is gaining more acceptance just because transporting and caring for an UB create their own nightmares. The EUB faces the same denigration that the Electric Bass did in the same circles when it appeared -- jazz and country/bluegrass -- even though big band jazz bassists were the first to snap it up. Availability, familiarity, and improved sound are making EUBs more accepted.
If you're looking at an EUB with the thought of moving into an acoustic, a main consideration is the heel of the neck where it fits in the bass body. Many EUBs do not have this and it is used for position reference on an UB. Also be aware that some EUBs do not have arced bridges for bowing.
The cheaper UBs have plywood tops and backs which aren't as resonant as solid tops and have their own care problems.
Otherwise, the fingering between the full-size EUBs and a 3/4 UB should be about the same. You may even have a bit more adjustment in usable string-height on some EUBs to make the transition from EB.
If you live in an area where such exists, you might be able to rent an UB and/or try a few in a store out to see the differences. The transition can be a real challenge. I've read EVERYwhere that lessons are a necessity but they're not always practical.
For me, a cheaper EUB is about as good as I'm going to get and I'm waiting for the WAV4 to be available for shipping. There are several very good threads on TalkBass discussing the benefits and terrors of different EUBs.
Good luck and have fun. Hope this helped.
Chef
In Memoriam
You needa go hang in the eub forum in the double bass section.
Lotsa info and guys excited to share about it over there.
Short answer is: yeah, EUBs are kewl, and you can get some pretty true tones out of some of them.
Lotsa info and guys excited to share about it over there.
Short answer is: yeah, EUBs are kewl, and you can get some pretty true tones out of some of them.
oh, i'm not looking to change i was just curious as to what the real differences between the 2 were. as i said it just seemed to make more sense to have a top of the line eub for the price of a mediocre upright so i thought there must be something really different. i was aware of the heel position, and while i forget the actual notes ( i think one is an f ) i remember that bass players had to make sure they got the neck they wanted. i hadn't considered this with regards to an eub so i can see that being a concern. i thought it might be the body as well, but i've seen that some manufacturers make a skeleton frame so the players can have the bass supported in a similar fashion to the upright, i can see the tone being an issue as well, and this kind of reminds me of a friend of mine who is a keyboard player. he loves the hammond b3 with the leslie cabinet but he has gone to great lengths to buy a midi keyboard with some incredible b3 emulation software that has digital drawbars and he even bought a footpedal setup to duplicate the hammond. i asked him why not just get a hammond and he said " i can get pretty close with this and it's just more practical for me, the maintenance issues and the size of the hammond just make it not practical ", and i was thinking that i've read enough upright horror stories and transportation issues to see the comparison. as i said before i am not an acoustic player so mainly i am asking the acoustic players for their opinions on why and eub may be a poor choice, as i see no one recommending them. i'm not saying replace the acoustic entirely, just perhaps it may be a choice to consider when looking for something to get by on until a really good acoustic can be found/purchased. thanks .
I've heard that it's like moving a church organ with the pipes!
Sorry I misunderstood and ran with it. Yeah, the EUB has got a distinct sound that is gaining its own. I saw Fernando Saunders use a shorter Kydd on Lou Reed's "Ecstasy" and it's an absolutely gorgeous sound. I also heard of a bluegrass EUB-player telling someone, "You demand I play acoustic bass? Good! Buy me one and transport it to my gigs at no charge."
Definitely check out the DB forum. Although, like this forum, I suspect many are biased towards their own gear. I've heard some EUBs that sound pretty amazing and some that are obviously not a DB and in a category all their own. I asked about the NS EU and heard some pretty positive comments. I've been contemplating that model m'self a few times since it's one of the few available as a 6 string. I wouldn't mind a 6 string DB, but I'm not nearly rich enough to make that happen.
I did for about 2 years. Then I got a nice, loud Kay with a good pickup & buffer preamp and never looked back.
I've heard that it's like moving a church organ with the pipes!
Sorry I misunderstood and ran with it. Yeah, the EUB has got a distinct sound that is gaining its own. I saw Fernando Saunders use a shorter Kydd on Lou Reed's "Ecstasy" and it's an absolutely gorgeous sound. I also heard of a bluegrass EUB-player telling someone, "You demand I play acoustic bass? Good! Buy me one and transport it to my gigs at no charge."
hahaha, yeah no kidding. i feel for the guys that do that. it's like being a drummer. i tried a few and the one i liked was a kydd bass 34" scale, hardly an eub but it did have the arco fingerboard. maybe someday, but i'd still be a electric player with a short scale eub and that's fine with me.
cool. would you say, in your opinion that a good eub would be an acceptable simulacra for an acoustic bass until a good acoustic could be found/ purchased?
yeah, there are a lot of things i would own if i had the cash as well. i know you are right when it comes to being biased towards you own gear, but i am sure most people are the same in that regard. i've hear that the last few years, the sounds of the eub have been getting better and that is another reason why i was asking.
Yes and no. For the 2 years I was on EUB, I did plenty of upright gigs & expanded my client base. A few people had a negative reaction to the unorthodox look & sound. One guy liked it more, though - asked what happened after I sold it. I'm not opposed to the idea of trying another EUB at some point.
But if something happened to my current upright, I'd look hard for another acoustic upright to replace it first. For what I do, the "real-deal" sound (and, I'm afraid, look) is important.
